Question Mobs spawn when chunk is entered, but eventually stop

[t0nedeaf]

Hi all! We've got a paper server running on MC version 1.19.2. We've built a mob tower (design linked here). When the chunk is first loaded by a player, the mobs spawn as normal. However, no matter where we AFK, whether it be in the proper AFK spot or in any other areas, mobs eventually stop spawning. We do not leave the chunk the farm is in when we AFK. Similar behavior has been observed at our guardian farm, where mobs will spawn quite quickly at first, but eventually stop spawning. This behavior happens regardless of how many players are online or what dimensions they are in. Please help!

I've attached .txt versions of our .yml's. Thanks!

Edit: We have EssentialsX and mcmmo as our plugins.

 

[t0nedeaf]

At sulu's suggestion on discord, I did /paper playermobcaps and saw 100/100 monsters. What should I do next?

Edit: The mob farm is over the ocean with no other spawnable areas.

Edit2: So the problem, I discovered, is that my friend is sitting at the bottom and loading mobs. When he leaves, the mobcap shrinks down to 16/100 - 23/100 etc. Do we share a mob cap for a certain space?