Configure a Minecraft TAB list and scoreboard
TAB can customise the player list, names and sidebar scoreboard. Configure one feature at a time so that a formatting error is easy to locate. Changing a display should not require replacing a world, deleting player data or giving ordinary players operator access.
Choose where TAB belongs
For a standalone Paper server, use the supported backend installation. A Velocity network needs a deliberate choice about proxy or backend installation. Follow TAB's network guidance rather than installing it everywhere: overlapping instances can control the same display features and overwrite each other's output.
Record existing plugins that manage scoreboards, nametags or tab lists. Keep their configuration before making changes. Back up the server, stop it and install the compatible TAB release through the usual plugin process. Start once to generate files, inspect startup errors and stop again before editing the initial configuration.
Start with a static header
Open TAB's generated configuration and locate the documented header/footer feature. Keep its existing structure, use spaces for indentation and change a short header line to your own server name. Leave animations and external placeholders out of the first test.
Enable only the feature you intend to use, following the comments for your installed release. Do not paste a complete configuration from a different TAB version over the generated file. Options can move or change meaning, and an old template can hide the original cause of a warning.
Start the server, join normally and check the player list. Make sure the server name appears in the intended place. Test with more than one player if you plan to show ranks or player-dependent information.
Add a small sidebar
Use the installed version's scoreboard example as a structure. Begin with a title and one static line, then add a documented placeholder only after the static display works. If using PlaceholderAPI values, test those values independently before adding them to TAB.
Check the scoreboard's selection or display conditions as well as its text. A correctly formatted scoreboard may be hidden by a condition, another selected board or a player's visibility preference. Avoid very frequent refresh intervals for information that changes slowly.
Apply and diagnose changes
For supported configuration edits on a backend installation, /tab reload refreshes TAB's configuration. Read the command response and Console for validation warnings. Proxy installations use /btab commands instead, and backend operator status does not automatically grant proxy permissions.
If a display flickers or disappears, compare the features controlled by other installed plugins. Disable one overlapping display feature through its documented setting on a test copy, then repeat the same join and world-change checks. Do not remove several plugins at once because a disappearance alone will not identify which integration conflicted.
Check Java clients and, where supported by your setup, Bedrock clients separately. Scoreboard limits and presentation can differ. If asking support, include the TAB version, installation location, affected feature, player/client version and redacted warnings. Keep the last working configuration so you can restore a display change without rolling back gameplay data.
Related CloudExa guides
- Install plugins on a Paper or Purpur Minecraft server
- Diagnose Minecraft lag with TPS, MSPT and spark