Enable and test Paper Anti-Xray in one world

Paper Anti-Xray changes the block information sent to clients so hidden ores are harder to identify with an X-ray resource pack or client. It is a mitigation with limits, not proof that cheating is impossible. Configure one world first and verify ordinary play before applying a policy across an entire network.

Choose scope and preserve settings

Record the Paper build and the target dimension. Download the relevant Paper world configuration and check its inheritance. The shared defaults file can affect several worlds; a world-specific override is preferable when you are trialling the feature in one place. Follow the directory layout for your installed release, because current 26.x dimension paths differ from older Paper layouts such as those encountered on 1.21.11.

Read Paper's Anti-Xray guide before choosing a mode. Mode 1 substitutes hidden target blocks with ordinary terrain. Modes 2 and 3 use different fake-block strategies. They have different visual, network and processing trade-offs. A higher mode number is not a universal recommendation, and exposing more fake data does not conceal ores that legitimate exploration already reveals.

Apply a minimal configuration

Take a recoverable backup, arrange a restart and stop the server cleanly. Locate the existing anticheat section and its anti-xray subsection. Merge your intended changes into that section rather than creating a second copy. For a first trial, enabling the feature with its release-appropriate defaults is easier to assess than replacing every block list from an old tutorial.

Set the supported enabled option to true in the correct scope and select a documented engine mode only if you deliberately need a different mode. Retain the generated block lists and height settings until you understand the mode's requirements. Never modify _version to make a pasted example appear compatible. Use spaces rather than tabs for YAML indentation.

Start the server normally and inspect the earliest warnings. Do not use /reload to activate the change. If parsing fails, stop and repair the configuration before allowing players back in. A normal startup is only the first check, not proof that the intended dimension received the policy.

Verify ordinary and restricted views

Use a non-operator test account in the selected world. Permission-based exemptions can make an administrator a misleading test subject, particularly if use-permission is enabled. Check that normal mining, exposed blocks and transitions between areas behave acceptably. Observe client stutter and server performance under a representative workload.

A full validation of obfuscation may require a controlled test client or packet inspection. If you have not performed that test, record the limit honestly rather than claiming that every X-ray method is blocked. Do not direct players to download untrusted cheat clients merely to prove the setting works.

Roll back

Restore only the changed configuration entries during a clean stop and restart if the trial causes unacceptable behaviour. Keep the world data intact. Document the chosen scope and mode for staff, and retain normal moderation measures because Anti-Xray does not address every source of unfair knowledge or client abuse.

Reference

Paper Anti-Xray configuration and limitations. Paper configuration paths and inheritance.