Bans & Restrictions

Channel Bans

Channel operators can ban users by hostmask using the +b mode:

MODE #channel +b *!*@bad.host.com
MODE #channel +b SpamBot!*@*
MODE #channel +b *!badident@*

See Channel List Modes for full ban documentation.

Ban Mask Normalization

When a ban is set, the mask is normalized:

• Incomplete masks are expanded to full nick!ident@host format
• For example, *@bad.host.com is normalized to *!*@bad.host.com

Ban Limits

By default, each channel can have up to 100 ban entries (configurable via max_list_entries: %{"b" => 100}).

Ban Exceptions (+e)

Ban exceptions allow specific users to bypass bans:

MODE #channel +e TrustedUser!*@*

If a user matches both a ban (+b) and an exception (+e), they can join (exception wins).

Access Restrictions by Mode

Mode	Restriction
+i	Invite only — requires invite or +I exception
+k	Key — requires correct channel password
+l	Limit — channel at capacity
+R	Registered only — must be identified (+r)
+O	Oper only — must be an IRC operator
+z	Secure only — must be on TLS (+Z)
+j	Join throttle — rate limited

User-Level Restrictions

Caller ID (+g)

Users can enable Caller ID to only receive messages from trusted users:

MODE yournick +g
ACCEPT +TrustedFriend

See User Modes — +g.

Registered Only (+R for users)

Users can block messages from unregistered users:

MODE yournick +R

SILENCE

Users can silence specific hostmasks (messages are silently dropped):

SILENCE +*!*@spammer.example.com

See SILENCE command.

Kicking Users

Channel operators can remove users from channels:

KICK #channel BadUser :Violated channel rules

Note

Kicking does not ban. The kicked user can rejoin unless also banned.

IRC Operator Actions

IRC operators can:

• KILL — forcefully disconnect a user from the entire server:

  KILL spambot :Automated spam

Server-Level Connection Limits

Connection-level restrictions apply before users even complete registration:

• max_connections_per_ip — max simultaneous connections from one IP
• Connection rate throttle — token bucket per IP
• IP blocking after repeated violations

See Rate Limiting for configuration.