A moon clip is a type of out-of-bounds clip that involves attaining skew at the moment Mario collects a Power Moon, so that the animation of collecting the moon forces Mario upright at the position of his feet, thus forcing him partially through an adjacent wall or ceiling. The Power Moon used for the clip must be uncollected, meaning that a player will only have one attempt to perform a moon clip unless they create a backup of their save file.

Execution

The most common method used to perform moon clips is a backflip against the wall (or in some cases, ceiling) the player wishes to clip through, using a moon that is spawned by a specific action.

As a general method to moon clip in this manner:

  • Begin spawning the moon.
  • At the correct moment, perform a backflip while facing away from the wall (if attempting to clip through a ceiling, this direction is less important).
  • When Mario's feet are facing towards the wall or ceiling, input a cap throw. The direction does not matter.
  • If done correctly, the moon should become solid at the same moment the cap throw occurs, causing Mario to collect it during the skew induced by the cap throw. This causes Mario's in-game position to be closer to the wall or ceiling than normally possible. The moon then forces Mario's hit sensors to be above his position, which should now be partially out of bounds.
  • After collecting the moon, continue moving in the direction of the wall (or cap bounce to stay above a ceiling) to ensure Mario does not clip back into bounds.

The timing of the inputs for each moon clip will vary slightly, since the positioning and spawn time tends to vary.

Locations

The following is a list of known moon clip locations:

Kingdom Moon Movement Use Video
Cap Kingdom Bonneter Blockade Long jump Theorized to save time in the Dark Side and Darker Side categories. Link
Cap Kingdom Secrets of the Frog Pond Triple jump Link
Cascade Kingdom Treasure of the Waterfall Basin Backflip Saves time in multiple categories. Known as Chest Clip. Link
Cascade Kingdom Rolling Rocks by the Falls Backflip Saves time in the Dark Side and Darker Side categories. Link
Cascade Kingdom Chomp Through the Rocks Triple jump Link
Sand Kingdom Employees Only Triple jump Saves time in Darker Side. Link
Sand Kingdom Hidden Room in the Flowing Sands Roll cancel Link
Sand Kingdom Desert Gardening: Plaza Seed

