Fix EssentialsXChat prefixes and chat formatting

EssentialsXChat formats player messages and can show rank prefixes, suffixes and group-specific layouts. It is a separate EssentialsX module. A working EssentialsX installation alone does not prove that the Chat module is installed or that a permissions plugin's prefixes are connected.

Check the formatting chain

Use matching compatible EssentialsX core and EssentialsXChat releases from the official project. Confirm both load without errors in Console. If prefixes come from LuckPerms, check that Vault is installed and that the permissions integration is available. Follow LuckPerms group setup to give a test player a deliberate group and prefix.

Identify other chat formatters, channel plugins or network chat bridges. Choose which plugin owns the final format. Two plugins editing the same message can produce duplicate ranks, ignored settings or different results depending on the event order. Do not remove a plugin blindly if it also provides moderation or channels.

Stop the server and copy plugins/Essentials/config.yml before editing. Use the configuration generated by your installed release. The upstream example is useful for explaining fields, but replacing your complete file with it can overwrite unrelated settings.

Prove a simple format first

Find the existing chat: section. Change its general format to a simple documented-placeholder layout, preserving YAML indentation and keeping the value quoted:

format: '{DISPLAYNAME}: {MESSAGE}'

This line belongs inside the existing chat configuration; it is not a replacement for the entire file. Restart normally and send a message as a non-operator test player. Check that the display name and message render rather than appearing literally.

If this layout does not appear, check whether a group-specific format overrides it, another formatter owns chat, or the YAML failed to load. Read the first relevant startup error instead of repeatedly changing colour codes. Check configured chat radius too if messages are visible only to nearby players.

Add prefixes once

The documented formatting fields include {PREFIX}, {SUFFIX}, {GROUP}, {DISPLAYNAME} and {MESSAGE}. Add only the fields you want, then repeat the ordinary-player trial. A display name or nickname may already include a prefix through another setting; adding {PREFIX} again can duplicate it.

Inspect the test player's effective prefix and primary group in LuckPerms. Inheriting a rank does not necessarily mean its name is the primary group used to choose a group format. Check the exact group names and the installed configuration's group-formats section before creating overrides.

Do not assume arbitrary PlaceholderAPI expressions are supported by every formatter. A raw %placeholder% in chat usually means that the chosen formatting path did not expand it. Start with documented EssentialsXChat fields and check any additional integration explicitly.

Test presentation and permissions

Try messages from the default group and one ranked group. Check nicknames, long names and normal punctuation. Verify that messages remain readable without colour and that the actual message text is preserved. Grant chat-colour permissions only if players are supposed to use them; a formatting issue does not justify an administrative wildcard.

Restart once more to confirm persistence. Keep a known-good configuration copy and restore that file if the trial fails. For installation or missing-module errors, use the plugin installation checks. Further reading: EssentialsX modules and official annotated configuration.

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