Minecraft anticheat guide
How to Evaluate Anticheat False Positives
What Minecraft staff should collect before changing thresholds: logs, check names, ping, server version, plugins, reproduction, and debug variables.
Trace: freeze the full context first
When a flag looks wrong, capture the case before changing anything: exact check name and VL, measured debug values, player latency and transaction state, server and plugin versions, nearby teleports, velocity, inventory or block activity, and the configuration in force. Memory fades; the trace must not depend on it.
Mark whether the flag came from a built-in check or an external hook, and preserve the record in an access-controlled location with redacted identifiers.
Reproduce: replay the scenario on staging
Rebuild the situation with consenting test accounts: same kit, same region shape, same latency band where possible, same plugin set. Repeat both the suspected-legitimate action and, where rules allow, the prohibited variant, so the check's boundary is mapped from both sides.
Record every run's expected classification, observed output, configuration, and reviewer. One-off reproductions are anecdotes; repeated runs are evidence.
Classify and decide
Classify the outcome into one of four buckets: true positive, false positive, ambiguous needing more data, or environment issue such as a conflicting plugin or misconfiguration. Then decide: retune the threshold, narrow the check's scope, add an exemption path, split enforcement tiers, or accept the behavior with documentation.
Never weaken a check silently. Log the change, the reason, the approver, and the review date, and re-check the decision after the next relevant update.
FAQ
What is the minimum evidence for a false-positive report?
Check name, debug values, latency and timing context, versions, reproduction steps, and the configuration in force.
When should a check stay enabled despite false positives?
When the errors are bounded, understood, and outweighed by corroborated true positives, with the limits documented and an appeal path preserved.