Set up MCA Reborn on your Minecraft server

Minecraft Comes Alive Reborn, shortened to MCA Reborn, replaces villagers with player-like NPCs you can talk to, give gifts, marry and have children with. On a multiplayer server, players can marry each other too. It runs on Fabric or NeoForge, and every player needs it.

Checked against MCA Reborn 8.1.11 on Fabric and NeoForge, Minecraft 26.2, October 2026.

What you need

• Fabric or NeoForge on Minecraft 26.2. Version 8.1.11 declares Minecraft 26.2 exactly. There is also an 8.1.11 file for 26.1.2, a 7.7.36 file for 1.21.1, and a 7.6.26 file for 1.20.1 that also runs on Forge and Quilt and needs Architectury API.
• Java 25. JAR Manager shows "Runs on Java 25. We switch it for you." for 26.x.
• Fabric API if you use Fabric. The Fabric file lists it as required, and Modrinth lists no extra library for NeoForge.
• MCA Reborn on every player's computer. Modrinth marks it required on both client and server.

Switch the server to 26.2

1. Open JAR Manager, under More in the left rail.
2. Set Server software to Fabric or NeoForge and Minecraft version to 26.2, 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. Back up before you move an existing MCA world between Minecraft versions. The mod's changelog calls this out for 7.7.36 and mentions save-data migration from 1.21.1 to 26.1.2. How to create and restore backups shows the steps.

Install it

1. Open the Mods tab under Content and leave the Modrinth source chip selected.
2. Search for MCA Reborn and press Install on the one by Luke100000.
3. On Fabric, a window titled "Needs 1 more add-on" names Fabric API. Press Install all (2).
4. Go to Console, press Start and accept the EULA prompt the first time.

Admin commands

The admin commands need operator rights, which you can give from the Players tab with Make operator (whitelist and operator guide). Run help and convertVanillaVillagers in game rather than in the Console, because both need a player to run them.

• /mca-admin help lists the main ones.
• /mca-admin convertVanillaVillagers 64 converts vanilla villagers within 64 blocks of you. The setting below only affects villagers that spawn afterwards.
• /mca-admin listVillages prints every known village.
• Players marry with /mca propose <player>, and the other player answers with /mca accept <player>.

Change the settings

MCA Reborn keeps its settings in config/mca.json. Open it in the File Manager and press Edit:

• overwriteOriginalVillagers is true by default and turns newly spawned vanilla villagers into MCA villagers.
• enableInfection is true by default and lets infected villagers turn into zombie villagers.
• allowGrimReaper is true by default and allows the Grim Reaper to be summoned.
• villagerMaxAgeTime is 384000 ticks by default, the time a villager takes to grow up fully.

Press Save and restart the server.

Common problems

• Villagers still look vanilla. They spawned before the mod was installed. Convert them with /mca-admin convertVanillaVillagers.
• The server stops at start and names fabric-api. Install Fabric API from the Mods tab.
• Players cannot join. Their MCA Reborn file must match the server's. Use Export for players on the Mods tab and read Join a modded server from your launcher.