Operator Privileges

See Core Concepts — Operators for how to obtain operator status.

Operator Capabilities Summary

Action	Command/Mode	Description
Disconnect users	KILL nick :reason	Remove user from server
Broadcast to admins	OPERWALL :msg	Operator-only messages
Global broadcast	WALLOPS :msg	Message to +w users
Global op message	GLOBOPS :msg	Message to all operators
Reload config	REHASH	Apply config changes without restart
Restart server	RESTART	Restart the process
Shut down server	DIE	Terminate the server
View stats	STATS <letter>	Server statistics
Change hostnames	CHGHOST nick newhost	Modify user’s visible hostname
Join oper-only channels	(auto)	Bypass +O channel restriction
Set oper modes	+H, +s	Operator-only user modes
Skip join throttle	(auto)	Not subject to +j restriction

Security Recommendations

1. Use strong, unique passwords for each operator credential
2. Always OPER over TLS — the password is plaintext in the IRC protocol
3. Minimize the number of operators — only trusted admins
4. Use +H to stay low-profile when doing routine moderation
5. De-oper when not needed — /mode nick -o when done
6. Monitor operator activity via server notices and logs

Operator Visibility

By default, IRC operators are visible in WHOIS with:

:server 313 yournick operNick :is an IRC Operator

Operators can hide their status with +H:

MODE yournick +H

When +H is set, non-operators doing WHOIS won’t see the IRC operator line. Other operators can still see it.

What Operators Cannot Do (by default)

• Override channel bans to join a banned channel (unless using IRC tricks)
• Access private messages between users
• Set modes they don’t have permission for (e.g., setting +r on themselves manually)
• Modify registered nick/channel data directly (use services for that)

Server Notices

Operators with +s (Server Notices) mode receive notices about server events, such as client connections.