diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 8f9bae9..266fe06 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ target/
 /rsx-server-core/world/
 /rsx-server-core/accounts*.txt
 /rsx-server-core/*.txt
+/world/
 
 # jars are build products; the third-party ones we redistribute are un-ignored
 *.jar
diff --git a/rsx-server-core/src/main/java/net/rustnotmc/server/ServerMain.java b/rsx-server-core/src/main/java/net/rustnotmc/server/ServerMain.java
index 97035ab..63778b9 100644
--- a/rsx-server-core/src/main/java/net/rustnotmc/server/ServerMain.java
+++ b/rsx-server-core/src/main/java/net/rustnotmc/server/ServerMain.java
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ public final class ServerMain {
         String gameMode = "survival";
         String register = null;
         String password = null;
-        Path hitboxes = worldDir.resolve("hitboxes.json");
+        Path hitboxes = null;
 
         for (int i = 0; i < args.length - 1; i++) {
             String flag = args[i];
@@ -81,7 +81,10 @@ public final class ServerMain {
 
         World world = new World(seed, new ChunkStorage(worldDir));
         Server server = new Server(name, motd, capacity, port, world);
-        server.hitboxes(new net.rustnotmc.server.hitbox.HitboxRegistry(hitboxes));
+        // the boxes of the models live beside the world, unless the file is
+        // named outright
+        Path boxFile = hitboxes != null ? hitboxes : worldDir.resolve("hitboxes.json");
+        server.hitboxes(new net.rustnotmc.server.hitbox.HitboxRegistry(boxFile));
         if (!server.hitboxes().lastError().isEmpty()) {
             System.out.println("[rsx] hitboxes: " + server.hitboxes().lastError());
         }
diff --git a/world/hitboxes.json b/world/hitboxes.json
deleted file mode 100644
index db2254f..0000000
--- a/world/hitboxes.json
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,33 +0,0 @@
-{
-  "models": {
-    "player": [
-      { "name": "head", "part": "head", "min": [-0.3, 1.4, -0.3], "max": [0.3, 1.8, 0.3] },
-      { "name": "body", "part": "body", "min": [-0.3, 0.4, -0.3], "max": [0.3, 1.4, 0.3] },
-      { "name": "legs", "part": "legs", "min": [-0.3, 0.0, -0.3], "max": [0.3, 0.4, 0.3] }
-    ],
-    "ore_stone": [
-      { "name": "ore", "min": [-0.45, 0.0, -0.45], "max": [0.45, 0.6, 0.45] }
-    ],
-    "ore_metal": [
-      { "name": "ore", "min": [-0.45, 0.0, -0.45], "max": [0.45, 0.6, 0.45] }
-    ],
-    "ore_sulfur": [
-      { "name": "ore", "min": [-0.45, 0.0, -0.45], "max": [0.45, 0.6, 0.45] }
-    ],
-    "barrel_blue": [
-      { "name": "barrel", "min": [-0.35, 0.0, -0.35], "max": [0.35, 0.95, 0.35] }
-    ],
-    "barrel_red": [
-      { "name": "barrel", "min": [-0.35, 0.0, -0.35], "max": [0.35, 0.95, 0.35] }
-    ],
-    "barrel_white": [
-      { "name": "barrel", "min": [-0.35, 0.0, -0.35], "max": [0.35, 0.95, 0.35] }
-    ],
-    "crate": [
-      { "name": "crate", "min": [-0.45, 0.0, -0.45], "max": [0.45, 0.5, 0.45] }
-    ],
-    "food_crate": [
-      { "name": "crate", "min": [-0.45, 0.0, -0.45], "max": [0.45, 0.5, 0.45] }
-    ]
-  }
-}