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Paper uses Gradle as its build system. This page documents the most important tasks available for building, testing, and developing Paper.

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Viewing All Tasks

To see a complete list of available tasks with descriptions: 
./gradlew tasks

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Core Build Tasks

These tasks are essential for compiling Paper from source.

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applyPatches

Applies Paper’s patches to the Minecraft source code. 
./gradlew applyPatches
You must run this task before you can build Paper or make code changes. This task creates the paper-server/src/minecraft directory with Paper’s modified Minecraft source.

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rebuildPatches

Rebuilds Paper’s patch files from your current changes in the source directory. 
./gradlew rebuildPatches
Use this after making changes to paper-server/src/minecraft or paper-api to convert your commits into patch files.

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fixupSourcePatches

Automatically fixes up per-file patches when you make changes to Minecraft source files. 
./gradlew fixupSourcePatches
After making changes to files in paper-server/src/minecraft, run this task followed by rebuildPatches.

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Server Build Tasks

These tasks create runnable server JAR files in different formats.

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createMojmapBundlerJar

Creates a Mojang-mapped bundler JAR file (recommended for development). 
./gradlew createMojmapBundlerJar
Output: paper-server/build/libs/paper-bundler-<version>-mojmap.jarThis is the primary build task mentioned in Paper’s README.

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createReobfBundlerJar

Creates a reobfuscated bundler JAR file (for production). 
./gradlew createReobfBundlerJar
Output: paper-server/build/libs/paper-bundler-<version>-reobf.jar

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createMojmapPaperclipJar

Creates a Mojang-mapped Paperclip JAR file. 
./gradlew createMojmapPaperclipJar
Output: paper-server/build/libs/paper-paperclip-<version>-mojmap.jar

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createReobfPaperclipJar

Creates a reobfuscated Paperclip JAR file. 
./gradlew createReobfPaperclipJar
Output: paper-server/build/libs/paper-paperclip-<version>-reobf.jar

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jar

Creates the basic server JAR without bundling. 
./gradlew jar
Output: paper-server/build/libs/paper-server-<version>.jar

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reobfJar

Creates a reobfuscated server JAR. 
./gradlew reobfJar

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Testing Tasks

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test

Runs Paper’s test suite. 
./gradlew test
The test configuration automatically:
  • Runs tests in a temporary working directory
  • Uses JUnit Platform with tag filtering (excludes “Slow” tests)
  • Forks for each test class
  • Includes Mockito agent for Java 21+ compatibility

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check

Runs all verification tasks including tests and code scanning. 
./gradlew check
This task includes:
  • Running the test suite
  • Scanning the JAR for bad API calls (@DoNotUse annotations)

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Development Server Tasks

These tasks let you quickly spin up a test server without manually running JAR files.

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runDevServer

Runs a development server directly from compiled classes (fastest for testing changes). 
./gradlew runDevServer
This task doesn’t create a JAR file - it runs directly from the build output. Perfect for rapid iteration during development.

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runServer

Runs a test server from the Mojang-mapped JAR. 
./gradlew runServer

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runReobfServer

Runs a test server from the reobfuscated JAR. 
./gradlew runReobfServer

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runBundler

Runs a test server from the Mojang-mapped bundler JAR. 
./gradlew runBundler

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runReobfBundler

Runs a test server from the reobfuscated bundler JAR. 
./gradlew runReobfBundler

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runPaperclip

Runs a test server from the Mojang-mapped Paperclip JAR. 
./gradlew runPaperclip

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runReobfPaperclip

Runs a test server from the reobfuscated Paperclip JAR. 
./gradlew runReobfPaperclip
All run tasks:
  • Use the directory specified by paper.runWorkDir property (defaults to run/)
  • Add the test plugin automatically if enabled
  • Start with --nogui flag
  • Allocate memory based on paper.runMemoryGb property (default: 2GB)
  • Support enhanced class redefinition for hot-swapping

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Publishing Tasks

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publishToMavenLocal

Publishes Paper API and Server to your local Maven repository. 
./gradlew publishToMavenLocal
Useful for testing Paper changes in your own plugins locally.

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generateDevelopmentBundle

Generates a development bundle for plugin development. 
./gradlew generateDevelopmentBundle

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Utility Tasks

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printMinecraftVersion

Prints the Minecraft version Paper is built for. 
./gradlew printMinecraftVersion

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printPaperVersion

Prints the current Paper version. 
./gradlew printPaperVersion

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clean

Removes all build outputs. 
./gradlew clean
This removes the build/ directories but does not remove the patched source. Use cleanCache if you need a full reset.

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Task Configuration

You can customize task behavior using Gradle properties in gradle.properties:
PropertyDefaultDescription
paper.runWorkDirrunDirectory for test server files
paper.runMemoryGb2Memory allocation for run tasks (GB)
paper.runDisableWatchdogfalseDisable server watchdog
mcVersion(set in project)Minecraft version to build

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Common Task Chains

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Full Clean Build

./gradlew clean applyPatches createMojmapBundlerJar

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Development Workflow

# 1. Make changes to source
# 2. Test changes
./gradlew runDevServer

# 3. Rebuild patches
./gradlew fixupSourcePatches rebuildPatches

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Testing Plugin Compatibility

./gradlew publishToMavenLocal
# Then use Paper in your plugin project

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Next Steps

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