minecraft-bridge

Local HTTP bridge for Mineflayer-based live control of a Minecraft Java bot. Trigger when the user wants to connect a bot to their world, check bot status/in...

Persistent local HTTP service that bridges OpenClaw to a live Minecraft Java Edition bot session. Exposes a REST API on http://localhost:${MC_BRIDGE_PORT|3001} for live state reads and in-game bot actions.

Boundary:

• Use this skill for live bot control and live game-state reads
• Use minecraft-wiki for knowledge questions
• Use minecraft-server-admin for RCON, server.properties, whitelist/ban/op, and generic server administration

Quick State Machine

UNSTARTED → run bridge-server.js → STARTING → bot spawns → CONNECTED
CONNECTED → game closes or kick → DISCONNECTED → auto-reconnect → CONNECTED

Check current state with: GET http://localhost:3001/status

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Setup (first time)

1. Environment variables

Set in ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json or export in shell:

MC_HOST=localhost          # server IP (localhost for singleplayer LAN)
MC_PORT=25565              # game port
MC_BOT_USERNAME=ClawBot    # bot's in-game name (offline-mode servers)
MC_BRIDGE_PORT=3001        # bridge HTTP port (default 3001)
MC_VERSION=1.21.1          # Minecraft version string

2. Open Minecraft to LAN (singleplayer)

ESC → Open to LAN → Allow Cheats ON → Start LAN World Note the port shown (e.g. 54321) — set MC_PORT to that value.

3. Start the bridge

node ~/.openclaw/skills/minecraft-bridge/bridge-server.js

Wait for: 🎮 Bridge ready at http://localhost:3001

4. Verify

curl http://localhost:3001/status

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Runtime Operations

When user gives a live-game command:

1. Check bridge health — GET /status; if unreachable → show setup instructions above
2. Execute action — call appropriate endpoint (see API Reference below)
3. Report result — format response conversationally; include coordinates, item names, counts
4. Persist context — write significant events to OpenClaw memory (coordinates found, items collected, goals achieved)

Interpreting /status response

{
  "connected": true,
  "username": "ClawBot",
  "position": {"x": -142, "y": 64, "z": 88},
  "health": 18.0,
  "food": 14,
  "gameTime": 6000,
  "inventoryCount": 12,
  "biome": "plains"
}

• gameTime 0–6000 = morning, 6000–12000 = day, 12000–18000 = dusk/night
• health max 20.0; below 6 = danger
• food max 20; below 6 = can't sprint, below 1 = taking damage

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API Overview

See references/api-spec.md for the full schema.

Core endpoints:

• GET /status — bridge + bot connection state
• GET /inventory, GET /position, GET /nearby — live state reads
• POST /move, POST /mine, POST /collect, POST /craft, POST /follow, POST /stop — live bot actions
• POST /chat — send in-game chat
• POST /command — send arbitrary slash commands; use with caution

Security note: /command forwards arbitrary slash commands. On servers where the bot has elevated permissions, this may include destructive or admin-level commands. Prefer minecraft-server-admin for server administration tasks.

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Dependent Skills

Dependent skills should health-check the bridge before using it. See references/dependency-guide.md for the canonical dependency-check pattern and degradation behavior.

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Error Handling

Error	Cause	Recovery
ECONNREFUSED	Bridge not started	Run node bridge-server.js
{"connected":false}	Bridge up, bot offline	Open Minecraft, check MC_HOST/PORT
{"error":"pathfinding failed"}	Path blocked	Try /stop then retry with different coords
{"error":"no crafting table"}	Craft without workbench	Move near crafting table first
Bot stuck looping	Pathfinding bug	POST /stop, then resume

Auto-reconnect is built in — bridge retries every 5 s after disconnect.

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Additional Resources

• references/api-spec.md — Full API schema with all request/response fields
• references/dependency-guide.md — How other skills should declare bridge dependency
• references/troubleshooting.md — Detailed error diagnosis
• scripts/start.sh / scripts/stop.sh — Convenience wrappers