Flan is a popular server-side land claiming mod for Minecraft that helps administrators and players protect areas from being griefed with unwanted destruction. While Flan works great out of the box, server administrators may want to customize the default messages to better match their server’s theme or branding.

This guide will show you how to override Flan’s default message text by using a sever-side datapack (available for download below).

Understanding Flan’s Message System

Flan uses Minecraft’s built-in translation system to display messages to players. Every message is associated with a translation key such as flan.noPermissionSimple, which maps to the text displayed to players.

Common Flan Messages You Might Want to Change

• flan.noPermissionSimple — Appears when players try to interact inside protected claims
• flan.noPermission — Shown when a protected action is denied
• flan.inspectBlockOwner — Displays the claim owner
• flan.claimCreateSuccess — Shown after creating a claim
• flan.noPermissionTooClose — Shown when too close to a claim boundary

Using a Datapack to Modify Flan Messages

Creating a datapack is the cleanest and most maintainable method. Datapacks are server-side only, so players do not need to download anything, however, the sever administrator (most likely you if you are reding this) will need to complete the following below.

Step 1: Create the Datapack Structure

This is inside your server filesystem. Locate your world name and then find the datapacks folder. Create a custom data pack with the name flan_custom_messages and also create additional files and folders in the following structure:

world/datapacks/flan_custom_messages/
├── pack.mcmeta
└── data/
    └── flan/
        └── lang/
            └── en_us.json

Step 2: Create pack.mcmeta

Populate the pack.mcmeta file with the following content for Minecraft 1.21.1

{
  "pack": {
    "pack_format": 48,
    "description": "Custom Flan Messages"
  }
}
Code language: JSON / JSON with Comments (json)

Minecraft pack_format values:

• 1.21 to 1.21.3: 48
• 1.20.5 to 1.20.6: 41
• 1.20.3 to 1.20.4: 26
• 1.20 to 1.20.2: 15

Step 3: Create the Language Override File (en_us.json)

Edit the en_us.json file with the following content:

{
  "flan.noPermissionSimple": "You cannot do that here!",
  "flan.noPermission": "You don't have permission for this action.",
  "flan.inspectBlockOwner": "Protected by: %1$s",
  "flan.claimCreateSuccess": "Your claim has been established!",
  "flan.noPermissionTooClose": "Too close to another claim!"
}
Code language: JSON / JSON with Comments (json)

Step 4: Apply the Changes

1. Upload the folder to your server under world/datapacks/
2. Run /reload or restart the server
3. Verify that file/flan_custom_messages appears in /datapack list

Adding Colors and Formatting

{
  "flan.noPermissionSimple": "§cYou cannot do that here!",
  "flan.inspectBlockOwner": "§6Protected by: §e%1$s",
  "flan.claimCreateSuccess": "§aYour claim has been established!"
}
Code language: JSON / JSON with Comments (json)

Color codes:

• §l bold
• §o italic
• §n underline
• §m strikethrough
• §r reset

Making Messages Silent

{
  "flan.noPermissionSimple": " "
}
Code language: JSON / JSON with Comments (json)

Finding All Translation Keys

You can find all keys through:

• The Flan GitHub repository
• Inside the mod jar under assets/flan/lang/en_us.json (this might also be located inside your server/config/flan folder as an example.
• Our complete reference datapack on GitHub

Advanced Customization Examples

Fantasy Theme

{
  "flan.noPermissionSimple": "§5§oThese lands are warded against you...",
  "flan.inspectBlockOwner": "§6Lord of these lands: §e%1$s",
  "flan.claimCreateSuccess": "§aYour territory has been claimed!",
  "flan.noPermission": "§cThe protective barrier blocks your action",
  "flan.resizeClaim": "§eExpanding your domain, mark the new boundary"
}
Code language: JSON / JSON with Comments (json)

Modern or Military Theme

{
  "flan.noPermissionSimple": "§cACCESS DENIED",
  "flan.inspectBlockOwner": "§7[PROPERTY OF: §f%1$s§7]",
  "flan.claimCreateSuccess": "§aSecure zone established",
  "flan.noPermission": "§cUnauthorized action blocked",
  "flan.adminMode": "§eOverride mode: %1$s"
}
Code language: JSON / JSON with Comments (json)

Minimal Theme

{
  "flan.noPermissionSimple": " ",
  "flan.inspectBlockOwner": "%1$s",
  "flan.claimCreateSuccess": "§aDone",
  "flan.noPermission": "§cNo permission"
}
Code language: JSON / JSON with Comments (json)

Multi-Language Support

If you are not using an English translation, consider creating datapacks for other languages:

data/flan/lang/
├── en_us.json
├── es_es.json
├── fr_fr.json
├── de_de.json
└── zh_cn.json

Download Datapack

Don’t want to build this from scratch? We’ve already created a complete, ready-to-use datapack with a mystical or arcane theme.

Download Datapack

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