HiddenOnline

Make selected players appear offline while they stay fully visible in the world.

HiddenOnline is not a vanish plugin. Hidden players still walk around, render, show skins and nametags, and can be interacted with. What changes is everything that says they're online: tab list, /list, server-list ping, join/quit messages and whispers. Players with a staff permission still see them normally.

What it hides (from players without hiddenonline.see)

• Tab list: hidden players are unlisted, but still rendered in the world.
• /list: replaced with a filtered list and count.
• Server list ping: online count reduced, hidden players removed from the hover sample.
• Join, quit, death and advancement messages from hidden players are suppressed.
• Tab completion and command suggestions: hidden names are filtered. The client command tree is rewritten so the client can't suggest hidden names locally.
• Whispers (/msg, /tell, /w, Essentials-style /m, /pm, /r, mail, team messages, selectors, commands.yml aliases, /execute … run msg): delivery to hidden players is refused with the vanilla "No player was found".
• Targeting commands (configurable list, e.g. /tp, /tpa, /pay, /invsee, /seen): blocked when the first argument is a hidden player.
• Public chat from hidden players is blocked by default, with a private notice. It can be set to allow.
• Sleeping: hidden players don't count towards skipping the night.

How to use

1. Drop the jar into plugins/ and start the server.
2. Add UUIDs or names to hidden-players in plugins/HiddenOnline/config.yml and save. It's picked up within about 5 seconds, or run hiddenonline reload from the console.
3. Grant hiddenonline.see to staff who should still see hidden players.

There are no in-game toggle commands. Hiding is controlled only by the config file.

Commands & permissions

A [see-audit] console log shows who holds the see permission (handy if a * wildcard grants it by accident). It's logged on startup, on reload and when a holder joins.

Configuration highlights

hidden-players, see-hidden-permission, see-hidden-permission-enabled, hidden-chat-mode (block/allow), blocked-target-commands, whisper-commands, override-vanilla-whisper, rewrite-client-suggestions, debug, config-poll-ticks. See the README for details.

Compatibility

• Paper 26.2, Java 25. Uses Paper-specific APIs, so Spigot isn't supported.
• Optional EssentialsX support, used for /r reply targets.
• Not a vanish plugin. Other plugins that list online players on their own (maps, Discord bridges, etc.) aren't covered.

Please use responsibly

This plugin hides the fact that someone is online. Tell your community, for example in your server rules, that staff or others may be present without appearing online.