What Patchouli does
Patchouli is a documentation mod created by Vazkii. So it gives mod developers and pack creators a data-driven framework to build in-game guidebooks. You don't need to write custom code to produce a finished book. The setup handles entry structures and layout rendering without forcing you to depend on custom code in your project.
Core guidebook tools
Authors build documentation using plain data files. You get built-in page layouts right away. These include dedicated screens for crafting recipes and written text. If standard layouts don't fit your mod, you can design custom page formats through the template system.
Navigation stays organized through nested categories and bookmarkable entries. Readers can save their place. The text engine supports formatting macros and live in-game previews, which helps when checking layout spacing before shipping. You can tie specific guide entries to advancement progress so players only see entries after completing milestones. Visual additions include custom sound effects, graphics, and multiblock structure projections to help players place blocks accurately in the world. You can also translate book text for other languages and assign books to custom creative tabs.
Technical details and compatibility
Patchouli requires installation on both the client and the server. Here's the thing, the mod runs on Neoforge, Fabric, Quilt, and Forge mod loaders. Supported Minecraft versions are 26.1.2, 26.1.1, 26.1, 1.20.1, and 1.21.1.
Starting in version 1.21.1, the project dropped support for MinecraftForge in favor of NeoForge. The codebase uses Mojang mappings across its subprojects. If you write code against Patchouli, keep your calls limited to the official api package because other internal classes can change without notice. Vazkii advises against packing the mod inside your own jar archive through jar-in-jar mechanisms. Doing that inflates download sizes and introduces mapping conflicts from mixin refmaps. Adding Patchouli as an external dependency avoids these issues. The code and its original assets fall under the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
Origins and credits
The user interface design comes from player feedback collected on the Lexica Botania book from the Botania mod. Several contributors assisted during development. Drullkus provided testing and code alongside the mod logo. Ellpeck handled testing and bug resolution. StanHebben contributed code and feature requests during testing. Wiiv created the art assets.
