Describe your suggestion

The kobolds are pesky monsters that take pride in stealing your stuff. I believe it is great that they are highlighted once stolen, but you run the risk of them despawning if you cannot kill them and they wander off too far. This is usually not a problem, but I just had 4 kobolds gang up on me take 4 of my tools and run off in opposite directions. I managed to get my diamond shovel and decently enchanted netherite pickaxe back, but the one that took my diamond axe despawned.
I believe that they add a more fun and challenging element to the game, but honestly, much like the phantom, it has the potential to really annoy some people. I believe that it should be an option to toggle this off so that kobolds cannot steal your items, but that they can steal by default.

Additionally or alternatively, you could prevent kobolds from despawning with stolen items, making sure that you won't worry about permanently losing your items. I guess this could be technically configurable too due some players perhaps liking this challenge or having 'baited' kobolds take up the mob cap.

Benefits of the feature

Having configurable kobold thievery would accommodate for players that find this feature annoying.

Additional context

I have used spare items I do not care about as bait for the kobolds at times. If something were done to stop kobolds with stolen items from despawning, these baited kobolds could build up. This is easily fixable by the player but still something to consider.

Just to add. Most people would immediately run after the kobold to get their items back, so despawning is usually not an issue you'd encounter, but if you have them gang up on you like I did, it could happen

lmao in game UK experience

Done in 93ee194.