WorldGuard Flag Reference, Every Flag Explained

How WorldGuard Flags Work

Flags are the rules that govern what can happen inside a WorldGuard region. Each flag has a name, a value (usually allow or deny), and an optional group target (members, nonmembers, or all). Understanding this worldguard flags reference is the foundation of region-based protection on any Minecraft server.

Protection Flags

These flags control core block and entity protection.

Flag	Default	Description
build	deny (nonmembers)	Controls placing and breaking blocks. The master flag, overrides most other build-related flags if set.
block-break	inherit from build	Controls only block breaking.
block-place	inherit from build	Controls only block placing.
interact	allow	Controls right-click interactions: doors, buttons, levers, chests.
use	allow	Controls item usage like flint and steel, bone meal, buckets.
chest-access	allow	Controls opening chests, barrels, shulker boxes.

Environment Flags

Flag	Default	Description
pvp	allow	Toggles player vs player combat.
mob-spawning	allow	Controls natural mob spawning.
creeper-explosion	allow	Whether creepers can damage blocks.
tnt	allow	Whether TNT can explode and damage blocks.
fire-spread	allow	Controls fire spreading to adjacent blocks.
lava-fire	allow	Whether lava can ignite blocks.
snow-fall	allow	Controls snow layer accumulation.
ice-melt	allow	Whether ice can melt naturally.
leaf-decay	allow	Controls natural leaf decay.

Player Flags

Flag	Default	Description
entry	allow	Whether players can enter the region. Set to deny to create restricted areas.
exit	allow	Whether players can leave the region.
invincibility	deny	Makes players invulnerable inside the region.
fall-damage	allow	Controls fall damage specifically.
exp-drops	allow	Whether XP orbs drop from mobs and blocks.
enderpearl	allow	Whether enderpearl teleportation works.
chorus-fruit-teleport	allow	Whether chorus fruit teleportation works.

Message and Command Flags

# Greeting message when entering a region
/rg flag spawn greeting Welcome to Spawn!

# Farewell message when leaving
/rg flag spawn farewell You left the safe zone.

# Deny specific commands inside a region
/rg flag arena blocked-cmds /home,/tpa,/spawn

# Allow specific commands (deny all others)
/rg flag arena allowed-cmds /msg,/r

The greeting and farewell flags accept colour codes and are shown in chat. Use greeting-title and farewell-title to display them as screen titles instead.

Applying Flags to Groups

Most flags accept a -g argument to target a specific group. The worldguard flags reference defines three groups: members (region owners and members), nonmembers (everyone else), and all.

# Deny chest access for nonmembers only
/rg flag shop chest-access -g nonmembers deny

# Allow PvP for members but deny for everyone else
/rg flag arena pvp -g nonmembers deny

Region Priority and Flag Inheritance

When regions overlap, the region with the higher priority value wins. Child regions inherit flags from their parent unless explicitly overridden. Use /rg setpriority <region> <number> to control flag resolution in complex setups. For region creation basics, see our guide.

YAML Config Example

Flags are stored in plugins/WorldGuard/worlds/world/regions.yml. Here is what a protected spawn region looks like in the config:

regions:
  spawn:
    min: {x: -100, y: -64, z: -100}
    max: {x: 100, y: 320, z: 100}
    priority: 10
    flags:
      pvp: deny
      creeper-explosion: deny
      tnt: deny
      mob-spawning: deny
      greeting: "&aWelcome to Spawn!"
      invincibility: allow
    owners:
      players: []
    members:
      players: []

This worldguard flags reference covers the most commonly used flags. WorldGuard supports additional flags through third-party addons like WorldGuard Extra Flags, which adds potion effects, fly mode, and more. Refer to the How to Create Custom WorldGuard Regions with Schematics guide for advanced region techniques.

See these configs in action: Astroworld MC, IP play.astroworldmc.com, Java + Bedrock.