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Create your first connection

On first launch, Omairc opens a mandatory Connect sheet with a suggested Freenode profile: chat.freenode.net, port 6697, TLS enabled, and #omarchy in Autojoin. Supply your identity and apply the profile to connect.

Before you connect

Section titled “Before you connect”

Have these details from the network operator or your bouncer provider:

  • server hostname and port;
  • whether TLS is required;
  • a nickname;
  • any server or NickServ password;
  • optional channels to join automatically.

Fill in the profile

Section titled “Fill in the profile”
  1. In Name, enter a label for the network, such as Freenode. This label is shown in the sidebar; it does not change the server address. If left empty, Omairc uses the host as the display name.
  2. In Host, enter only the server hostname, such as chat.freenode.net. Do not include ircs:// or a port.
  3. Enter the Port. 6697 is the suggested TLS port for Freenode. Use the value supplied by your network.
  4. Leave TLS on when the server offers a TLS endpoint.
  5. Enter your Nick. This is the name people see in chat and is required.
  6. Optionally enter Username and Real name. When blank, Omairc uses the nick for the corresponding registration value.
  7. In Autojoin, enter channels separated by commas or spaces, for example #omarchy #omairc. Include # to avoid ambiguity. Omairc joins them after connecting.
  8. Turn on Connect automatically on startup only if this profile should connect whenever Omairc starts.

Choose the right password field

Section titled “Choose the right password field”
  • Server password is normally the IRC PASS value. If no NickServ password is set, Omairc can also use it as the SASL secret.
  • NickServ password is the preferred SASL secret. If SASL does not succeed, Omairc sends it to NickServ with IDENTIFY.

Omairc uses SCRAM-SHA-256 when the server advertises it and otherwise SASL PLAIN. The Connect sheet does not currently provide separate SASL account or bouncer-network fields, so profiles that require those separate values may not be configurable through this UI.

Apply and verify

Section titled “Apply and verify”
  1. Select Apply, or press Ctrl+Enter (Cmd+Enter on macOS).
  2. Watch the network’s connection state and Status view.
  3. Confirm that the autojoin channel appears under CHANNELS and its transcript opens.

Expected result: the profile remains in the sidebar, its state reaches connected, and the selected autojoin channel shows a composer at the bottom. Press Ctrl+\`` (Cmd+`` on macOS) to inspect Status if registration fails.

Common mistakes

Section titled “Common mistakes”
  • Apply remains unavailable: Host, Port, and Nick are required. A nick, username, real name, or autojoin entry that cannot be sent is also rejected with a message in the sheet.
  • Apply reports that the profile could not be saved and the sheet stays open: the settings file was not writable. Fix the config location or its permissions, then apply again; the sheet does not close on a failed save or remove.
  • The host is wrong: enter irc.example.net, not ircs://irc.example.net:6697.
  • The password is in the wrong field: use NickServ password for the normal services account secret; reserve Server password for a server/bouncer PASS unless your network tells you otherwise.
  • You expected the display name to select a different server: Name is only the label; Host controls the destination.
  • The channel does not appear: verify that Autojoin contains the channel name (normally including #) and check Status for a join error.

Add or edit a network later

Section titled “Add or edit a network later”

Open Connect with Ctrl+, (Cmd+, on macOS). Use + Add network or Ctrl+N, select a profile in the left rail, and apply changes with Ctrl+Enter. A connected profile can also be disconnected from this sheet.

Next steps

Section titled “Next steps”