Armoured Elytra

Smith a chestplate + an elytra together and get one item that flies, protects, and actually looks like both. Most plugins that do this just render a plain elytra and you lose your armour's look — this one draws the wings and the chestplate at the same time, using vanilla's own equipment asset system. Cape/elytra texture still shows up too.

The item is literally your chestplate under the hood (same armour, toughness, durability, enchants, dye), it just also has the glider component and a combined-layer texture. So there's basically no custom mechanics to break.

Recipe

Smithing table:

Netherite Upgrade Smithing Template + Chestplate + Elytra -> Armoured Elytra

Template item and which tiers are allowed (leather-netherite) are configurable.

Requirements

• Paper 1.21.4+. Needs the newer item component API (GLIDER/EQUIPPABLE) and equipment assets, so it won't work on Spigot/CraftBukkit. Not tested on Folia.
• Java 21.
• Built/tested against Paper build 26.2.
• Resource pack required for the visuals — without it the item still works fine, it just doesn't render the chest layer.

Resource pack delivery

Plugin builds its own pack on first run and zips it. Three modes in config:

• SERVE – plugin hosts it itself, sends it on join (set public-address)
• URL – you host the zip somewhere, plugin points clients at it with correct hash
• MANUAL – plugin just writes the zip + logs the hash, you wire it up yourself (e.g. merge into an existing pack)

Pack folder gets re-zipped/re-hashed every start so edits are picked up automatically.

Config (defaults)

recipe:
  template: NETHERITE_UPGRADE_SMITHING_TEMPLATE
  tiers: [LEATHER, CHAINMAIL, COPPER, IRON, GOLDEN, DIAMOND, NETHERITE]
  permission: ''
  disabled-worlds: []

appearance:
  name: '<light_purple>{tier} Armoured Elytra'
  lore:
    - '<dark_gray>Elytra and chestplate, worn as one.'

flight:
  durability-loss: true
  durability-multiplier: 1.0

resource-pack:
  mode: SERVE

Text uses MiniMessage. flight.* only affects durability loss from gliding — combat damage isn't touched.

Permissions

armouredelytra.craft — defaults to everyone, only matters if you set recipe.permission.

Misc

• Trims work, including on the wings (had to add transparent trim textures for the wings layer since vanilla has none).
• Can't feed an Armoured Elytra back into the smithing table, so no stacking the effect.
• Old items / different-namespace forks get repointed to the current asset on join, so people don't end up stuck with an untextured elytra after an update.

MIT licensed.