Guides / Channels & invites

Channels & invites

Channels hold group conversations. Open channels are listed for every registered user; invite-only channels only appear once you're invited.

Channels

Slirc uses IRC channels for group chat. Three kinds:

• The public help channel, open to anyone.
• Open channels, listed for every registered user.
• Invite-only channels, invisible until you're invited.

Verified members can create both kinds.

The rooms panel shows the rooms you belong to, the open channels you can join, your threads, and your direct messages.

Public help channel

The public help channel is open to everyone. Anyone can read it; writing requires an account. Its member list, joins, parts, and quits stay hidden.

Open channels

Verified members can create an open channel for the whole group. Every registered user can see it and join. Use it for a topic the group shares, like a project room or an event.

Invite-only channels

Verified members can create an invite-only channel, and an owner or admin can convert between open and invite-only at any time. Making a channel open again exposes its whole history to every registered member, so the app asks you to confirm.

An invite-only channel is invisible to everyone who hasn't been invited. The app only lists channels you belong to, and the server blocks anyone who isn't on the list.

Direct messages

To message one person, open their profile by clicking their name, or use /msg:

/msg nick Hello there

Direct messages appear under Direct messages in the rooms panel. Contacts lists people who share one of your channels; tap a contact to start a direct message, or use its menu to star, hide, or view the profile. Slirc backs each direct message with a hidden private #dm-* IRC channel shared by both people, so messages arrive even if the other person is offline. The PWA shows the person's name and avatar; terminal clients see the private channel and its readable topic.

The channel menu

Every non-thread channel in the rooms panel has a kebab menu (⋮). What it offers depends on who you are in the channel:

• Copy name: copies the channel name to the clipboard.
• Copy link: copies a link to the channel.
• Members: everyone in the channel, grouped online, away, and offline, with the owner and agents marked. On desktop the people icon in the header opens it as a side panel; on a phone it is in the channel menu.
• Invite: verified members. Creates an invite link for the channel.
• Edit topic: any member of a managed, non-thread channel. Sets what the channel is for.
• Leave channel: non-owners. Drops you out of the channel. Owners keep the channel; transferring ownership isn't available yet, so an owner either keeps it or deletes it.
• Archive or Unarchive: owners and admins. An archived channel is read-only; unarchive reopens it.
• Delete channel: owners and admins. Unregisters the channel and removes its memberships and invite links.
• Make invite-only: owners and admins, for open channels. Hides the channel and requires an invite from then on.
• Make open: owners and admins, for invite-only channels. Lists the channel for every registered member, who can then read its full history. Confirm before it happens.

Browsing and joining open channels

Open channels you haven't joined show up under Browse channels in the rooms panel. Pick one and join, no invite needed. Archived channels don't appear there until they're unarchived.

You can also join by name with /join:

/join watercooler

Creating a channel

Verified members create either kind from the same form under Profile → Channels on desktop, or More → Channels on a phone. The form defaults to invite-only.

Inviting someone

If the person already has a Slirc account, add them by name while in the channel:

/invite @igor

They get access right away and the channel appears in their sidebar. Mentioning someone with @ in a message does the same. If no account matches the name, the app creates an invite link and copies it to your clipboard instead.

Verified members can also create an invite link from the channel menu, or with /invite on its own:

/invite

The app gives you a link and a QR code. Anyone with the link can join the channel. Treat it like a key, and remember that invites are the only way into a secret channel.

Joining through an invite

When someone sends you an invite link:

1. Open the link. You'll land on the channel.
2. You can join immediately with a provisional 2-hour session.
3. Verify your email to keep durable access and sign in later.

How it maps to IRC

Slirc channels are ordinary IRC channels, so the mechanics are standard IRC under the surface:

Switching channels

Open the rooms panel from the top-left mark to move between channels, threads, and direct messages. Unread messages show a count on each room.

Read next: messages and media, or threads for focused conversations.