Tripwire Hook

A tripwire hook is a block that emits a redstone signal when it is part of a valid tripwire circuit and it gets triggered by an entity.

Obtaining

Breaking

Tripwire hooks can be broken instantly using any tool, or without a tool.

A tripwire hook is also removed and drops itself as an item if:

its attachment block is moved, removed, or destroyed.
water flows into its space in Java Edition.
a piston tries to push it or moves a block into its space.

A tripwire hook is destroyed without dropping itself as an item if lava flows into its space.

Natural generation

Four tripwire hooks are generated naturally in each jungle temple.

Chest loot

Item	Structure	Container	Quantity	Chance
Java Edition
Tripwire Hook	Pillager Outpost	Chest	1–3	30.5%
Bedrock Edition
Tripwire Hook	Pillager Outpost	Chest	1–3	30.5%

Crafting

Ingredients	Crafting recipe
Iron Ingot + Stick + Any Planks	2

Fishing

Tripwire hooks can be obtained as a "junk" item from fishing.

Usage

Tripwire hooks can be used as crafting ingredients or as redstone circuit components.

Crafting ingredient

Tripwire hooks can be used to craft trapped chests and crossbows.

Name	Ingredients	Crafting recipe
Crossbow	Stick + Iron Ingot + String + Tripwire Hook
Trapped Chest	Tripwire Hook + Chest

Redstone component

A tripwire hook can be used to detect mobs, items, and other entities over a large area.

Placement

To place a tripwire hook, use the Place Block control.

In order to function correctly, a tripwire hook must be part of a "tripwire circuit": a straight line of blocks consisting of a block with a tripwire hook attached to it, a "tripwire line" (1 to 40 blocks of tripwire), and a second tripwire hook attached to another block, with both tripwire hooks facing the tripwire.

To place tripwire, use the Place Block control with a string. Tripwire in a valid tripwire circuit has a short hitbox (0.09375 or 3/32 blocks high, with the bottom 0.0625 or 1/16 blocks above the block below), while tripwire not in a valid tripwire circuit has a taller hitbox (0.5 blocks high, bottom not raised).

A tripwire hook in an invalid tripwire circuit appears "folded", while a tripwire hook in a valid tripwire circuit appears extended straight. Tripwire lines from separate tripwire circuits can be placed next to each other (in parallel), above each other, and even intersecting each other.

Activation

A tripwire hook in a valid tripwire circuit activates when certain entities (players, mobs, items, etc.) intersect the tripwire hook's tripwire line "hitbox" (but not the tripwire hook itself), and deactivates when all entities leave or are removed from the tripwire line.

Entities that cannot activate a tripwire circuit include thrown potions, some arrows, fireworks, thrown ender pearls, and thrown eyes of ender.

A tripwire hook also activates for 5 redstone ticks (0.5 seconds, barring lag) when any of its tripwires are destroyed, except when shears are used to destroy the tripwire.

Breaking the tripwire hook, or breaking the block it is attached to, does not generate a pulse.

Behavior

While active, a tripwire hook appears to move downward and it:

powers any adjacent redstone dust to power level 15, including beneath the tripwire hook
powers any adjacent redstone comparators or redstone repeaters facing away from the tripwire hook to power level 15
strongly powers its attachment block to power level 15
activates any adjacent mechanism components, including above or below, such as pistons, redstone lamps, etc.

Tripwire produces no power itself, but its state change can be detected with an observer.

Although destroying tripwire with shears cannot activate a tripwire hook, it changes the tripwire hook's block state (its "attached" state from true to false), which can be detected with an observer.

Trading

Master-level fletcher villagers have a ²⁄₃ chance to buy 8 tripwire hooks for an emerald as part of their trades in Java Edition, and always offer the trade in Bedrock Edition.

