Learn how to permanently delete player items on death in Minecraft Java Edition. This guide shows a clean vanilla command setup that prevents item drops and clears player inventory after death. Ideal for PvP arenas and kit-based gameplay.
In many Minecraft PvP worlds, item drops on death create balance problems. Players can loot others, mix kits, and gain unfair advantages. A clean solution is to stop item drops and remove inventory instantly when a player dies.
This guide explains a simple and reliable way to do this using command blocks in Minecraft Java Edition.
What This Setup Does
- Items do not drop on death
- Players lose their inventory permanently
- Other players cannot loot items
- No plugins or mods required
Visual Diagram: How Item Deletion Works
┌───────────────┐
│ Player Dies │
└───────┬───────┘
↓
┌─────────────────────────┐
│ Keep Inventory Enabled │
│ No items drop │
└───────┬─────────────────┘
↓
┌─────────────────────────┐
│ Death Counter Increases │
│ deaths = 1 │
└───────┬─────────────────┘
↓
┌─────────────────────────┐
│ Command Detects Death │
│ deaths ≥ 1 │
└───────┬─────────────────┘
↓
┌─────────────────────────┐
│ Inventory Cleared │
│ Items deleted │
└───────┬─────────────────┘
↓
┌─────────────────────────┐
│ Death Counter Reset │
│ deaths = 0 │
└───────┬─────────────────┘
↓
┌─────────────────────────┐
│ Player Respawns Empty │
└─────────────────────────┘
Step 1: Enable Keep Inventory
Run this command once in chat:
/gamerule keepInventory true
This stops items from dropping when a player dies.
Step 2: Create a Death Counter
Minecraft tracks deaths using scoreboards.
Run this command once:
/scoreboard objectives add deaths deathCount
Every player death increases this counter automatically.
Step 3: Clear Inventory on Death
Place a Repeating Command Block.
Set it to:
- Repeating
- Always Active
Command:
execute as @a[scores={deaths=1..}] run clear @s
This clears the inventory of players who have just died.
The 1.. means any value of one or higher.
Step 4: Reset the Death Counter
Attach a Chain Command Block to the repeating block.
Set it to:
- Conditional
- Always Active
Command:
scoreboard players set @a[scores={deaths=1..}] deaths 0
This prevents the inventory from being cleared again.
Final Result
After setup:
- Player dies
- No items drop
- Inventory is deleted
- Player respawns empty
Perfect for competitive PvP and kit-based servers.
Java Edition Only
This setup is confirmed for Minecraft Java Edition.
Bedrock Edition uses different command behavior.
How do you delete player items on death in Minecraft?
Enable keep inventory, track player deaths using a scoreboard, clear the player’s inventory when a death is detected, and reset the death counter. This removes items permanently without dropping them.