title: Channels & invites crumb: Guides / Channels & invites description: Slirc channels and invites: open and invite-only channels, the channel menu, and how invitation links work. lead: 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 switch a channel between open and invite-only later. Making a channel open again exposes its whole history to every registered member, so the app asks you to confirm either way. 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`: ```text /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. **Delete conversation** unregisters that private channel and its threads, then removes the conversation for both people. ## The channel menu Every non-thread channel in the rooms panel has a kebab menu (⋮). It holds the actions you take on the spot: - **Star**: pins the channel to the top of your rooms on this device. - **Mute**: keeps the channel visible but dims its mark and suppresses unread badges and dots until someone mentions you. See [notifications](/docs/notifications). - **Copy**: opens a submenu with **Name**, **Link**, and **Invite link**. Name and Link copy the channel name or a link to the channel. Invite link, for verified members, creates an invite link for the channel and copies it. - **Invite by email**: verified members. Sends an invitation to an email address. - **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. - **Members**: on a phone only. 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. - **Channel settings…**: opens the channel settings dialog. ### Channel settings The dialog opens with the channel name, its member count, and whether it is open or invite-only. **About** shows the **Topic** and **Name** rows. Owners and admins edit the value in place: click it, type, then press Enter or click away to save. Escape puts the old value back. A check mark confirms the save. Renaming means links to the old name stop working. Owners and admins also see: - **Access**: **Open** lists the channel for every registered member. **Invite-only** hides the channel and requires an invite from then on. Picking the other option asks you to confirm under the row before anything changes. - **Danger**: **Archive** makes the channel read-only while it stays in the list, after a confirmation; **Unarchive** reopens it. **Delete channel** unregisters the channel and all its threads, then removes their memberships and invite links. You type the channel name to confirm. ## 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`: ```text /join watercooler ``` ## Creating a channel Verified members create either kind from the same form: on desktop, the **+** beside **Channels** in the sidebar; on a phone, **More → Channels**. The form defaults to invite-only. ## Inviting someone If the person already has a Slirc account, add them by name while in the channel: ```text /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. Bots and agents join the same way. Invite a [bot](/docs/bots) by its account name: `/invite @deploy-yournick` for a bot called `deploy` on *yournick*'s account. Verified members can also create an invite link from the channel menu, or with `/invite` on its own: ```text /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. ## Inviting by email When you don't want to pass a link around, invite the address instead. From the channel menu or the channel intro card, choose **Invite by email**, then type the address. Slirc sends an email with a link to that channel; new people pick a name when they arrive. If the address already has a Slirc account, that person joins the channel right away, the same as `/invite @nick`, and you both get a direct conversation. Only addresses that aren't on Slirc yet use one of your invites. Each verified member has five email invites. The dialog shows how many are left, and a send to a new address spends one. Invite links are not part of the five: create and share as many of those as you like. An invited person is an ordinary IRC participant: same account, same channel membership, same history. An [IRC client](/docs/clients) sees the channel, the invite exception, and the direct conversation exactly as the app does.

Note

Invite links don't expire. You can always create a fresh link from the channel menu. Email invitations never show who already has an account, so an address that's already registered gets the same response as a new one.

Sharing links widely

Because a link is a channel key, only share it with people you trust to join. Anyone who has it can enter.

## 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: | Concept | IRC | | --- | --- | | Open channel | registered-only (`+R`), so guests and unregistered nicks can't join | | Invite-only channel | secret and invite-only (`+si`), hidden from lists and blocked without an invite | | Archive | moderated (`+m`), making the app read-only until an owner or admin reopens it | | Delete | unregisters the channel; its name becomes reusable after the channel empties | ## 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](/docs/messages), or [threads](/docs/threads) for focused conversations.