NBT Tags for Skeleton in Minecraft (Java Edition 1.11/1.12)

This Minecraft tutorial explains the NBT tags (formerly called data tags) that you can use for a skeleton in Minecraft Java Edition (PC/Mac) 1.11 and 1.12.

TIP: If you are not running Minecraft Java Edition (PC/Mac) 1.11/1.12, find NBT tags for skeleton in another version of Minecraft:

Background

In Minecraft Java Edition 1.11 and 1.12, the entity value for a skeleton is skeleton. The skeleton entity has a unique set of data tags that can be used in Minecraft commands such as: /summon, /entitydata, /give, /fill, /setblock, /testfor.

skeleton

What are NBT tags (formerly called Data Tags)?

NBT tags allow you to set certain properties of an entity (such as skeleton). The NBT tag is always surrounded in {} such as {CustomName:Bones}. If there is more than one NBT tag used in a game command, the NBT tags are separated by a comma such as {CustomName:Bones, Health:25.0f}.

List of NBT Tags

Here is a list of the NBT tags that you can use for skeleton in Minecraft Java Edition (PC/Mac) 1.11 and 1.12:

NBT Tag Value (Description)
CanPickUpLoot

0 (The skeleton can not pick up loot off the ground)
1 (The skeleton can pick up loot off the ground)

Example
{CanPickUpLoot:0}

CustomName

name (The name to assign to the skeleton. If the name has spaces, you need to surrounded the name value in "".)

Example
{CustomName:Bones}
{CustomName:"The Killer"}

Health

number (The number of health points the skeleton has)

Example
{Health:25.0f}

AbsorptionAmount

number (The number of absorption health points the skeleton has)

Example
{AbsorptionAmount:2.0f}

Invulnerable

0 (The skeleton will take damage like normal)
1 (The skeleton will not take any damage from attacks or physical surroundings)

Example
{Invulnerable:1}

PersistenceRequired

0 (The skeleton will despawn naturally)
1 (The skeleton won't despawn)

Example
{PersistenceRequired:1}

NoAI

0 (The skeleton will have artificial intelligence and will move/behave like normal)
1 (The skeleton will have no artificial intelligence so it will appear motionless)

Example
{NoAI:1}

Silent

0 (The skeleton will make its usual noises in the game)
1 (The skeleton will not make any noise in the game)

Example
{Silent:1}

Fire

ticks (The number of game ticks until the skeleton is no longer on fire - there are 20 ticks in a second)

Example
{Fire:60}

PortalCooldown

ticks (The number of game ticks until the skeleton can go through a portal again - there are 20 ticks in a second)

Example
{PortalCooldown:120}

Air

ticks (The number of game ticks the skeleton has air left for)

Example
{Air:120}

HandItems

Items that the skeleton is holding in its hands, listed in this order: right hand, left hand

Syntax
HandItems:[{Count:1,id:item}, {Count:1,id:item}]

Example
{HandItems:[{Count:1,id:diamond_sword}, {Count:1,id:shield}]}

HandDropChances

The drop chances for each of the 2 items listed in HandItems. A value of 1.0f means 100% chance of the item being dropped when the skeleton is killed, 0.5f means 50%, 0.2f means 20%, and so on.

Example
{HandDropChances:[1.0f,1.0f,1.0f,1.0f]}

ArmorItems

Items of armor that the skeleton is wearing, listed in this order: boots, leggings, chestplate, helmet

Syntax
ArmorItems:[{Count:1,id:item}, {Count:1,id:item}, {Count:1,id:item}, {Count:1,id:item}]

Example
{ArmorItems:[{Count:1,id:diamond_boots}, {Count:1,id:diamond_leggings}, {Count:1,id:diamond_chestplate}, {Count:1,id:diamond_helmet}]}

ArmorDropChances

The drop chances for each of the 4 items listed in ArmorItems. A value of 1.0f means 100% chance of the item being dropped when the skeleton is killed, 0.5f means 50%, 0.2f means 20%, and so on.

Example
{ArmorDropChances:[1.0f,1.0f,1.0f,1.0f]}

UUIDLeast

A number that specifies the right half of the UUID for the skeleton (use UUIDLeast and UUIDMost to target/find a particular skeleton in the game)

Example
{UUIDLeast:-6645587150281567948L}

UUIDMost

A number that specifies the left half of the UUID for the skeleton (use UUIDLeast and UUIDMost to target/find a particular skeleton in the game)

Example
{UUIDMost:4420078606457655279L}

id

skeleton (The entity value used to represent a skeleton in the EntityTag or Passengers tag)

Example
{id:skeleton}

Passengers

The mob that is riding on the skeleton. Use the entity value for the passenger mob

Example of zombie as passenger
Passengers:[{id:zombie}]

NBT Tag Examples

To summon a skeleton that is named Bones:

/summon skeleton ~ ~ ~ {CustomName:Bones}

To summon a skeleton that is named "The Killer" who is wearing a set of full diamond armor:

/summon skeleton ~ ~1 ~ {CustomName:"The Killer", ArmorItems:[{Count:1,id:diamond_boots}, {Count:1,id:diamond_leggings}, {Count:1,id:diamond_chestplate}, {Count:1,id:diamond_helmet}], ArmorDropChances:[1.0f,1.0f,1.0f,1.0f]}

To give the closest player a skeleton spawn egg in Minecraft Java Edition (PC/Mac) 1.11 and 1.12:

/give @p spawn_egg 1 0 {EntityTag:{id:minecraft:skeleton}}

Target Selectors

Before we finish discussing data tags, let's quickly explore how to use the @e target selector. The @e target selector allows you to target entities in your commands. If you use the type=skeleton value, you can target skeletons:

@e[type=skeleton]

You can also add a radius value to target skeletons within a certain radius of blocks (for example, r=5 lets you target skeletons within a 5 block radius of where the command is run):

@e[type=skeleton,r=5]

Target Selector Examples

To change the name of all skeletons to Bones within a 5 block radius:

/entitydata @e[type=skeleton,r=5] {CustomName:Bones}

To test for all skeletons within a 9 block radius:

/testfor @e[type=skeleton,r=9]

To summon a lightning bolt at all skeletons:

/execute @e[type=skeleton] ~ ~ ~ /summon lightning_bolt

To kill all skeletons:

/kill @e[type=skeleton]

Next, learn how to use the game commands in Minecraft.

Command Examples

Here are some game command examples for a skeleton in Minecraft:

Command Generators

If you need help, you can use these tools to automatically generate commands for you: