Examples
Every example here stands on its own. Copy a block into an anvil’s name field, a command, or a datapack and it works with nothing else from this page. They run simplest first, so start at the top if ETA markup is new to you.
New to the tags themselves? Markup Syntax explains the two tag forms, and the Effects Catalog lists every effect with its parameters.
Item names
Section titled “Item names”These work anywhere Minecraft draws an item name: an anvil, /give, or a datapack custom_name.
Rainbow name
Section titled “Rainbow name”A sword whose name rolls through a rainbow, in bold. Type this into an anvil:
<rainbow><bold>Dawnblade</bold></rainbow><rainbow> cycles every character through the color spectrum; <bold> is vanilla bold.
Gradient name
Section titled “Gradient name”A fixed two-color gradient instead of a moving rainbow:
<gradient colors=FF6B6B,FFE66D><bold>Dawnblade</bold></gradient>colors is a comma-separated list of hex values (no #). Add more stops for a multi-color blend: colors=FF6B6B,FFE66D,6BFFB8.
Lore lines
Section titled “Lore lines”ETA styles any text Minecraft renders, lore included. Put markup in each lore line’s text field:
/give @s minecraft:netherite_sword[lore=['{"text":"<gradient colors=AA00FF,FF66AA frequency=0><i>Forged in the void</i></gradient>"}']]frequency=0 freezes the gradient so the color is positional rather than scrolling; <i> is italic.
HUD messages
Section titled “HUD messages”/eta send <targets> <duration> <markup> draws a popup on the HUD. Duration is in ticks (20 ticks = 1 second).
Centered popup with fade
Section titled “Centered popup with fade”A 5-second message centered on screen, fading in and out:
/eta send @a 100 [anchor value=MIDDLE][fade in=10 out=10]<rainbow><bold>Quest Complete!</bold></rainbow>100is the visible duration in ticks (5 seconds).[anchor value=MIDDLE]centers the message.[fade in=10 out=10]adds a half-second fade each way, separate from the 100-tick duration.
To drop it below the hotbar instead, use [anchor value=TOP_CENTER][offset x=0 y=80].
Layered effects with a background
Section titled “Layered effects with a background”Stack a glow, a wave, and a rainbow on one line, over a dark panel:
/eta send @a 120 [anchor value=MIDDLE][bg color=#AA000000]<neon radius=2 intensity=1.5><wave amplitude=3 frequency=1.2><rainbow frequency=1.5>New Area Discovered</rainbow></wave></neon>Span effects nest from the outside in, and each layer is independent:
[bg color=#AA000000]is a semi-transparent black panel (the color is#AARRGGBB).<neon radius=2 intensity=1.5>is the glow halo around each character.<wave amplitude=3 frequency=1.2>bobs the characters up and down.<rainbow frequency=1.5>cycles the hue across them.
Swap <wave> for <shake amplitude=2 frequency=3> to make it tremble instead.
Timed sequences
Section titled “Timed sequences”/eta queue <targets> <channel> <step> | <step> | ... plays steps one after another on a named channel. Each step is a markup string that starts with <dur:N>, the number of ticks that step holds before the next begins. Cancel a running sequence with /eta stopqueue <targets> <channel>.
Countdown: 3, 2, 1, GO!
Section titled “Countdown: 3, 2, 1, GO!”Four one-second steps counting in. Here is each step on its own line:
<dur:20>[anchor value=MIDDLE][scale value=2.0][fade in=2 out=2]<pulse frequency=2>3</pulse><dur:20>[anchor value=MIDDLE][scale value=2.0][fade in=2 out=2]<pulse frequency=2>2</pulse><dur:20>[anchor value=MIDDLE][scale value=2.0][fade in=2 out=2]<pulse frequency=2>1</pulse><dur:40>[anchor value=MIDDLE][scale value=2.5][fade in=2 out=4]<neon radius=3 intensity=2.0><rainbow><bold>GO!</bold></rainbow></neon>- Each number holds for
<dur:20>(1 second), doubled in size by[scale value=2.0]. <pulse frequency=2>brightens it twice a second, a beat that matches the count.- “GO!” holds 2 seconds, larger and brighter, with a longer fade-out.
Joined into one command, the steps are separated by | and each is quoted:
/eta queue @a countdown "<dur:20>[anchor value=MIDDLE][scale value=2.0][fade in=2 out=2]<pulse frequency=2>3</pulse>" | "<dur:20>[anchor value=MIDDLE][scale value=2.0][fade in=2 out=2]<pulse frequency=2>2</pulse>" | "<dur:20>[anchor value=MIDDLE][scale value=2.0][fade in=2 out=2]<pulse frequency=2>1</pulse>" | "<dur:40>[anchor value=MIDDLE][scale value=2.5][fade in=2 out=4]<neon radius=3 intensity=2.0><rainbow><bold>GO!</bold></rainbow></neon>"Add [sound snd=minecraft:block.note_block.hat vol=0.8] to each number and [sound snd=minecraft:entity.experience_orb.pickup vol=1.2] to the GO step for audio.
Boss intro
Section titled “Boss intro”A three-step entrance: the name slams in, a tagline types out, the screen clears. The three steps:
<dur:80>[anchor value=MIDDLE][fade in=8 out=8][slam height=20 bounces=2 dur=0.6]<font id=cinzel><rainbow><bold>The Warden Awakens</bold></rainbow></font><dur:100>[anchor value=MIDDLE][offset x=0 y=20][fade in=10 out=10]<typewriter speed=18 repeat=once>It heard you from miles away...</typewriter><dur:40>[anchor value=MIDDLE][fade out=20]<color color=888888> </color>- Step 1 holds 80 ticks:
[slam]drops the name in from above. It is rainbow, bold, in the Cinzel font.slamis a message effect, so it is a[bracket]tag alongside the anchor and fade, not a wrapping span. - Step 2 holds 100 ticks: the tagline types out at 18 chars/second (
repeat=oncetypes it a single time), offset below center so it clears the name. - Step 3 holds 40 ticks: a blank gray space with a 20-tick fade-out, so the screen empties cleanly before the queue ends.
As one command:
/eta queue @a bossIntro "<dur:80>[anchor value=MIDDLE][fade in=8 out=8][slam height=20 bounces=2 dur=0.6]<font id=cinzel><rainbow><bold>The Warden Awakens</bold></rainbow></font>" | "<dur:100>[anchor value=MIDDLE][offset x=0 y=20][fade in=10 out=10]<typewriter speed=18 repeat=once>It heard you from miles away...</typewriter>" | "<dur:40>[anchor value=MIDDLE][fade out=20]<color color=888888> </color>"