TalkingClouds
by KostarSf
TalkingClouds shows speech bubbles above nearby players and other entities, so chat lines appear over the characters that say them.
What it does
Speech bubbles render over the heads of players and nearby entities, and each bubble shows the text that the player or entity has just said. The mod is designed around the feature that lets a player see who is speaking without reading the chat log. Its speech bubbles can be styled, and the complete configuration is set on the client, where individual bubble styles can be adjusted over time.
Installation needs Fabric API, Cloth Config API and Fabric Language Kotlin, all three named as required dependencies. TalkingClouds is client required and server optional: a player needs the mod to see bubbles, while the server can add it for extra features. Files are published for Fabric across six game versions, 1.18.2 – 1.20.4, with 1.1.2 for 1.20.4 as the latest build, and the code is open source under the MIT License.
Key features
Speech bubbles above players
Chat lines appear in bubbles over the heads of nearby players, so nearby speech can be followed without the chat window.
Bubbles for other entities
The bubbles also show over nearby entities, not only players, which adds speech to non-player characters.
Client-side configuration
Bubble appearance and behavior are set on the client, with options that can be changed for individual styles.
Gallery
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 3
Use cases
Role-playing servers
RPG and role-playing servers can use bubbles so dialogue reads as spoken by the character standing nearby.
Quests with dialogue
Servers with quests or a social orientation can show what non-player characters say directly above them.
Who it’s for: Players who want chat lines shown near the speaker, and server owners running role-playing or quest-driven servers where spoken lines matter.
How it compares
Speech Heads is a Fabric mod for 1.21.1 that runs on client and server together, and its license is All rights reserved, so it is not open source. TalkBubbles is a client-side only Fabric mod for 1.19.2 – 26.3 released under the MIT License, so it is open source and needs nothing on the server.
| Mod | Loaders | Game versions | Environment | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TalkingClouds | Fabric | 1.18.2 – 1.20.4 | Client required, server optional | 2025-12-21 |
| Speech Heads | Fabric | 1.21.1 | Client and server | 2026-07-11 |
| TalkBubbles | Fabric | 1.19.2 – 26.3 | Client-side only | 2026-09-18 |
Questions
Does TalkingClouds need Fabric API?
Does the server need TalkingClouds installed?
Who can use the server command?
In the catalog
TalkingClouds is one of 5,392 Social mods on ModsFinder, and one of 4,084 Social mods for Fabric. 13,907 mods support Minecraft 1.20.4.
Similar mods
What the author says
This mod adds pretty speech bubbles for players and for any other entities. Requires Fabric API, Cloth Config API and Fabric Permissions API.
Official listing
- Modrinth page
- modrinth.com/mod/talkingclouds
- Owner
- KostarSf
- Published
- 2023-02-09
- Updated on Modrinth
- 2025-12-21
- Facts verified
- 2026-10-15