Stay A While
by jolkert
Stay A While lets server owners set how long dropped items, thrown items and death drops remain on the ground before they despawn.
What it does
The mod adds four gamerules that control item despawn timers: one for items dropped by players with the Q key, one for items dropped on death, one for other dropped items, and one that decides whether death drops scatter randomly across the ground. Each timer is given in ticks, where 20 ticks equal one second, so 1200 ticks is one minute and 6000 ticks is five minutes. A negative value makes the matching category of items never despawn.
Only the server needs the mod to run the gamerules, so players join without installing anything. Stay A While requires Fabric API on Fabric and runs on NeoForge as well. Files are published for 1.19.2 – 26.3 across nine release versions, and the mod is released under the GNU General Public License v3.0 only as open source. The source code and issue tracker are public, so bugs can be reported through the repository.
Key features
Thrown item timer
A gamerule sets how many ticks an item thrown with the Q key stays on the ground before it despawns.
Death drop timer
A separate gamerule sets the despawn time for items dropped when a player dies, independent of other drops.
Scatter death drops
A gamerule decides whether items dropped on death scatter randomly across the ground, and the default keeps them in place.
Never despawn option
Setting any of the timers to a negative value keeps that category of items on the ground permanently.
Compatibility
Latest build for each game version and loader.
26.x2 of 2 versions with builds
1.21.x2 of 2 versions with builds
1.20.x3 of 3 versions with builds
1.19.x2 of 2 versions with builds
Only full game releases are shown. This mod publishes no snapshot builds.
Requirements
Dependencies declared by the latest file for each loader.
Required 1
Use cases
Who it’s for: Server owners and modpack builders who want to tune how long items stay on the ground. Players on a server that runs the mod need no installation.
How it compares
Configurable Despawn Timer is server-side only, published for Fabric, Forge, NeoForge and Quilt across 1.16.5 – 26.3, under All rights reserved and not open source. Simple Death Improvements is server-side only and open source under the MIT License, with files for NeoForge and Fabric across 1.21 – 26.3, so it covers death drops without the thrown item timer. Better Pickup is also server-side only and open source under the MIT License, but it is a Fabric mod for 1.20.3 – 1.21 only.
| Mod | Loaders | Game versions | Environment | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stay A While | Fabric and NeoForge | 1.19.2 – 26.3 | Server-side only | 2026-10-07 |
| Configurable Despawn Timer | Fabric, Forge, NeoForge and Quilt | 1.16.5 – 26.3 | Server-side only | 2026-10-02 |
| Simple Death Improvements | Fabric and NeoForge | 1.21 – 26.3 | Server-side only | 2026-09-20 |
| Better Pickup | Fabric | 1.20.3 – 1.21 | Server-side only | 2024-07-07 |
Questions
Does Stay A While need Fabric API?
Do players need the mod installed to join a server?
Which version should modpack builders choose?
How are the timers measured?
In the catalog
Stay A While is one of 29,952 Game mechanics mods on ModsFinder, and one of 19,630 Game mechanics mods for Fabric. 8,071 mods support Minecraft 26.3.
More from jolkert
Similar mods
What the author says
Stay a While allows you to customize the amount of time it takes for items on the ground to despawn, and allows for customization based on how the item was dropped. It makes items dropped on death not randomly scatter on the ground. In case you are unfamiliar with them, 20 ticks == 1 second: 1200 ticks == 1 minute…
Official listing
- Modrinth page
- modrinth.com/mod/stay-a-while
- Owner
- jolkert
- Published
- 2023-04-10
- Updated on Modrinth
- 2026-10-07
- Facts verified
- 2026-10-15