Set up player land claims with GriefPrevention

GriefPrevention lets players protect land and share selected access with other players. Claims help prevent unwanted changes, but they are not a substitute for backups or a guarantee that every plugin-created action will be blocked.

Use documentation for the installed major version

The project separates legacy version 16 documentation from the changing version 17-and-later documentation. Check your actual release before copying commands or configuration keys. Do not replace a stable installation with an alpha merely because it has a larger version number.

Record other protection plugins and where they apply. Overlapping spawn protection, WorldGuard regions and land claims can produce different results from those in an unprotected test area. Plan which system owns each area and keep existing rules while testing the new one.

Back up and configure the intended worlds

Stop and take a completed backup including worlds, plugin configuration and claim data. Export an external database if your setup uses one, and keep the matching recovery files outside the server. See backup guidance before an upgrade or migration.

Install a release compatible with your server using the plugin guide. Start to generate configuration, then stop before editing. Review the claims mode for each intended world using the comments and documentation for that release. Disabling claims in a world with existing claims can remove their effective protection; do not use that as a troubleshooting shortcut.

Create a small test claim

1. Join with an ordinary non-operator player account that has the intended claim allowance.
2. Move to an authorised test area outside existing claims and administrative regions.
3. Use the configured claiming tool, commonly a golden shovel, to select two opposite corners. Check the displayed boundary and any allowance error.
4. Have a second unrelated player attempt a harmless block placement or container interaction inside the claim.
5. Confirm that normal actions remain possible outside the boundary and that your test did not accidentally cover a public route.

Keep test items disposable and record the location. If a claim fails, inspect the world mode, available claim blocks and exact denial before granting broader permissions.

Choose a limited trust level

Standing in the intended claim, use the installed command help to review trust types. The documented /AccessTrust PlayerName allows limited interactions; /ContainerTrust PlayerName grants more container-related access; /Trust PlayerName includes building. Use the least access that matches the task.

Review /TrustList, then test with the invited player. A friend who may open a chest does not necessarily need to share claim-management permissions with others. Use the appropriate untrust operation when the collaboration ends, and verify the result rather than assuming membership disappeared everywhere.

Keep recovery and evidence

Test again after a normal restart and after adding another protection integration. Administrators may bypass claims, so an operator-only test cannot demonstrate player safety. If protection fails, record the coordinates, world, involved players and action without deleting the claim or its data.

Further reading: version guidance, commands and world configuration.

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