Set up the Cobblemon mod on Minecraft

Cobblemon is an open-source Pokémon mod. Players capture Pokémon, battle wild ones and other players, and evolve them, with more than 800 to find. It runs on Fabric or NeoForge, and the server and every player need it. This guide covers Minecraft 1.21.1.

Checked against Cobblemon 1.8.2 on Fabric and NeoForge, Minecraft 1.21.1, October 2026.

What you need

• Fabric or NeoForge on Minecraft 1.21.1. Cobblemon 1.8.2 declares exactly 1.21.1. The mod's own page recommends Fabric because it performs better. Older files exist for 1.20.1 (1.5.2, Fabric and Forge) and 1.19.2 (1.3.2).
• Java 21. JAR Manager shows "Runs on Java 21. We switch it for you." for 1.21.1, and the mod's NeoForge metadata only allows Java 21.
• Fabric API on Fabric, version 0.116.6 or newer. Kotlin for Forge on NeoForge. Both are listed as required for their loader.
• Memory. On the 1024 MiB plan, Cobblemon 1.8.2 on Fabric is killed about 50 seconds into its first start, with memory at 984 MB of the 1024 MB and no Done line in the console. Check the Minecraft plans and choose a larger one. How much RAM a Minecraft server needs explains the sizing.
• Room for a large file. The 1.8.2 jar is about 139 MB, over the File Manager's 100 MB browser upload limit. Install it from the Mods tab, which fetches it onto the server itself, instead of uploading it.
• Cobblemon on each player's computer, with the same loader and library. Modrinth marks it required on both sides.

Switch the server to 1.21.1

1. Open JAR Manager, under More in the left rail.
2. Set Server software to Fabric or NeoForge and Minecraft version to 1.21.1, then press Apply change.
3. Leave Take a backup first ticked, press and hold Confirm & reinstall, and wait for the console to finish.

Your world is kept, but the screen warns that configuration files may be reset. See Change your Minecraft version or mod loader.

Install it

1. Open the Mods tab under Content and leave the Modrinth source chip selected.
2. Search for Cobblemon and press Install on the one by CobbledStudios. Other results are add-ons built on top of it. Once it is installed, the Installed view lists the same mod as by BlazingBRO.
3. A window titled "Needs 1 more add-on" names Fabric API or Kotlin for Forge. Press Install all (2).
4. Go to Console, press Start and accept the EULA prompt the first time. On an 8 GB plan the console reached the Done line within half a minute of the loader starting.

If you would rather start from a prepared setup, Cobblemon Academy is a full modpack guide.

Try it from the Console

Give yourself operator rights first from the Players tab with Make operator (whitelist and operator guide). The commands below default to operator level 2. The names and syntax below come from Cobblemon's own 1.8.2 source.

• givepokemonother Steve pikachu level=10 adds a level 10 Pikachu to Steve's party. Inside the game, /givepokemon pikachu gives one to yourself.
• healpokemon Steve heals Steve's party.
• spawnpokemon pikachu spawns a wild one at the position the command runs from, so use it in game.

The player has to be online. If they are not, the console answers No player was found.

Change the settings

Cobblemon keeps its settings in config/cobblemon/main.json. Open it in the File Manager and press Edit. Some options:

• enableSpawning is true by default. Set it to false to stop wild Pokémon spawning.
• pokemonPerChunk is 1.0 by default and limits how many wild Pokémon spawn per chunk.
• maxPokemonLevel is 100 by default.

Press Save, then either restart the server or run cobblemonconfig reload in the Console. The command reads config/cobblemon/main.json again and the console answers Reloading Cobblemon settings.

Common problems

• The server stops at start and names fabric-api or kotlinforforge. Install the missing library from the Mods tab.
• Players cannot join. They need the same Cobblemon file and loader. Use Export for players on the Mods tab, and read Join a modded server from your launcher.
• The upload fails with a big jar. Use the Mods tab, or connect over SFTP for anything over 100 MB.