Villager Brain Configuration
Java mod listed for Minecraft 1.21. Downloads from the MC Java Mods app on Android.
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Villager Brain Config
A lightweight, highly optimized mod that makes villager pathfinding behavior fully configurable
Features
Per-block malus control
Customize how villagers treat different blocks in pathfinding. Blocks are configurable to any malus, block and item tags supported
Profession-based malus
Configure different path preferences per villager profession.
Global block penalty caching
Pathfinding results are cached for maximum efficiency across multiple villagers
Native modded support
The config file supports any modded blocks or professions
Example Use Cases
- Prevent villagers from walking into trap blocks like campfires or magma
- Make water paths viable for fishermen only
- Design custom village layouts with optimized navigation paths
- Prevent villagers from wandering off paths
- Add personality to each profession type
Pathfinding Visualizations
Smart villager takes the short path to get to his job site
Stupid villager walks off the screen to get to his job site
Planned features
- Per-villager-type rules (eg. plains villagers, taiga villagers)
Performance
Villager Brain Config is designed to be almost invisible in impact or even faster than vanilla
Test case
- 250 villagers
- Each pathing to a unique workstation in a grid
- Compared vanilla to modded using Spark profiler
Results
Vanilla Logic

Modded Logic

Mod total

Configuration
All settings are in a villager-brain-config.json file in the config folder.
{
"walk_on_block_penalties": {
"minecraft:grass_block": 4.0,
"minecraft:dirt_path": 0.0,
"default": 5.0
},
"walk_through_block_penalties": {
"minecraft:lava": -1.0,
"minecraft:tall_grass": 20,
"default": 0.0
},
"actions_penalties": {
"jump": 10.0
},
"professions": {
"minecraft:farmer": {
"walk_on_block_penalties": {
"minecraft:farmland": 0.0,
"minecraft:grass_block": 2.0
}
},
"minecraft:fisherman": {
"walk_on_block_penalties": {
"minecraft:water": 0.0
},
"walk_through_block_penalties": {
"minecraft:water": 0.0
}
}
},
"avoids": [
{
"block": "minecraft:lava",
"radius": 3,
"penalty": -1.0
}
]
}
- Edition: Minecraft Java
- File type: .jar
- Minecraft versions listed: 1.21.5, 1.21.8, 1.21.7
- How to install: Install the matching mod loader (Forge, Fabric or NeoForge) for your Minecraft version. → Download the .jar. → Put it in the .minecraft/mods folder and launch that loader profile.
- Where to get it: Opens on CurseForge — not every file is mirrored on our own servers.
Install steps are the general flow for this file type — How to install Minecraft Java mods & modpacks walks through it step by step.
- Ships as villager_brain_config-neoforge-1.0.1-1.21.5.jar — drop this file into the mods folder
- Download size: 59 KB
- Download link checked 2 Oct 2026 — working
These come from our own check of the pack file, not from the source page.