Sounds

Generic

Java Edition:

Subtitles	Source	Description	Resource location	Translation key	Volume	Pitch	Attenuation distance
Block broken	Blocks	Once the block has broken	`block.wood.break`	`subtitles.block.generic.break`	1.0	0.8	16
Block placed	Blocks	When the block is placed	`block.wood.place`	`subtitles.block.generic.place`	1.0	0.8	16
Block breaking	Blocks	While the block is in the process of being broken	`block.wood.hit`	`subtitles.block.generic.hit`	0.25	0.5	16
None^{[sound 1]}	Entity-Dependent	Falling on the block with fall damage	`block.wood.fall`	None^{[sound 1]}	0.5	0.75	16
Footsteps	Entity-Dependent	Walking on the block	`block.wood.step`	`subtitles.block.generic.footsteps`	0.15	1.0	16

↑ ^a ^b MC-177082

Bedrock Edition:

Source	Description	Resource location	Volume	Pitch
Blocks	Once the block has broken	`dig.stone`	1.0	0.8-1.0
Blocks	When the block is placed	`dig.stone`	1.0	0.8-1.0
Blocks	While the block is in the process of being broken	`hit.stone`	0.27 ^{[sound 1]}	0.5
Players	Falling on the block with fall damage	`fall.stone`	0.4	1.0
Players	Walking on the block	`step.stone`	0.3	1.0
Players	Jumping from the block	`jump.stone`	0.12	1.0
Players	Falling on the block without fall damage	`land.stone`	0.22	1.0

↑ MCPE-169612 — Many blocks make very slightly different sounds to stone

Unique

Java Edition:

Subtitles	Source	Description	Resource location	Translation key	Volume	Pitch	Attenuation distance
Tripwire attaches	Blocks	When a tripwire line is completed	`block.tripwire.attach`	`subtitles.block.tripwire.attach`	0.4	0.7	16
Tripwire clicks	Blocks	When a tripwire line deactivates	`block.tripwire.click_off`	`subtitles.block.tripwire.click`	0.4	0.5	16
Tripwire clicks	Blocks	When a tripwire line activates	`block.tripwire.click_on`	`subtitles.block.tripwire.click`	0.4	0.6	16
Tripwire detaches	Blocks	When a tripwire hook in a tripwire line is destroyed	`block.tripwire.detach`	`subtitles.block.tripwire.detach`	0.4	¹²⁄₁₁-⁴⁄₃	16

Bedrock Edition:

Source	Description	Resource location	Volume	Pitch
Blocks	When a tripwire line is completed	`block.click`	0.2	0.7
Blocks	When a tripwire line deactivates	`random.click`	0.2	0.5
Blocks	When a tripwire line activates	`random.click`	0.2	0.6
Blocks	When a tripwire hook in a tripwire line is destroyed	`block.bowhit`	0.4	1.1-1.33

Data values

ID

Java Edition:

Name	Identifier	Form	Translation key
Tripwire Hook	`tripwire_hook`	Block & Item	`block.minecraft.tripwire_hook`

Bedrock Edition:

Name	Identifier	Numeric ID	Form	Item ID^{[i 1]}	Translation key
Tripwire Hook	`tripwire_hook`	`131`	Block & Giveable Item^{[i 2]}	Identical^{[i 3]}	`tile.tripwire_hook.name`

↑ ID of block's direct item form, which is used in savegame files and addons.
↑ Available with /give command.
↑ The block's direct item form has the same id as the block.

Block states

Java Edition:

Name	Default value	Allowed values	Description
attached	`false`	`false` `true`	True if the tripwire hook is connected to a valid tripwire circuit.
facing	`north`	`east` `north` `south` `west`	The direction in which the tripwire hook juts out from the block it is attached to. For example, a tripwire hook facing north is attached to a block to its south.
powered	`false`	`false` `true`	True if the tripwire hook is active.

Bedrock Edition:

Name	Metadata Bits	Default value	Allowed values	Values for Metadata Bits	Description
attached_bit	`0x4`	`false`	`false` `true`	`0` `1`	True if the tripwire hook is connected to a valid tripwire circuit.
direction	`0x1` `0x2`	`0`	`0` `1` `2` `3`	`0` `1` `2` `3`	The direction in which the tripwire hook juts out from the block it is attached to. 0: Tripwire hook on block side facing south 1: Tripwire hook on block side facing west 2: Tripwire hook on block side facing north 3: Tripwire hook on block side facing east
powered_bit	`0x8`	`false`	`false` `true`	`0` `1`	True if the tripwire hook is active.

