How to register a nickname on IRC (NickServ and SASL)

On IRC your nickname is your identity, and without registration anyone can use it the moment you disconnect. Registration takes a minute, costs nothing, and unlocks channels that require identified users (+r). This guide covers registration with NickServ and the modern way to authenticate: SASL.

Step 1: register with NickServ #

While connected with the nickname you want to keep, send:

/msg NickServ REGISTER yourpassword your@email.com

Three things to know:

• Use a real email. Most networks (including Libera.Chat) send a verification command you must paste back, e.g. /msg NickServ VERIFY REGISTER yournick <token>.
• Use a unique password. Anyone who knows it owns your nick; a password manager entry is appropriate.
• Type it in the server window. If you forget the leading / in a channel, your password becomes a chat message — change it immediately if that happens.

Once registered, your nick is yours. On future connections, log in with:

/msg NickServ IDENTIFY yourpassword

Step 2: stop identifying manually — use SASL #

SASL authenticates you during connection, before you join any channels. That means no race where you join channels unidentified, no NickServ password in your autojoin scripts, and access to networks that restrict unregistered connections (Libera.Chat requires SASL for some VPN and cloud-hosted ranges).

Every maintained client supports it. The setting is usually under the network's properties:

• HexChat: Network list → Edit → Login method: "SASL (username + password)" — username is your NickServ account name, password is your NickServ password.
• WeeChat: /set irc.server.libera.sasl_username yournick and /set irc.server.libera.sasl_password yourpassword.
• Irssi: /network add -sasl_username yournick -sasl_password yourpassword -sasl_mechanism PLAIN liberachat.
• Halloy / goguma / IRCCloud: SASL fields are right in the server dialog.

Mechanism: PLAIN over a TLS connection (port 6697) is the normal choice. If you want to go further, EXTERNAL authenticates with a client TLS certificate instead of a password — supported on Libera.Chat, OFTC and others.

Useful NickServ commands after registration #

/msg NickServ SET ENFORCE ON            rename anyone using your nick
/msg NickServ REGAIN yournick pass      reclaim your nick from a ghost session
/msg NickServ GROUP                     attach an alternate nick to your account
/msg NickServ SET HIDEMAIL ON           hide your email from INFO (often default)
/msg NickServ SET PASSWORD newpass      change your password
/msg NickServ INFO yournick             view your registration details

GROUP is worth knowing: register yournick and group yournick_ or yournick|away so your fallback nicks are protected too.

Per-network differences #

The commands above match Atheme services, used by Libera.Chat, OFTC and many others. Networks running different services (anope on Rizon and DALnet, for example) use nearly identical syntax, but always check the network's own documentation — and note that a registration is per network: your Libera.Chat nick says nothing about who owns the same nick on EFnet. Some networks, EFnet and IRCnet most notably, have no nickname registration at all; there, holding a nick is first come, first served, every time.

Troubleshooting #

"This nickname is registered" — someone else got there first. Pick a variation, or check /msg NickServ INFO nick; some networks drop registrations after long inactivity.

Never received the verification email — check spam, then /msg NickServ RESEND (where supported) or ask in the network help channel (#libera on Libera.Chat).

SASL fails on connect — the account name must be your registered account (usually your primary nick), not whatever nick you are currently using; and the mechanism should be PLAIN with TLS enabled.