How to Install and Configure ClearLagg on Your Minecraft Server

Install ClearLagg to auto-clear ground items and entities on your Minecraft Java server, reducing entity lag and improving TPS.

ClearLagg is the most-installed entity-cleanup plugin for Minecraft. It periodically removes ground items (dropped items, XP orbs, projectiles), caps entity counts, and provides commands for emergency cleanup. Combined with mob-spawn limits and view-distance tuning, it's one of the highest-impact lag fixes for survival servers.

Note: The plugin is officially named ClearLagg (two g's). Some older guides spell it ClearLag.

Why ClearLagg Matters

Dropped items don't despawn for 5 minutes by default. On a busy server with mob farms, item sorters, or active mining, ground items pile up into the thousands within minutes — and every single one gets ticked every game tick.

Entity type	Default tick cost	Common volume
Dropped item	Low individually, deadly in bulk	Mob farms produce 100s/minute
XP orb	Same	Same
Arrow	Low	Skeleton spawners produce constantly
Falling block	Medium	TNT explosions, sand farms

A single mob farm can drop TPS from 20 to 14 with just ground item accumulation. ClearLagg fixes this with one config.

Install ClearLagg

Download ClearLagg

Get the latest from SpigotMC. Compatible with Bukkit, Spigot, Paper, Purpur, and Folia.

Stop the server

In the XGamingServer Panel, open Console and stop your server.

Upload to plugins/

Click Files in the sidebar and upload ClearLagg.jar to plugins/.

Start the server

Start from Console. ClearLagg generates plugins/ClearLagg/config.yml on first run.

Verify it loaded

plugins

ClearLagg should appear in green. Test:

lagg check

Output shows current entity counts.

Recommended Configuration

The defaults are reasonable, but here's a tuned setup for most survival servers. Edit plugins/ClearLagg/config.yml:

Auto-Clear Ground Items

auto-removal:
  enabled: true
  interval: 300                # 5 minutes between clears
  warning:
    enabled: true
    seconds-before: 60         # First warning at T-60s
    extra-warnings: [30, 10, 5, 3, 2, 1]
    message: "&6[ClearLagg] &eGround items will be removed in &c%seconds% &eseconds!"
  broadcast-message: "&6[ClearLagg] &eRemoved &c%amount% &eground items"

Entity Limits

limit:
  enabled: true
  per-chunk:
    item: 64
    arrow: 32
    experience_orb: 32
    item_frame: 16
    armor_stand: 16

This caps how many of each entity type can exist per chunk. Excess entities are auto-removed.

What to Clear

auto-removal:
  filter:
    item: true
    experience_orb: true
    arrow: true
    snowball: true
    egg: true
    splash_potion: true
    item_frame: false      # Don't clear item frames!
    armor_stand: false     # Don't clear armor stands!
    boat: false
    minecart: false

Critical: Always set item_frame: false and armor_stand: false. Players use these for builds and decorations — clearing them is destructive.

Item Merge

merge:
  enabled: true
  radius: 3.0
  merge-on-pickup: true

Merges nearby item stacks to reduce entity count without losing items.

Commands

Command	Permission	Description
`/lagg check`	`clearlagg.check`	Show current entity counts per type
`/lagg clear`	`clearlagg.clear`	Manually clear ground items now
`/lagg area <radius>`	`clearlagg.area`	Clear entities within radius
`/lagg killmobs`	`clearlagg.killmobs`	Kill all hostile mobs
`/lagg unloadchunks`	`clearlagg.unload`	Unload non-essential chunks
`/lagg gc`	`clearlagg.gc`	Trigger Java garbage collection
`/lagg halt`	`clearlagg.halt`	Pause all entity spawning temporarily
`/lagg reload`	`clearlagg.reload`	Reload config

Don't grant /lagg perms to regular players. Use it as an admin tool.

Tuning Tips

Server type	Recommended interval
Survival, ~10 players	600 (10 min)
Survival, ~30 players	300 (5 min)
Skyblock / island	180 (3 min)
Anarchy / mob farms	120 (2 min)
Build / creative	1800 (30 min) — items are rare
Minigame lobby	60 (1 min)

Lower interval = more frequent cleanup = better TPS but more "items vanishing" complaints. Find the balance for your community.

What ClearLagg Does NOT Do

Misconception	Reality
"ClearLagg fixes all lag"	It only fixes entity lag — not redstone, chunk gen, plugin lag
"It clears player inventories"	Never — only ground entities
"It clears chest contents"	Never — only entities, never blocks
"It removes mob farms"	No — but it removes the dropped items the farm produces
"It improves chunk generation"	No — use Chunky for that

For chunk and tick lag, install Spark and read Optimize Server.

Combined Performance Stack

ClearLagg works best as part of a complete optimization setup:

ClearLagg — auto-clear ground items
FarmControl — cap mob farms
Spark — find lag sources
Chunky — pre-generate world
Aikar's Flags — tune JVM
Lower view-distance — reduce tick load

Common Issues

Problem	Fix
Players complain "my items disappeared"	Lower clear frequency or increase warning time
Item frames cleared by mistake	Set `item_frame: false` in filter
Armor stands disappeared	Set `armor_stand: false` in filter
Entity limits too low	Raise per-chunk caps in `limit:` section
Plugin doesn't load	Wrong server type — Bukkit/Spigot/Paper only
Lag continues after install	ClearLagg only fixes entity lag — profile with Spark
Vehicles cleared	Set `boat: false` and `minecart: false`

Common Mistakes

Mistake	Fix
Clearing item frames or armor stands	Always exclude from filter
Setting interval too low (e.g., 30s)	Players hate it — keep at 120+
Disabling warnings	Always warn — players need time to pick up items
Granting `/lagg` to all players	Restrict to admin
Expecting ClearLagg to solve TPS issues from plugins/redstone	Use Spark to find the real cause
Not using merge feature	Item merging reduces entity count cheaply

How to Install and Configure ClearLagg on Your Minecraft Server

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