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Commands Reference

All Embers Text API commands use /eta (short alias) or /emberstextapi (full name). Commands require operator level 2 by default.

/eta help​

Displays basic information about the mod and links to documentation.

/eta help

Requires operator level 2.

/eta test <id>​

Runs a built-in demo to showcase effects and features. No configuration needed — great for testing what ETA can do.

/eta test <id>

Parameters:

  • id — Integer from 1 to 33

Common test IDs:

IDWhat it shows
1Basic message
2Typewriter animation
3Obfuscation effect
4Message with background
10–15Markup and font demos
16–20Inline item rendering
21–25Inline entity rendering
26–33Visual effects (rainbow, glitch, bounce, pulse, swing, turbulence, wave, neon)
/eta test 1    # Basic message
/eta test 26   # Rainbow
/eta test 27   # Glitch
/eta test 29   # Bounce

/eta send <player> <duration> <text>​

Sends an immersive message to a player. Supports markup syntax for effects and styling.

/eta send <player> <duration> <text>

Parameters:

  • player — Player name or selector (@p, @a, @s, PlayerName)
  • duration — How long to display the message, in ticks (20 ticks = 1 second)
  • text — The message text. Supports markup if it contains < and >

Examples:

/eta send @p 100 Hello, world!
/eta send @a 200 <rainbow>Server restart in 5 minutes!</rainbow>
/eta send PlayerName 150 <shake><bold>DANGER!</bold></shake>
/eta send @p 300 <anchor value=MIDDLE><scale value=1.5><neon r=3><rainbow>LEVEL UP!</rainbow></neon></scale></anchor>
tip

Use <anchor>, <offset>, and <scale> tags in your text to control where and how big the message appears. See Layout and Positioning.

/eta queue <player> <channel> <definition>​

Sends an ordered sequence of messages. Messages in a queue play one step at a time — the next step begins only after every message in the current step has expired.

/eta queue <player> <channel> <definition>

Parameters:

  • player — Player name or selector
  • channel — A string name for this queue (e.g., cutscene, boss, tutorial). Multiple channels run independently and simultaneously.
  • definition — The full queue definition (see syntax below)

Queue Definition Syntax​

SeparatorMeaning
| (space-pipe-space)Separates sequential steps
& (space-ampersand-space)Separates simultaneous messages within a step

Each message in a queue must include a <dur:N> tag to set its duration in ticks. Without it, the message defaults to 60 ticks with a warning.

Sequential steps:

/eta queue @p cutscene "<dur:120>Step one" | "<dur:100>Step two" | "<dur:80>Step three"

Simultaneous messages in a step:

/eta queue @p hud "<dur:100>Top message" & "<dur:100>Bottom message"

Mixed:

/eta queue @p scene "<dur:100>Header" & "<dur:60>Subtext" | "<dur:80>Next beat"

Appending to a Running Queue​

If you send a queue to a channel that already has messages running, the new steps are appended to the end of the existing queue — the current display is not interrupted.

/eta queue @p story "<dur:120>Chapter 1"
/eta queue @p story "<dur:120>Chapter 2"
/eta queue @p story "<dur:120>Chapter 3"

Each command adds its steps to the story channel queue.

tip

See the Message Queues guide for a full deep-dive with real-world examples.

/eta clearqueue <player> [channel]​

Cancels pending queue steps for a channel, letting the currently-displaying message finish naturally.

With a channel name — removes pending steps for that channel; the current step finishes naturally:

/eta clearqueue @p cutscene

Without a channel name — removes all pending steps across every channel; current steps still finish naturally:

/eta clearqueue @p

Parameters:

  • player — Player name or selector
  • channel (optional) — Which channel to clear. Omit to clear all channels.

/eta stopqueue <player> [channel]​

Like clearqueue, but also immediately closes the currently-displaying message(s). Use this when you need to cut off a queue mid-step.

With a channel name — force-stops that channel (closes its active message + clears pending steps):

/eta stopqueue @p cutscene

Without a channel name — force-stops all channels immediately:

/eta stopqueue @p

Parameters:

  • player — Player name or selector
  • channel (optional) — Which channel to stop. Omit to stop all channels.

/eta closeall <player>​

Immediately closes all messages currently on screen and clears all queues — regardless of which channel they came from or whether they are part of a queue.

/eta closeall @p
/eta closeall @a

Parameters:

  • player — Player name or selector
tip

Use closeall as an emergency clear — for example, when a player dies, quits a dungeon, or skips a cutscene entirely.

Permissions​

All commands require operator level 2 by default. This is the same level required for most gameplay commands like /give and /effect.

You can adjust permission levels using Forge's permission system or a permission management mod.