Desert Gardening: Ruins Seed Desert Gardening: Seed on the Cliff

Backflip Link
Sand Kingdom Skull Sign in the Transparent Maze Long jump Theorized to save time in All Sub Areas. Link
Sand Kingdom The Invisible Maze Long jump Link
Sand Kingdom Jump Onto the Transparent Lift Triple jump Link
Lake Kingdom End of the Hidden Passage Triple jump A faster alternative to Lake Clip known as Lake Moon Clip. Link
Lake Kingdom End of the Hidden Passage Backflip A faster alternative to Lake Clip known as Lake Moon Clip. File
Lake Kingdom End of the Hidden Passage 2p vault An even faster version of Lake Moon Clip for two-player mode. Link
Lake Kingdom Behind the Floodgate Backflip Link
Lake Kingdom Found with Dark Side Art 9 Backflip Link
Wooded Kingdom Tucked Away Inside the Tunnel Backflip Saves time in multiple categories. Known as Nut Clip. Link
Wooded Kingdom Behind the Rock Wall Backflip A clip performed immediately after Nut Clip that saves time in multiple categories. Link
Wooded Kingdom The Nut 'Round the Corner Backflip Saves time in the Darker Side category. Link
Wooded Kingdom The Nut in the Red Maze Triple jump Saves time in multiple categories. Known as Maze Clip. Link
Wooded Kingdom The Nut in the Red Maze 2p bounce A faster version of Maze Clip for two-player mode. Link
Wooded Kingdom The Nut that Grew on the Tall Fence Backflip Link
Wooded Kingdom Flooding Pipeway Ceiling Secret Triple jump Used as a shortcut in the Flooding Pipeway room. Link
Wooded Kingdom Flooding Pipeway Ceiling Secret 2p vault A faster Flooding Pipeway clip for two-player mode. Link
Wooded Kingdom Secret Path to the Steam Gardens! 2p vault Grants access to Morning Wooded. Link
Wooded Kingdom Secret Path to the Steam Gardens! Triple jump Grants access to Morning Wooded. Link
Wooded Kingdom Found with Moon Kingdom Art Backflip Link
Wooded Kingdom Nut Planted in the Tower Triple jump Link
Wooded Kingdom Rolling Rock in the Woods Backflip Saves time in the All Sub Areas Category Extention. Link
Wooded Kingdom Down and Back Breakdown Road Triple jump Link
Wooded Kingdom Below Breakdown Road Backflip Link
Wooded Kingdom Thanks For the Charge Backflip Link
Wooded Kingdom Found With Moon Kingdom Art Backflip Link
Wooded Kingdom Nut Hidden in the Fog Backflip Link
Lost Kingdom Below the Cliff's Edge Backflip Theorized to save time for the Dark Side and Darker Side categories. Link
Lost Kingdom Cave Gardening Backflip Has been theorized to potentially save time in some categories. Link
Lost Kingdom Inside the Stone Cage Backflip Saves time in Any%. Link
Lost Kingdom Inside the Rising Stone Pillar Triple jump Saves time in the Dark Side and Darker Side categories. Link
Lost Kingdom Peeking Out from Under the Bridge 2p bounce Saves time in multiple two-player categories. Link
Lost Kingdom Chasing Klepto Backflip Link
Metro Kingdom Inside an Iron Girder 2p bounce Link
Metro Kingdom Inside an Iron Girder Backflip Saves time in Any% No NSCA. Link
Metro Kingdom Inside an Iron Girder Long jump Theorized to save time in Any% No NSCA. Link
Metro Kingdom City Hall Lost & Found Backflip Link
Metro Kingdom Secret Girder Tunnel! 2p vault Saves time in Minimum Captures. Link
Metro Kingdom Secret Girder Tunnel! Backflip Link
Metro Kingdom Girder Sandwich Backflip Saves time in Any% and multiple other Categories. Link
Metro Kingdom Outside the Rotating Maze Long jump Theorized to save time in All Sub Areas. Link
Metro Kingdom High Over the Crowd Backflip Link
Metro Kingdom Sewer Treasure Triple jump Link
Metro Kingdom Off the Beaten Wire Triple jump Link
Snow Kingdom Behind Snowy Mountain Triple jump Link
Snow Kingdom Behind Snowy Mountain Backflip Link
Snow Kingdom Shining in the Snow in Town Backflip Saves time in multiple categories. Known as Snow Moon Clip. Link
Seaside Kingdom The Back Canyon: Excavate! Backflip Link
Luncheon Kingdom Climb the Cheese Rocks Backflip Saves time in Minimum Captures. Link
Luncheon Kingdom From Inside a Bright Stone Backflip Link
Luncheon Kingdom Love Above the Lava Triple jump Link
Luncheon Kingdom Volcano Cave and Mysterious Clouds Triple jump Link
Ruined Kingdom In the Ancient Treasure Chest Sideflip Saves time in the Dark Side and Darker Side categories. Link
Bowser's Kingdom Hidden Corridor Under the Floor Triple jump Link
Bowser's Kingdom Hidden Corridor Under the Floor Long jump Theorized to save time in Any%. Link
Bowser's Kingdom Poking the Turret Wall Triple jump Theorized to save time in the Dark Side and Darker Side categories. Link
Bowser's Kingdom Poking the Turret Wall Backflip Theorized to save time in the Dark Side and Darker Side categories. Link
Bowser's Kingdom Poking You Nose in the Plaster Wall Triple jump Link
Bowser's Kingdom Behind the Big Wall Triple jump Link
Bowser's Kingdom Poking Your Nose by the Great Gate Backflip Link
Bowser's Kingdom Poke the Wooden Tower Backflip Link
Bowser's Kingdom Sphinx Over Bowser's Castle Triple jump Theorized to save time in All Moons. Link
Bowser's Kingdom Jizo and the Hidden Room Sideflip Link