Prospecting Tools
by Innx
Prospecting Tools helps players locate ores by showing which stone types and moss variants hide them, and it is built for Fabric.
What it does
Prospecting Tools is a Fabric mod that assists the search for ores. Its tools reveal the ore types inside stone, moss and similar blocks, so a player can decide where to dig without breaking a wide area first. Only vanilla blocks are detectable, so ores added by other mods are not picked up.
The mod is aimed at survival players who explore caves and dig by hand, and at server owners who want a consistent search aid on a shared world. The author notes that support for newer releases will follow in due time. Prospecting Tools runs on client and server, so the server and every player need it. It targets 1.20.1 and 1.20.2, and the latest Fabric file, 0.0.1-1.20.1 for 1.20.2, was published on 2023-10-14.
The source code and issue tracker are public, and the author asks that suggestions and problems be reported on the GitHub page. The code is released under the MIT License and is open source.
Key features
Ore type detection
Tools indicate which ore types are present in nearby stone and moss blocks, before the player digs them.
Vanilla block coverage
Detection covers vanilla blocks only, so blocks from other mods do not register in the search.
Stone and moss variants
Common stone and moss variants are checked, which narrows down where ores are likely to be.
Public issue tracker
Bug reports and suggestions go to the public issue tracker on GitHub, where the author reads them.
Compatibility
Latest build for each game version and loader.
Only full game releases are shown. This mod publishes no snapshot builds.
Use cases
Cave exploration
A player entering an unexplored cave can check which ores lie in the surrounding walls before committing to a digging route.
Shared server prospecting
Server owners can give every player the same search aid, so ore hunting works the same way for everyone on the world.
Who it’s for: Players on Fabric who dig by hand in vanilla worlds, and server owners who want a consistent ore search aid on 1.20.1 or 1.20.2.
How it compares
Balanced Ore Detector is a Fabric and NeoForge mod under the MIT License, open source, and covers 1.20.2 – 26.2. Prospector is also available for Fabric and NeoForge, but it is published for 26.1.2 only and is not open source, under All rights reserved. Prospector Potion is a Fabric mod for 1.21.1 under All rights reserved, and it is not open source.
| Mod | Loaders | Game versions | Environment | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prospecting Tools | Fabric | 1.20.1 – 1.20.2 | Client and server | 2023-10-14 |
| Balanced Ore Detector | Fabric and NeoForge | 1.20.2 – 26.2 | Client and server | 2026-08-03 |
| Prospector | Fabric and NeoForge | 26.1.2 | Client and server | 2026-06-01 |
| Prospector Potion | Fabric | 1.21.1 | Client and server | 2026-04-04 |
Questions
Does Prospecting Tools need to be installed on the server?
Which Minecraft versions does Prospecting Tools support?
Can Prospecting Tools find ores added by other mods?
In the catalog
Prospecting Tools is one of 17,631 Equipment mods on ModsFinder, and one of 8,894 Equipment mods for Fabric. 12,076 mods support Minecraft 1.20.2.
Similar mods
What the author says
If you have any suggestions or issues, please make sure to let me know by opening an issue on the github page
Official listing
- Modrinth page
- modrinth.com/mod/prospecting-tools
- Owner
- Innx
- Published
- 2023-10-14
- Updated on Modrinth
- 2023-10-14
- Facts verified
- 2026-10-15