[
{
"GroupName": "default",
"Priority": 4,
"Title": {
"Text": "[Player]",
"Color": "#55AAFF",
"Size": 15,
"Hidden": false,
"HiddenIfNotPrimary": false
},
"Username": {
"Color": "#55AAFF",
"Size": 15
},
"Message": {
"Color": "#FFFFFF",
"Size": 15
},
"Format": {
"Chat": "{Title} {Username}: {Message}",
"Console": "{Title} {Username}: {Message}"
},
"ConsolePresentation": "[Player] Joe321: Hi there!"
},
{
"GroupName": "admin",
"Priority": 2,
"Title": {
"Text": "[Admin]",
"Color": "#55AAFF",
"Size": 15,
"Hidden": false,
"HiddenIfNotPrimary": false
},
"Username": {
"Color": "#55AAFF",
"Size": 15
},
"Message": {
"Color": "#FFFFFF",
"Size": 15
},
"Format": {
"Chat": "{Title} {Username}: {Message}",
"Console": "{Title} {Username}: {Message}"
},
"ConsolePresentation": "[Player] Joe321: Hi there!"
},
{
"GroupName": "owner",
"Priority": 2,
"Title": {
"Text": "[Owner]",
"Color": "#FCFF4C",
"Size": 15,
"Hidden": false,
"HiddenIfNotPrimary": false
},
"Username": {
"Color": "#FCFF4C, #FF00FF",
"Size": 15
},
"Message": {
"Color": "#FFFFFF",
"Size": 15
},
"Format": {
"Chat": "{Title} {Username}: {Message}",
"Console": "{Title} {Username}: {Message}"
},
"ConsolePresentation": "[Player] Joe321: Hi there!"
},
{
"GroupName": "vip",
"Priority": 2,
"Title": {
"Text": "[VIP]",
"Color": "#55AAFF",
"Size": 15,
"Hidden": false,
"HiddenIfNotPrimary": false
},
"Username": {
"Color": "#FCFF4C, #FF00FF",
"Size": 15
},
"Message": {
"Color": "#FFFFFF",
"Size": 15
},
"Format": {
"Chat": "[VIP] {Username}: {Message}",
"Console": "[VIP] {Username}: {Message}"
},
"ConsolePresentation": "[Player] Joe321: Hi there!"
},
{
"GroupName": "lvl_50",
"Priority": 1,
"Title": {
"Text": "[LVL 50]",
"Color": "#FCFF4C",
"Size": 15,
"Hidden": false,
"HiddenIfNotPrimary": false
},
"Username": {
"Color": "#FCFF4C, red",
"Size": 15
},
"Message": {
"Color": "#FFFFFF",
"Size": 15
},
"Format": {
"Chat": "[LVL 50] {Username}: {Message}",
"Console": "[LVL 50] {Username}: {Message}"
},
"ConsolePresentation": "[Player] Joe321: Hi there!"
}
]

This is my data file.

This is what the server assumes I have after unloading/reload several times:

default, admin, owner, VIP, lvl_50

Note the upper case.

using - </chat group remove VIP> results in this message:

Group 'vip' doesn't exist.

I have deleted my config, data file, reloaded the plugin - And the server still thinks all groups are present. I cannot rename or remove the assumed 'problem group'. Interestingly enough, the plugin also refused to create the missing config and data files I had just deleted when it reloaded. Is it storing temporary data on the server and not reading from the configs on boot?

Looking into the permissions, I can see we aren't using these at all aside from betterchat.admin. I'm not sure how this plugin is handling grouping but I seem to have lost control after running into this bug here. Without being able to reset we're at your mercy! <3 

Found my problems!

For the permissions, the groups I had DID exist. They just weren't placed under 'betterchat.<groupname>' they were simply placed in the main permissions and just called 'vip', 'admin', 'lvl_50', etc. 

Embarrassingly enough, the config and data file were performing just fine. My issue was that I had mixed up my server RCONs and got confused.. We can ignore everything about the data/config files being 'inconsistent'.

The one thing that is still a problem, is the capitalization of groups and the plugin being unable to recognize this. I understand this may be because of this year's update in regards to permission capitalization. Not sure if it's a big deal to others, I can work around it by continuing to use lower case in all permissions/groups.

Apologies for the silly ticket, I definitely overlooked some things today! <3