Vanilla Debug Renderers
by Vivi
Vanilla Debug Renderers turns on the hidden debug overlays that Minecraft already contains but normally keeps unavailable to players.
What it does
The mod exposes the game's built-in debug renderers, such as water levels, chunk borders, height maps, collision boxes, support blocks, light levels, solid faces and chunk information. Each renderer can be switched on or off with a toggle type command, so only the overlays a player wants are drawn.
The renderers are used client-side only, so a single-player world or a client joining a server runs the mod alone with no change to the server. The mod requires NeoForge and is published only for 1.20.1, with version 1.0.0 as the sole file. Its code is open source under the MIT License.
The mod is mainly intended for modders who want to inspect how the game handles these values, though anyone who wants to explore the debug information can use it. It is not a gameplay change and does not alter world generation, physics or any block.
Key features
Hidden debug renderers
Renderers that vanilla contains but leaves out of normal play become available to switch on.
Chunk borders and height map
Chunk borders and the height map can be drawn in the world, showing how terrain is divided and measured.
Collision boxes and support blocks
Collision boxes and the blocks that support each position are shown, helping with placement questions.
Light, solid faces and chunk information
Light levels, solid faces and chunk information are available as separate renderers, each with its own toggle.
Compatibility
Latest build for each game version and loader.
Only full game releases are shown. This mod publishes no snapshot builds.
Use cases
Modder inspection
Developers check how collision, support and light are computed by viewing each renderer while testing their own blocks.
Terrain exploration
Players who want to see water levels or chunk borders in a world can enable them without editing game files.
Who it’s for: Mod developers who need to see collision, lighting and chunk data in game. Players who enjoy exploring hidden debug information on a client.
How it compares
NoDebugCheat is a Apache License 2.0 mod for NeoForge that runs as Client and server and is published for 26.1.2, so it targets a different version. F3 Permissions is a NeoForge mod for 1.21.1 that is server-side required with optional client support and is not open source, so it controls access to debug commands instead of drawing overlays.
| Mod | Loaders | Game versions | Environment | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vanilla Debug Renderers | NeoForge | 1.20.1 | Client-side only | 2023-12-15 |
| NoDebugCheat | NeoForge | 26.1.2 | Client and server | 2026-06-21 |
| F3 Permissions | NeoForge | 1.21.1 | Server required, client optional | 2026-08-17 |
Questions
Does Vanilla Debug Renderers need Fabric API?
Does the server need the mod installed?
Which Minecraft version does the mod support?
In the catalog
Vanilla Debug Renderers is one of 8,016 Management mods on ModsFinder, and one of 2,689 Management mods for NeoForge. 34,764 mods support Minecraft 1.20.1.
More from Vivi
Similar mods
What the author says
This is a very simple mod that enables the ability to use the debug renderers that exist in vanilla but are normally unavailable. To use, simply type /vdr toggle <renderer> This mod was mostly intended for modders but can also be used by anyone who wants to play around with this info.
Official listing
- Modrinth page
- modrinth.com/mod/vanilla-debug-renderers
- Owner
- Vivi
- Published
- 2023-12-15
- Updated on Modrinth
- 2023-12-15
- Facts verified
- 2026-10-15