Overview
Mending changes the economics of everything you own. Instead of experience going into your level bar, it goes into repairing whatever enchanted item you are holding or wearing that has taken damage — so a pickaxe with Mending, carried while you mine ore that drops experience, effectively never wears out. That is the end of the treadmill where good gear is temporary and every enchanted tool is one long trip from the scrap heap. It is the single most sought-after enchantment in the game for exactly that reason, and it is a treasure enchantment, so no enchanting table will ever offer it regardless of level or bookshelf count. Librarian trading is the practical route: reroll a lectern until a librarian offers the book, then cure that villager from a zombie and the price drops to a single emerald, repeatedly, forever. Fishing and chest loot are the alternatives and are far slower. The one conflict is Infinity, so a bow must choose. Everything else — tools, armour, weapons, elytra, shields, fishing rods — takes Mending happily, and an elytra with it is what makes long-distance flying sustainable at all.
Making gear permanent — the pickaxe, elytra, sword and armour you never have to replace — by spending ambient experience on repairs instead of on levels.
Spends collected experience on repairing the item instead of filling your XP bar. It effectively makes gear permanent, which is why it is the most sought-after enchantment in the game.
I is as high as Mending goes, and that single level is all there is. It is a treasure enchantment, so no enchanting table will ever offer it — loot chests, fishing and villager trades are the routes.
At weight 2 it is still off the enchanting table entirely — the weight applies to the book turning up in loot, in a catch or at a lectern.
How to get it
Treasure only: librarian trades, fishing, or chest loot from dungeons, mineshafts, strongholds and ancient cities. A cured librarian sells the book for 1 emerald, restocking twice a day — that is by far the cheapest supply in the game.
Tips
- No enchanting table will ever roll it; rerolling a librarian's lectern is the real source.
- Cure a zombie villager to drop the price to 1 emerald — the method is in villager trading.
- It conflicts with Infinity, so an archer keeps a Mending bow and an Infinity bow separately.
- Repairs go to a damaged item you are holding or wearing, so hold the tool you want fixed while collecting experience.
What each level does
Mending exists at one level only, so a second book of it on an anvil buys nothing but the level cost.
Mending has a single level; each XP point repairs 2 durability.
| Level | Effect |
|---|---|
| I | experience orbs repair the held or worn item instead of filling the XP bar |
Properties
An enchanting table never offers it, and a librarian villager will sell it as a book — rerolling a librarian's trade by breaking and replacing their lectern is the cheapest route to it.
- Weight
- 2
- Incompatible enchantments
- Infinity
What it can be applied to
Mending can be applied to Any tool, Any weapon, and Any armour.
- Any tool
- Any weapon
- Any armour
Gear it goes on
Incompatible enchantments
Mending cannot share an item with Infinity.
Try it on an anvil and the clashing enchantment is quietly dropped while the levels are still spent, so check the pair before committing a rare book.
How to get it
Treasure only: fishing, chest loot or librarian trades.
A table will not produce it, so the routes are loot chests, fishing with Luck of the Sea and librarian trades, the steadiest of the three.
Command
Cheats on: the first command enchants what is in your hand with Mending I, and the second spawns the finished item. The component syntax below replaced the old NBT tag in 1.20.5.
Apply it
/enchant @s minecraft:mending 1Give an enchanted item
/give @s carrot_on_a_stick[enchantments={levels:{"minecraft:mending":1}}]Guides and tools that cover this
Frequently asked questions
What is the maximum level of Mending?
Mending has a single level; each XP point repairs 2 durability.
How do you get Mending in Minecraft?
Treasure only: fishing, chest loot or librarian trades.
What does Mending conflict with?
Mending cannot be combined with Infinity.
What does Mending I do?
Mending I experience orbs repair the held or worn item instead of filling the XP bar.
