ChattyChannels

Channels, private messages, ignore and friends in one

ChattyChannels is a free chat plugin for Paper and Spigot, from 1.17 to 26.x. It gives your server chat channels with their own range and permissions, private messages, ignore lists and a friends list, plus spam and word filters, timed mutes and a staff spy view.

How it works in play

Channels: global, local (100 blocks), trade and staff are set up on first start. Players join local by default and switch with /channel <id>.
Quick prefixes: start a message with ! to send it to global, # to trade or @ to staff, without leaving your current channel.
Hiding channels: /cc hide #trade stops a channel from showing on your screen; /cc show brings it back and /cc hidden lists what you've hidden.
Private messages: /msg (also /tell, /w) and /r to reply. /ignore blocks a player's messages.
Friends: /friend add sends a request that the other player accepts or denies. Friends get an alert when you join, and requests expire after 7 days.

Moderation

Timed mutes: /mute <player> <channel> <duration> with durations like 10m, 2h or 1d; use * as the channel to mute everywhere. The mute runs out on its own and keeps counting through restarts.
Spam filter: blocks the same message twice within 5 seconds, messages that are 70% capitals, and more than 4 messages in 5 seconds. All thresholds are in config.yml.
Word filter: replace listed words with **** or block the message.
Staff tools: /chatspy shows every channel at once, /clearchat clears chat for everyone, and channel and private messages are written to log files.

How to use it

Install: drop the jar into /plugins and restart once. English is the default; set language: es for Spanish.
Edit the channels in channels.yml. Each one has a display name, quick prefix, format, range (-1 for the whole server), permission and cooldown. Formats accept PlaceholderAPI placeholders such as %luckperms_prefix%.
Set the filters and the word list in config.yml.
Apply changes with /cc reload.

Commands and permissions

Everyone: /channel, /channels, /cc hide|show|hidden, /msg, /r, /ignore, /friend.
Each channel has its own permission, chatchannels.use.<channel>. Staff is operators only by default.
Operators: chatchannels.mute, chatchannels.spy, chatchannels.clearchat, and chatchannels.bypass.cooldown / chatchannels.bypass.filter.

Placeholders

With PlaceholderAPI installed: %chatchannels_active% (the player's current channel) and %chatchannels_muted%.

Requirements

Paper or Spigot from 1.17 to 26.x, forks like Purpur included, on the Java version your server already uses.
On Spigot, colours and hex work in channel formats; hover and click tags need Paper.
Optional: PlaceholderAPI, for placeholders in channel formats and for the plugin's own placeholders.
Optional: MySQL, for private messages between servers on a proxy network.

FAQ

Can a player be muted in trade but still talk elsewhere?
Yes. /mute Steve trade 1h mutes them in trade only; /mute Steve * 1h mutes them everywhere.

Do mutes wear off if the server restarts?
No. They're saved and keep counting down.

Can I add a town or roleplay channel?
Yes. Add a block to channels.yml with a range in blocks and its own permission.

Can I translate the messages?
Yes. English and Spanish are included in lang/, in MiniMessage, and missing keys fall back to English.

For questions or bug reports, use the discussion tab on this page or our Discord.