A Minecraft plugin needs another plugin that is not installed

Many plugins need another plugin to work, such as Vault for economy plugins. When that plugin is missing, the server still starts, but the plugin that needs it does not load. Install the plugin it names from Modding and restart.

What you see

• The plugin's commands do nothing, and it is missing from the list plugins prints in the Console.
• The Console shows Unknown/missing dependency plugins: with the missing names in square brackets, then Please download and install these plugins to run and the plugin's name. That line starts with UnknownDependencyException, just below Could not load and the plugin's file.

Because the server still finishes starting, the Why your server stopped box usually says nothing about it: the box only reads what the server printed after it last finished starting. It names the problem only when the server stopped before it finished starting: the plugin needs the missing plugin , which is not installed., then Install it from the Modding page, then restart. Until then the plugin does not load; the rest of the server still runs. A Find button with each missing plugin's name opens Modding. Look for the lines above in the Console in every case.

Fix it

1. Open your server in the panel and click the Modding tab, then Plugins.
2. Under Browse, search the missing plugin's name and install it. When you install a plugin from Modding, the panel adds the plugins it needs at the same time and says so.
3. Restart the server.
4. Type plugins in the Console to check that both are listed.

If you do not want the extra plugin, remove the plugin that needs it instead.

When the name is not in the catalogue

Some plugins are not published where Modding searches. Download the plugin from its own page, made for your server type and Minecraft version, and upload the .jar into plugins through Files, then restart. See How to install plugins on Paper, Spigot and Purpur.

Good to know

• A soft dependency is optional: the plugin loads without it and only some features wait for it. The console messages above are about required ones.
• For mods on Fabric, Forge or NeoForge, see A Minecraft mod needs another mod that is not installed.
• Other causes the panel names: How to see why your Minecraft server stopped.