Animated Nametags

Give any entity a living, breathing nametag

Tired of boring static nametags? This addon lets you slap 100 animations onto any entity or player, from smooth rainbow color flows and fire effects, to glitch, typewriter, galaxy sweeps, and way more. Everything is configured in-game through a clean UI — no JSON editing, no resource packs, no hassle. Whether you're building an RPG server, a minigame world, or just want your mob farm to have some personality, this one's for you.

Feature List

100 built-in animations across three categories — text movement, color effects, and hybrid (movement color simultaneously)
Works on any entity — players, mobs, armor stands, anything with a nametag
In-game configuration UI — name, animation, and speed all adjustable without leaving the game
Custom commands /an:set_animation and /an:remove_animation with entity selector support
Animations persist across relogs, server restarts, and chunk reloads via dynamic properties
Speed control per entity — each animation can run at its own pace
Multi-entity support — target multiple entities at once with a single selector
Command block compatible — fully automatable via block commands
No resource pack required — pure behavior pack, works on any world
Uses only stable Bedrock Script API — no experimental toggles needed (beyond scripting)

How to Use — Animated Nametags

There are three ways to set animations: the nametag item (easiest), commands (flexible), and command blocks (automation). All three are covered below.

Method 1 — Nametag Item (In-Game UI)

This is the easiest method. No commands needed.

Step 1 — Get a name tag

Craft or obtain a regular Minecraft name tag item.

Step 2 — Rename it to `$an`

Open an anvil, place the name tag in, and rename it exactly to:

$an

This is the special trigger name the addon listens for.

Step 3 — Use it on any entity

Hold the $an name tag and right-click / interact with any mob or entity (not a player).

A configuration screen will open with three options:

Field	What it does
Name	The text that will be animated on the entity's nametag
Name Effect	A dropdown of all 100 animations to choose from
Effect Speed	A slider controlling how fast the animation runs (in ticks per frame)

Fill in your choices and confirm — the animation starts immediately.

Step 4 — Remove an animation

Hold the $an name tag, sneak (crouch) right-click the entity.
The animation stops and the entity's original name is restored.

Note: In Survival mode, using the name tag consumes one item, just like a regular name tag. In Creative mode it is not consumed.

Method 2 — Commands

Commands give you full control and work on any entity including players.

Permission required

You must have Game Director permission level (operator) [and cheats turned on due to a bug] to run these commands.

`/an:set_animation` — Set an animation

Full syntax:

/an:set_animation [entity] [nametag] [animation] [speed]

All parameters are optional depending on how you run it.

Run with no arguments (opens UI for yourself):

/an:set_animation

Opens the same configuration screen as the nametag item, targeting yourself.

Open UI targeting specific entities:

/an:set_animation @e[type=cow]

Opens the UI and applies whatever you choose to all matched cows.

Set a full animation directly (no UI):

/an:set_animation @e[type=cow] "Bessie" RainbowRoll 5

Argument	Example	Notes
`entity`	`@e[type=cow]`	Any valid entity selector
`nametag`	`"Bessie"`	The display name — use quotes if it has spaces
`animation`	`RainbowRoll`	Must match an animation name exactly (case-sensitive)
`speed`	`5`	Ticks per frame — lower = faster. Recommended range: 1–20

More examples:

/an:set_animation @a "Steve" FireTypewriter 3

Sets the FireTypewriter animation at speed 3 on all players.

/an:set_animation @e[name=Boss] "BOSS" GalaxyShift 8

Sets GalaxyShift on the entity named "Boss".

/an:set_animation @s "" PrestigeGlow 4

Sets PrestigeGlow on yourself with no custom name (uses your current name).

`/an:remove_animation` — Remove an animation

Full syntax:

/an:remove_animation [entity]

Remove from yourself:

/an:remove_animation

Remove from specific entities:

/an:remove_animation @e[type=cow]
/an:remove_animation @a
/an:remove_animation @e[name=Boss]

The entity's animation stops and their original name is restored.

Method 3 — Command Blocks

Command blocks let you automate animations without a player running commands manually. Useful for adventure maps, spawn areas, event triggers, and more.

Important rules for command blocks

When a command runs from a command block (not a player), all arguments must be provided explicitly — the UI cannot open from a command block. The format is:

an:set_animation <entity> <nametag> <animation> <speed>

Do not include the / prefix inside a command block — just start with an:set_animation.

Examples

Animate a specific nearby mob:

an:set_animation @e[type=zombie,r=5] "ZOMBIE" GlitchText 4

Animate all players entering a zone:

an:set_animation @a[r=10] "" RainbowRoll 5

(Empty string for nametag uses each player's existing name.)

Remove animation when a player leaves a zone:

an:remove_animation @a[r=10]

Set a boss animation on world load (use a one-time pulse command block):

an:set_animation @e[type=wither,r=50] "THE WITHER" GrimReaper 6

Recommended command block setup for a spawn area

Use a Repeat Always Active command block for continuous effect, or an Impulse block triggered by a pressure plate or button for on-demand use.

Type:    Repeat
Mode:    Always Active
Command: an:set_animation @e[type=armor_stand,name=Spawn_Display] "Welcome!" PrestigeGlow 5

This keeps the animation running even if the chunk reloads, since the addon also auto-restores saved animations on entity load.

Speed Reference

Speed value	Ticks per frame	Approximate real time
`1`	1 tick	0.05 seconds (very fast)
`3`	3 ticks	0.15 seconds (fast)
`5`	5 ticks	0.25 seconds (default, smooth)
`10`	10 ticks	0.5 seconds (slow)
`20`	20 ticks	1 second (very slow)

Most animations look best between 3 and 8. Very fast speeds (1–2) work well for glitch and flicker effects. Very slow speeds (15 ) work well for subtle color pulses.

Tips

Animations persist — they survive chunk unloads, world restarts, and player relogs. You only need to set them once.
You can target multiple entities at once using selectors like @e[type=cow] or @a.
The nametag item method is the most convenient for one-off customization in survival or creative mode.
Command blocks are the best choice for permanent map features that need to work without a player being present.
If an entity has no custom name set, the animation will use the entity's current nametag or fall back to a space — always provide a name for best results.

Animated NameTags

Downloads

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