Requirements
To make and run a Poly Mod you need:
| Item | Version | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| JDK | 25 | Minecraft 26.2 requires Java 25. Used for compiling and running the game. |
| JDK to run Gradle | 17 or later | Verification used JDK 25. Using the same JDK is simplest. |
| Minecraft | 26.2 by default (26.1, 26.1.1, 26.1.2, 26.2 with polyMinecraft) | You do not install it yourself. On the first run, Gradle downloads it from Mojang and checks its hash. |
| Internet connection | — | On the first run, it downloads the game files and libraries. |
| IntelliJ IDEA | Optional (2025.2 or later) | Open it as a Gradle project. See IntelliJ IDEA. |
The mod template includes the Gradle Wrapper (9.8.1), so you do not install Gradle either.
Set the JDK
The Gradle toolchain finds an installed JDK 25 automatically. To run Gradle itself with a specific JDK, set JAVA_HOME to that JDK's folder.
- Windows (PowerShell)
- macOS · Linux (bash)
$env:JAVA_HOME = "C:\Program Files\Java\jdk-25" # the folder where you installed JDK 25
java -version
export JAVA_HOME=/path/to/jdk-25 # the folder where you installed JDK 25
java -version
Command notation
Gradle commands in these docs have one tab per operating system: .\gradlew.bat on Windows, ./gradlew on macOS and Linux. Picking a tab switches every command on the site.
- Windows (PowerShell)
- macOS · Linux (bash)
.\gradlew.bat build
./gradlew build
Minecraft files
- Poly Mod Loader does not redistribute Minecraft files. The build downloads them from Mojang's servers, checks the hashes, and keeps them in your Gradle cache (
~/.gradle/caches/poly-minecraft), shared by all your mod projects. - Development runs use an offline account (
PolyDev). Single player works; online servers and Realms refuse it with an authentication error. That is expected.
To run a dedicated server (runServer), you must accept the Minecraft EULA. Poly Mod Loader does not accept it on your behalf. Read it yourself, and if you agree, write eula=true in run/server/eula.txt yourself.
Keep mod projects out of synced folders such as OneDrive. The sync client can lock files that Gradle and Git are writing.