IRC commands cheat sheet

IRC commands start with / and work the same in essentially every client — HexChat, WeeChat, Irssi, mIRC, or a web client. Anything typed without a leading / is sent as a normal message to the current channel. This page lists the everyday commands first, then nickname services, then channel operator commands and the modes you will encounter.

Everyday commands #

/join #channel              join a channel (creates it if it doesn't exist)
/part [#channel] [reason]   leave a channel
/msg nick message           send a private message
/query nick                 open a private message window
/nick newnick               change your nickname
/whois nick                 show information about a user
/me waves                   action message ("* yournick waves")
/notice nick message        send a notice (like /msg, but no reply expected)
/away [reason]              mark yourself away; /away again to return
/topic [#channel]           show the channel topic
/quit [reason]              disconnect from the network

Useful variations:

• /join #chan1,#chan2 — join several channels at once.
• /join #channel key — join a password-protected (+k) channel.

Searching for channels #

On networks with the alis service (Libera.Chat, OFTC and others):

/msg alis LIST *python*         channels matching "python"
/msg alis LIST * -min 100       channels with at least 100 users

This beats the classic /list, which on a large network dumps tens of thousands of lines into your client.

NickServ: nickname registration #

NickServ is the network service that owns nickname registration. The syntax below applies to Libera.Chat and most Atheme-based networks; details vary slightly per network.

/msg NickServ REGISTER password your@email.com    register your current nick
/msg NickServ IDENTIFY password                   log in to your nick
/msg NickServ REGAIN yournick password            reclaim your nick from a ghost
/msg NickServ SET ENFORCE ON                      auto-rename squatters
/msg NickServ INFO nick                           registration info for a nick

Rather than identifying manually every session, configure SASL in your client so authentication happens during connection — covered in how to register a nickname.

ChanServ: channel registration #

If you have founded a channel, ChanServ makes your ownership persistent:

/msg ChanServ REGISTER #channel                   register (you must be op)
/msg ChanServ OP #channel [nick]                  give op status
/msg ChanServ FLAGS #channel nick +o              grant permanent op rights
/msg ChanServ SET #channel GUARD ON               keep ChanServ in the channel
/msg ChanServ INFO #channel                       who owns a channel

Channel operator commands #

These require op status (the @ in front of your nick):

/kick nick [reason]             remove a user from the channel
/mode #channel +b *!*@host      ban a hostmask
/mode #channel -b *!*@host      remove a ban
/mode #channel +o nick          give op           (-o removes)
/mode #channel +v nick          give voice        (-v removes)
/topic #channel New topic       set the topic
/invite nick #channel           invite a user (needed for +i channels)

Ban masks use the form nick!user@host with * wildcards; *!*@198.51.100.7 bans by host regardless of nickname — usually what you want, since nicknames are trivial to change.

Common channel modes #

Set with /mode #channel +x (or -x to unset):

Mode	Meaning
+t	only ops may change the topic
+n	no messages from outside the channel
+m	moderated — only voiced (+v) and ops may talk
+i	invite-only
+k key	password required to join
+l 50	user limit
+s	secret — hidden from channel lists
+r	only registered/identified users may join
+b	ban mask

+t and +n are set by default on most networks.

Common user modes #

Set on yourself with /mode yournick +x:

Mode	Meaning
+i	invisible — hidden from /who by strangers
+w	receive wallops (network-wide operator notices)
+x	hostname cloaking (on networks that support it)
+Z	connected via TLS (set automatically)

CTCP and odds and ends #

/ctcp nick VERSION          ask what client someone runs
/ctcp nick PING             measure round-trip lag to a user
/ignore nick                stop seeing a user's messages (client-side)
/clear                      clear the current window (most clients)

Quick answers #

How do I leave a channel without disconnecting? /part. /quit disconnects from the entire network.

How do I talk to NickServ safely? Always /msg NickServ ... in the server window. If you mistype and drop the /, your password lands in the channel — change it immediately if that happens.

Why can't I speak in a channel? It is probably +m (moderated) and you lack voice, or +r and you are not identified. /mode #channel shows the active modes.

Do commands differ between clients? The core commands above are universal; clients add their own on top (WeeChat's /buffer, Irssi's /window, mIRC's scripting). See best IRC clients for the per-client landscape.