Chunky is not loaded: why Distant Horizons 3.3.3 crashes your server

java.lang.IllegalStateException: Chunky is not loaded

The line java.lang.IllegalStateException: Chunky is not loaded. means a mod asked Chunky for its API before Chunky had started, and on a server with Distant Horizons 3.3.3 or 3.3.4 that mod is Distant Horizons. You can see it in the frames right below that line: Chunky's ChunkyProvider.get was called by a Distant Horizons class named ChunkyAccessor.

Description: Exception chunk generation/loading

java.lang.IllegalStateException: Chunky is not loaded.
    at org.popcraft.chunky.ChunkyProvider.get(ChunkyProvider.java:12)
    at com.seibel.distanthorizons.neoforge.wrappers.modAccessor.ChunkyAccessor.bindOnGenerationProgressEvent(ChunkyAccessor.java:55)
    at com.seibel.distanthorizons.core.wrapperInterfaces.modAccessor.AbstractChunkyAccessor.tryRunFirstTimeSetup(AbstractChunkyAccessor.java:82)
    at com.seibel.distanthorizons.core.api.internal.SharedApi.applyChunkUpdate(SharedApi.java:203)
    at com.seibel.distanthorizons.core.api.internal.ServerApi.serverChunkLoadEvent(ServerApi.java:107)

Those two crash descriptions are generic: any mod that fails while a chunk loads produces them. It is this crash only when Chunky is not loaded appears below them. If it does not, the crash report guide shows how to find the mod that did fail.

Distant Horizons 3.3.3 also exists for Forge, on Minecraft 1.12.2 to 1.20.4. Its changelog lists the Chunky change for 1.19.2 and newer, so a Forge server on 1.19.2 to 1.20.4 with both mods can get the same crash.

Why Distant Horizons 3.3.3 and Chunky crash together

Distant Horizons 3.3.3, released on 29 September 2026, pauses its own world generation while Chunky is generating, and to know when Chunky is busy it binds to Chunky's progress events the first time a chunk loads. On a server, that first chunk loads during startup, before Chunky has registered itself. ChunkyProvider.get then throws Chunky is not loaded, and the server goes down with it.

The hook only exists when Chunky is installed. At startup Distant Horizons logs Registered mod compatibility accessor for: [chunky]. when it finds Chunky; without Chunky there is no hook and nothing to crash. In the fixed code, Distant Horizons logs Chunky running. Disabling DH world gen... when a Chunky task starts and Chunky no longer running. Re-enabling DH world gen... after it ends.

How to fix "Chunky is not loaded"

To fix Chunky is not loaded, remove Chunky from the mods folder and restart: Distant Horizons 3.3.3 starts normally without it, and every chunk Chunky already generated stays in your world. Which of these three you pick depends on whether you still need to pre-generate.

1. Remove Chunky and keep Distant Horizons

This is the fix for most servers. Chunky is only needed while it generates, so once your world is pre-generated, or if you never started a run, it can go. Delete the Chunky jar from mods, a file that starts with Chunky, such as Chunky-NeoForge-1.4.23.jar, then start the server. On Fabric, leave Fabric API where it is: other mods may need it.

2. Still need to pre-generate? Run Chunky before Distant Horizons

1. 1

   Take Distant Horizons out

   Move its jar out of mods, or rename it so it ends in .jar.disabled. The loader only loads files that end in .jar, and nothing Distant Horizons saved in the world folder is deleted.

2. 2

   Start the server and run Chunky

   Run chunky radius 2000 and chunky start in the console, or follow the Chunky guide for the radius and the Nether.

3. 3

   Wait until the task is finished

   Chunky reports its progress in the console. Stopping early is fine: what is generated stays generated.

4. 4

   Swap the mods back

   Stop the server, remove Chunky, put the Distant Horizons jar back in mods under its .jar name and start the server again.

3. Wait for a fixed Distant Horizons

If you want Chunky and Distant Horizons on one server at the same time, wait for a Distant Horizons release newer than 3.3.4 and look for Chunky in its changelog before you put both in mods again. Until then, use option 1 or 2.

Removing Chunky on Lodehost

1. 1

   Open the Mods tab

   Type chunky in Filter installed mods to find the jar.

2. 2

   Press Remove

   Confirm, and the panel shows Mod removed. Restart to apply.

3. 3

   Restart the server

   It starts without the crash, with the land Chunky generated still in place.

Distant Horizons pregenerate: /dh pregen instead of Chunky

Distant Horizons has its own pre-generation command that needs no Chunky: dh pregen start minecraft:overworld 0 0 256 builds the far view for 256 chunks, about 4,096 blocks, around block 0 0. The progress shows up in the server console.

dh pregen start minecraft:overworld 0 0 256
dh pregen status
dh pregen stop

The radius is in chunks, not blocks, and the lowest it takes is 32. In game it needs full operator rights, level 4, which is what /op gives by default. /dh pregen is about what players see in the distance. Chunky does a different job: it creates the normal chunks around spawn ahead of time, so the server does not have to generate land while players walk into it. For that, use option 2 above.