Vault confuses a lot of new owners because it does nothing you can see. It's an API — a translator that lets your economy plugin, your permissions plugin, and your shop plugins understand each other. Many plugins simply won't load without it. This guide explains the pieces of a server economy and how Vault wires them together, so /pay and shops actually work.
| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| You need | A plugin-capable server, plus an economy provider (EssentialsX is the easy one) |
| Plan | Any |
| Time | ~15 minutes |
| Install | from the Plugins page |
The three roles
A working economy is three kinds of plugin, and Vault sits in the middle:
| Role | Example | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | EssentialsX | Holds the money — everyone's balance |
| The glue (Vault) | Vault | Lets other plugins read/change balances without knowing the provider |
| Consumers | Shop plugins, LuckPerms chat | Use money and meta — sell items, show prefixes |
The point of Vault is that a shop plugin doesn't need to know which economy you run. It asks Vault "does this player have 50 coins?" and Vault asks whatever provider you installed. Swap EssentialsX for another economy later and your shops keep working — that's the whole value.
1. Install Vault, then a provider
Install Vault from the Plugins page and restart. On its own it does nothing — that's expected; it's waiting for other plugins to plug into it.
Then install an economy provider. The simplest is EssentialsX, which includes a full economy. Install it, restart, and Vault detects it automatically. You can confirm the connection:
/vault-infoIt lists which economy, permissions, and chat providers Vault has hooked. Seeing your economy plugin there means the plumbing works.
2. The money commands
With EssentialsX as the provider, these are the stable economy commands:
/balance # your balance
/balance Steve # someone else's
/pay Steve 100 # send money to a player
/baltop # richest players
/eco give Steve 500 # admin: create money for a player
/eco take Steve 500 # admin: remove it
/eco set Steve 0 # admin: set an exact balance/eco is admin-only (gate it behind your staff rank); /balance and /pay are for everyone.
3. Where the settings live
Vault itself has almost nothing to configure — its config at /plugins/Vault/config.yml is basically just an update check. The economy settings live in the provider. For EssentialsX that's /plugins/Essentials/config.yml:
starting-balance: 1000 # money new players begin with
currency-symbol: '$' # what's shown before amounts
min-money: 0 # how far into debt (if at all) players can goSo: Vault connects things, EssentialsX defines the money. If you want a different starting balance or currency symbol, that's an EssentialsX edit, not a Vault one.
4. Adding a shop
Money is only fun if there's something to spend it on. A shop plugin (ChestShop, QuickShop, and similar) lets players buy and sell — and it uses Vault to move the money, which is exactly why you set Vault up first. Install one from the Plugins page, and it finds your economy through Vault automatically. Each shop plugin has its own setup; the point here is that they all rely on the Vault + provider foundation you just built.
🎯 Good to know: Permissions plugins also register through Vault. That's how LuckPerms hands your rank prefixes to a chat plugin — through Vault's "chat" and "permissions" hooks. So Vault isn't only about money; it's the meeting point for economy, permissions, and chat.
Verify it works
Run /vault-info and confirm an economy provider is listed. Then, as a normal player, run /balance (you should see your starting money) and /pay a friend a small amount (they should receive it). If money moves, the economy is live.
The honest limits
- Vault does nothing by itself. No economy provider means no economy, no matter how many shop plugins you add. Provider first, always.
- It's single-currency. Classic Vault economies track one balance per player. Multiple currencies (gems and coins) need a different economy system, not Vault alone.
- One provider at a time. Running two economy plugins that both register with Vault causes conflicts — pick one provider.
- There's a newer API generation. The long-stable "Vault" is what the vast majority of plugins expect. Some modern plugins target a newer Vault/VaultUnlocked API for extra features; if a plugin specifically asks for it, follow that plugin's current documentation. For a normal server, classic Vault + EssentialsX is the well-trodden path.
Troubleshooting
- Economy commands say "economy not enabled" — no provider is registered. Install EssentialsX (or another economy plugin) and restart; check
/vault-info. - A shop plugin can't find the economy — Vault isn't installed, or the provider failed to load. Restart with Vault + provider both present; read the console for either loading red.
- Balances reset or look wrong — you may have two economy providers fighting. Remove all but one.
- Prefixes not showing despite Vault — that's a chat-plugin/LuckPerms setup issue, not Vault. See Build a rank ladder.