StarItems — Custom Items Made Simple
Add custom items, food, tools and armor with your own textures — one YAML file, zero hassle.
StarItems is a lightweight alternative to other item adding plugins for Paper 1.21.x. No bloated configs, no premium addons. Define an item in a few lines, drop in a PNG, type /si reload — done. The plugin builds the resource pack for you, uploads it to a pack host and sends it to every player automatically when they join.
Features
Custom items based on any vanilla item (swords, food, tools, armor...)- Items behave exactly like the vanilla item they replicate — no broken balance
- Custom textures and full Blockbench 3D model support
- Custom armor with worn-body textures
- Shaped & shapeless crafting recipes (custom items can be ingredients too)
- One resource pack compatible with all clients 1.21.1 → 1.21.11
- Auto pack upload + auto-send to players on join (includes a free self-host pack server)
- /si reload applies everything live — even re-sends the pack to online players
- Packs limited to 20MB to keep downloads fast
Commands & Permissions
- /si give <id> [player] [amount] — give a custom item
- /si list — list all item ids
- /si reload — reload items, recipes and textures
- Permission: staritems.admin (default OP)
Tutorial
Where to put what
plugins/StarItems/├── items.yml ← your items go here
├── textures/ ← item PNGs (e.g. ruby_sword.png)
├── models/ ← Blockbench model JSONs (optional)
└── armor/ ← worn armor PNGs (e.g. ruby_layer1.png, ruby_layer2.png)
Adding an item (3 steps)
Step 1 — Put your texture in plugins/StarItems/textures/, e.g. ruby_sword.png (a normal 16x16 item texture).
Step 2 — Add the item to plugins/StarItems/items.yml:
ruby_sword: # the item id
name: "&cRuby Sword" # display name, supports & colors
material: DIAMOND_SWORD # vanilla item it copies (damage, speed etc.)
texture: ruby_sword # = textures/ruby_sword.png
recipe: # optional
type: shaped
shape:
- " R "
- " R "
- " S "
ingredients:
R: REDSTONE
S: STICK
Step 3 — Run /si reload. Players get the updated textures instantly. Get the item with /si give ruby_sword.
That's everything. Food works the same way (material: APPLE eats like an apple), and type: shapeless recipes just use an ingredient list instead of a shape. Recipe ingredients can also be other StarItems ids.
Adding armor
Armor needs two kinds of textures: the inventory icon and the texture shown on the player's body.
Step 1 — Icon: put ruby_helmet.png in textures/ (like any item).
Step 2 — Worn texture: put two files in armor/:
- ruby_layer1.png — helmet, chestplate, boots layer (standard 64x32 armor layout)
- ruby_layer2.png — leggings layer
Step 3 — Add to items.yml:
ruby_helmet:
name: "&cRuby Helmet"
material: LEATHER_HELMET # protection values of this armor
texture: ruby_helmet # inventory icon
armor_texture: ruby # = armor/ruby_layer1.png + ruby_layer2.png
Step 4 — /si reload. The armor protects like its material and shows your texture when worn (worn textures need 1.21.2+; the icon works everywhere).
Adding a 3D model
Export your model from Blockbench as JSON into models/, then:
ruby_staff:
name: "&dRuby Staff"
material: STICK
model: ruby_staff # = models/ruby_staff.json
texture: ruby_staff # texture used by the model
In the model JSON, reference textures as staritems:item/<texture_name>.
