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World desk8 min

How to Change the BungeeCord MOTD

Change BungeeCord’s public Minecraft server-list MOTD by editing listeners[].motd in the proxy’s root config.yml. This guide explains YAML formatting, color codes, restarts, multiple listeners, and why servers.lobby.motd is different.
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Change the public BungeeCord server-list message in the proxy’s root config.yml, under the motd field belonging to listeners. Do not edit servers.lobby.motd (or another servers.<name>.motd) unless you want to change a backend server’s entry. Save the YAML and restart the proxy; a full restart is the reliable fallback when a reload does not apply the new text.

Which BungeeCord MOTD are you trying to change?

BungeeCord configurations can contain two different kinds of MOTD. The one most players mean is the public network message shown in Minecraft’s multiplayer menu when the proxy is pinged. That value is the listener-level motd inside the proxy’s config.yml. A separate value can be assigned to each backend server, such as servers.lobby.motd. Editing that backend value does not change the public message players see while browsing the proxy in the server list.

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Message Configuration path Where players see it
Public proxy or network MOTD listeners[].motd The multiplayer menu when the proxy is pinged
Backend server MOTD servers.<server-name>.motd, for example servers.lobby.motd The configured individual backend server entry, not the proxy’s public listing

If changing servers.lobby.motd had no effect on the message in the multiplayer screen, that behavior is expected: the two fields serve different purposes.

Before editing the file

Make the change on the machine or hosting panel that actually runs BungeeCord. A Spigot or Paper configuration on one of the backend servers cannot control the proxy’s public listing. If your host provides a file manager, use the panel’s procedure for stopping and starting the proxy; otherwise use the normal service controls for your installation.

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  • Know which proxy instance and listener address players use. A network can expose more than one listener, and changing an unused listener will not affect the address being pinged.
  • Stop the proxy before editing, or follow the host’s documented safe configuration-editing process. This prevents the running process or a panel from overwriting your change.
  • Keep a backup of the original config.yml so you can restore it if a YAML formatting error prevents startup.
  • Use an editor that preserves spaces and plain text. YAML indentation is significant, and tab characters must not be used for indentation.

Step-by-step: change the public BungeeCord MOTD

  1. Stop BungeeCord safely

    Stop the proxy through the hosting panel or the service procedure used by your deployment. If the host supports editing while stopped, wait until the process is fully offline before opening the file. When a panel manages the process, use its stop control rather than terminating an unrelated backend server.

  2. Open the proxy’s root config.yml

    Open the config.yml located in the BungeeCord proxy directory. This is the proxy configuration, not a backend server’s server.properties or another Spigot/Paper file. The correct file contains top-level sections such as listeners and servers.

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  3. Locate the listener block

    Find listeners and the listener used by the address players add to Minecraft. The listener is a YAML list, so its entries are introduced with a hyphen. The motd line must remain nested under the intended listener entry rather than becoming a new top-level setting.

  4. Replace the listener-level value

    Change only the text after the listener’s motd: key. For example:

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    listeners:
    - motd: '&6My Network &f| &aWelcome'
      query_port: 25577
      tab_list: GLOBAL_PING
      query_enabled: false

    The sample uses a quoted YAML string and ampersand color-code notation. Keep the other listener settings unchanged unless you intentionally need to modify them. Do not move motd outside the listener item.

  5. Preserve YAML syntax

    Use spaces consistently for indentation; do not insert tabs. Keep the colon after motd, and retain quotes when punctuation, color codes, or other characters could be interpreted by YAML. A malformed structure can stop the proxy from loading the file, while a correctly indented but misplaced key can leave the old MOTD in effect.

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  6. Save the file and start the proxy

    Save config.yml, then start the proxy through the same service or panel used to stop it. Some builds and hosting panels provide a reload operation, but reload behavior is deployment-dependent. If the old message remains after a reload, perform a complete proxy restart.

  7. Verify from Minecraft

    Open Minecraft’s multiplayer screen and ping the proxy address that players normally use. Confirm that the displayed text matches the new listener-level value. Test the actual public address and port, not merely a backend server address.

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Formatting the MOTD safely

Use the documented ampersand color notation

SpigotMC’s configuration examples show ampersand color codes such as &1 and &4 in MOTD values. The example &6My Network &f| &aWelcome therefore combines colored text with a separator and a welcome message. Keep the entire value in one quoted string when you are adding formatting characters or punctuation that might be significant to YAML.

Keep the value attached to the right listener

In YAML, indentation expresses ownership. In the example, motd, query_port, tab_list, and query_enabled belong to the same listener item because they align under the hyphen introduced by - motd. If you remove the indentation before a property, add tabs, or place motd at the top level, the proxy may reject the file or ignore the value you intended to change.

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Change text without changing unrelated settings

The listener also contains connection and display-related options. Unless your task includes changing those options, leave them as they are. A MOTD edit should normally replace the string after motd: and nothing else.

