ApexStaff

Description

ApexStaff is a high-performance Bukkit/Spigot/Paper plugin designed specifically for server staff members, providing a comprehensive suite of utilities and quality-of-life enhancements to streamline moderation, investigation, and server management tasks. Built with efficiency and reliability in mind, ApexStaff combines essential staff tools into a single, cohesive package that minimizes server impact while maximizing functionality.

Core Purpose

The primary goal of ApexStaff is to empower server staff with powerful tools that enhance their ability to monitor, investigate, and maintain server integrity without compromising performance. Whether you're managing a small community server or a large network, ApexStaff provides the necessary features to handle staff duties effectively.

Why Choose ApexStaff?

Performance-Driven Architecture — Unlike traditional staff tools that can cause server lag, ApexStaff offloads heavy operations—such as database queries and XRay calculations—to asynchronous threads. By leveraging PacketEvents, we ensure high-precision monitoring with zero impact on your server's TPS.

Reliable Data Persistence — By utilizing a centralized SQLite database instead of volatile flat files, your investigation data, XRay ratios, staff notes, and logs remain secure and accessible even across world resets or directory changes.

Advanced Investigation Suite — Move beyond basic moderation with specialized tools like ShadowCam for point-of-view synchronization, Statistical XRay Detection, and a structured Notes system. These features provide your team with empirical evidence and written records rather than guesswork, allowing for confident, data-driven enforcement.

Modular & Accessible Control — ApexStaff is fully customizable, from alert thresholds to message formatting. Whether you need specific cooldowns to prevent staff fatigue or high-contrast colors for better accessibility, the plugin adapts to your moderation style.

---- UPDATE ZONE ---- What's new in V1.3:

PlaceholderAPI Support: New custom placeholders.

Notes Command: New Notes feature to annotate and track player behavior directly in-game.

PacketEvents shading removed: ApexStaff's size decreased by 98%, without requiring a manual PacketEvents download.

Automatic XRay Detection Alert: When a player is flagged as Suspect, automatic alerts are sent to staff — cooldown and messages are fully customizable in config.yml.

Key Features

Stealth and Investigation Tools

ShadowCam: Get the exact point-of-view of any player in real time.

XRay Detection: Advanced ore ratio monitoring to detect potential XRay users, with detailed statistics and logging.

Notes: Annotate player profiles with staff-written notes. Add, remove, list, or wipe notes per player — all persisted in the SQLite database.

Moderation and Control

Freeze: Temporarily immobilize players for investigation or rule enforcement.

Vanish: Become invisible to regular players while retaining full staff abilities.

Fly: Grant flight to staff members for quick server navigation.

ClearChat: Clear chat for individual players or the entire server.

Duplicate IP Checker: Identify alternative accounts sharing the same IP address.

Staff Utilities

Ping: Check any player's current ping.

Technical Excellence

Asynchronous operations for all database and packet tasks.

Efficient packet monitoring via PacketEvents for lightweight XRay detection.

SQLite-based storage for bans, XRay data, notes, and IP tracking with automatic cleanup.

Built for Paper/Spigot 1.21 with future-version compatibility considerations.

Granular permission system for fine-tuned access control across staff ranks.

Documentation

Overview

ApexStaff is a comprehensive Spigot plugin (version 1.21.x) designed for server staff management, providing tools for moderation, investigation, and quality-of-life enhancements.

Installation

1. Place the ApexStaff.jar file in your server's plugins directory.
2. Restart or reload your server.
3. Edit the generated config.yml and plugin.yml files as needed.
4. Restart/reload again to apply your changes.

Commands

Main Command

/apexstaff [subcommand] [player] [args]
Aliases: /ax

Subcommands

/apexstaff reload — Reload plugin configuration.

/apexstaff vanish — Toggle vanish mode for a player.

/apexstaff freeze — Freeze/unfreeze a player.

/apexstaff fly — Toggle fly mode for a player.

/apexstaff clearchat — Clear chat for a player.

/apexstaff dupeip — Check for duplicate IPs.

/apexstaff xray [info|clear] — Check or clear XRay data for a player.

/apexstaff ping — Check a player's current ping.

/apexstaff shadowcam — Sync your POV to the specified player's perspective.

/apexstaff notes [add|remove|clear|list] — Manage staff notes for a player.

Admin Permissions

apexstaff.* — All permissions.

apexstaff.admin — Access to the main command.

apexstaff.reload — Reload command.

apexstaff.vanish — Vanish command.

apexstaff.freeze — Freeze command.

apexstaff.exempt — Exempt a player from all checks.

apexstaff.xray — XRay command.

apexstaff.fly — Fly command.

apexstaff.clearchat — Clear chat command.

apexstaff.dupeip — Duplicate IP command.

apexstaff.ping — Ping command.

apexstaff.shadowcam — ShadowCam command.

apexstaff.notes — Notes command.

Configuration

config.yml

The configuration file contains:

Messages: Customizable chat messages for all commands.

Freeze Settings: Block chat/commands/damage while frozen; auto-ban on quit while frozen (temporary by default); whitelisted commands (e.g. msg, whitelist).

XRay Settings: Enable/disable detection; configure monitored ores (diamond, gold, iron, etc.); set alert threshold (40%) and high-risk threshold (70%); minimum blocks before triggering a check (100).

Notes Setting: Enable/Disable automatic alerts, set minimum amount of notes to activate automatic alerts. Every automatic alert can be set to true or false, or disable them all directly through one option.

Features

Core Functionality

Vanish: Become invisible to players while retaining full staff abilities.

Freeze: Immobilize players with configurable restrictions.

Fly: Grant flight to staff members.

Chat Management: Clear chat for individuals or yourself.

Duplicate IP Detection: Find alternate accounts sharing an IP.

XRay Detection: Monitor ore ratios to detect potential cheaters.

Notes: Write, manage, and persist staff notes on any player directly in-game.

Performance: Designed for minimal server impact through asynchronous task scheduling, efficient data structures, configurable update intervals, and minimal synchronous operations during gameplay events.

Dependencies

Paper/Spigot/Bukkit API 1.21

No external dependencies required.

Usage Tips

• Configure XRay thresholds based on your server's economy and ore distribution.
• Set up staff roles with appropriate permissions for each rank.
• Use Notes to build a history on repeat offenders before taking action.
• Regularly audit duplicate IPs to catch alt accounts early.
• Enable freeze quit-bans to prevent combat logging evasion.
• Use ShadowCam combined with Notes to document suspicious behavior in real time.

Support

For issues or suggestions, please refer to the project repository or contact the developer.

Conclusion

ApexStaff represents a complete staff utility solution that combines essential moderation tools with advanced investigation capabilities. By focusing on performance, reliability, and user experience, it gives server staff everything they need to effectively manage their communities while keeping the server running smoothly. Whether you're running a small private server or a large public network, ApexStaff adapts to your workflow and helps build a better environment for staff and players alike.