List of Internet Relay Chat commands

This is a list of all Internet Relay Chat commands from IETF RFCs 1459 and 2812. Most IRC clients need commands to have a slash ("/") before the command. Angle brackets ("<" and ">") mean what's placed in the secondary field, not a literal part of the command. Settings encapsulated in square brackets ("[" and "]") are optional and override the command's defaults.

User commands
CommandSyntaxFunctionDefinedADMINADMIN [<server>]Asks the server for information about the administrator of the server <target>,If target is not used, the current server is used.RFC 1459AWAYAWAY [<message>]GIves the server a message to send in reply to a PRIVMSG to the user.  Removes away status if <message> is not used.RFC 1459CONNECTCONNECT <target server> [<port> [<remote server>]] (RFC 1459)
CONNECT <target server> <port> [<remote server>] ( RFC 2812)Tells  the server <remote server> (or the current server, if <remote server> is not used) to connect to <target server> on port <port>. This command can normally only be used by IRC Operators.DIEDIETells the server to shut down. RFC 2812ERRORERROR <error message>Use by servers to report errors to other servers. It is also used before ending client connections.RFC 1459INFOINFO [<target>]Gives information about the <target> server, or the current server if <target> is not used The Information given includes the server's version, when it was compiled, the patch level, when it was started, and any other information which may be relevant.RFC 1459INVITEINVITE <nickname> <channel>Invites <nickname> to the channel <channel>. <channel> does not have to exist. If it does, only members of the channel can invite other clients. If the channel mode i is set, only channel operators may invite other clients.RFC 1459ISONISON <nicknames>Asks the server to see if the clients in the list <nicknames> are on the network. The server returns the nicknames that are on the network. If none of the clients are on the network the server returns an empty list.RFC 1459JOINJOIN <channels> [<keys>]Makes the client join the channels in the list <channels> Passwords can be used in the list <keys>. If the channel(s) do not exist, they will be created.RFC 1459KICKKICK <channel> <client> [<message>]Removes <client> from <channel>. This command may only be issued by channel operators.RFC 1459KILLKILL <client> <comment>Removes <client> from the network. This command may only be used by IRC operators.RFC 1459Other websiteLINKS [<remote server> [<server mask>]]Lists all server links matching <server mask> on <remote server>, or the current server if <remote server> is not used.RFC 1459LISTLIST [<channels> [<server>]]Lists all channels on the server. If the list <channels> is given, it will return the channel topics. If <server> is given, the command will be sent to <server> for evaluation.RFC 1459LUSERSLUSERS [<mask> [<server>]]Returns statistics about the size of the network. If used with no arguments, the statistics will be about the entire network. If <mask> is given, it will return only statistics about the masked subset of the network. If <target> is given, the command will be sent to <server> for evaluation. RFC 2812MODEMODE <nickname> <flags> (user)MODE <channel> <flags> [<args>]The MODE command is has two uses. It can be used to set both user and channel modes.RFC 1459MOTDMOTD [<server>]Returns the message of the day on <server> or the current server if it is not stated. RFC 2812NAMESNAMES [<channels>] (RFC 1459)NAMES [<channels> [<server>]] ( RFC 2812)Returns a list of who is on the list of <channels>, by channel name. If <channels> is not used, all users are shown,. They are grouped by channel name with all users who are not on a channel being shown as part of channel "*". If <server> is specified, the command is sent to <server> for evaluation.RFC 1459NICKNICK <nickname> [<hopcount>] (RFC 1459)
