Minecraft anticheat guide
Fair Play Policy Template for Minecraft Networks
A fair play policy template for Minecraft networks: sections to include, decision roles, version control, and how one policy covers every server in the network.
What does a network fair play policy cover?
A network fair play policy sets one set of rules for every server in the network. It defines prohibited conduct, who decides cases, how anticheat flags are used, how appeals work, and how the policy changes. Use it as the source for each server's rules page and for staff training, so the same rule is not written five different ways.
Which sections should the policy include?
Use this order. Each section should be short enough that a player can find the answer without reading the whole document.
Who decides each kind of case?
Write the decision roles down. A player should know who made a decision and who reviewed it. Replace the placeholder roles with the titles your network uses.
| Decision | Who decides | Who reviews | Record kept |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warning for a first, unclear flag | On-duty moderator | Team lead, weekly sample | Case note |
| Temporary ban | Moderator with senior approval | Admin on duty | Case note and evidence link |
| Permanent ban | Senior staff member | A second senior staff member | Case note, evidence, and appeal status |
| Appeal result | Appeal reviewer, not the original decider | Owner, monthly sample | Appeal record |
How do you version the policy?
Give every published change a version number, a date, and a one-line summary. Keep the previous version available, so a case from last month can be judged against the rule that applied at the time.
Fair Play Policy v<MAJOR>.<MINOR>
Effective: <DATE>
Changed: <ONE-LINE SUMMARY>
Approved by: <NAME, ROLE>
Previous version: <LINK OR FILE PATH>How do you apply one policy to several servers?
Keep the core policy identical across the network. Where a server has a different game mode, add a short addendum. An addendum names the mode, the rule it changes, and the reason. Do not rewrite core rules inside an addendum.
How do you approve and publish it?
Have the owner and at least one staff lead approve the first version. Publish it where players read rules, and link it from Discord and from any in-game rules command you run.
What happens when two servers disagree?
Two servers in one network can reach different results for the same player. Settle the question in the policy, not case by case. A common approach is to say that a network-wide ban applies to every server, and that a server-only penalty applies only to that server. Write the rule that wins when the two conflict.
Record which policy version each decision used. A player who appeals a decision from two months ago should be judged against the rule that existed then, not the one you published last week.
How do you keep staff accountable to the policy?
Ask each staff member to acknowledge the current version in writing when it changes. Add a quick quiz with three or four cases from your own history, and rerun it when a new staff member joins. The point is to check that people apply the same rule, not to catch mistakes in public.
Review a random sample of decisions each month. Compare the outcome with the policy text, and feed any gap back into the next version as a clearer rule or a new example.
How do you handle a policy dispute between staff?
Name one person to make the final call on policy wording, usually the network owner or a designated policy lead. Staff can argue for a change in a shared thread, but the decision and its reason go into the change log. Without that rule, two moderators will enforce two different policies and the appeal team will inherit the mismatch.
What have we not verified?
This template is a structure to adapt. It is not legal or platform advice, and it makes no claim about how any anticheat detects activity or how accurate it is. Check the final text against the terms of every platform you use and against your own staff practice.
FAQ
Should the policy name the anticheat?
Name it only in the detection and data sections, and keep that name in one place. A later switch then needs a small edit, not a full rewrite of the policy.
How often should we review the policy?
Review it after any major change to your server stack or rules, and at least once a year. Record the review date even when nothing changed, so players can see when it was last checked.
Can one policy cover Java and Bedrock players?
Yes, if the conduct rules describe behavior rather than input devices. Add a note where a rule depends on a device difference, and say how staff should treat that case.
What happens when a staff member breaks the policy?
Apply the same policy, and have a reviewer who is outside that staff member's chain of command look at the case. Record the outcome in the same format as a player case.