Quilt Loom

Quilt Loom is a Gradle plugin that brings Quilt support to the Fabric Loom Gradle plugin for Minecraft modding projects. It reads `quilt.mod.json` metadata, which enables features such as jars-in-jars, transitive access wideners, and interface injection. The plugin automatically adds the Quilt Releases repository and applies the Quilt Mappings on Loom plugin. It uses Quiltflower by default through loom-quiltflower by Juuxel. The project builds on a fabric-loom subproject with Quilt-specific patches, and provides Gradle wrapper scripts for build tasks. Quilt Loom is free under an MIT license, subject to the license’s conditions, and is listed for Linux, macOS, and Windows. The repository has no releases listed. Quilt says it makes tools for Minecraft modding and is not an official Minecraft product or approved by or associated with Mojang Studios. Contributors are directed to work in the patched-quilt-loom subproject and submit changes as patches.

Quilt Loom adds Quilt-specific support to Fabric Loom for Gradle-based Minecraft modding. Its free MIT license and supported desktop platforms are clear, but the repository currently lists no releases.

Quilt Loom suits developers building Minecraft projects for the Quilt loader who use Gradle. It also supports contributors working with the project’s patched subproject and patch workflow.

Quilt Loom is a Gradle plugin for Minecraft mod projects built with Quilt. It suits developers who want Quilt-specific metadata and mappings in their build workflow. Its focused integrations are useful for that work, while the lack of listed releases may make adoption harder for teams that require a published release.

Overview

Quilt Loom extends Fabric Loom with support for Quilt’s quilt.mod.json specification. That makes it a targeted build tool for Quilt projects, rather than a general Minecraft modding environment. Quilt says it makes tools for Minecraft modding and began in 2021. It is not an official Minecraft product and is not approved by or associated with Mojang Studios.

Key features

Reading quilt.mod.json enables features including Jars in Jars (JiJ), transitive access wideners and interface injection. These capabilities make Quilt Loom a practical fit when a mod depends on Quilt-specific metadata behavior.

The plugin automatically adds the Quilt Releases repository to projects and applies Quilt Mappings on Loom. It uses Quiltflower by default through loom-quiltflower by Juuxel. Together, those integrations give Quilt projects a more tailored Loom setup, though their value is specific to Quilt development.

Quilt Loom is built on a Fabric Loom subproject with Quilt-specific patches, and Gradle wrapper scripts are provided for build tasks. Contributors generate a patched subproject with ./gradlew applyPatches, then submit changes as new patches for maintainers to merge manually. That workflow is a consideration for developers who want to contribute directly.

Pricing

Quilt Loom costs free. There is no trial to weigh against a paid plan, and the MIT license permits use, modification, distribution and sale subject to its stated conditions. The project is free to use, but the repository’s Releases page has no releases listed, which may be a drawback for teams that prefer adopting software through published releases.

Platforms

Quilt Loom supports Linux, macOS and Windows. It targets the Quilt loader and includes dependency management, making it relevant to developers setting up Quilt projects in Gradle.

Who it's for

Choose Quilt Loom if you are building Minecraft mods for Quilt and want Quilt metadata features, mappings and repository setup integrated into Fabric Loom. Developers who need a published release before adopting a tool may prefer to wait or consider another option. Contributors should also be comfortable working with generated patched code and a manually maintained patch series.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Free and MIT-licensed, with permission to modify and distribute under the license’s conditions.
• Reads Quilt metadata and supports JiJ, transitive access wideners and interface injection.
• Automatically applies Quilt Mappings on Loom and adds the Quilt Releases repository.
• Uses Quiltflower by default.
• Supports Linux, macOS and Windows.

Cons

• No releases are listed, which can complicate adoption for teams that rely on published releases.
• Its Quilt-specific integrations offer little reason to choose it for projects targeting a different loader.
• Contributing involves generating a patched subproject and submitting patches for manual merging.

Alternatives

Minecraft Mod Development Tools is a useful place to compare more options. Blockbench is free for any type of project and runs on Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, the web and Windows, so it may suit creators looking for a broader-platform tool. Visual Studio Code is another free option for Linux, macOS, the web and Windows. Architectury Loom is free and supports Linux, macOS and Windows; its stated requirements and editor support include Gradle 8.1 or newer, IntelliJ IDEA and Visual Studio Code.

CurseForgeGradle is a free Gradle plugin for publishing build artifacts to CurseForge and supports all games on that service, so it fits a publishing task rather than Quilt Loom’s Quilt-focused build integration. Fabric is a free loader option for projects targeting Fabric; its loader download is the minimum, and most mods also require Fabric API. ForgeFlower is a free, Apache-2.0-licensed project for Linux. Gradle is a free open-source build system for Linux, macOS and Windows. Minecraft Development MCP Server is a free, MIT-licensed option for Linux, Windows and self-hosted use that requires Node.js 18+ and Java 17+.

Verdict

Quilt Loom is a strong fit for developers building Quilt mods who want Quilt metadata, mappings and repository setup within a Gradle workflow, especially given its free MIT license. Look elsewhere if you need a published release to adopt or are building for a different loader.