Debug and Inspect NBT Data

Viewing NBT Content

Understanding what NBT data an item or entity actually contains is crucial for troubleshooting and development. The NBT API provides ways to inspect and display this information.

Steps

1. Select your target — Choose an item in your inventory or an entity in the world.

2. Retrieve the NBT compound — Use the API to fetch its complete NBT data.

3. Convert to readable format — Use the API's serialization or display functions to output the NBT as text or JSON.

4. Log or display the output — Write it to console, chat, or a file for inspection.

5. Identify issues — Look for missing tags, incorrect data types, or unexpected values.

Debugging Tips

• Compare NBT output before and after modifications to spot what changed.
• Check for typos in tag names—NBT is case-sensitive.
• Verify data types match expectations (strings vs. numbers vs. compounds).
• Use filters to focus on specific tag branches if the full output is overwhelming.
• Save NBT snapshots to compare different item or entity states over time.