Why changing servers.lobby.motd did not work

The repository’s example configuration contains both a listener-level motd and a separate servers.lobby.motd. Their similar names are the source of many failed edits. The listener value is the public proxy response used by the multiplayer menu. The server-specific value belongs to the configured lobby backend. If players are pinging the proxy, only the listener value controls that public response.

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If you want to change… Edit… Do not rely on…
The message beside the proxy in Minecraft’s multiplayer menu The motd under the listener in the proxy’s root config.yml servers.lobby.motd or a backend server file
The configured lobby backend’s own MOTD value servers.lobby.motd The public listener MOTD

When a network has several backend names, substitute the relevant name for lobby. The distinction remains the same: servers.<server-name>.motd is not the proxy-list message.

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Multiple listeners, ports, and hosting panels

More than one listener

A configuration can expose multiple listener definitions. Compare the listener’s address and port with the address players enter in Minecraft before editing. If you change the MOTD on a listener that is not being pinged, the visible listing will not change even though the file is valid.

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Host-managed configuration

Some hosting panels generate or overwrite configuration files. If your edit disappears after a restart, check whether the panel has a separate MOTD field or a template that rewrites config.yml. Apply the change in the panel’s supported location, then restart the proxy. Do not assume that a successful save in a file manager means the running service loaded that file.

Plugin-managed text

A plugin may alter or replace the response after the base configuration is read. First verify the listener path, the active proxy instance, and the restart. If the configured value is correct but the public text is still being replaced, inspect the plugins and host controls that are permitted to modify the proxy’s ping response.

Reload versus full restart

There is no single reload rule that applies to every BungeeCord build and hosting environment. Some deployments expose a reload command or panel action; others require a stop and start. A reload that reports success may still leave an existing ping response unchanged in a particular setup. Treat a full proxy restart as the dependable fallback when the old MOTD persists.

  1. Save the edited file.
  2. Use the deployment’s supported reload action if one is documented.
  3. Ping the proxy from the multiplayer screen.
  4. If the old message remains, stop and start the entire proxy, then ping it again.

Restarting the proxy is different from restarting only the lobby backend. The public listener belongs to the proxy process, so restarting an individual backend does not reload the listener configuration.

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Troubleshooting an unchanged or broken MOTD

The multiplayer screen still shows the old text

  • Confirm that you edited the proxy’s root config.yml, not a backend server configuration.
  • Check that the changed key is the listener-level motd, not servers.<server-name>.motd.
  • Verify that the listener you edited matches the address and port being pinged.
  • Look for a second listener with a similar configuration and make sure players are not connecting through that one.
  • Check whether a hosting panel or plugin rewrites the value.
  • Perform a full proxy restart rather than relying on a reload.

The proxy fails to start after the edit

Restore the backup, then compare the changed lines for indentation, tabs, missing colons, and mismatched quotes. The motd key must remain nested under a listener item. Once the proxy starts with the backup, reapply only the text change using spaces and a properly quoted value.

The color codes appear as literal characters

The documented examples use ampersand notation, but the final display can depend on the proxy build or components handling the ping response. Confirm that the value is written exactly as intended and that the listener is the one being served. Do not change YAML structure while troubleshooting formatting; first establish that the plain text itself updates after a restart.

The new value appears in the file but vanishes later

A managed panel, template, deployment script, or plugin may be restoring its preferred configuration. Record which file is loaded by the active proxy, then make the change through the controlling system if one exists. Restart and inspect the file again to determine whether it was overwritten.

A practical verification checklist

  • The edited file is the proxy’s root config.yml.
  • The value is under listeners and belongs to the listener players ping.
  • The YAML uses spaces, not tabs, and the indentation is unchanged.
  • The MOTD text is quoted when formatting characters or punctuation could confuse YAML.
  • You did not substitute servers.<server-name>.motd for the listener value.
  • The proxy was reloaded according to the deployment’s procedure, or fully restarted when necessary.
  • The result was checked from Minecraft’s multiplayer screen using the public proxy address.

Example change, shown as a before-and-after

Suppose the active listener currently contains:

listeners:
- motd: '&1Old Network Message'
  query_port: 25577
  tab_list: GLOBAL_PING
  query_enabled: false

Replace only the string after motd::

listeners:
- motd: '&6My Network &f| &aWelcome'
  query_port: 25577
  tab_list: GLOBAL_PING
  query_enabled: false

The listener remains in the same place, its other settings are preserved, and the public message is now the new quoted value after the proxy has loaded the file.

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Key distinction to remember

For the MOTD displayed when players ping the BungeeCord network in Minecraft’s multiplayer menu, edit listeners[].motd in the proxy’s root config.yml. A servers.<server-name>.motd entry is a separate backend setting. Preserve YAML indentation and quoting, then restart the proxy if a reload does not make the new message appear.

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