Skript Commands: Beginner Guide

Anatomy of a Skript command

The command line itself

A command starts with the word command, the command name with a slash, any arguments, and a colon. Everything indented below belongs to that command.

command /hello:
    trigger:
        send "Hello, %player%!" to player

The trigger section

trigger: holds the code that runs when someone uses the command. Lines inside it are indented one level deeper. Inside a command, player refers to whoever ran it.

Arguments

Required and optional arguments

Arguments go after the command name in angle brackets with a type: <player>, <number>, <text>. Wrap one in square brackets to make it optional. You can give an optional argument a default value with =. Common types include player, offline player, integer, number, text, item type and world. Picking the most specific type means Skript validates input for you, so a command expecting a whole number never receives 2.5 or abc.

command /gift <player> [<integer=1>]:
    permission: staff.gift
    trigger:
        give arg-2 of diamond to arg-1
        send "&aYou received %arg-2% diamond(s)." to arg-1

Using arg-1 and arg-2

Arguments are numbered in order. arg-1 is the first one, arg-2 the second. If a player types the wrong type, such as a word where a number belongs, Skript replies with the usage message and never runs the trigger. When an optional argument is left out and has no default, it is simply not set, so check it with if arg-1 is set: before using it, or use arg-1 ? player to fall back to the sender.

Command options

Options sit between the command line and trigger:.

Permissions and messages

permission: blocks anyone without that node; permission message: replaces the default refusal. Give every command a permission, even simple ones, so you can control it later from your permissions plugin. A consistent naming scheme such as server.spawn, server.home and staff.announce makes it easy to grant whole groups with a wildcard like server.* for regular players.

Aliases, usage and executable by

aliases: adds other names, usage: sets the help text shown on bad input, and executable by: limits a command to players or console. description: appears in the server's help listing. Restricting a command to players matters whenever the trigger uses player, because the console has no location, inventory or health to work with.

command /spawn:
    description: Teleport to the server spawn
    aliases: /hub, /lobby
    executable by: players
    permission: server.spawn
    permission message: &cYou can't use this yet.
    trigger:
        teleport player to spawn of world "world"
        send "&7Teleported to spawn." to player

Cooldowns

Setting a cooldown

Add cooldown: with a time span such as 10 seconds or 1 day. Skript tracks it per player and refuses to run the trigger again until it expires. Cooldowns are perfect for teleports, kits and rewards, where repeating the command quickly would be either spammy or exploitable. If a trigger can fail, for example when an inventory is full, you can cancel the cooldown inside the trigger so the player is not punished for an attempt that gave them nothing.

Cooldown messages and bypass

cooldown message: can use %remaining time% to tell the player how long is left. cooldown bypass: names a permission that skips the cooldown for staff. Add cooldown storage: with a variable name if the cooldown must survive restarts.

Two commands worth copying

A staff announcement

command /announce <text>:
    permission: staff.announce
    usage: /announce <message>
    trigger:
        broadcast "&8[&cAnnouncement&8] &f%arg-1%"

Staff get a formatted broadcast without console access. Because the argument is <text>, everything after the command becomes the message.

A daily reward

command /daily:
    executable by: players
    cooldown: 1 day
    cooldown message: &cCome back in %remaining time%.
    cooldown storage: {cooldown::daily::%player's uuid%}
    trigger:
        give player 5 emerald
        send "&aDaily reward claimed!" to player

The storage variable keeps the cooldown through restarts, so players cannot claim twice by waiting for a reboot.

Testing and tab completion

Reload and test

Save the file and run /sk reload with the script name. Test as a normal player too, not only as an operator, because operators often have every permission and hide mistakes. Try the wrong inputs on purpose: no arguments, a misspelled player name, a negative number. A command that handles bad input politely feels far more polished to players than one that only works on the happy path.

Tab completion basics

Skript registers commands with the server like any plugin, so players see them when they press Tab. Keep names short and memorable, and use aliases instead of near-duplicate commands. When something does not respond, the troubleshooting hub lists the usual causes, and beginner examples has more commands to adapt.