FAQ

Do players need a mod or resource pack?

No. Donut Replay is entirely server-side. Playback spawns replay entities for the viewer, so nothing is required on any player’s client.

Does it work on Folia?

Yes — it’s built for Folia’s region-threaded scheduling, and also runs on Paper and Canvas from 1.21 up to the latest 26.2. It is not a Spigot port hoping for the best.

What does it actually record?

Server-observed gameplay: player and nearby-entity movement, combat, block changes and inventory state — enough to replay a fight or a cheat 1:1. It is not a cinematic free-camera tool; it’s a moderation and review system.

How much disk does it use?

Replays are GZIP-compressed (Compress-Replays: true) and auto-expire via retention. Flag, PvP and Death Cam capture are all light — Death Cam buffers in memory and only writes to disk when someone actually dies, so there’s no constant disk churn.

What’s Death Cam?

An “instant replay” of deaths, on by default. Every player is buffered in memory; the moment someone dies — by any cause (PvP, lava, fall, a mob) — a clip is saved that starts a few seconds before the death, so you can see exactly what led to it. If nobody dies, nothing is written. Browse them with /replay deaths; tune it under Death Cam settings.

Can I use one database across my whole network?

Yes. Set Storage-Type: mysql and point every server at the same database — replays saved on one server are browsable and playable on another.

A fight didn’t get saved — why?

By default a PvP recording is kept only if someone dies (SaveEvenWithoutDeath: false). To keep every fight regardless of outcome, set it to true. See PvP settings.

Nothing records in my spawn world

That’s intended — minecraft_spawn is in the default Worlds.Blacklist. Remove it, or adjust the Worlds rules.

My anticheat flags but no clip appears

Three things to check: Recording.Flagged.Enabled is true, your Anticheat.Mode matches the anticheat you actually run, and the flag name is in that anticheat’s Flags list (remember Vulcan uses flight, not fly). Details on the Anticheat hooks page.

Can other plugins start replays?

Yes — Donut Replay ships a public API and lifecycle events (recording start/stop/save, replay start/stop) so your own plugins can drive it programmatically.

How do I change the messages or language?

Every player-facing string lives in messages.yml (MiniMessage formatting). Edit it and run /replay reload.