NICK <nickname> ( RFC 2812)Allows a client to change their IRC nickname. Hopcount is for use between servers to say how far away a nickname is from its home server.RFC 1459NOTICENOTICE <msgtarget> <message>Similar to PRIVMSG, but automatic replies are never sent in reply to NOTICE messages.RFC 1459OPEROPER <username> <password>Identifies a user as an IRC operator on that server/network.RFC 1459PARTPART <channels>Causes a user to leave the channels in the list <channels>.RFC 1459PASSPASS <password>Sets a connection password. This command must be sent before the NICK/USER registration combination.RFC 1459PINGPING <server1> [<server2>]Tests a connection. A PING message results in a PONG reply. If <server2> is given, the message is sent to it.RFC 1459PONGPONG <server2> [<server2>]This command is a reply to the PING command. It works in much the same way.RFC 1459PRIVMSGPRIVMSG <msgtarget> <message>Sends <message> to <msgtarget>. The target is usually a user or channel.RFC 1459QUITQUIT [<message>]Disconnects the user from the server.RFC 1459REHASHREHASHCauses the server to re-read and re-process its configuration file(s). This command can only be sent by IRC Operators.RFC 1459RESTARTRESTARTRestarts a server. It may only be sent by IRC Operators.RFC 1459SERVICESERVICE <nickname> <reserved> <distribution> <type> <reserved> <info>Registers a new service on the network. RFC 2812SERVLISTSERVLIST [<mask> [<type>]]Lists the services currently on the network. RFC 2812SERVERSERVER <servername> <hopcount> <info>Used to tell a server that the other end of a new connection is a server. This message is also used to send server data over whole network. <hopcount> says how many hops (server connections) away <servername> is.<info> has information about the server.RFC 1459SQUERYSQUERY <servicename> <text>Same as PRIVMSG except it must be sent to a service. RFC 2812SQUITSQUIT <server> <comment>Causes <server> to quit the network.RFC 1459STATSSTATS <query> [<server>]Returns statistics about the current server, or <server> if it is given.RFC 1459SUMMONSUMMON <user> [<server>] (RFC 1459
SUMMON <user> [<server> [<channel>]] ( RFC 2812)Sends a message to users on the same host as <server> asking them to join IRC.RFC 1459TIMETIME [<server>]Gives the local time on the current server, or <server> if specified.RFC 1459TOPICTOPIC <channel> [<topic>]Used to get the channel topic on <channel>. If <topic> is given, it sets the channel topic to <topic>. If channel mode +t is set, only a channel operator may set the topic.RFC 1459TRACETRACE [<target>]Trace a path across the IRC network to a specific server or client, in a similar method to traceroute.RFC 1459USERUSER <username> <hostname> <servername> <realname> (RFC 1459)
USER <user> <mode> <unused> <realname> ( RFC 2812)This command is used at the beginning of a connection to specify the username, hostname, real name and initial user modes of the connecting client. <realname> may contain spaces, and thus must be prefixed with a colon.RFC 1459 RFC 2812USERHOSTUSERHOST <nickname> [<nickname> <nickname> ...]Returns a list of information about the nicknames specified.RFC 1459USERSUSERS [<server>]Returns a list of users and information about those users in a format similar to the UNIX commands who, rusers and finger.RFC 1459VERSIONVERSION [<server>]Returns the version of <server>, or the current server if omitted.RFC 1459WALLOPSWALLOPS <message>Sends <message> to all operators connected to the server (RFC 1459), or all users with user mode 'w' set ( RFC 2812).RFC 1459WHOWHO [<name> ["o"]]Returns a list of users who match <name>. If the flag "o" is given, the server will only return information about IRC Operators.RFC 1459WHOISWHOIS [<server>] <nicknames>Returns information about the comma-separated list of nicknames masks <nicknames>. If <server> is given, the command is forwarded to it for processing.RFC 1459WHOWASWHOWAS <nickname> [<count> [<server>]]Returns information about a nickname that is no longer in use (due to client disconnection, or nickname changes). If given, the server will return information from the last <count> times the nickname has been used. If <server> is given, the command is forwarded to it for processing. In  RFC 2812, <nickname> can be a comma-separated list of nicknames.RFC 1459

Notes

Related pages
 Internet Relay Chat
 IRCd
 IRCX
 Server

References

Bibliography



Further reading





Commands
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