CipherChannels

DISCLOSURE: The project description was drafted with AI assistance.

CipherChannels

CipherChannels is a client-side Minecraft mod that encrypts complete public-chat messages between players who share the same secret channel invite. No server plugin or server-side mod is required—the server relays a fixed-size ciphertext while compatible CipherChannels clients display the authenticated plaintext.

Features

• AES-256-GCM authenticated encryption
• Session-only secret keys and replay protection
• Fixed-size, markerless 256-character ciphertext
• High Capacity mode with 443 raw UTF-8 bytes
• Optional compression for messages up to 4,096 UTF-8 bytes
• ASCII Compatibility mode with 155 raw UTF-8 bytes
• Strict optional server binding
• Multiple locally named channels
• Clear encryption status and fail-closed sending
• Support for server prefixes, channel labels, timestamps, ranks, and compatible formatting mods
• Protected logging integration for compatible Chat Patches versions
• Hover authenticated plaintext to view the exact ciphertext
• Fabric and NeoForge support

How to use it

1. Open CipherChannels from the chat screen or its configurable key.
2. Create a channel or import an existing invite.
3. Share the secret invite privately with the people joining the channel.
4. Optionally compare the complete fingerprint through another trusted route.
5. Select the channel and turn encrypted chat on.

Anyone holding the invite can read and create valid messages for that channel. Treat invites like passwords and never share them publicly.

Keys are never saved. Restarting Minecraft clears all channel keys and replay history. Saved channel names, fingerprints, bindings, transport settings, and the active selection remain, but you must load the invite again before using the channel.

What the server sees

The server sees your account, message timing, destination, transport format, and a fixed 256-character ciphertext. Minecraft signs the ciphertext, never the plaintext.

The server can block, delay, reorder, delete, alter, or replay delivery. Without the invite, it cannot decrypt the plaintext or forge a message accepted by CipherChannels clients.

Replay protection blocks repeated authenticated messages during the current Minecraft session. Restarting Minecraft clears the replay cache.

Important limitations

CipherChannels encrypts complete public-chat messages only. Slash commands—including /msg, /tell, /w, and /r—remain plaintext because the server must interpret them. CipherChannels warns before sending commands while encryption is enabled.

CipherChannels provides shared-key confidentiality and authentication. It does not provide anonymity, forward secrecy, personal identity, individual authorship proof, membership revocation, protection after invite theft, or protection from malicious client mods.

CipherChannels 2.x uses the CC2 protocol. Channels and invites from CipherChannels 1.x are incompatible and must be recreated.

Supported versions

Separate Fabric and NeoForge builds are available for:

• Minecraft 1.21.1
• Minecraft 1.21.11
• Minecraft 26.1
• Minecraft 26.1.2
• Minecraft 26.2

Download only the JAR matching both your exact Minecraft version and mod loader.

Fabric builds require Fabric API. NeoForge builds require no additional mod dependency. Mod Menu is optional.