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ElixIRCd

Channel Commands

JOIN

Section titled “JOIN”

Join one or more channels.

Syntax: JOIN <channel>[,<channel2>,...] [<key>[,<key2>,...]]

Behavior:

  • If the channel doesn’t exist, it is created and you become the first operator (+o)
  • You can join multiple channels in one command separated by commas
  • If a channel requires a key (+k), provide it as the second parameter
  • The server sends: JOIN message → MODE (if you got +o) → TOPIC (or 332/331) → NAMES list (353/366)

Channel join restrictions (checked in order):

  1. User per-prefix channel limit exceeded → ERR_TOOMANYCHANNELS
  2. You are banned (+b) and not excepted (+e) → ERR_BANNEDFROMCHAN
  3. Channel is invite-only (+i) and you have no invite or invex (+I) → ERR_INVITEONLYCHAN
  4. Channel is registered-only (+R) and you’re not registered → ERR_NEEDREGGEDNICK
  5. Channel is secure-only (+z) and you’re not on TLS → ERR_SECUREONLYCHAN
  6. Wrong key (+k) → ERR_BADCHANNELKEY
  7. Channel is full (+l) → ERR_CHANNELISFULL
  8. Join throttle exceeded (+j) → ERR_NEEDREGGEDNICK (rate exceeded)
  9. Channel is oper-only (+O) and you’re not an IRC op → ERR_IRCOPERONLYCHAN

Examples:

JOIN #general
JOIN #secret secretkey
JOIN #chan1,#chan2,#chan3
JOIN #secret,#other key1,

PART

Section titled “PART”

Leave one or more channels.

Syntax: PART <channel>[,<channel2>,...] [:<message>]

Behavior:

  • Broadcasts your departure to all channel members
  • The part message is optional

Examples:

PART #general
PART #general :Leaving for now
PART #chan1,#chan2

MODE

Section titled “MODE”

Set or unset modes on a channel or user.

Syntax (channel): MODE <channel> [+/-modes] [mode arguments...] Syntax (user): MODE <nick> [+/-modes]

Behavior:

  • Without arguments: returns current modes of the channel or user
  • With arguments: applies the specified mode changes
  • Multiple modes can be changed in one command (up to max_modes_per_command, default: 20)

Channel mode examples:

MODE #channel +m          # Set moderated
MODE #channel +k secret   # Set channel key
MODE #channel +o Alice    # Give Alice operator
MODE #channel +v Bob      # Give Bob voice
MODE #channel +b *!*@spammer.net  # Ban mask
MODE #channel -k          # Remove channel key
MODE #channel +im         # Set invite-only and moderated
MODE #channel +j 5:60     # Join throttle: 5 joins per 60 seconds
MODE #channel +d 30       # 30-second delay for new users to speak

User mode examples:

MODE yournick +i          # Set invisible
MODE yournick +x          # Enable hostname cloaking
MODE yournick -i          # Remove invisible

Listing modes:

MODE #channel +b          # List bans
MODE #channel +e          # List ban exceptions
MODE #channel +I          # List invite exceptions

Errors:

  • 482 ERR_CHANOPRIVSNEEDED — not a channel operator
  • 481 ERR_NOPRIVILEGES — setting operator-only modes without being an IRC op
  • 472 ERR_UNKNOWNMODE — unknown mode character

See Modes for the complete mode reference.

TOPIC

Section titled “TOPIC”

Get or set the topic of a channel.

Syntax: TOPIC <channel> [:<new topic>]

Without topic argument: Returns the current topic (332) or “no topic” (331).

With topic argument: Sets a new topic.

  • Restricted to channel operators if +t is set
  • Channel operators can always change the topic regardless of +t

Constraints:

  • Maximum topic length: 300 characters

Examples:

TOPIC #general                    # View current topic
TOPIC #general :Welcome to our channel!
TOPIC #general :                  # Clear the topic

NAMES

Section titled “NAMES”

List all visible users in a channel.

Syntax: NAMES [<channel>]

Behavior:

  • Returns a 353 RPL_NAMREPLY with nicks prefixed by their status symbol (@ for op, + for voice)
  • If UHNAMES capability is enabled, nicks are shown as nick!ident@host
  • If MULTI-PREFIX capability is enabled, users with multiple modes show all prefixes (e.g., @+nick)
  • Without a channel argument, lists all visible users on the server

Example response:

:server 353 you = #general :@Alice +Bob Carol Dave
:server 366 you #general :End of NAMES list.

LIST

Section titled “LIST”

List channels and their topics.

Syntax: LIST [<channel>[,<channel2>,...]]

Behavior:

  • Returns a list of channels with user count and topic
  • Channels with +s (Secret) or +p (Private) modes are hidden from LIST
  • With channel argument(s): shows info for those specific channels only

Example:

LIST
LIST #general,#help

INVITE

Section titled “INVITE”

Invite a user to a channel.

Syntax: INVITE <nick> <channel>

Behavior:

  • Must be a channel operator to invite to +i channels
  • The invited user receives a INVITE message
  • The invite is tracked and allows the user to join even if the channel is +i
  • If INVITE-NOTIFY capability is enabled, other channel members are notified of the invite
  • If INVITE-EXTENDED capability is enabled, the invite message includes account information

Examples:

INVITE Alice #secret

KICK

Section titled “KICK”

Eject a user from a channel.

Syntax: KICK <channel> <nick> [:<reason>]

Behavior:

  • Requires channel operator status
  • The kicked user receives a KICK message and is removed from the channel
  • The kicked user can rejoin unless they are also banned

Constraints:

  • Maximum kick message length: 255 characters

Examples:

KICK #general Bob
KICK #general Bob :Spamming