LuckPerms Permissions List & Complete Setup Guide
What is LuckPerms?
LuckPerms is the industry standard permissions plugin for Minecraft servers, replacing the outdated PermissionsEx and GroupManager plugins. It controls exactly what every player can do - from commands they can run to worlds they can access. LuckPerms supports Paper, Spigot, BungeeCord, Velocity, Fabric, Forge, and Sponge - making it the universal choice for all server types. Key features: group-based permissions with inheritance (VIP inherits Default's permissions + extras), web-based editor (/lp editor opens a GUI in your browser), MySQL/PostgreSQL storage for syncing permissions across server networks (BungeeCord), tracks (automated promotion/demotion ladders), prefixes and suffixes for chat formatting, timed temporary permissions, contexts (permissions that only apply in certain worlds/servers/gamemodes), and a verbose mode for debugging permission issues in real-time. LuckPerms is free, open-source, and actively maintained.
Installation & First Setup
1) Download LuckPerms from luckperms.net or the SpigotMC page. 2) Place the .jar in /plugins and restart. 3) LuckPerms creates its default config in /plugins/LuckPerms/. 4) Open the web editor with /lp editor - this generates a unique URL you open in your browser to manage permissions visually. Changes in the web editor generate a command you paste back into the server console. 5) Create your group hierarchy: /lp creategroup default, /lp creategroup member, /lp creategroup vip, /lp creategroup mod, /lp creategroup admin. 6) Set inheritance: /lp group member parent add default, /lp group vip parent add member, /lp group mod parent add vip, /lp group admin parent add mod. 7) Add players to groups: /lp user PlayerName group set vip. The web editor is the recommended management method - it's much faster than typing commands for complex permission setups.
Essential Permission Nodes by Category
Core player nodes: essentials.home (set/use home), essentials.sethome.1, essentials.tpa, essentials.tpaccept, essentials.spawn, essentials.balance, essentials.pay, essentials.msg, essentials.list. Economy: essentials.baltop, essentials.eco (admin), essentials.sell, essentials.warp, essentials.setwarp (mod). Building and world: worldedit.* (basic WE access), worldguard.region.* (region management), griefprevention.user, griefprevention.admin.giveclaimblocks. Chat: essentials.nick, essentials.chat.color, essentials.chat.format. Moderation: essentials.kick, essentials.ban, essentials.mute, essentials.jail, essentials.tempban, coreprotect.inspect, coreprotect.lookup, litebans.*. Admin: essentials.*, luckperms.*, worldedit.*, worldguard.*, coreprotect.*. Server management: bukkit.command.plugins (see plugin list), bukkit.command.version, bukkit.command.tps, minecraft.command.op. Always grant only the minimum permissions needed. Use '/lp group mod permission set essentials.kick true' format, never use '*' wildcard for non-admin groups.
Prefixes, Suffixes & Meta
Customize how players appear in chat and tab list. Set a prefix: /lp group admin meta addprefix "[&4Admin&r] " - &4 makes text red, &r resets formatting. Suffix: /lp group vip meta addsuffix " &6[VIP]" - appears after the player name. Set player weight for tab list ordering: /lp group admin meta set weight 100. Higher weight = appears higher in tab list. Common weight values: Default=0, VIP=10, Mod=50, Admin=100, Owner=1000. Chat formatting: configure EssentialsXChat to use LuckPerms prefixes in chat messages. In essentials/config.yml, set chat format to: '{DISPLAYNAME} {MESSAGE}' where DISPLAYNAME includes the LuckPerms prefix + player name. Custom meta keys: you can define arbitrary meta values like /lp group vip meta set max-homes 5, then have plugins read this meta for dynamic limits. Meta is powerful for connecting permissions with plugin configurations.
Tracks - Auto Promotion System
Tracks automate player progression through rank ladders. Create a track: /lp createtrack staff. Add groups in order: /lp track staff append helper, /lp track staff append moderator, /lp track staff append admin. Create playtime-based track: /lp createtrack playtime. To promote a player: /lp user PlayerName promote staff (moves them to the next group in the track). To demote: /lp user PlayerName demote staff. Tracks can have multiple paths: create a 'donor' track (default → VIP → MVP → Elite) and a 'staff' track (helper → mod → admin). Players can be on multiple tracks simultaneously - a player can be MVP (donor track) AND moderator (staff track). Track promotions trigger automatically when conditions are met if using auto-promote plugins. Tracks ensure consistent promotion processes and prevent rank-hopping.
Contexts - Conditional Permissions
Contexts make permissions conditional - they only apply in specific situations. World context: give fly permission only in creative world - /lp group vip permission set essentials.fly true world=creative. Server context (for BungeeCord networks): /lp group default permission set essentials.home true server=survival (homes only work on the survival server). Gamemode context: permissions that only apply in creative mode. Common context uses: disable building in spawn world, enable fly only in creative/plot worlds, restrict economy commands to the hub server, give extra permissions during events (server=events). Set contexts: /lp group groupname permission set permission.node true context_key=context_value. Remove contexts: /lp group groupname permission unset permission.node context_key=context_value. Use /lp verbose to verify contexts are working as expected.
Best Practices & Troubleshooting
Security: Never use /op on a public server. OP bypasses ALL permission systems including LuckPerms - a player with OP can do anything. Use LuckPerms instead: /lp user PlayerName permission set * (only for trusted admins who need full access). Debugging: /lp verbose on PlayerName - shows every permission check for that player in real-time. Look for red (denied) and green (allowed). /lp sync - applies pending changes immediately. /lp export - exports entire permission setup as a file for backup. /lp import - restores from backup. Common issues: forgetting /lp sync after changes, parent groups not inheriting properly (check with /lp group child info), context conflicts (player is in wrong world), and MySQL connection issues on networks (check database credentials in config.yml). Back up your LuckPerms data monthly - it's the core of your server's access control.
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