Set up PlugMan on Minecraft

PlugMan lets an admin enable, disable, load, unload and reload plugins from the console or in game, without restarting the whole server. It is useful while you are testing a plugin's config. It runs only on the server, so players install nothing.

Checked against PlugManX 3.2.1 on Paper, which Modrinth lists for Minecraft 1.21.4 to 26.3, October 2026.

PlugMan and PlugManX

The original PlugMan on the Bukkit site has not had a release since version 2.1.7 in January 2020. The maintained fork is called PlugManX. It keeps the /plugman command, so this guide uses that name and installs the fork.

What you need

• A Paper, Purpur or Folia server, which shows a Plugins tab under Content in the panel menu. Install Minecraft plugins on Paper or Purpur covers the basics.
• Minecraft 1.21.4 or newer, which is what the 3.2.1 file lists. PlugManX needs Java 21 or newer, and the panel picks a suitable Java for those versions on its own.
• Nothing else. PlugManX has no required dependencies.

Install PlugManX

1. Open the Plugins tab and keep Modrinth selected in the source chip row at the top of the tab.
2. Search for PlugManX.
3. Click Install.
4. Open Console and click Restart. The server needs a restart before a new plugin loads.

The config.yml in plugins/PlugManX has a showPaperWarning setting, true by default. Set it to false to hide the Paper warning.

Commands

Run them in the Console without the slash, or in game with it:

• plugman list -v lists plugins alphabetically with their versions.
• plugman info <plugin> shows a plugin's commands, version and authors.
• plugman load <name> loads a plugin whose jar you just added to plugins.
• plugman reload <plugin> unloads and loads it again, and plugman reload all does so for every plugin.
• plugman unload <plugin> removes it until the next restart or load.
• plugman enable <plugin>, plugman disable <plugin> and plugman restart <plugin> switch a plugin on, off, or off and on.
• plugman lookup <command> tells you which plugin owns a command.
• plugman usage <plugin> lists the commands a plugin registers.
• plugman check <plugin> compares a plugin's version with its SpigotMC listing.
• plugman reloadconfig reloads PlugManX's own config and messages.

Add a plugin without restarting

1. Open File Manager, go into plugins and click Upload. Choose the jar.
2. Run plugman load <plugin> in the Console.

If the plugin needs another plugin, upload that jar too.

Edit a config and reload

1. Edit the plugin's config in File Manager and click Save.
2. Run plugman reload <plugin>.

If the plugin has its own reload command, prefer it. PlugMan's reloadDependentsMode setting decides what else reloads with the target: REQUIRED_ONLY is the default and reloads only plugins that list the target as a required dependency. ALL also reloads soft dependents and OFF reloads none. plugman reloadmode shows or changes it.

Permissions

Every PlugMan command defaults to operators. plugman.admin allows them all, and nodes such as plugman.reload and plugman.load allow one at a time.

Common problems

• A plugin will not reload. ignored-plugins in config.yml lists plugins PlugMan leaves alone. The default includes PlugMan itself, ViaVersion, ProtocolLib and PlotSquared. Restart the server for those.
• The plugin breaks after a reload. Restart the server from the Console tab.
• A config file will not load. See How to find and fix YAML and JSON config errors.