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Overview

Minecraft Creator Tools provides multiple validation suites to catch errors, enforce best practices, and ensure compatibility. Each suite runs a different set of validators appropriate for your project’s stage and target audience.

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Available Suites

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Main Suite (Default)

The default validation suite for general development: 
mct validate -i ./my-project
Validates:
  • JSON syntax and schema validation
  • Format version compatibility
  • Reference integrity (entities, items, blocks)
  • Resource pack/behavior pack linkage
  • Script module versions
  • Common mistakes and typos

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Add-on Suite (Strict)

Comprehensive validation for add-ons intended for distribution: 
mct validate addon -i ./my-project
Includes everything from Main suite, plus:
  • Manifest completeness and accuracy
  • Licensing and attribution requirements
  • Inappropriate content detection
  • Performance recommendations
  • Accessibility guidelines
  • Marketplace compliance checks
The add-on suite is stricter and may report warnings for things the main suite allows.

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All Suite (Comprehensive)

Runs every available validator: 
mct validate all -i ./my-project
Includes all validators across all suites. Use this for final quality assurance before release.

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Current Platform Suite

Validates against the currently installed Minecraft version: 
mct validate currentplatform -i ./my-project
Checks compatibility with your local Minecraft installation, ensuring:
  • Feature availability in current version
  • Correct format versions
  • Block/item/entity availability

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Validation Categories

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Error Level

Critical issues that will cause your add-on to fail:
  • JSON syntax errors
  • Invalid format versions
  • Missing required files
  • Broken references
  • Invalid identifiers
Issues that may cause problems:
  • Deprecated features
  • Performance concerns
  • Inconsistent naming
  • Missing optional metadata
Suggestions for improvement:
  • Best practice violations
  • Optimization opportunities
  • Alternative approaches
Informational messages:
  • Project statistics
  • Feature usage
  • Compatibility notes

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Built-in Validators

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Schema Validation

Validates JSON files against official Minecraft schemas:
  • Entity definitions (behavior/resource)
  • Block definitions
  • Item definitions
  • Animation files
  • Particle effects
  • Sound definitions
  • Manifest files

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Version Managers

Automatically detect and fix outdated versions:
  • BaseGameVersionManager - Updates minimum Minecraft version
  • ScriptModuleManager - Updates script API module versions
  • BehaviorPackEntityTypeManager - Updates entity format versions

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Reference Validators

Ensure all references resolve correctly:
  • Entity references in spawn rules
  • Item references in recipes and loot tables
  • Block references in features
  • Texture references in models
  • Sound references in sound definitions

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Output Formats

Control validation output with the -ot flag: 
mct validate -i ./my-project -show
Displays results directly in terminal. Best for quick checks.

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Custom Validation

You can create custom validators programmatically: 
import { 
  IProjectInfoGenerator, 
  InfoItemType,
  ProjectInfoSet 
} from '@minecraft/creator-tools';

class CustomValidator implements IProjectInfoGenerator {
  id = 'CUSTOM';
  title = 'Custom Validator';
  
  async generate(project, projectInfoSet) {
    // Validate project structure
    if (!project.defaultBehaviorPackFolder) {
      projectInfoSet.addInfo(
        InfoItemType.error,
        'CUSTOM001',
        'Missing behavior pack folder',
        project
      );
    }
  }
}

// Register and run
const infoSet = new ProjectInfoSet(project);
infoSet.addGenerator(new CustomValidator());
await infoSet.generateForProject();

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Configuration Options

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Exclusions

Exclude specific validators: 
mct validate -i ./my-project -x "SCHEMA,BASEVERSION"

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Specific Checks

Run only specific validators: 
mct validate -i ./my-project -only "ENTITY,BLOCK"

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CI/CD Integration

Example GitHub Actions workflow:
.github/workflows/validate.yml
name: Validate Add-on

on: [push, pull_request]

jobs:
  validate:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v3
      - uses: actions/setup-node@v3
        with:
          node-version: '18'
      - run: npm install -g @minecraft/creator-tools
      - run: mct validate addon -i . -ot json -o reports
      - name: Check for errors
        run: |
          if grep -q '"type":"error"' reports/info.json; then
            echo "Validation errors found!"
            exit 1
          fi

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Performance Tips

Use --threads to control parallelism. Default is 8, maximum is 16.
mct validate -i ./my-project --threads 16
Large projects benefit from increased thread count. Small projects may not see improvement.

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Exit Codes

  • 0 - No errors found
  • 53 - Internal validation error
  • 56 - Test failures detected
  • 57 - Validation errors found

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