Bugfixes
- Fixed a ClassNotFoundException on startup caused by newer Spigot versions bundling an updated SnakeYAML that removes an internal class SignShop was relying on for legacy item serialization. If you've seen this error in your
console, 5.2.2 resolves it.
- Improved player head handling — skull owner lookups now use offline player methods, which works better on Java/Bedrock mixed servers.
Localization
- Shop chat messages now show localized names for potions, fireworks effects, and leather armor colors. Supports 9 languages (en_US, de_DE, fr_FR, nl_NL, pt_PT, ru_RU, zh_CN, zh_TW, es_ES). Server owners can override any
translation by placing a materials.yml in the SignShop plugin folder.
Folia Support
- SignShop now runs on Folia servers. Thanks to Aelshi-nui for the contribution!

SignShop 5.2.0

⚠️ BACKUP FIRST!
Back up your plugins/SignShop/ folder and test on a non-production server before installing. This update includes automatic data migration.

This update was developed with Claude Code AI assistance. All code was manually reviewed, approved, and tested.
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Requirements

• Java 21 required (up from Java 17)
• Spigot/Paper 1.21+ required
• Older Minecraft versions: Use previous SignShop releases (see download links in overview)

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Modern Item Serialization

The Problem
The legacy serialization system (BukkitObjectOutputStream) caused item corruption when Minecraft versions changed. Shops would break, items would become unrecognizable, and Trade shops would fail to match items after server updates.

The Solution

• New YAML+Base64 format using Bukkit's native ItemStack.serialize() API
• Automatic migration on first startup — creates timestamped backup before converting
• Data version normalization — items now survive Minecraft updates without breaking ItemStack.equals() comparisons
• Legacy format still supported for reading (backward compatible)

Technical Details
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️ Incompatibility Detection Framework

The Problem
Certain items cause server crashes during serialization. For example, player heads created by older versions of HeadDatabase (pre-4.20.3) have empty name fields that trigger NPE errors in Spigot 1.21.10+.

The Solution

• Extensible detector framework identifies problematic items before they cause crashes
• Incompatible items remain in safe LEGACY format while compatible items use modern YAML
• User-friendly error messages instead of stack traces when shops contain problematic items
• Auto re-migration — when Spigot fixes underlying bugs, shops automatically upgrade on next restart

For Developers
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Hover Tooltips

Item names in transaction messages now support hover tooltips showing item details.

• Paper servers: Full item details (enchantments, lore, all metadata) via native tooltip API
• Spigot servers: Basic item type info (Spigot API limitation — no native tooltip support)

New Config Options
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⚡ Performance Improvements

32% Faster Transactions

• Operation caching: Sign type operations are now pre-compiled at config load instead of using reflection on every transaction
• Item deserialization caching: Seller.getCachedMiscItems() — items deserialize once per restart, not per transaction
• takeVariablePlayerItems optimization: Calculation results cached in messageParts, survives operation reset cycles

Benchmark
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Bug Fixes

Issue	Description	Fix
#168	Potions not working in 1.21+	Updated for 1.21 potion API changes
#83	Named items not matching in Trade shops	NBT normalization fixes item comparison
#161	Fireworks stock detection incorrect	Fixed complex NBT comparison logic
—	Trade shops break after MC updates	Data version normalization on deserialization
—	Dynmap 3.0+ integration broken	Updated API calls for Dynmap 3.0+

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Code Cleanup

• Removed deprecated SSDoor.java — use BlockData API
• Removed laggy fixBooks() method — no longer needed
• Updated Towny integration for modern API
• Java 21 language features throughout codebase

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Migration Notes

What Happens on First Startup

1. SignShop detects DataVersion < 4 in sellers.yml
2. Creates backup: sellers.yml.backup-YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS
3. Migrates each shop's items:
   • Compatible items → YAML format
   • Incompatible items → LEGACY format (safe fallback)
4. Updates DataVersion to 4
5. Logs migration summary

If Something Goes Wrong

• Stop server
• Restore from backup: cp sellers.yml.backup-* sellers.yml
• Report issue on GitHub or Discord with:
  • Full server log from startup
  • Minecraft/Spigot version
  • List of plugins

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Links

• GitHub Repository
• Issue Tracker
• Discord Support

Minecraft version: 1.20+

I found it was necessary to update the API dependency to the 1.20 API so that I could access the methods for hanging signs. This means that this version of SignShop will only work with 1.20+ Therefore I am upping the major version to v4.
Version 4 not only adds the ability to use hanging signs for shops it also allows text on the back of shop signs.
There are 3 allowed text states on the back of a shop sign.

1. The back can be completely blank.
2. The back can match the shop on the front EXACTLY. This will allow the back to function like the front, even updating stock status.
3. The back can contain any text except for shop formatted text or text defined in a blacklist in the config.

Version 4 still supports dying shops with the addition of being able to wax them to prevent accidental re-dying. If you change your mind you can un-wax them using a brush.

Signshop will now retry the economy hook after the server is loaded if it failed the first time.

Minecraft version: 1.13.2 - 1.19.3

This will likely be the last update for Minecraft 1.13.2 - 1.19.3. The next Signshop update will most likely be for Minecraft 1.20+ and require updating your Java version if you have not already done so.

