Debug Things
Debug Things is a Fabric mod that gives datapack developers extra events and tweaks for datapack work on 1.20.4, and it runs on the client and server.
What it does
Debug Things adds a set of custom events that datapacks can react to, including entity death fired before the death is finalized while its NBT is still readable, a join event that players cannot see chat messages sent during, a respawn event, a copy-player event, and a dimension-switch event. Datapack authors can hook these into their own behavior, which extends what datapacks can do without a separate code mod.
The mod also includes a few gameplay adjustments: it makes things bouncy like slime, prevents healing, and lowers max health. Client and server both need Debug Things, so the server and every player must run it together, and the mod is for 1.20.4 only.
Debug Things is released under CC0 1.0 Universal, so it is open source and its source code and issue tracker are public. It was first published on 2025-11-06 and last updated on 2026-06-07, with the latest Fabric file at 1.0.11 for 1.20.4.
Key features
Entity death event
Fires before an entity's death is finalized, while its NBT data can still be read by a datapack.
Join and respawn events
Custom events fire when a player joins and when a player respawns, so datapacks can respond to each.
Copy player and dimension switch
Events fire when a player is copied and when a player moves between dimensions, for datapack logic that depends on them.
Bouncy and healing changes
Entities can be made bouncy like slime, healing can be prevented, and max health can be lowered.
Compatibility
Latest build for each game version and loader.
Only full game releases are shown. This mod publishes no snapshot builds.
Use cases
Datapack development
Datapack authors use the events to build behavior that vanilla datapack triggers cannot express.
Who it’s for: Datapack developers working on 1.20.4 who need hooks into entity death, joining, respawning or dimension changes.
How it compares
Copy NBT is a client-side only Fabric mod under the MIT License, covering 1.20 – 1.20.4, and it is not open source. Keep XP on Death is a server-side only Fabric mod under CC0 1.0 Universal, open source, covering 1.19.4 – 1.20.4, so it changes death handling rather than offering datapack events. DeathPointer is a client-side only Fabric mod under the MIT License, open source, covering 1.20 – 26.2.
| Mod | Loaders | Game versions | Environment | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Debug Things | Fabric | 1.20.4 | Client and server | 2026-06-07 |
| Copy NBT | Fabric | 1.20 – 1.20.4 | Client-side only | 2025-06-26 |
| Keep XP on Death | Fabric | 1.19.4 – 1.20.4 | Server-side only | 2024-02-08 |
| DeathPointer | Fabric | 1.20 – 26.2 | Client-side only | 2026-09-01 |
Questions
Does Debug Things need to be installed on the server?
Which game version does Debug Things support?
Does Debug Things require Fabric API?
In the catalog
Debug Things is one of 29,952 Game mechanics mods on ModsFinder, and one of 19,630 Game mechanics mods for Fabric. 13,907 mods support Minecraft 1.20.4.
Similar mods
What the author says
A suite of changes for datapack development to extend the limits of what datapacks can do. NOTE: Currently it seems modrinth may install the wrong version of additionalentityattributes when installing this mod, so please check
Official listing
- Modrinth page
- modrinth.com/mod/debug-things
- Owner
- Redstonerblast
- Published
- 2025-11-06
- Updated on Modrinth
- 2026-06-07
- Facts verified
- 2026-10-15