AI Foundations
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Everything you need to get started with the Hacking Minecraft with AI tutorials.

1. Node.js

We use Node.js to run our bots and MCP server.

  1. Download the LTS version from nodejs.org
  2. Follow the installer for your platform
  3. Verify it's installed:
bash
node --version
npm --version

2. Java

PaperMC requires Java 21 or newer to run.

  1. Download from adoptium.net (Eclipse Temurin, JDK 21+)
  2. Follow the installer for your platform
  3. Verify it's installed:
bash
java --version

3. Minecraft Server (PaperMC)

We use PaperMC — a high-performance Minecraft server that's easy to set up.

  1. Download the latest build from papermc.io/downloads — note the Minecraft version (e.g. 1.21.4), you'll need it in the next step
  2. Create a folder for your server and move the downloaded jar into it
  3. Run the server:
bash
java -Xms3G -Xmx3G -jar path/to/paper-1.21.4-XXX.jar --nogui
  1. On first run, it will generate files and stop. Open eula.txt and change eula=false to eula=true
  2. Run the server again — it will generate the world and start listening on port 25565

4. Minecraft Client (TLauncher)

To join the server yourself and see your bots in action, you'll need a Minecraft client. TLauncher is a free launcher that works with offline-mode servers.

  1. Create an account at tlauncher.org if you don't already have one
  2. Download TLauncher and install it
  3. Log in and pick a username (this is what you'll pass as --player to your bots)
  4. Select OptiFine as the version (use the same Minecraft version as your PaperMC server)
  5. Click Enter the game
  6. Once in the main menu, go to Multiplayer → Add Server
    • Server Address: localhost:25565
    • Click Done, then join the server

Note: In step 4, make sure to select the Minecraft version you noted in step 3.1 (e.g. OptiFine 1.21.4 for a 1.21.4 server).

You should now be in your local server. Leave it running while you work through the tutorials.

5. Claude Desktop or Claude Code

For the MCP tutorial, you'll need either Claude Desktop or Claude Code to connect to the MCP server.

Claude Desktop

  1. Download from claude.ai/download
  2. Install and sign in with your Anthropic account

Claude Code

  1. Install via npm:
bash
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
  1. Run claude and follow the authentication prompts

You're all set

Once you have all of these running, head to Tutorial 1: Bot Basics to start building.