Minecraft Pack Mcmeta

pack.mcmeta

The pack metadata is the only required file for a folder/zip to be recognized as a data pack or resource pack. Java Edition only.

Resource Pack Metadata

pack object:

• description (required) — text component shown in the pack list (max 2 lines; truncates; formatting codes allowed).
• min_format (required) / max_format (required) — version range as [major, minor] arrays (bare int = [n, 0]; max_format bare int = max possible).
• pack_format / supported_formats — deprecated compatibility fields.
• overlays — sub-packs applied by version: entries (order matters; later entries take priority) each with directory (relative path; zips can't be overlay directories — inside a zip it's a path within it), min_format/max_format (or deprecated formats). Overlay packs ignore metadata and icons.
• language — extra languages: per language code (1–16 chars): bidirectional (default false), name (full name), region (country/region); the language file is assets/<ns>/lang/<code>.json.
• filter — blocks lower-priority packs' resources (position-dependent): block list of {namespace (regex), path (regex)}; empty object matches everything (fully blocks).

Data Pack Metadata

Same core fields as above (description, min_format, max_format, deprecated pack_format/supported_formats), plus:

• overlays — same semantics (directory chars a-z0-9_-).
• filter — block patterns of files to ignore.
• features — experimental features to enable: enabled list of namespace IDs; adding this field requires adding the pack at world creation (or editing an old save's level.dat).

Version Validation

Version ranges also gate overlay usage; whether the pack actually works depends on content, not metadata. Two format eras (boundary: game 1.21.8, data pack 81, resource pack 64):

• Only post-1.21.8 (min > 81/64): must specify min_format + max_format; pack_format/supported_formats forbidden.
• Only up to 1.21.8 (max < 82/65): must specify pack_format; supported_formats (if used) must contain pack_format and its max ≥ 15; min_format/max_format forbidden.
• Both eras: all four fields required; min_format's major must equal supported_formats' min; the max is valid if max_format's major equals supported_formats' max, OR supported_formats' max equals 64 (resource) / 81 (data) (then max_format is the actual max); pack_format must be inside the range.
• Overlays: if any overlay targets pre-1.21.8, formats must be specified; if none does, formats must not be specified (kept for old-version file validation even when the pack is post-1.21.8).

Min version 2147483647 or failed validation shows "(broken or incompatible)".

Format Version List

The per-release pack format numbers (Java and April Fools versions; April Fools changes don't affect later versions): see the Minecraft Wiki "Pack format" page. External tool: the pack.mcmeta generator on misode.github.io.