Video

Note: This video does not show the tripwire hook obtained from fishing, or its crafting usage.

Embedded media: //www.youtube.com/embed/OjciuikGFRo?

History

This section is missing information about

Potential ring placement changes between powered and powered attached
Check if the string was still dashed directly before 14w11a.

Please expand the section to include this information. Further details may exist on the talk page.

Java Edition
1.3.1		May 28, 2012		Dinnerbone released a series of cryptic tweets, starting with "I think I'm taking a big liking toward adventure maps. It's starting to show in my choice of new blocks."^[1] He hinted at shears being used to disable the tripwire,^[2] then posted a series of images^[3]^[4]^[5] before revealing the name.^[6] Afterward, he posted a video^[7] to reveal the functionality of the tripwire and finally credited the idea to his fiancee MissMarzenia.^[8]
1.3.1		12w22a		Added tripwire hooks.
1.5		13w01a		Tripwire hooks are now used to craft trapped chests.
1.5		13w02a		When attached to string, the region of string within the space of the tripwire hook is more linear looking, and looks less like the actual tripwire blocks.
1.7.2		13w36a		Tripwire hooks can now be obtained as one of the "junk" items by fishing.
1.7.2		1.7.1		Acacia planks and dark oak planks can now be used to craft tripwire hooks.
1.8		14w11a		The model of tripwire hooks has been slightly changed. The rendering of the stick and hook elements is slightly strange; they can be seen rendering on top of the base plate even when clearly behind it.
		14w11a		The item texture has been changed to .^[9]
		14w11b		The item texture has changed back to .
		14w17a		The model of tripwire hooks has been changed. The stick is now affected by the Smooth Lighting option, the iron is bigger, and the top, side, and stick textures have been slightly changed.
		14w25a		The ring in the tripwire hook is now affected by ambient occlusion.
1.9		15w49a		The `suspended` block state has been removed from tripwire hooks.
1.13		17w47a		Prior to The Flattening, this block's numeral ID was 131.
1.14		18w43a		The texture of tripwire hooks has been changed.
		18w43a		Tripwire hooks are now used to craft crossbows.
		18w47a		As the planks textures has been changed, the texture of tripwire hooks has been changed, as a result.
		19w11a		Fletcher villagers now buy tripwire hooks.
1.16		20w06a		Crimson planks and warped planks can now be used to craft tripwire hooks.
1.16		20w10a		Tripwire hooks can now be placed on blocks of redstone, observers, and targets.^[10]
1.19		22w11a		Mangrove planks can now be used to craft tripwire hooks.
1.20.2		23w33a		Tripwire hooks now use wood sounds instead of stone sounds.^[11]
Pocket Edition Alpha
v0.13.0		build 1		^[verify] Added tripwire hooks.
v0.13.0		build 1		Tripwire hooks are used to craft trapped chests.
Bedrock Edition
1.8.0		beta 1.8.0.10		Tripwire hooks are now used to craft crossbows.
1.10.0		beta 1.10.0.3		^[verify] The texture of tripwire hooks has been changed.
1.10.0		beta 1.10.0.3		Tripwire hooks can now be found in pillager outpost chests.
1.11.0		beta 1.11.0.4		Tripwire hooks can now be sold to fletcher villagers.
Legacy Console Edition
TU14	CU1	1.04	Patch 1	^[verify] Added tripwire hooks.
PlayStation 4 Edition
1.90				^[verify] The texture of tripwire hooks has been changed.
New Nintendo 3DS Edition
0.1.0				^[verify] Added tripwire hooks.

The first image of tripwires released by Mojang.
The second image of tripwires released by Mojang.
The third image of tripwires released by Mojang.
A comparison between a tripwire hook and a lever released by Mojang.

Issues

Issues relating to "Tripwire" are maintained on the bug tracker. Report issues there.

Gallery

First location of tripwire hooks in jungle temple, setting of the dispenser trap in the background.
Second location of tripwire hooks in jungle temple, setting of the dispenser trap in the background.
Tripwire hook found in a chest inside pillager outpost.

