minecraft-monitor-skill_skill

Overview

This skill monitors Minecraft servers using the Server List Ping protocol to report online status, latency, player counts, version, and MOTD. It provides a lightweight CLI check that requires no server-side plugins or RCON access. Use it to quickly verify if a server is reachable and to gather basic player and performance info for automation or dashboards.

How this skill works

The tool performs a Server List Ping (SLP) to the target host[:port] and measures response time, protocol version, current/max players, visible player names (up to a limit), and the server MOTD. It returns a color-coded status (online/offline with latency tiers), prints human-readable details, and sets an exit code useful for scripts. Optional timeout and custom port parameters let you adapt checks to different environments.

When to use it

• Verify whether a Minecraft server is online before connecting or deploying changes
• Monitor player counts and visible player names for community or moderation needs
• Measure latency to determine server performance or geographic issues
• Integrate into cron jobs or CI pipelines to alert on downtime
• Build simple dashboards or logs of server availability history

Best practices

• Call the script from automation with the host:port argument; default port is 25565
• Set a sensible timeout (default 5s) for remote or unreliable networks to avoid blocking automation
• Use exit codes (0 online, 1 offline) to trigger alerts or downstream actions in scripts
• Limit polling frequency to avoid unnecessary load on public servers and respect server operators
• If you rely on SRV names, resolve them to the target host manually before checking, as SRV is not auto-resolved

Example use cases

• Quick CLI check: verify corejourney.org is online and view version, players, and MOTD
• Cron-based monitoring: run periodic checks and notify via email/Slack when exit code indicates offline
• Pre-deploy gate: ensure game server is reachable before triggering maintenance or updates
• Dashboard input: push periodic results into a timeseries store to chart uptime and latency