Pocket Islands

A Fabric mod for Minecraft that gives each player their own persistent pocket dimension island.

Supported Versions: Minecraft 1.20.1, 1.20.4, 1.21.11

Features

• Pocket Islands: Each player gets their own isolated island dimension
• Persistence: Islands survive main world resets
• Portal-Based Access: Build a portal frame, activate with emerald
• Invitation System: Invite friends to visit your island
• Void Generation: Clean slate void worlds with starter platforms

Requirements

• Minecraft 1.20.1, 1.20.4, or 1.21.11
• Fabric Loader (0.15.0+ for 1.20.x, 0.18.4+ for 1.21.x)
• Fabric API
• Both client and server must have the mod installed

Usage

Creating a Portal

This can be configured, this explanation uses the default configuration.

Build a frame using Nether Bricks (4 wide x 5 tall):

N N N N
N     N
N     N
N     N
N N N N

Right-click the inside of the frame with an Emerald to activate.

Entering Your Island

Walk into the activated portal to enter your pocket island. On first entry, a starter platform with grass blocks and a return portal frame will be created.

Returning

Enter the portal on your pocket island to return to your original location.

Important: Bring enough materials to build a return portal!

Commands

Player commands:

• /pi invites - View your invitations (sent and received)
• /pi invite <player> - Invite a player to your island
• /pi uninvite <player> - Revoke a player's invitation

Admin commands (op level 2+):

• /pi admin list - List all islands
• /pi admin info <player> - View island details
• /pi admin tp <player> - Teleport to an island
• /pi admin delete <player> [confirm] - Delete an island (op 4)

Debug commands (op level 4):

• /pi debug perf enable - Enable performance monitoring
• /pi debug perf disable - Disable performance monitoring
• /pi debug perf status - Show performance status
• /pi debug perf reset - Reset performance counters

Note: You should not need the debug commands, but they may be useful for checking.

Configuration

Config file: config/personalworlds.json

Pocket Islands offers extensive customization options, particularly for island composition. You can define multiple portal types, each creating islands with different materials and properties.

Example Configuration

{
    "portalTypes": [
        {
            "frameBlock": "minecraft:nether_bricks",
            "activationItem": "minecraft:emerald",
            "islandLayers": [
                "minecraft:grass_block",
                "minecraft:dirt",
                "minecraft:stone"
            ],
            "portalColor": "red"
        }
    ],
    "consumeActivationItem": false,
    "maxInvitationsPerPlayer": 20,
    "enableAlwaysWelcome": false,
    "unloadEmptyDimensionDelayTicks": 600,
    "cleanupIntervalTicks": 600,
    "enableTeleportParticles": true,
    "enableTeleportSounds": true,
    "enablePortalActivationEffects": true,
    "enableInvitationNotifications": true
}

Configuration Options

Portal Types (Island Customization)

Define multiple portal types to create islands with different materials:

• frameBlock — Block used for portal frames (e.g., "minecraft:nether_bricks")
• activationItem — Item used to activate portals (e.g., "minecraft:emerald")
• islandLayers — Customize your starter island platform (up to 5 layers, top to bottom)
  • Example: ["minecraft:grass_block", "minecraft:dirt", "minecraft:stone"]
  • Create themed islands: grass/dirt/stone, netherrack/soul_sand/basalt, end_stone, etc.
  • Each portal type creates a unique island composition
  • Each layer is 1 block thick, for 2 dirt block layers, repeat the material in the array
• portalColor — Color of the portal effect (default: "red")
  • Available colors: "red", "cyan"
  • Helps visually distinguish different portal types

Invitations

• maxInvitationsPerPlayer — Maximum invitations per player (-1 for unlimited)
• enableAlwaysWelcome — Enable the Always Welcome feature (default: false, requires restart)

Always Welcome Feature

By default, visitors can only enter your island when you are online and present on your island. The Always Welcome feature allows island owners to grant specific guests permanent access, bypassing these restrictions.

