Vulcan Anti Cheat Plugin: Install & Configure Guide

This guide walks you through installing and configuring the Vulcan anti-cheat plugin for your Minecraft server. Vulcan detects and blocks cheats like kill aura, fly, speed, and reach hacks. You will need a Spigot, Paper, or Purpur server (1.8.8 or newer) and access to the server console or FTP/file manager.

What You’ll Need

• A Minecraft server running Spigot, Paper, or Purpur (1.8.8+).
• Access to the server’s plugins folder (via FTP or file manager).
• Console access (for commands) and the ability to edit YAML files.
• Vulcan plugin JAR file (downloaded from a trusted source).

Step-by-Step

1. Download the Vulcan JAR file. Get the latest version from the official SpigotMC page or the developer’s site. Make sure the file name ends with .jar.
2. Stop your server. Run stop in the console to shut it down cleanly. Do not just kill the process.
3. Place the JAR in the plugins folder. Upload the downloaded file to your server’s plugins directory.
4. Start the server. Launch it normally. Vulcan will generate its default configuration files in plugins/Vulcan.
5. Verify installation. Run vulcan version in the console. You should see the plugin’s version and a message confirming it loaded.
6. Open the config file. Navigate to plugins/Vulcan/config.yml. Open it in a text editor that supports UTF-8 (like Notepad++ or VS Code).
7. Set the punishment commands. Find the punishments section. Add commands like kick %player% Cheating is not allowed or ban %player% Cheating. Use %player% as a placeholder.
8. Adjust the violation threshold. In the same section, set violations-to-trigger to a number like 5 or 10. This is how many times a check must fail before the punishment runs.
9. Enable or disable checks. Scroll to the checks section. Each check (e.g., killaura, fly, speed) has an enabled option. Set to true or false as needed.
10. Tune check sensitivity. For each check, you’ll see violations and decay. Lower violations makes it trigger sooner; higher decay makes it forget faster. Start with defaults and adjust after testing.
11. Set up alerts. In alerts, make sure enabled is true. Run vulcan alerts in-game to receive notifications when a player fails a check.
12. Save and reload. Save the file, then run vulcan reload in the console to apply changes without restarting.
13. Test with a friend. Have a trusted player try to use a simple cheat (like fly) to see if Vulcan catches it. Watch the alerts and adjust the sensitivity if needed.
14. Monitor logs. Vulcan logs violations in plugins/Vulcan/logs. Check these regularly to spot patterns and false positives.

Common Mistakes

• Not stopping the server before uploading the JAR, which can cause corruption.
• Using an outdated version of Vulcan with a newer Minecraft version (or vice versa).
• Setting punishments too harsh (e.g., instant ban) without testing, leading to false bans.
• Disabling all checks to avoid false positives, which defeats the purpose.
• Editing the config while the server is running and then restarting without reloading, losing changes.

Tips

• Start with default settings and only change one thing at a time. This makes it easier to identify what causes issues.
• Use vulcan debug to see detailed info about a player’s actions. This helps you distinguish real cheats from lag.
• Set up a test server with a few friends to experiment before applying changes to your main server.
• Keep Vulcan updated. The developer regularly releases fixes for new cheat clients and Minecraft versions.
• Consider using a permission plugin (like LuckPerms) to give trusted staff the vulcan.alerts permission.

Troubleshooting

Plugin does not load. Check the console for errors. Common causes: wrong Minecraft version, missing dependencies (like a newer Java version), or a corrupted JAR. Download the correct version and try again.

No alerts appear. Make sure you have vulcan.alerts permission and have run vulcan alerts. Also check that the checks are enabled and the player is actually cheating (not just lagging).

False positives (legit players flagged). Increase the violations threshold for the specific check, or increase decay so violations reset faster. You can also add the player to the exempt list in config.yml temporarily.

Punishments not executing. Verify that the commands in punishments are correct and that the console has permission to run them. Also check that violations-to-trigger is not set too high.

Server lag. Vulcan is lightweight, but if you have many players, try lowering the check-interval in config.yml (e.g., from 1 to 2). Also ensure your server has enough RAM.

Config changes not applying. Always run vulcan reload after editing the config. If that fails, restart the server.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Vulcan free?

Vulcan is a paid plugin. You need to purchase a license to download it from the official source. There is no free version.

Does Vulcan work with BungeeCord or Velocity?

Yes, Vulcan supports proxy setups. You need to install it on each backend server. The plugin will automatically handle the network.

Can I use Vulcan on a Forge or Fabric server?

No, Vulcan is designed for Bukkit/Spigot/Paper servers. For modded servers, you would need a different anti-cheat.

How do I whitelist a player from all checks?

Add their UUID to the exempt list in config.yml, or give them the vulcan.bypass permission.

What does ‘violation decay’ mean?

It’s how quickly a player’s violation level decreases over time. Higher decay means the player recovers faster from a flag, reducing the chance of punishment for minor lag spikes.

Will Vulcan ban players automatically?

Only if you set up punishment commands. By default, it only alerts. You can configure it to kick or ban after a certain number of violations.

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