Stakeout

Stakeout is a lightweight World of Warcraft Classic addon that watches for NPCs you choose and helps you react quickly when they appear.

It can detect tracked NPCs through nearby nameplates, mouseover, and a proximity-based targeting check, then surface them in a clickable target frame so you can target them instantly.

Features

• Track a custom list of NPCs by exact name
• Detect NPCs through:
  • nameplates
  • mouseover
  • proximity polling
• Show a clickable target frame for detected NPCs
• Auto-mark detected NPCs with a raid marker
• Optional taskbar flash on detection
• Optional sound alert on detection
• Configurable target frame scale
• Lockable / movable target frame
• Optional max nameplate distance support
• Per-character saved settings

How it works

Stakeout keeps a watch list of NPC names that you define.

When one of those NPCs is detected, the addon can:

• announce it in chat
• flash the client icon
• play a sound
• add a raid marker
• show a clickable button that targets the NPC by exact name

This makes it useful for rare hunting, patrol watching, event NPCs, or any situation where you want fast reaction to a specific NPC appearing nearby.

Installation

1. Download or package the addon.
2. Extract the folder so it sits here:

World of Warcraft\_classic_era_\Interface\AddOns\Stakeout

1. Make sure the folder contains:

   • Stakeout.toc
   • Stakeout.lua

2. Launch the game and enable Stakeout from the AddOns list.

Usage

Open the config

Use:

/stakeout

or

/stake

This opens the configuration panel.

Add NPCs to track

You can add NPCs from the config window, or by slash command:

/stakeout add NPC Name

Example:

/stakeout add Doomwalker

NPC names must match exactly.

Remove NPCs

/stakeout remove NPC Name

List tracked NPCs

/stakeout list

Clear the watch list

/stakeout clear

Reset current detections and rescan

/stakeout reset

Commands

/stakeout                Open config panel
/stake                   Alias for /stakeout
/stakeout add <NPC Name> Add an NPC to the watch list
/stakeout remove <NPC Name> Remove an NPC from the watch list
/stakeout list           List tracked NPCs in chat
/stakeout clear          Remove all tracked NPCs
/stakeout reset          Clear detections and rescan

Configuration options

Stakeout includes options for:

Detection

• Enable or disable proximity scanning
• Increase nameplate distance to maximum supported range

Alerts

• Flash taskbar icon on detection
• Play sound on detection

Raid marking

• Enable automatic raid marking
• Choose which raid marker to apply

Target frame

• Lock or unlock frame position
• Change the button icon style
• Adjust frame scale

Watch list management

• Add NPCs
• Remove NPCs
• Clear all tracked NPCs
• Reset current detections

Target frame

When a tracked NPC is detected, Stakeout can show a small clickable frame with one button per detected NPC.

Clicking a button targets that NPC by exact name.

If the addon has a live unit reference available, it will try to show that NPC’s portrait on the button. Otherwise it falls back to the configured icon.

Notes

• NPC names must be entered exactly.
• This addon is designed for user-defined NPC tracking, not a preloaded rare database.
• Proximity detection is a fallback and may behave differently depending on game restrictions and client behavior.
• Detection handling is conservative in combat when secure UI restrictions apply.
• Saved settings are stored per character.

Compatibility

Designed for WoW Classic-era clients using the addon interface version in the TOC.

Credits

Stakeout is a standalone NPC detection addon built around a configurable watch list and a fast clickable targeting workflow. It was inspired by the targeting module of Rested XP.