Minecraft anticheat guide
How to Announce an Anticheat Rollout to Your Players
How to announce an anticheat rollout to Minecraft players: timing, message templates, alert-only periods, and the questions to answer before launch day.
What should the announcement say?
Tell players that you are adding an anticheat, the date it starts, what it looks at in general terms, what happens when activity is flagged, and where to ask questions. State whether the first period only logs alerts. Do not promise detection coverage or accuracy, and do not list checks you have not tested on your own server.
When should each message go out?
A notice that appears a few days before the change gives players time to read it. The table is a starting plan. Move the windows to fit your release schedule and the number of staff who can answer questions.
| When | Where | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| 7 to 14 days before | Forum, Discord announcements, and the server news channel | Give players time to read the rules and ask questions |
| Day of change | In-game broadcast and a short Discord post | Mark the start date and link the full notice |
| End of alert-only period | Rules channel and in-game broadcast | Say what changes for players and how appeals work |
How do you write the full notice?
Write the full notice once, in the place players read news, and link to it from shorter reminders. Keep each point to one or two sentences. Players skim, so the date and the appeal path should appear near the top.
[Anticheat] Rollout starts <DATE> at <TIME> <TIMEZONE> on <SERVER OR NETWORK>.
What it does: looks for gameplay patterns that do not match normal play.
What happens to a flag: <DESCRIBE YOUR ALERT-ONLY PERIOD AND STAFF REVIEW STEP>.
Questions or appeals: <DISCORD LINK> or <APPEAL FORM URL>.How do you answer the questions players will ask?
Most players ask three things: whether the anticheat will lag the server, whether it will ban legitimate players, and whether it reads their chat. Answer each one from your own configuration and from measurements you made on your server. If you have not measured lag, say that you are watching it and name the channel where players can report it.
Avoid numbers you cannot show. A statement such as 'zero false positives' is a claim players can test, and one wrong flag will undo the message. Describe what staff do with a flag instead.
How do you know the rollout is working?
Track the number of appeals, support tickets that mention the anticheat, and the hours staff spend on reviews during the first two weeks. Compare those numbers with your expectations and update the wording if players keep asking the same question.
What should staff do in the first hours after launch?
Put one staff member in charge of the announcement channel for the first day. That person answers the same questions the same way, and they forward anything unusual to the moderation lead. Keep a shared document with the answers you have given, so the next staff member does not invent a different reply.
Watch the first few flags closely, and note any case where a player says the flag was wrong. Those notes feed the wording update at the end of the alert-only period, and they show whether your announcement set the right expectations.
How long should the announcement stay up?
Keep the full notice pinned until the enforcement date, then move it to the rules archive with its date in the title. Players who join late still need to find it, and staff need to be able to show what was announced and when, if a player says they were never told.
Update the reminder posts when the schedule changes. An old reminder that shows a launch date you have already moved causes more confusion than no reminder at all.
What have we not verified?
This plan does not show that an anticheat will reduce cheating on your server, and it does not show how your players will react. The schedule and wording are starting points. Test the notice with two or three trusted players or staff members before you post it to the full community.
FAQ
Should we announce before or after the anticheat is installed?
Announce before any player joins with the anticheat active, so the notice is readable before the first flag. If you have to install during a quiet window, post the notice the same day and state the alert-only period in it.
Do we have to list every enabled check in the announcement?
No. Describing categories such as combat, movement, or packets is enough for most players. A full check list gives cheat authors a map, and it goes stale after every update, so keep the detailed list in staff documentation.
What if a player asks whether the anticheat logs chat?
Answer from your plugin settings and your other chat tools, not from memory. If another plugin records chat, say so in the notice. The privacy article in this series covers what to disclose.
Is a short reminder post enough after the full notice?
Yes, for reminders in the days before launch. Each short post should link to the full notice, so the date, the appeal path, and the review step are always in one place.