Enabling Connect Integration

Gate has a builtin integration with Connect to list your proxy on the Connect network.

Great side effect is that it also exposes your locally running Gate proxy to the Internet and allows players to connect to it from anywhere using the free provided domain <my-server-name>.play.minekube.net.

The first step is optional

Creating a new endpoint in the dashboard is optional, you can just enter an endpoint name and the token will be created automatically if the name is not already in use (in which case you will get an error). Or, if you already have a token, you can skip the first step.

First, go to the Connect Dashboard, create a new endpoint and give it a name.
After that, just enable connect and add the endpoint to your configuration:

config.yml

# Configuration for Connect, a network that organizes all Minecraft servers/proxies
# and makes them universally accessible for all players.
# Among a lot of other features it even allows players to join locally hosted
# Minecraft servers without having an open port or public IP address.
#
# Visit https://developers.minekube.com/connect
connect:
  # Enabling Connect makes Gate register itself to Connect network.
  # This feature is disabled by default, but you are encouraged to
  # enable it and get empowered by the additional network services
  # and by the growing community in this ecosystem.
  enabled: false
  enabled: true
  # The endpoint name is a globally unique identifier of your server.
  # If Connect is enabled, but no name is specified a random name is
  # generated on every restart (only recommended for testing).
  #
  # It is supported to run multiple Gates on the same endpoint name for load balancing
  # (use the same connect.json token file from first Gate instance).
  #name: your-endpoint-name
  name: my-server-name

connect.json

{ "token": "YOUR-TOKEN" }

Then you need to set the CONNECT_TOKEN environment variable or create the connect.json file next to your config.

Bedrock Players through Connect

Bedrock players use the same Connect hostname, with port 19132. Keep the normal Connect setup above; Gate automatically advertises support for Connect's signed Bedrock identity and fetches Minekube's public verification keys. You do not need identity URLs, public keys, capability settings, or a local Geyser installation.

Connect authenticates Microsoft/Xbox accounts and translates Bedrock traffic before it reaches Gate. Gate verifies the signed identity, endpoint and session binding, expiry, and replay protection before opening the tunnel. Players without a linked Java account receive their stable Bedrock identity; linked players keep their verified Java profile. This does not require allowing offline-mode Java players.

The local bedrock: true setting is for players connecting directly to your Gate instance. See Bedrock Support for that separate listener and Connect Bedrock Support for managed Connect joins.

If Connect reports capability_unavailable, check that your Gate build includes automatic Connect Bedrock identity support. Gate v0.74.28 and earlier do not include it. Adding identity keys or enabling a local Bedrock listener does not update an older connector's handover protocol.

Offline Mode Support

Gate's Connect integration supports offline mode (cracked) players! This allows players without premium Minecraft accounts to join your server through the Connect network.

Enabling Offline Mode for Connect

To allow offline mode players to join through Connect, add the allowOfflineModePlayers option to your Connect configuration:

config.yml

connect:
  enabled: true
  name: my-server-name
  # Allow offline mode (cracked) players to join through Connect
  allowOfflineModePlayers: true

Important Configuration Notes

When using offline mode with Connect, you have several configuration options for authentication:

Gate config.yml

config:
  # You can keep online mode enabled on Gate
  onlineMode: true
  # Force key authentication can stay enabled or disabled
  forceKeyAuthentication: true # or false

server.properties

# Must be false when using Gate proxy (Gate handles authentication)
online-mode=false
# Required to be false for offline mode players and chat compatibility
enforce-secure-profile=false

Authentication Flow

When allowOfflineModePlayers: true is set, Connect handles the connection injection, allowing offline mode players to join even when Gate has onlineMode: true. This provides the best of both worlds - premium players can still authenticate when joining Gate directly while offline players can still join through Connect in offline mode.

Troubleshooting

Quick Fixes

Most Connect issues are resolved by ensuring proper backend server configuration:

server.properties

# Must be false when using Gate proxy (Gate handles authentication)
online-mode=false
# Required to be false for offline mode players and chat compatibility
enforce-secure-profile=false

Common Issues and Solutions

Authentication/Connection Errors

Symptoms:

• "Invalid signature for profile public key"
• Players kicked when joining through Connect
• Direct connection works but Connect doesn't

Solutions:

1. Force endpoint refresh - Change your endpoint name to clear Connect's cache
2. Verify configuration - Check allowOfflineModePlayers: true is set
3. Validate token - Ensure your Connect token is valid and endpoint is registered

Chat/Communication Issues

Symptom: Players can join but cannot send chat messages ("Chat disabled due to missing profile public key")

Solution: Already covered in backend configuration above - ensure enforce-secure-profile=false

Configuration Changes Not Applied

Symptoms:

• Offline players still can't join after enabling allowOfflineModePlayers
• Changes don't seem to take effect

Solutions:

1. Wait - Allow 2-3 minutes for Connect network to update
2. Restart Gate - Force re-registration with new settings
3. Change endpoint name - Force fresh registration if caching persists

Getting Help

If you encounter issues not covered above:

1. Check the logs - Both Gate and server logs often contain helpful error messages
2. Community support - Join the Gate Discord for help
3. GitHub issues - Report bugs with logs and reproduction steps on the Gate repository