Client Tweaks Guide: Hiding Offhand Items, Shields, and Controlling Offhand Use

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Client Tweaks is a utility mod configured entirely through its interface and hotkeys, letting you control how your hands, shields, torches, fireworks, and other offhand items behave in first person. This guide covers the visibility options and the offhand use rules.

Hiding Your Hands and Offhand Items

The hideOffhandItem option hides your offhand item from view. It can be toggled with an optional key binding, so you can flip it on and off without opening any menu.

For your main hand, hideEmptyMainHand hides your empty main hand in first person. There is also an option that hides both first person hands at once, and like the offhand toggle, it can be switched with an optional key binding.

If you want a cleaner screen without your own potion effects, hideOwnParticleEffects hides your own potion particle effects on your client. Other players will still see them.

Shield Visibility

Two separate options control when your shield appears. hideShieldUnlessHoldingWeapon hides your shield unless you are holding a weapon. hideShieldUnlessBlocking hides your shield unless you are actively blocking. You can also define additional items that count as weapons or as shields for these hiding options, so the behavior matches what you actually carry.

Offhand Torch Behavior

Several options govern when torches can be placed from your offhand.

noOffhandTorchAtAll prevents torches from being placed from your offhand entirely.
noOffhandTorchWithBlock stops offhand torch placement when your main hand holds a block.
noOffhandTorchWithFood stops it when your main hand holds food.
noOffhandTorchWithEmptyHand stops it when your main hand is empty.
offhandTorchWithToolOnly restricts offhand torch placement to times when your main hand holds a tool.
doNotUseLastTorch prevents the final torch in your offhand from being placed.

You can also manage which items count as torches for these options, and which items are allowed to place torches from the offhand when offhandTorchWithToolOnly is active.

Offhand Fireworks and Item Use

noOffhandFireworksWithElytra prevents fireworks from launching from your offhand while you wear an Elytra, unless you are flying. You can add extra items that count as fireworks for this tweak.

For general offhand use, noOffhandUseWithFood prevents items from being used from your offhand when your main hand holds food. Extra items can be defined as food for both the offhand torch and offhand use options.

A few additional settings affect movement and block interaction. disableStepAssist disables step assist added by other mods. disableLogStripping disables log stripping, while logStrippingRequiresShift disables it unless you hold shift. disablePavingWithBlockInOffhand disables paving when a block sits in your offhand, and berryPlacementRequiresShift prevents sweet berry placement unless you hold shift.

How to Operate These Options

Every feature above is a toggle or list found in the mod's interface. Open the interface, locate the option by name, and switch it on or off. For the options that support a key binding, including hideOffhandItem and the both-hands hiding toggle, assign the corresponding hotkey in the controls menu rather than relying on a default key. Lists such as torch items, weapon items, shield items, firework items, food items, and protected blocks are edited directly in the interface to customize how each tweak applies.