Getting a Mending Villager

Mending, as talked about in a few other guides, is an enchantment that repairs your enchanted item using the experience you collect. This enchantment is extremely useful for high-value items, essentially preventing them from being destroyed, or at the very least, substantially prolonging their use.

Mending enchanted books can be found through Librarians, a villager job. In our case, we're going to need a village, an unemployed villager, a lectern, and a decent amount of luck.

Note: This guide assumes normal villager trading rules are being used. If your world or server has the experimental Villager Trade Rebalance enabled, Mending trades may work differently.

Fake Disclaimer: I am not responsible for any Geneva Convention violations you may or may not commit during this process out of frustration or malice against the villager population.

Step 1: The Unemployed Villager

We'll need a villager who's currently lacking a job. It doesn't matter who, what, when, where, or why; they just need to be unemployed and able to accept a new job.

This does not include Nitwits. Nitwits cannot take jobs, so if your chosen villager is wearing a green robe and refuses to work, they are not the one.

Step 2: The Lectern

Stolen from another village? Crafted? Doesn't matter how you got it, but you'll need a lectern.

Don't know how to craft one? Here ya go:

Now that you have your lectern, it's time to bring the two together.

Step 3: Employment

Place the lectern down near your unemployed villager. If done correctly, you should see their outfit change, along with a few green sparkles around them. This is now your Librarian.

Check their trades. In our case, I got a Frost Walker book. Not what we needed, but this is fine.

If the Librarian does not have Mending, break the lectern. This should cause the Librarian to lose their job and return to being unemployed. Then, place the lectern back down to make them a Librarian again and check their trades.

Repeat this process until they offer the Mending book, or another enchanted book you may be looking for.

Important: Do not trade with the villager until they have the book you want. Once you trade with a villager, their profession and trades become locked in.

This may take a while. Just remember not to take your frustration out on the villager. Doing so may not cause any immediate aftermath, but if you harm enough villagers and stay within the same village, the Iron Golems may become less than thrilled with your presence.

Once you finally get the Mending trade, make a trade with the Librarian to lock it in. Congratulations: you now have a renewable source of one of the best enchantments in Minecraft.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Why won't my villager become a Librarian?

There are a few possible reasons. First, make sure the villager is actually unemployed and not a Nitwit. Nitwits wear green robes and cannot take jobs.

You should also make sure the villager has not already been traded with. Once you trade with a villager, their profession and trades become locked in.

Can I reroll the Librarian's trades forever?

Usually, yes, as long as you have not traded with them yet. If the Librarian does not have the book you want, break the lectern, wait for them to lose the job, place it back down, and check again.

Once you see Mending, make a trade with them to lock it in.

What if I already traded with the wrong Librarian?

Unfortunately, that villager's profession and trades are now locked. Breaking the lectern will not reset their trades anymore.

You'll need to use a different unemployed villager if you want to keep searching for Mending.

Can Nitwits become Librarians?

No. Nitwits cannot take villager jobs, including Librarian. If your villager is wearing a green robe and refuses to cooperate, they are not being difficult for drama's sake. They are just built that way.