DSFlashback

server-side Flashback recordings for Paper and Purpur servers.

DSFlashback records gameplay directly from your server and saves it as a replay that can be opened with the Flashback client mod.

Requirements

Required

• Paper or Purpur
• ProtocolLib
• Flashback on the client side to watch recordings

Optional

• ViaVersion and ViaBackwards for cross-version conversion(26.x.x to 1.21.x)
• Simple Voice Chat for voice recording and playback
• GrimAC or Vulcan for experimental anticheat evidence
• Multiverse-Core for additional world information in diagnostics

Installation

1. Install ProtocolLib on the server.
2. Place the DSFlashback JAR in the server's plugins folder.
3. Restart the server.

Why use DSFlashback?

DSFlashback can be used for moderation, staff review, player reports, event recordings or simply keeping important moments.

• Start recordings manually or record everyone automatically
• Capture movement, combat, blocks, items, inventories, deaths and world changes
• Record the player, nearby players, entities and terrain
• Search important moments through a player action timeline(still experimental)
• Convert saved replays to another supported Minecraft version
• Optionally include Simple Voice Chat audio recording
• Control recording worlds, file retention and terrain range

Flashbacks

DSFlashback saves recordings in the normal Flashback file format. You can download the saved ZIP and open it on your client with flashback mod on.

Recordings are checked before they are saved. If an important part of a replay is missing or broken, DSFlashback rejects it.

Server owners can change the recorded terrain radius to balance file size against the amount of surrounding terrain visible during playback.

Player action timeline (EXPERIMENTAL)

Every new recording can include a searchable list of important player actions. This allows staff to find an event without watching the entire replay from the beginning.

An action timeline can contain entries such as:

00:04  Started breaking a block
00:06  Broke the block
00:09  Attacked a player
00:10  Dealt damage
00:14  Used an item
00:18  Changed world
00:25  Died

The timeline shows when the action happened, what happened, its result and its target when one is available.

How to use the action timeline

1. Find the replay

/flashback list

Copy the relative path shown for the recording.

2. View actions from one replay

/flashback actions replay <replay-path>

Example:

/flashback actions replay IM_DIV/2026-07-15/04-43-05_to_04-43-19.zip

3. Search actions from a player

/flashback actions player <name-or-uuid>

Example:

/flashback actions player IM_DIV since=24h

4. Narrow the results

Filter	What it does	Example
type=<glob>	Matches an action name. * can match any text.	type=*combat*
from=<tick-or-time>	Starts at a tick or time in the replay.	from=200
to=<tick-or-time>	Stops at a tick or time in the replay.	to=800
status=<result>	Shows actions with one result.	Use a result shown in the timeline
since=<duration>	Searches recent recordings for a player.	since=24h
page=<number>	Opens another page of results.	page=2

Start with an unfiltered search. The results show the real action names and results stored by your server, which you can copy into a narrower search.

Results are shown ten at a time:

/flashback actions replay IM_DIV/example.zip page=2

Search only actions with combat in their name:

/flashback actions player IM_DIV type=*combat* since=7d

Older recordings without action data cannot provide a timeline. If recordings were copied into the folder manually, rebuild the replay list with:

/flashback index rebuild

Anticheat support(EXPERIMENTAL)

DSFlashback includes integrations for GrimAC and Vulcan. Accepted flags can create evidence markers and start a focused recording automatically.

Important: Anticheat support has been added but has not been fully tested. It may not work correctly with every GrimAC or Vulcan version. Do not rely on it.

Replay conversion

VIA VERSION NEEDED FOR THIS FEATURE

Saved recordings can be converted to another supported Minecraft version as DSFlashback saves the flashback on version that matches the server so if you need to view the flashback on another version of a client you need to convert the version.

• The original replay is never changed
• Safe conversion removes unsupported parts when possible
• Strict conversion stops when an unexpected part cannot be converted
• Converted recordings are checked before being saved

Version-changing conversion requires compatible versions of ViaVersion and ViaBackwards.

/flashback convert <replay-path> <target-version>

Example:

/flashback convert IM_DIV/example.zip 1.21.11

Simple Voice Chat support

When Simple Voice Chat is installed, DSFlashback can record:

• The recorded player's microphone
• Nearby, whisper, group, static and location-based voice

The client needs both Flashback and Simple Voice Chat for voice playback. Voice recording can noticeably increase replay file size and can be disabled in the configuration.

Recording controls

Manual recording

/flashback start player <player>
/flashback stop <player>

Automatic recording

/flashback autorecord on
/flashback autorecord off
/flashback autorecord status

Automatic recording applies to current players and future joins. Recordings are saved when players leave. Timed recording segments and world-change behaviour can be adjusted in the configuration.

Command reference

/dsflashback is an alias for /flashback, so either command name can be used.

Recording and status

Command	What it does	Example
/flashback start player <player>	Starts recording one player	/flashback start player IM_DIV
/flashback stop <player>	Stops and saves the player's recording	/flashback stop IM_DIV
/flashback status	Shows active recordings and current recorder status	/flashback status
/flashback list	Lists saved recordings and their paths	/flashback list
/flashback autorecord on	Records current players and future joins automatically	/flashback autorecord on
/flashback autorecord off	Stops starting automatic recordings	/flashback autorecord off
/flashback autorecord status	Shows whether automatic recording is enabled	/flashback autorecord status

Replay tools

Command	What it does	Example
/flashback verify <replay>	Checks whether a replay is valid	/flashback verify IM_DIV/example.zip
/flashback convert <replay> <version>	Creates a converted copy for another version	/flashback convert IM_DIV/example.zip 1.21.11
/flashback actions replay <replay>	Shows actions stored in one replay	/flashback actions replay IM_DIV/example.zip
/flashback actions player <player>	Searches indexed actions from a player	/flashback actions player IM_DIV
/flashback index rebuild	Rebuilds the searchable replay list	/flashback index rebuild

Administration

Command	What it does
/flashback doctor	Shows recording health, warnings and integration status
/flashback privacy status	Shows which private content options are enabled
/flashback reload	Reloads the plugin configuration
/flashback profile apply <full|evidence|performance> confirm	Applies a prepared recording profile

Commands are available to server operators by default and require the appropriate permission.

1. Run:

/flashback doctor

1. Start a test recording:

/flashback start player <player>

1. Move around, interact with blocks and perform a few normal actions.
2. Stop and save the recording:

/flashback stop <player>

1. Open the saved ZIP with a compatible Flashback client.
2. Check its action timeline:

/flashback actions replay <replay-path>

Recordings are stored under:

plugins/DSReplay/flashback

Useful server controls

DSFlashback includes options for:

• Allowed and blocked worlds
• Automatic recording
• Recording segment length
• Recording retention
• Terrain recording radius
• Disk-space safety
• Privacy settings
• Voice recording
• Player action recording
• Performance limits for larger servers

The default settings are intended to provide a practical balance between replay quality, server load and file size.

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