Variant filters

RestrictedInventory can restrict a slot to an exact item variant. This is useful when the item ID alone is too broad—for example, potions and enchanted books use additional data to distinguish their contents.

Minecraft	Variant system	Config field
1.20.1	Item NBT	tag
1.21.1, 26.1.2, 26.2, 26.3	Data components	components

Some items that only make sense with a variant filter:

Potion of HealingPotion of Swiftness IIArrow of SlownessEnchanted Book (Mending I)

Use the editor

The safest workflow is:

1. Select the desired variant from the Items list.
2. Apply it to a slot. The editor carries the creative stack's variant data into the rule.
3. Middle-click the filled slot to inspect or change the NBT/components.
4. Save only after the editor's live validation accepts the data.

The item search includes tooltip text, so queries such as an enchantment or potion name can locate component variants.

Minecraft 1.21.1 and newer

A component-aware entry uses this form:

{
  "restrictedSlots": {
    "4": {
      "item": "minecraft:potion",
      "components": {
        "minecraft:potion_contents": { "potion": "minecraft:healing" }
      }
    }
  }
}

The components object uses Minecraft's serialized data-component representation. Exact keys and values depend on the Minecraft version and item. This slot takes Potions of Healing and nothing else: not a Potion of Swiftness, and not a plain water bottle.

Inventory

1 restricted slot. Hover a slot to read its rule.

Minecraft 1.20.1

The 1.20.1 branch stores the same kind of restriction using item NBT under tag:

{
  "restrictedSlots": {
    "4": {
      "item": "minecraft:potion",
      "tag": {
        "Potion": "minecraft:healing"
      }
    }
  }
}

Prefer selecting a real item variant in the config screen rather than writing either format from memory.

Variant data must match

The configured filter is checked in addition to the item or tag. A stack with the right item but different filtered NBT or component values will not match.

To remove variant matching while retaining the item/tag rule, middle-click the slot and clear the NBT or component object.

The same variant data can also be attached to a rule's display, where it selects the icon the slot draws instead of narrowing what the slot accepts. See groups and displays.