CarpetSkyAdditions: Building a Sky Empire From Nothing
jsorrell/CarpetSkyAdditions
Empty world generation with new ways to obtain resources
View on GitHub ↗You're standing on a single block of dirt suspended in the void. No trees nearby, no stone to mine, no way to get lava. Sound familiar? If you've ever tried vanilla SkyBlock, you know the feeling - complete freedom mixed with absolute desperation. CarpetSkyAdditions fixes the core problem: it fills in the gaps that make SkyBlock impossible without outside help, turning expert-level grinding into actual progression.
What This Project Does
CarpetSkyAdditions is a module for fabric-carpet (a server utility mod) that completely reimagines world generation and resource availability for SkyBlock-style gameplay. Instead of hand-curating every block like older SkyBlock implementations, it removes almost everything from the world - then strategically adds back the resources you need to survive and progress.
The magic is in the detail. Biomes and structure bounding boxes remain intact, so you'll still find Husks spawning in Desert temples and Blazes in Nether Fortresses exactly where Minecraft designed them. But you won't have to dig for hours just to find one block of lava, or question whether sand is even obtainable in your world.
Most of the additions come packaged as a datapack built into the mod itself, which means you can tweak or disable features without recompiling anything. Even better: the mod does nothing unless you explicitly choose SkyBlock generation, so you can switch between normal and SkyBlock worlds without restarting.
Why You'd Use This
SkyBlock has always been this weird space between Minecraft's survival creativity and puzzle-game logic. You want the freedom to build whatever you imagine, but you're also solving a resource puzzle that sometimes has no solution. CarpetSkyAdditions is for players who love that tension but want it to feel less like a wall and more like a challenge.
There are a few specific reasons to install it:
- You want SkyBlock progression that doesn't require external tools or spreadsheets (though the mod acknowledges that tools like Chunkbase are still useful for finding specific structures)
- You're running a small SMP or server where SkyBlock rules could be fun for a season, but vanilla SkyBlock would kill momentum in week two
- You like the idea of starting with almost nothing, but you don't want that to translate into 30 hours of grinding before actual gameplay happens
The 510 stars on the GitHub repo tells you something - this isn't a niche project anymore. It's become the go-to way to run SkyBlock on modern Minecraft versions.
Getting It Running
Installation depends on your setup. The simplest route is grabbing the Vanilla Sky: Everything from Nothing modpack from CurseForge, which comes pre-configured with everything you need.
For a custom server or single-player with existing mods, you'll need fabric-carpet installed first (if you don't have it). Then add the CarpetSkyAdditions mod itself. The latest stable release is version 1.20.6-4.4.2, which works on recent Minecraft versions.
To create a new world, select SkyBlock as your world type during creation, then enable the datapack "carpetskyadditions/skyblock". If you want extra difficulty, also enable "carpetskyadditions/skyblock_acacia" to start with only an Acacia tree instead of the more generous Oak tree.
For servers, follow the detailed installation instructions in the project documentation. The GitHub repo includes everything you need.
One thing worth noting: fabric-carpet itself has a learning curve if you've never used Carpet before, but the mod handles most of the heavy lifting automatically once installed.
What Changes in Gameplay
The biggest addition is access to lava. This sounds simple until you realize lava gates you to the Nether, the End, and infinite cobblestone via the classic lava-water trick. Without it, vanilla SkyBlock is basically impossible. CarpetSkyAdditions adds a method to obtain lava early without breaking progression logic - you'll have to solve it yourself, but it's solvable.
Sand generation is also expanded, since vanilla SkyBlock leaves you with almost none. The mod creates new ways to farm sand without making it trivial. You'll still need to think about your sand farm layout, which is honestly where a lot of the fun comes in.
Most other additions are cosmetic or quality-of-life focused. You can obtain Dead Bushes, Ender Dragon heads, and other normally inaccessible blocks. The datapack also includes new advancements to guide progression and document what the mod changes from vanilla - useful if you're learning the ropes.
The maintainer was deliberate about philosophy here. Changes go into the datapack instead of the mod code when possible, specifically so you can customize or disable what you don't like.
Tips That'll Save You Frustration
SkyBlock gameplay depends on understanding Minecraft mechanics in ways casual survival doesn't. The mod doesn't change that - it just removes the artificial resource walls. You'll still need patience.
Grab the project's recommended external tools early. Chunkbase helps you locate structures without wandering blindly; MiniHUD shows chunk borders and other debug info that SkyBlock players find indispensable. The project explicitly encourages their use, so you're not "cheating" by using them.
If you're building something like an automated farm or sorting system, the Minecraft Block Search tool at minecraft.how/tools/block-search helps you verify which blocks you can actually obtain in your world - this cuts down on wasted builds. Look, similarly, if you're setting up a server or realm for friends, the Minecraft MOTD Creator at minecraft.how/tools/motd-creator makes it easy to communicate your world rules in the server listing.
Plan your base location carefully. You won't be relocating mid-game without grief.
Also: this is expert-level gameplay. The documentation and advancements guide you, but you'll spend time stuck on progression gates. That's intentional. If you want instant gratification, vanilla survival with creative-mode chunks exists for a reason.
Other Projects in This Space
If CarpetSkyAdditions doesn't sound right, there are alternatives worth knowing about.
The original skyrising/skyblock project it's based on is more minimal - it generates the empty world but adds fewer features. It's lighter weight but requires more outside tool use. There's also the Vanilla Sky modpack mentioned above, which bundles CarpetSkyAdditions with a curated set of quality-of-life mods if you want a more comfortable experience.
Archipelago is an entirely different take - it generates islands instead of a void, which changes progression drastically. Both are valid; CarpetSkyAdditions just assumes you want the classic SkyBlock difficulty curve.
CarpetSkyAdditions is MIT licensed and has 510 GitHub stars, which reflects how well it's filled this particular niche. The Java codebase is actively maintained and reasonably straightforward if you want to fork it or contribute.
Lead writer at minecraft.how. Long-time Minecraft player running a small SMP server, testing every build, mod, and seed before writing about it.
