Zombies Can't Gather
by Scubakay
Zombies Can't Gather stops zombies, piglins and other mobs from picking up items that a server owner has placed on a blacklist, so they do not keep the drops they grab.
What it does
The mod checks each item a mob tries to pick up against a blacklist loaded from its config file. Items on the list are refused, which prevents a mob from becoming persistent by holding them. Items can be added or removed with commands, and each list is kept separately for zombies and piglins. Blacklists also apply to mobs already holding an item, so an existing world can be cleaned up after the list is changed.
Either side can run it, and neither needs it. The mod is open source under the MIT License and is published for Fabric only. Its files cover 1.21 – 1.21.11, with 1.0.5 for 1.21.11 as the latest file, and Fabric API must be installed beside it.
Key features
Item blacklist
Specific items can be blocked so that zombies and piglins do not pick them up, such as glow ink sacs.
Blacklist commands
Commands add or remove items from each mob's list, and reset the lists to their defaults.
Persistent mob tracker
An optional tracker logs mobs that hold blacklisted items and shows how many are loaded and where they are.
Purge and teleport tools
A purge button in the tracker kills the listed mobs, and a teleport button moves the viewer to the next remaining mob.
Gallery
Compatibility
Latest build for each game version and loader.
1.21.x12 of 12 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
Cleaning up an existing world
Mobs that already hold blacklisted items can be found with the tracker and removed with the purge function, leaving only those in unloaded chunks.
Who it’s for: Server owners who want to keep zombies and piglins from gathering certain items, and players who run single-player worlds with the tracker switched on in the config.
How it compares
Tree In A Forest is server-side only, open source under the GNU Lesser General Public License v3.0 or later, and published for Fabric across 1.21 – 26.2, so it changes trees and needs no client install. MobsBeGone is server-side only, open source under the MIT License, and built for 1.21.1 alone, so it only removes mobs. FastExpPickup is also server-side only and open source under the MIT License, with files for 1.21.3, and it changes experience pickup rather than mob item handling.
| Mod | Loaders | Game versions | Environment | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zombies Can't Gather | Fabric | 1.21 – 1.21.11 | Client or server, optional | 2026-01-18 |
| Tree In A Forest | Fabric | 1.21 – 26.2 | Server-side only | 2026-08-02 |
| MobsBeGone | Fabric | 1.21.1 | Server-side only | 2026-08-03 |
| FastExpPickup | Fabric | 1.21.3 | Server-side only | 2024-11-20 |
Questions
Does Zombies Can't Gather need Fabric API?
Can permissions for the commands be changed?
Does the server need the mod for it to work?
In the catalog
Zombies Can't Gather is one of 3,545 Optimization mods on ModsFinder, and one of 2,575 Optimization mods for Fabric. 19,862 mods support Minecraft 1.21.11.
More from Scubakay
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What the author says
A Minecraft mod that prevents Zombies from picking up any item you choose! Since 1.17.1 there's a check in the game to prevent zombies from gathering glow ink sacs. Zombies Can't Gather changes that line to check against a blacklist, loaded from the config. Zombies are not able to pick up blacklisted items, which…
Official listing
- Modrinth page
- modrinth.com/mod/zombies-cant-gather
- Owner
- Scubakay
- Published
- 2025-06-03
- Updated on Modrinth
- 2026-01-18
- Facts verified
- 2026-10-15