Eye Spy
by JackFred
Eye Spy is a Fabric and Quilt server mod that shows players the distance and name of the block or entity they are looking at through a spyglass.
What it does
When a player aims a spyglass, the mod reports the distance to the hovered block entity and shows its name where it is available. Eye Spy works through server-side ping rangefinding, so the spyglass targeting runs on the server while players only need the spyglass in hand.
Eye Spy is server required and client optional: the server has to run it, and players may add it without gaining anything they cannot get otherwise. It requires Fabric API, and its files are published for Fabric and Quilt across 13 release versions, 1.19.4 – 1.21.4, under the GNU Lesser General Public License v3.0 only. The code is open source, and its source, issue tracker and wiki are linked from the project.
The project bundles several JackFredLib modules, including the Server Translation API. The author describes the mod as mainly intended for test servers and notes that it was archived and that a full rewrite would be needed to bring it to modern versions, with a Polymer backend suggested as an alternative. Snapshot builds are published alongside the release files.
Key features
Spyglass rangefinding
Aiming a spyglass at a block shows the distance to it, measured by ping on the server.
Block entity names
Where the hovered block entity has a name, the name is displayed with the distance.
Server-side targeting
Targeting is computed on the server, so clients do not need the mod to receive the readout.
Bundled libraries
Several JackFredLib modules are packaged in, including the Server Translation API.
Gallery
Compatibility
Latest build for each game version and loader.
1.21.x5 of 5 versions with builds
1.20.x7 of 7 versions with builds
1.19.x1 of 1 version with builds
This mod also publishes snapshot builds. Snapshots are not shown in the matrix.
Requirements
Dependencies declared by the latest file for each loader.
Required 1
How it compares
Spyglass Improvements is client-side only and open source under the GNU General Public License v3.0 only, with files for Fabric, Forge, NeoForge and Quilt across 1.18.1 – 26.2. Spyglass Zoom (Updated) is also client-side only and open source under the GNU General Public License v3.0 only, but it targets Fabric alone, for 1.20 – 1.21.11. Spyglass Only HUD is client-side only, open source under the MIT License and Fabric-only, for 1.20.1 – 26.3.
| Mod | Loaders | Game versions | Environment | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eye Spy | Fabric and Quilt | 1.19.4 – 1.21.4 | Server required, client optional | 2024-10-23 |
| Spyglass Improvements | Fabric, Forge, NeoForge and Quilt | 1.18.1 – 26.2 | Client-side only | 2026-07-18 |
| Spyglass Zoom (Updated) | Fabric | 1.20 – 1.21.11 | Client-side only | 2025-03-25 |
| Spyglass Only HUD | Fabric | 1.20.1 – 26.3 | Client-side only | 2026-10-03 |
Questions
Does Eye Spy need to be installed on the client?
Does Eye Spy require Fabric API?
Which game versions have Eye Spy files?
In the catalog
Eye Spy is one of 17,631 Equipment mods on ModsFinder, and one of 8,894 Equipment mods for Fabric. 17,979 mods support Minecraft 1.21.4.
More from JackFred
Similar mods
What the author says
Eye Spy has been archived so I can stay focused on a smaller amount of mods for now. It was mainly intended to test a server-side library I was working on, and will need a basic full rewrite to bring to modern versions, ideally with Polymer as a backend instead. Server-sided ping and rangefinding functionality for…
Official listing
- Modrinth page
- modrinth.com/mod/eye-spy
- Owner
- JackFred
- Published
- 2023-11-10
- Updated on Modrinth
- 2024-10-23
- Facts verified
- 2026-10-15