References

↑ "I think I'm taking a big liking toward adventure maps. It's starting to show in my choice of new blocks." – @Dinnerbone (Nathan Adams) on X, May 28, 2012
↑ "Experimenting with some new ideas. Perhaps one day we'll see a pair of shears inside every griefers' toolbox." – @Dinnerbone (Nathan Adams) on X, May 28, 2012
↑ "That awkward moment when you realize you just spent the last few days unknowingly designing a coat hanger. https://dl.dropbox.com/u/36087083/ZScreen/2012-05/28-Monday--0196.126866331.png …" – @Dinnerbone (Nathan Adams) on X, May 28, 2012
↑ "Haha, I kinda see how it looks like a doorbell, too. Maybe if you pull it a golem should come out and yell "YOU RANG?" https://dl.dropbox.com/u/36087083/ZScreen/2012-05/28-Monday--0197.486672066.png …" – @Dinnerbone (Nathan Adams) on X, May 28, 2012
↑ "Some people have got it right already, so this should clear up all further confusion and spoil the next update for you https://dl.dropbox.com/u/36087083/ZScreen/2012-05/28-Monday--0198.158946456.png …" – @Dinnerbone (Nathan Adams) on X, May 28, 2012
↑ "It's a tripwire, yeah." – @Dinnerbone (Nathan Adams) on X, May 28, 2012
↑ "Tripwire Experiments" – Nathan Adams on YouTube, May 28, 3012
↑ "Also, thanks to my wonderful fiancee @MissMarzenia for the idea. Seriously, all credit goes that way." – @Dinnerbone (Nathan Adams) on X, May 28, 2012
↑ MC-50948
↑ MC-146824
↑ MC-217629 — "Tripwire hooks use stone sounds, rather than wood" — resolved as "Fixed".

External links

Taking Inventory: Tripwire Hook – Minecraft.net on September 11, 2018

Redstone

[bugMC-177082-1] MC-177082

[2] MCPE-169612 — Many blocks make very slightly different sounds to stone

[bedrock-item-id-3] ID of block's direct item form, which is used in savegame files and addons.

[bedrock-give-available-4] Available with /give command.

[bedrock-item-form-5] The block's direct item form has the same id as the block.

[6] "I think I'm taking a big liking toward adventure maps. It's starting to show in my choice of new blocks." – @Dinnerbone (Nathan Adams) on X, May 28, 2012

[7] "Experimenting with some new ideas. Perhaps one day we'll see a pair of shears inside every griefers' toolbox." – @Dinnerbone (Nathan Adams) on X, May 28, 2012

[8] "That awkward moment when you realize you just spent the last few days unknowingly designing a coat hanger. https://dl.dropbox.com/u/36087083/ZScreen/2012-05/28-Monday--0196.126866331.png …" – @Dinnerbone (Nathan Adams) on X, May 28, 2012

[9] "Haha, I kinda see how it looks like a doorbell, too. Maybe if you pull it a golem should come out and yell "YOU RANG?" https://dl.dropbox.com/u/36087083/ZScreen/2012-05/28-Monday--0197.486672066.png …" – @Dinnerbone (Nathan Adams) on X, May 28, 2012

[10] "Some people have got it right already, so this should clear up all further confusion and spoil the next update for you https://dl.dropbox.com/u/36087083/ZScreen/2012-05/28-Monday--0198.158946456.png …" – @Dinnerbone (Nathan Adams) on X, May 28, 2012

[11] "It's a tripwire, yeah." – @Dinnerbone (Nathan Adams) on X, May 28, 2012

[12] "Tripwire Experiments" – Nathan Adams on YouTube, May 28, 3012

[13] "Also, thanks to my wonderful fiancee @MissMarzenia for the idea. Seriously, all credit goes that way." – @Dinnerbone (Nathan Adams) on X, May 28, 2012

[14] MC-50948

[15] MC-146824

[16] MC-217629 — "Tripwire hooks use stone sounds, rather than wood" — resolved as "Fixed".

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