How do I set up Floodgate so Bedrock players can join without a Java account?

Once you have installed GeyserMC, Bedrock players can already find your server — but on a server running online-mode=true they are still rejected when they try to join. Geyser only translates the protocol; the login check still expects a paid Java account, which players on phones, tablets and consoles usually do not have. Floodgate solves this: Bedrock players are verified through their own Microsoft/Xbox account, so they can join safely without a Java account while your server stays in online mode. In this guide you will install Floodgate next to Geyser, link the key, set the correct auth type and learn how the gamertag prefix works.

Step 1: Install Floodgate next to Geyser

1. Download Floodgate from the official GeyserMC download page. Pick the same platform variant as your Geyser plugin, for example floodgate-spigot.jar for a Paper or Spigot server.
2. Log in to the game panel, open your server and go to the Files tab.
3. Open the plugins folder and upload the Floodgate .jar file next to your Geyser plugin.
4. Restart your server from the Console tab. You will see Floodgate load in the console; on first start the plugin automatically generates the key file plugins/floodgate/key.pem.

Step 2: Check the key link between Floodgate and Geyser

The key.pem file is the secret key that makes Geyser and Floodgate trust each other. When both run as plugins on the same server, Geyser picks up the key automatically. Here is how to verify it:

1. In the Files tab, open plugins/Geyser-Spigot/config.yml.
2. Check that the line floodgate-key-file: key.pem is present. This is the default value; you normally do not need to change anything here.
3. Running a network behind a proxy (BungeeCord or Velocity)? Copy plugins/floodgate/key.pem from the proxy into the plugins/floodgate/ folder of every backend server. All servers must use exactly the same key, otherwise Floodgate rejects the logins.

Step 3: Set the auth type to floodgate

1. Open plugins/Geyser-Spigot/config.yml again.
2. In the remote: section, find the line auth-type: online and change it to auth-type: floodgate.
3. Save the file and restart your server from the Console tab.

From now on Floodgate handles the verification of Bedrock players through their Xbox gamertag. Java players log in the way they always did; nothing changes for them.

Step 4: Check UDP port 19132

Bedrock connects over UDP, by default on port 19132. In config.yml, look under bedrock: to see which port: is set and make sure that port is actually assigned to your server and open. If 19132 is not available to you, add an extra port — see the article about extra ports — and enter that number at port:. When adding your server, Bedrock players use your server IP plus this port number.

The gamertag prefix: why Bedrock names start with a dot

By default Floodgate puts a dot (.) in front of every Bedrock gamertag, so a Bedrock player can never have exactly the same name as an existing Java account. Steve123 on Bedrock therefore appears on your server as .Steve123. Keep this in mind:

• Whitelist: /whitelist add .Steve123 often fails because the server tries to look that name up at Mojang. Let the player join once first and add them afterwards, or edit whitelist.json directly through the Files tab.
• Permissions: in LuckPerms and similar plugins, always use the full name including the dot, or grant permissions while the player is online.
• Changing the prefix: possible via username-prefix in plugins/floodgate/config.yml, but preferably leave it alone. Without a prefix you risk name clashes between Java and Bedrock players, and after a change your existing whitelist and permission entries no longer match.

Common problems

• “Unable to connect to world” on consoles — Almost always a port issue: the Bedrock port is unreachable or set incorrectly in the config. Go through step 4 again and remember it must be open as UDP. Also check that the console runs the latest version of Minecraft; on consoles you add external servers through the Servers tab, and on an outdated version this does not always work.
• Bedrock players get kicked or asked for a Java account — The auth type is still set to online. Change it to floodgate (step 3) and restart. If the console says Geyser cannot find the Floodgate key, check that Floodgate actually loaded and that key.pem exists.
• Key errors when joining — Messages like “Please connect through the official Geyser” point to a key mismatch: Geyser is using a different key.pem than Floodgate. Remove duplicate or old keys, copy the same key to every server on a network, and restart everything.
• Plugins reject Bedrock players — Some plugins validate player names and do not accept the dot. Check whether an update or Floodgate hook is available for that plugin. Only as a last resort, change the prefix to a character the plugin does accept, and update your whitelist and permissions afterwards.

Crossplay as a selling point for your server

With Geyser and Floodgate combined, everyone plays on one server: the family with a Switch in the living room and a PC upstairs, or the friend group where half of them play on console. Nobody has to buy a Java account just to join. Curious about the differences between the two editions? Read our article on Java vs. Bedrock as well. If you get stuck, the MC-Node support team is happy to help through a ticket — please include the error message from your console.