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Basic summon command
A simple mob command looks like /summon minecraft:zombie ~ ~ ~. The entity ID and coordinates decide what appears and where it spawns.
Adding a name, equipment or other entity data
Start by selecting the entity and a safe spawn position. Confirm that the simplest command works, then add a display name, equipment or entity data where supported. Advanced entity tags are version-specific, and the Java form of a summon command cannot always be pasted into Bedrock Edition.
Items and non-mob entities
The summon command can also create some non-mob entities depending on version and edition. For dropped items, projectiles or special entities, check the generated command carefully because entity data is easy to break.
Example: summon a mob beside the execution position
/summon minecraft:zombie ~ ~1 ~In Java Edition, this places a zombie one block above the command execution position. The three tilde coordinates are offsets rather than fixed world coordinates. If you paste this into a command block, the block’s position is the reference, not the player’s position.
Example: use the nearest player as the position reference
/execute at @p run summon minecraft:pig ~ ~1 ~On a Java server with command permission, execute at changes the execution position to the nearest player's location before running the summon command. Try this only in a clear location, away from fragile redstone builds.
Why custom summons fail
- The chosen entity ID may not exist in the selected edition or version.
- Advanced NBT tags can be valid in one Java version but unsupported or differently structured in another.
- A position inside solid blocks can make the new entity difficult to find.
- If a command works in chat but not in a block, check the execution position and selector.
Use the generator to create the basic summon first; then turn on custom equipment and attributes one at a time. This guide's examples illustrate syntax and are not a record of testing in every Minecraft build.