Tom's Simple Storage stands as one of Minecraft's most accessible and versatile storage solutions, offering players a vanilla-friendly alternative to complex storage networks without sacrificing functionality. With over 30 million downloads, this mod has proven itself as an essential tool for players who want sophisticated inventory management without the overwhelming complexity of other storage systems. Whether you're managing a small base or coordinating multiple automated farms, Tom's Simple Storage provides intuitive blocks and mechanics that grow with your needs.
This comprehensive guide will walk you through every aspect of Tom's Simple Storage, from your first basic storage network to advanced automated sorting systems and cross-dimensional item access. You'll learn not just what each block does, but how to craft them, connect them properly, and combine them into powerful storage solutions that will transform how you manage items in Minecraft. By the end of this guide, you'll be equipped to build everything from simple chest networks to sophisticated mob farm sorters with wireless access capabilities.
Getting Started with Basic Storage
Foundation Blocks
The foundation of any Tom's Simple Storage network begins with two essential blocks: the Storage Terminal and the Inventory Connector. The Storage Terminal serves as your primary interface for accessing stored items, functioning similarly to opening a chest but with far greater capabilities. To craft a Storage Terminal, you'll need four planks of any type, two Redstone comparators, one chest, one block of Glowstone, and any colored glass.
Once you've crafted your Storage Terminal, place it adjacent to any storage block, such as a chest, barrel, or shulker box. The terminal will automatically detect and connect to the storage, allowing you to right-click the terminal to access the inventory.
This basic setup already provides advantages over traditional storage, as you can access the contents from the terminal's position rather than having to go to the chest itself.
Upgrading to Crafting Capabilities
While the Storage Terminal provides excellent storage access, the Crafting Terminal elevates your storage system by integrating crafting functionality directly into your inventory interface.
To craft a Crafting Terminal, you'll need one Storage Terminal, four crafting tables, and four diamonds. This upgrade transforms your storage interface into a comprehensive crafting station where you can both access stored items and craft new ones using materials from your network.
When you place items back into the network through the Crafting Terminal, they'll automatically be stored in available spaces within your connected system. This means you don't need to worry about which specific chest receives your items, as the system manages distribution automatically based on available space and any filters you may have configured.
Connecting Adjacent Storage
To connect Storage Blocks that are near each other, you can use an Inventory Connector. This item is placed between blocks, and it connects any Storage touching it.
This is particularly useful for crafting. Instead of manually looking into each Chest, players can place a crafting Terminal on this block, and it'll pull ingredients from Chests as needed. Terminals of any type are recommended to be connected to this block for enhanced usefulness.
Connecting Distant Storage
As your base grows, you'll likely need to connect storage areas that aren't directly adjacent to each other. This is where Inventory Cables and Inventory Cable Connectors become essential. Inventory Cables allow you to extend your storage network across distances, connecting remote storage areas to your main terminal. To craft Inventory Cable, you'll need four sticks, four planks, two trapdoors, and one chest, which yields six cable segments.
6Inventory Cable Connectors serve as the interface points between your cables and storage blocks. Craft them using two planks, one Inventory Cable, one Nether Quartz, one chest, one diamond, and one Ender Pearl. These connectors must be placed directly against the storage block you want to connect, then linked back to your leading network using Inventory Cables. The connector will only function when properly attached to a valid storage block and connected via cables to your Inventory Connector.
When planning your cable routes, remember that cables can be run along floors, walls, or ceilings, and can turn corners as needed. The network requires an unbroken connection from your Inventory Connector to each Cable Connector so that any broken cable will disconnect that branch from your system. You can also use Inventory Trim blocks as an alternative connection method for storage blocks that are directly adjacent but need a linking element.
Example connected system
To help understand the mod, this is a visual demonstration of how pieces may be connected in a system.
The distant Barrel Storage is connected via Cables, and Cables require a Cable Connector at both ends. The cluster of Barrels is attached using an Inventory Connector, which has two Terminals, one for Crafting and another for viewing Items.