Enabling the Feature

Set enableAlwaysWelcome to true in your config and restart the server:

{
    "enableAlwaysWelcome": true
}

Note: This setting requires a server restart to take effect. When disabled, all Always Welcome commands are hidden and existing flags are ignored.

Using Always Welcome

Once enabled, island owners have two ways to grant Always Welcome status:

Option 1: Invite with Always Welcome

/pi invite Steve always

This creates a new invitation with Always Welcome enabled immediately.

Option 2: Toggle existing invitation

/pi togglewelcome Steve

This toggles the Always Welcome status on an existing invitation. Run it again to disable.

Viewing Always Welcome Status

Use /pi invites to see your sent invitations. When the feature is enabled, each invitation shows a clickable star indicator:

Sent (players who can visit you):
  - Steve [★] [Revoke]    ← Green star: Always Welcome ON
  - Alex  [☆] [Revoke]    ← Gray star: Always Welcome OFF

Click the star to toggle the status directly from the chat.

Access Control Behavior

Invitation Type	Host Online + Home	Host Online + Away	Host Offline
Standard	✓ Allowed	✗ Denied	✗ Denied
Always Welcome	✓ Allowed	✓ Allowed	✓ Allowed

Notes:

• Admins (OP level 2+) always bypass all visit restrictions
• The island owner can always access their own island
• Always Welcome guests still need an active invitation (uninviting removes access)

Performance

• unloadEmptyDimensionDelayTicks — Delay before unloading empty dimensions (default: 600 = 30 seconds)
• cleanupIntervalTicks — How often to check for empty dimensions (default: 600 = 30 seconds)

Visual Effects

• enableTeleportParticles — Show particle effects during teleportation
• enableTeleportSounds — Play sound effects during teleportation
• enablePortalActivationEffects — Show effects when activating portals
• enableInvitationNotifications — Play sounds for invitation notifications

Advanced Options

• consumeActivationItem — Whether the activation item is consumed on portal activation (default: false)

Creating Multiple Portal Types

You can define multiple portal types to create different island themes. Players can choose which type of island they want by using different portal materials:

{
    "portalTypes": [
        {
            "frameBlock": "minecraft:nether_bricks",
            "activationItem": "minecraft:emerald",
            "islandLayers": [
                "minecraft:grass_block",
                "minecraft:dirt",
                "minecraft:stone"
            ],
            "portalColor": "red"
        },
        {
            "frameBlock": "minecraft:blackstone",
            "activationItem": "minecraft:nether_star",
            "islandLayers": [
                "minecraft:netherrack",
                "minecraft:soul_sand",
                "minecraft:basalt"
            ],
            "portalColor": "red"
        },
        {
            "frameBlock": "minecraft:end_stone_bricks",
            "activationItem": "minecraft:ender_pearl",
            "islandLayers": [
                "minecraft:end_stone"
            ],
            "portalColor": "cyan"
        }
    ]
}

Note: The first portal type a player uses determines their island composition permanently.

FAQ

Do I need the mod on both client and server?

Yes. Pocket Islands must be installed on both the server and all connecting clients.

What happens if a client doesn't have the mod installed?

The client will experience severe rendering issues when looking at a portal. Chunks will fail to load properly, causing:

• Invisible or corrupted terrain
• Falling through the world
• Visual glitches and flickering
• Potential client crashes

This happens because the client can not properly load the textures and thus can not show the chunks properly.

Can I use this on a vanilla client?

No. The mod registers custom dimension types that vanilla clients cannot understand. Always ensure clients have the mod installed before they attempt to use pocket island portals.

What happens to my island if the main world is reset?

Your island is safe. Pocket islands are stored separately from the main world.

Can I visit other players' islands?

Yes, if they invite you. Use /pi invite <player> to invite someone, then enter their portal to visit their island.

How do I get back from my island?

Enter the return portal on your island. It teleports you back to the exact location you entered from.

What happens if I fall off my island?

You're safe. When you fall below Y=0, you're automatically teleported back to your original entry location before taking any void damage. Your items and progress are preserved.