ColorfulNames
A lightweight name-color plugin for Minecraft: legacy colors, HEX colors, static gradients, GUI presets, random colors, import/export, permission defaults, economy costs, and PlaceholderAPI support. Compatible with Paper / Folia 1.21+.
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Name color types
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Legacy | Classic Minecraft colors such as &a, &b, &c, &f. |
| HEX | Modern colors such as #55F7D4 or 7F7D4. |
| Gradient | Smooth static gradients across the player name. |
| Three-color gradient | Start, middle, and end colors for richer gradients. |
| Styled | Optional bold, italic, and underline styles. |
| Preset | Server-defined colors and gradients shown in the GUI. |
| Random | Players can randomly apply one available preset or gradient. |
Core features
- GUI color menu with presets, gradients, page buttons, reset, and close.
- Direct commands for legacy colors, HEX colors, gradients, presets, random colors, import/export, and reset.
- Static gradients only: no animated color task, designed for stable long-term server use.
- Permission defaults so VIP or special groups can have their own default colors.
- Cooldown and daily limits to control how often players can change colors.
- Economy support through Vault: charge different prices for raw colors, presets, gradients, random, import, and reset.
- PlaceholderAPI support for TAB, chat formats, scoreboards, and other display plugins.
- CMI nickname support: show CMI nicknames with ColorfulNames colors.
- Chinese and English messages included.
- Paper / Folia compatible.
Player commands
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
/namecolor gui |
Open the color selection menu. |
/namecolor <color> |
Set a legacy or HEX color. |
/namecolor gradient <start> <end> [middle] [style] |
Set a static gradient name. |
/namecolor preset <id> |
Apply a server-defined preset. |
/namecolor random |
Apply a random available color or gradient. |
/namecolor export |
Export your current color setup. |
/namecolor import <value> |
Import an exported setup or raw color code. |
/namecolor reset |
Reset to the default name color. |
Aliases:
/nc
/ncolor
Admin commands
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
/namecolor get <player> |
View a player's current color code. |
/namecolor set <player> <color> |
Set a player's color. |
/namecolor reload |
Reload plugin settings, language, colors, and GUI. |
Examples
Set a green name:
/namecolor &a
Set a HEX mint color:
/namecolor 7F7D4
Set a pink-to-purple gradient:
/namecolor gradient #FF8A00 #FF2D95
Set a bold gradient:
/namecolor gradient #FF8A00 #FF2D95 l
Set a three-color gradient:
/namecolor gradient #55F7D4 #2AA9FF #A970FF
Open the GUI:
/namecolor gui
Apply a preset:
/namecolor preset aurora
Share a color setup:
/namecolor export
Import a shared setup:
/namecolor import <exported-value>
Styles
| Style | Meaning |
|---|---|
l |
Bold |
o |
Italic |
n |
Underline |
Styles can be combined:
/namecolor gradient #55F7D4 #A970FF lon
GUI
Players can open the color menu with:
/namecolor gui
The GUI can contain:
- legacy color presets
- HEX color presets
- gradient presets
- previous / next page buttons
- reset button
- close button
If the server has many colors, ColorfulNames automatically paginates them.
Permissions
| Permission | Description |
|---|---|
colorfulnames.change |
Allows players to use color-changing features. |
colorfulnames.admin.get |
Allows /namecolor get. |
colorfulnames.admin.set |
Allows /namecolor set. |
colorfulnames.admin.reload |
Allows /namecolor reload. |
Example:
/lp group default permission set colorfulnames.change true
Economy
Color changes can cost money when Vault and an economy plugin are installed.
Supported paid actions:
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| Raw color | /namecolor <color> |
| Preset | /namecolor preset <id> or GUI preset clicks |
| Gradient | /namecolor gradient ... or GUI gradient clicks |
| Random | /namecolor random |
| Import | /namecolor import ... |
| Reset | /namecolor reset or GUI reset |
You can also give players bypass or discount permissions.
Cooldowns and limits
Servers can limit how often players change their name color.
Examples:
- change color only once every 60 seconds
- change color only 5 times per day
- allow VIP groups to use better default colors
This is useful for survival servers, economy servers, and servers where colors are used as rewards.
PlaceholderAPI
Useful placeholders:
| Placeholder | Description |
|---|---|
%colorfulnames_name% |
Colored player name. |
%colorfulnames_plain_name% |
Plain player name. |
%colorfulnames_console_name% |
Plain name for console/log output. |
%colorfulnames_code% |
Saved raw color code. |
%colorfulnames_legacy_code% |
Legacy color prefix. |
%colorfulnames_display_name% |
Current display name. |
%colorfulnames_cmi_name% |
CMI nickname with ColorfulNames color. |
%colorfulnames_cmi_console_name% |
Plain original name for console/log output. |
Test with:
/papi parse me %colorfulnames_name%
TAB and chat examples
Show a colored original name:
%colorfulnames_name%
Show a CMI nickname with ColorfulNames color:
%colorfulnames_cmi_name%
Use a plain original name for console or log formats:
%colorfulnames_console_name%
or:
%colorfulnames_cmi_console_name%
CMI nickname support
ColorfulNames can use the player's CMI nickname as the visible name while keeping the player's selected ColorfulNames color or gradient.
Example result:
✎ Nickname
The marker before nicknames can be changed or disabled by the server.
Use cases
| Use case | Example |
|---|---|
| VIP perk | VIP players get a default gradient name. |
| Cosmetic shop | Players pay coins to unlock or apply colors. |
| Events | Give limited-time seasonal colors. |
| Ranks | Higher ranks can use more colorful presets. |
| Social servers | Let players personalize chat and TAB names. |
Compatibility
| Plugin / Platform | Support |
|---|---|
| Paper | Supported |
| Folia | Supported |
| PlaceholderAPI | Supported |
| Vault | Supported |
| TAB | Supported through placeholders |
| CMI | Supported through nickname placeholders |
Languages
Included languages:
- English
- Simplified Chinese
Server owners can edit messages freely.
Notes
ColorfulNames does not include animated names. It focuses on static colors and static gradients for better stability and lower overhead.