Setting Up Automated Item Sorting
One of Tom's Simple Storage's most powerful features is its ability to automatically sort items from farms, smelters, or other automated systems. The key component for this functionality is the Basic Inventory Hopper, which functions similarly to a regular Minecraft hopper but integrates with your storage network.
Craft a Basic Inventory Hopper using two planks, one Inventory Cable, and one hopper. This block can pull items from inventories above it and push them into your storage network.
Setting up a basic Sorting System can look like this. To ensure that items are exported from the Hopper, apply a filter to the Hopper by right-clicking it while holding the item you want to go through the system.
If you want to apply more than 1 item to go through the filter, craft an Item Filter, place all the items you want to go through the system, then right-click the Hopper with the Item Filter. It can also be set to allow only the used items or to allow everything except the used items.
Advanced Filtering and Control Systems
Beyond basic item filtering, Tom's Simple Storage offers several sophisticated filtering options for complex sorting needs. The Item Filter allows you to specify multiple items for filtering and can be set to either allow or reject matching items. Right-click the filter with items to add them to the filter's list, then apply the filter to hoppers or connectors by right-clicking the target block while holding the filter.
The Polymorphic Item Filter provides dynamic filtering by only allowing items that already exist in the target inventory. This filter is handy for maintaining organized storage where you want new items to go only into chests that already contain some of that item type. The Tag Item Filter operates based on Minecraft's tag system, allowing you to filter entire categories of items like all ores, all tools, or all food items using their associated tags.
For handling excess items that don't match any filters, the Open Crate provides an elegant overflow solution. Craft an Open Crate using six planks, one stick, one chest, and one trapdoor. When connected to your network, the Open Crate will automatically eject any items that cannot be sorted into your filtered storage containers. Place the crate above a disposal system like lava or a cactus to automatically delete unwanted items, or above collection hoppers to route overflow items to a separate storage area.
Wireless Access and Remote Control
Tom's Simple Storage extends beyond traditional storage access with wireless capabilities that allow remote interaction with your networks.
After crafting it, you must bind the Wireless Terminals to your network by shift-right-clicking on any connected terminal or inventory connector.
The wireless terminal can even be placed in your baubles slot (if available) and activated with the B key for convenient access.
Short Range
The basic Wireless Terminal offers limited remote access within a 16-block radius, provided you have a direct line of sight to a connected terminal. However, its short range and line-of-sight requirement limit its practical use somewhat.
The first level of wireless Terminal can be crafted using a Spyglass, a Glowstone, a Glass Block, 4 Planks of Wood, and an Ender Pearl.
Long Range
The Advanced Wireless Terminal offers significantly more functionality and range. Once bound, the Advanced Wireless Terminal enables access to your storage network from up to 64 blocks away, without requiring a direct line of sight.
Advanced Wireless Terminals are crafted through Smithing Tables, with a Netherite Upgrade Smithing Template and a Netherite Ingot onto the Wireless Terminal.
To extend wireless access further, you can construct beacon-based range extenders. A Tier 1 beacon placed within 8 blocks of your storage network will enable Advanced Wireless Terminal access from anywhere within the same dimension. For cross-dimensional access, you'll need a Tier 4 beacon, which allows you to access your storage network from any dimension. These beacons must be powered appropriately, and the chunks containing your storage network must be force-loaded to maintain connectivity.
Monitoring and Redstone Integration
The Level Emitter provides redstone integration capabilities for your storage network, allowing you to create automated responses based on inventory levels. Craft a Level Emitter and place it adjacent to any Inventory Connector or Cable in your network. Right-click the emitter with an item to set it as the monitoring target, then configure the threshold quantity using the emitter's interface.
When the specified item reaches or exceeds your set threshold anywhere in the connected storage network, the Level Emitter will output a redstone signal. This functionality enables sophisticated automation systems, such as automatically stopping item production when storage reaches capacity, activating backup storage systems when primary storage fills up, or triggering alerts when critical resources run low.
The Level Emitter's redstone output can be inverted through its configuration interface, allowing you to create signals that activate when item counts fall below thresholds rather than exceed them. This flexibility enables the creation of complex conditional logic for managing automated systems based on the contents of your storage network.
