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Allay Minecraft: How to Find, Tame & Use It (2026)
The Allay is one of the most original mobs in Minecraft. A small blue flying spirit, it can automatically collect items on the ground and bring them back to its owner or a specific drop-off point. When used well, it becomes a key component of automatic farms and sorting systems. This comprehensive 2026 guide covers everything you need to know: where to find it, how to use it, and how to make the most of its abilities.
What is the Allay?
The Allay is a passive mob that cannot be tamed in the traditional sense: it does not follow you on its own, does not fight for you, and cannot be ridden. However, it is the only mob in the game capable of automatically collecting specific items on the ground and bringing them back to you or to a designated point via a jukebox.
Mob introduced in 1.19 (The Wild Update)
The Allay was added to Minecraft during the The Wild Update (1.19), released in June 2022, alongside the Warden and the Deep Dark City. Its item collection behavior makes it a unique farming assistant in vanilla gameplay, without requiring complex redstone for basic uses.
The mob that won the Minecraft Live 2021 vote
The Allay owes its existence to the Minecraft community. During Minecraft Live 2021, players voted to choose the next mob to be added to the game among three candidates: the Allay, the Glare, and the Copper Golem. The Allay won this vote with a clear majority, which explains its design focused on player assistance rather than combat. It is one of the few mobs whose entire existence results from a community decision.
Where to find the Allay
The Allay does not spawn freely in the world. It is found exclusively in two specific types of structures, always imprisoned in wooden cages.
In the cages of Pillager Outposts
Pillager Outposts sometimes contain wooden cages placed on the ground, outside or around the main tower. These cages can contain between 1 and 3 Allays. Not all cages necessarily contain Allays: some are empty or contain other entities. To free an Allay from a cage, simply break the wooden planks that make it up.
Pillager Outposts generate in most surface biomes and are relatively frequent, making them the most accessible source of Allays, especially in the early or mid-game.
In the cages of Woodland Mansions
Woodland Mansions also contain Allays imprisoned in certain interior rooms. These rooms are chambers with bars or wooden cages on the floor. The Mansion is a much rarer and more dangerous structure than the Pillager Outpost, making it a secondary source of Allays, to be considered if you are already exploring a Mansion for other reasons. Our complete guide on the Woodland Mansion Minecraft shows you how to locate and traverse it without dying.
Spawn probability by structure
| Structure | Allays per cage | Frequency of cages | Accessibility |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pillager Outpost | 1 to 3 | Occasional | Easy, varied biomes |
| Woodland Mansion | 1 to 3 | Rare (specific rooms) | Difficult, Dark Forest only |
How to tame and use the Allay
The Allay is not tamed in the strict sense: you do not give it food to make it friendly. Its behavior is triggered by an item you give it.
Give an item to the Allay to bind it
To activate the Allay, click on it with an item in hand. It takes the item, holds it in front of it, and starts looking for copies of that item on the ground within a radius around it. It then brings the collected items directly into your inventory if you are nearby, or drops them on the ground if you are out of range.
To retrieve the item you gave it and "unbind" it, simply click on the Allay again without an item in hand: it returns the item to you and becomes neutral again. An Allay can only hold one type of item at a time.
The Allay automatically collects similar items
Once bound to an item, the Allay patrols by flying and automatically picks up any item identical to the one you gave it. It does not pick up items of a different type, making it a natural sorting tool. If you give it an iron ingot, it only collects iron ingots on the ground, ignoring other items.
This mechanic is particularly powerful in automatic farms where many types of items fall in the same place: each Allay bound to a different item sorts the resources without additional redstone.
Collection range and limitations
The Allay collects items within a radius of 32 blocks around it. It only collects items on the ground: items in chests, hoppers, or containers are ignored. It also cannot collect items through solid walls if its path is blocked, although it can fly over most low-height obstacles.
The Allay drops the collected items at your position if you are within its range, or drops them on the ground at its position if it cannot reach you. For a stable automatic system, pair it with a jukebox (see next section).
Building an automatic farm with the Allay
The true power of the Allay is revealed when it is integrated into an automatic collection and storage system.
