Minecraft tellraw is a built-in command feature that lets you format text, insert hover and click events, and display complex information directly in chat and signs. It gives server owners and map makers fine control over how messages appear without needing external plugins.
With JSON text components, you can change colors, add underlines and bold styles, create interactive buttons, and link to game actions. This makes tellraw a flexible tool for creating tutorials, dynamic scoreboards, custom action logs, and immersive in-game interfaces.
Understanding Tellraw Core Concepts
What Tellraw Does in Game
Tellraw sends a JSON message to the game engine, allowing you to combine multiple text pieces with different properties. Unlike regular chat, it supports advanced formatting and player interaction through click events and hover text.
Basic Structure of a Tellraw Command
The command targets a player and includes a JSON component that defines text, styling, and optional actions. You can reference selectors like @p, store output in scores, and chain commands to create responsive in-game systems.
| Part | Meaning | Example Value | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| Command Base | /tellraw target | /tellraw @a | Choose who receives the message |
| Selector | Player or entity target | @p, @a, player123 | Control message visibility |
| JSON Text Component | Text structure with properties | {"text":"Hello","color":"gold"} | Define appearance and behavior |
| Event Action | Click or hover effect | "clickEvent":{"action":"run_command","value":"/help"} | Create interactive messages |
Tellraw Text Formatting Options
Color and Style Control
You can set text color using standard color names like red, dark_blue, and gold, and apply styles such as bold, italic, underlined, and strikethrough. These properties combine to make your messages stand out and guide player attention.
Inserting Scores and Game Data
By using selectors and storing results in scoreboard objectives, you can display live player statistics, team scores, and custom variables inside tellraw output. This allows for dynamic readouts that update as the game progresses.
Positioning and Timing Strategies
Careful command blocking, repeating timers, and chain logic help you control when messages appear. You can schedule tellraw updates each tick or trigger them only when specific conditions are met, improving readability and immersion.
Tellraw in Maps and Mini Games
Interactive Tutorial Systems
In adventure maps, tellraw creates step by step guides where players click on messages to receive commands, open inventories, or move to the next screen. Each interaction can run commands, play sounds, and display contextual hover information.
Dynamic Scoreboard Displays
Using repeating command blocks, you can refresh tellraw scoreboard lines each tick, showing health, time remaining, or resource counts. Proper formatting keeps the interface clean and easy to read during fast gameplay.
Tellraw Command Examples and Patterns
Simple Action Button
The command creates a gold message that lets players click to open a specific help screen. Hover text explains the result before they click, reducing confusion and guiding interaction.
Multi Line Notification
By nesting text components, you can design announcements with separate colored sections, icons represented by item names, and embedded scores. This approach keeps complex information organized and visually clear.
Best Practices for Reliable Tellraw Systems
- Test JSON snippets in a single command block before scaling up to larger systems.
- Use consistent naming for scoreboard objectives that track tellraw related data.
- Keep line lengths reasonable to maintain readability on various screen sizes.
- Combine tellraw with score comparisons to trigger messages only when conditions change.
- Document each tellraw command so teammates can understand its purpose and modify it safely.
FAQ
Reader questions
Can tellraw be used on signs in survival mode?
Signs do not support tellraw directly, but you can display formatted text above signs using name tags, armor stands, or command block displays that reference player names.
What happens if the JSON in a tellraw command is malformed?
The command will fail to execute and may output an error in the chat or logs, so testing smaller components before building complex messages helps prevent issues.
How can I make a tellraw message clickable in multiplayer?
Use clickEvent with run_command or suggest_command actions, ensuring the target player has permission to execute the linked command and that command blocks or functions are set up server side.
Is it possible to store tellraw output in a score for later use?
Yes, by using the store result score command option, you can capture the number of characters or a success count, then recall that score in other logic or display it elsewhere.