Although this version has been extensively tested it is always recommended to make a complete backup before updating.

Recent changes:

• Adds /signshop ignore command to ignore Signshop messages.
• Adds materials.yml configuration file so that you can add your own translations and/or colorized custom names for materials.
• Adds shop inspection tool to see shop owner information including last seen time uses WRITABLE_BOOK by default.
• Adds permissions for inspection tool Signshop.Inspect.Own and Signshop.Inspect.Others or be Op.
• Now allows commas to be used for currency separation instead of just periods. (1,000.00 and 1.000,00 are now both valid prices). Thanks Mart!
• Configurable stock status colors!
• You can now dye and add glow to your shops with dyes and ink sacs!
• Adds permissions for sign colors and glow effect Signshop.Dye.Own and Signshop.Dye.Others or be Op.
• Now preserves shops in sellers.yml when the world the shop is in never loads. This allows you to change between active worlds without losing shops.
• Now caches shop prices for performance. Thanks again Mart!
• Fixes creative mode shop sign rendering on left click!
• Fixes NPE with natural fire spread.
• Fixes NPE when skull has null owner name.
• Fixes improper color formatting for falsely colored items.
• Fixes /signshop reload and auto reloads Signshop addons.
• Overhaul to fr_FR.yml translations. Thanks Pat!
  
• Update CMI dependency to use CMI-API artifact.
• More warnings regarding Essentials conflicts.
• Performance updates using player caching. Thanks IndexOutOfMJ!
• General code improvements.

Minecraft version: 1.13.2 - 1.18.1

Recent changes:

• Corrects the method used to check for perms when there are multiple world contexts.
• Adds some startup messages that clarify what SignShop is doing so users don't think the server is "hanging" when there are lots of shops to load.
• Adds crimson and warped wall signs to the config
• Slight increase to the sign name character limit

Minecraft version: 1.13.2 - 1.17.1

Recent changes:

• Fixes error loading due to null CMIWorthHandler
• Fixes a NPE when converting empty timing file
• Adds support for EasyConomy and Lands
• Only hook into Ess/CMI worth if worth is enabled in the Signshop config
• Adds a new permission("Signshop.Destroy.Others") which allows a player to destroy other player's shops without having the other admin permissions
• Makes internal colors configurable
• Replaces deprecated methods in SignShopPlayer
• Adds a spawn protection check to inform server owners that the vanilla spawn protection may prohibit non ops from using shops
• Adds shulkerbox to descriptions
• Fixes potion names in descriptions

Minecraft version: 1.13.2 - 1.16.2
(Note: This may be the last release that works with 1.13 - 1.15 due to a change in 1.16 in how custom names are handled.)

Recent changes:

• Adds warped and crimson variants to the config
• Fixes AuthorNagException when canceling async tasks
• Fixes NullPointerException when converting and empty sellers.yml
• Adds Op bypass to BentoBoxHook
• Fixes issue when BentoBox blocks other worlds (Thanks BONNe)
• Updated Kit help message
• Fixed allow-shop flag being ignored in WorldGuard global region
• Update ResidenceHook for owner bypass
• Switch to locale names for languages and remove web names
• Add Ultimate_Economy to soft dependencies
• Fixes SSQuickReference.pdf being blank
• Switched to OfflinePlayer instead of deprecated playerName for Vault
• Fixes Spigot complaining about loading classes without being a dependency
• Added configurable shop explosion protection

Minecraft Version: 1.13.2+

Recent Changes:

• Fix NPE when restarting the server when no shops exist
• Faster data conversion when upgrading from legacy versions
• Re-add LWC hook, allows automatic chest protection via config option
• Add BlockLocker hook (Lockette replacement)

Minecraft Version: 1.13.2+

Changes:

• Fixes compatibility with WorldGuard when using the "allow-shop" flag
• Fixes an issue with chinese.yml being set to the wrong encoding causing Chinese characters to appear as '?'
• Re-added Residence hook to protect shops in a Residence
• Some code cleanup

In this release we have made some changes so that it can be used on 1.13.2+ servers (and when I say "we", I mean @Weaves). It will also convert data from 1.12.2 versions so if you have a 1.12.2 server and would like to update this would be a good starting point. I have removed support for many of the outdated plugins it once hooked into. I have also remove deprecated spigot api usage and it now supports worth from EssentialsX and CMI. Please let us know if you find any bugs. We recommend making a backup of all of your data before updating. (You should be doing that anyway)

Recent Changes:

• Added support for 1.13.2+. This version will ONLY work if you are running a 1.13.2+ server!
  
• Automatic update of the "UpdateMaterial" and "DestroyMaterial" in your config.
• Added support for custom color codes and custom prefix in player messages.
• Automatically backup the config before updating it.
• Removed support for various plugins that are no longer maintained. If we removed support for something that is still active, please let us know! These are the plugins that are being maintained, anything else was removed.
  • Vault
    
  • BentoBox
  • GriefPrevention
  • Towny
  • Worldguard
  • DynMap

Hey folks, we've got a new version of SignShop ready for you. It should fix the compatibility issues with the 1.12 API changes.