BetterLeads
by quaoz
BetterLeads lets leads attach to more kinds of mobs and entities, and it changes how chain leashes behave on the server.
What it does
Vanilla leads work only on a short list of mobs. BetterLeads extends that list so a lead can be attached to many more entities, including merchant entities such as villagers and wandering traders, most hostile mobs, and water creatures like fish, squid, turtles and pandas. Every category can be toggled in the configuration, and setup is possible through the in-game command, by editing betterleads.toml inside the config folder during single-player play, or via the Mod Menu screen.
The mod is server-side only, so the server needs it and players can join without installing it. It is released under the GNU Lesser General Public License v3.0 only and is open source, with public source code and an issue tracker. Fabric API is required, and Mod Menu is optional for its configuration screen. Files target Fabric and Quilt for 1.16.5 – 1.20.4, with the latest build, 1.2.3+1.20.4, dated 2024-04-30.
Key features
More leashable mobs
Leads can be attached to many entities that vanilla does not allow, including most hostile mobs and merchant villagers.
Water creature support
Fish, squid, turtles and pandas can be leashed when the matching categories are enabled.
Category settings
Each mob group can be enabled or disabled separately in the configuration file or the in-game settings.
Command configuration
A betterleads command changes settings directly on the server, so the config file need not be edited by hand.
Compatibility
Latest build for each game version and loader.
Only full game releases are shown. This mod publishes no snapshot builds.
Requirements
Dependencies declared by the latest file for each loader.
Required 1
Optional 1
Use cases
Who it’s for: Server owners and players who want leads to work on more mob types than vanilla allows. Fabric API must be present on the server.
How it compares
Fish on a Leash! is a client and server mod for Fabric only, published for 1.16.1 – 1.21.8 under All rights reserved, and it is not open source. Turtle Leads is a client and server mod for Fabric, Forge and Quilt, published for 1.16.5 – 1.21.3 under the MIT License, and it is not open source. Stretchy Leash is server-side only like BetterLeads, is open source under the MIT License, and is published for Fabric from 1.19.4 onward, up to 26.3.
| Mod | Loaders | Game versions | Environment | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BetterLeads | Fabric and Quilt | 1.16.5 – 1.20.4 | Server-side only | 2024-04-30 |
| Fish on a Leash! | Fabric | 1.16.1 – 1.21.8 | Client and server | 2025-06-24 |
| Turtle Leads | Fabric, Forge and Quilt | 1.16.5 – 1.21.3 | Client and server | 2025-03-02 |
| Stretchy Leash | Fabric | 1.19.4 – 26.3 | Server-side only | 2026-09-11 |
Questions
Does BetterLeads need to be installed on the client?
Does Fabric API have to be installed?
How is the list of leashable mobs changed?
Which game versions does BetterLeads support?
In the catalog
BetterLeads is one of 11,058 Mobs mods on ModsFinder, and one of 5,189 Mobs mods for Fabric. 13,907 mods support Minecraft 1.20.4.
Similar mods
What the author says
A mod that allows you to use leads on more entities as well as chain leashes. Currently, works with Merchant Entities (Villagers and Wandering Traders), most Hostile Mobs, Water Creatures (fish and squid), turtles and pandas, you can configure which of these categories are enabled through ModMenu.
Official listing
- Modrinth page
- modrinth.com/mod/betterleads
- Owner
- quaoz
- Published
- 2021-05-25
- Updated on Modrinth
- 2024-04-30
- Facts verified
- 2026-10-15