Block farm + jukebox (dance bonus)
When a Jukebox plays music within 3 blocks of the Allay, it adopts a special deposit behavior: instead of bringing the items to you, it drops them directly at the Jukebox's position. This mechanic is the basis of any automatic farm with the Allay.
Basic setup:
- Place a Jukebox at a fixed location near your farm area
- Insert a disc for the Jukebox to play (it automatically replays in a loop if a redstone comparator is connected)
- Position the Allay bound to your item within 3 blocks of the Jukebox
- The collected items will be dropped on the ground next to the Jukebox
Automatic storage system
To transition from ground deposit to automatic storage in a chest, add a Hopper under or next to the Jukebox, connected to a chest:
Allay drops items on the ground
↓
Hopper sucks up the items
↓
Storage chest
This system operates continuously without intervention: the Allay collects, drops at the Jukebox level, and the hopper transfers to the chest. You only need to empty the chest regularly.
Integration with hoppers
For a more elaborate system with multiple types of items and multiple Allays, place several hoppers side by side, each connected to a different chest. Position an Allay bound to each type of item next to its respective hopper. Each Allay automatically sorts its item to the correct chest.
To further automate your server, our guide to the best Minecraft plugins lists tools that complement vanilla mechanics like the Allay.
Advanced Allay mechanics
Beyond basic collection, the Allay has lesser-known but very useful secondary mechanics.
The Allay can duplicate with a jukebox and an Amethyst Shard
This is one of the game's most unknown mechanics. When a Jukebox plays music, the Allay dances near it, and you throw an Amethyst Shard at it, the Allay duplicates into two Allays. This operation has a cooldown of 5 minutes per Allay, but it allows you to multiply your stock of Allays without returning to find new structures.
Steps:
- Play the Jukebox within 3 blocks of the Allay
- Wait for the Allay to start dancing (visible musical particles)
- Throw an Amethyst Shard at the dancing Allay
- A second Allay appears, identical to the first
Limitations: does not pick up items in chests
It is important to understand what the Allay cannot do to avoid designing a system that does not work. The Allay cannot open chests, hoppers, barrels, or any other container. It only collects floating items on the ground within its action radius. It also cannot pass through portals (Nether or End) or function in dimensions other than the one it is in.
The Allay and the musical notes system
When a Jukebox plays, the Allay within its radius displays musical note particles and circles around the Jukebox while dancing. During this dance, its deposit behavior activates (it drops at the Jukebox's position). If the Jukebox stops, the Allay resumes its normal collection patrols and returns to deposit the items directly to you.
This mechanic means that for a stable farm system, the Jukebox must play continuously. Use a simple redstone circuit with a comparator and a repeater to automatically replay the disc as soon as it ends.
FAQ Allay Minecraft
Can the Allay die?
Yes. The Allay can die from combat damage (hostile mob attacks), falling into the void, or lava. It is not fireproof. If an Allay dies, it drops the item it was carrying and disappears permanently: there is no natural respawn. This is why it is important to secure your farm area and not expose your Allays to hostile mobs. A dead Allay can only be replaced by returning to a Pillager Outpost or a Woodland Mansion.
How many Allays can you have?
There is no fixed limit imposed by the game on the number of Allays you can have. In practice, the number is limited by the amount you find in structures and the patience required to duplicate them via the Jukebox and Amethyst Shard system. On a server with many players, accumulating several dozen Allays is entirely possible and allows for very complex sorting systems.
Allay vs Villager for automation
| Criterion | Allay | Villager |
|---|---|---|
| Item collection on the ground | Yes, automatic | No |
| Item trading | No | Yes |
| Requires redstone | No (basic) | No |
| Can die easily | Yes | Yes |
| Main source | Illager Structures | Villages |
| Duplication | Yes (Amethyst + Jukebox) | Yes (beds + workstations) |
The two mobs are complementary rather than competitive. The Villager is essential for trading (emeralds, enchantments, tools), while the Allay excels in automatic item collection and sorting. A well-optimized base integrates both.
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