Install Creeper Overhaul on a Minecraft server

Creeper Overhaul, by the artist Joosh and developer ThatGravyBoat, replaces the vanilla creeper with a set of biome-specific creeper types, some friendlier than others. It is a mod, so it needs a Fabric, Forge or NeoForge server and goes in the Mods tab.

Checked against Creeper Overhaul 4.0.6 on NeoForge and Fabric 1.21.1, and 3.0.2 on Forge 1.20.1, October 2026.

Pick the right build

Creeper Overhaul's newest builds target Minecraft 1.21.1. Modrinth lists nothing newer, so a server on 1.21.2 or later finds no build in the store.

• NeoForge or Fabric, Minecraft 1.21.1: version 4.0.6. The Fabric build asks for Java 21, and the NeoForge build wants NeoForge 21.0 or newer. The panel runs 1.21.1 on Java 21 on its own.
• Forge, Minecraft 1.20.1: version 3.0.2. A Fabric 3.0.2 build for 1.20.1 exists too.

To change loader or version, open JAR Manager under More, choose the loader under Server software and the version under Minecraft version, then press Apply change. Change your Minecraft version or mod loader has the steps. Switching reinstalls the server and keeps your world, so make a backup in the Backups tab first.

What else it needs

Modrinth lists three required libraries: Geckolib, Resourceful Lib and Resourceful Config. The store finds them for you. Press Install on Creeper Overhaul and a prompt titled "Needs 3 more add-ons" offers Install all (4), which is what a NeoForge server sees.

On Fabric the mod also needs Fabric API. Install it first: search for Fabric API in the same Mods tab and press Install, and the prompt then reads "Needs 3 more add-ons". If you skip it, Geckolib and Resourceful Lib both list Fabric API as required, so the prompt reads "Needs 4 more add-ons" with Install all (5), and that installs it too.

Install it

1. Open Mods under Content and keep the Modrinth chip selected in the source chip row at the top of the tab. The Game version filter starts on your server's version.
2. Search for Creeper Overhaul and press Install. Choose Install all when the prompt appears.
3. Restart from the Console tab. The install toast says "Restart the server to load them".

Open the Installed view to check. Creeper Overhaul and its three libraries should show no Failed to load badge.

Players need it too

Modrinth lists the mod as required on both the client and the server, so each player installs the same version for their loader and Minecraft version. Join a modded server from your launcher covers the player side, and Fix the mismatched mod channel list error explains the refusal when versions differ.

Settings

The mod uses Resourceful Config, which writes creeperoverhaul.json in the config folder. Two settings matter most to a server owner:

• destroyBlocks, true by default, controls whether Creeper Overhaul creepers destroy blocks.
• A spawning section holds allowSpawning, true by default, which switches the new creepers on or off as a group. It also has one switch per type, such as allowJungleCreeperSpawning, allowDesertCreeperSpawning and allowBadlandsCreeperSpawning.

Stop the server before you edit the file in the File Manager. The vanilla creeper's explosion rule is separate; Stop TNT and creeper damage to your world covers it.

Updating

Open the Installed view. The panel checks for newer builds by itself. If it finds any, a row shows an Update button and the top button reads Update all (N), which asks you to confirm. Press one, then restart. Before you move to a newer Minecraft version, check that the store has a Creeper Overhaul build for it.

Common problems

• No results for your version: the project has no build past 1.21.1. Change the version in JAR Manager, or pick 1.20.1 on Forge.
• The server stops at startup on Fabric: the Fabric build declares Fabric API as a dependency. Install it and restart.
• A "Needs" badge in the Installed view: one of the three libraries is missing or disabled. Install it from the store.
• Other crashes: Fix mod and plugin errors on Minecraft covers reading the Console log.