Navigate Omairc

Use the left sidebar and keyboard shortcuts to move through every connected network and conversation without leaving the composer.

Each network section contains a Status row, followed by CHANNELS and DIRECT MESSAGES. Status shows connection and server activity. Channels are shared rooms; direct messages are one-to-one conversations.

Click a row to select it, or use:

Action	Linux and Windows	macOS
Walk conversations	`Alt+Down` / `Alt+Up`	`Option+Down` / `Option+Up`
Walk networks	`Alt+Left` / `Alt+Right`	`Option+Left` / `Option+Right`
Next unread (mentions first)	`Alt+A`	`Option+A`
Jump to a conversation or Status	`Ctrl+K`	`Cmd+K`
Open focused network’s Status	`Ctrl+``	`Cmd+``
Hide or restore the server list	`Ctrl+Shift+S`	`Cmd+Shift+S`

In the jump sheet, type part of a network or conversation label, use Up/Down, then press Enter.

Organize networks

Network order and collapsed state persist between runs.

Click a network header chevron to collapse or expand it.
Use Alt+Shift+Left / Alt+Shift+Right to collapse or expand the focused network.
Use Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Left / Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Right to collapse or expand all networks.
Use Alt+Shift+Up / Alt+Shift+Down to move the focused network.

Use Option instead of Alt and Cmd instead of Ctrl on macOS. A collapsed network still shows its aggregate unread indicator, and keyboard navigation can still reach its conversations.

Unread messages, the inbox, and mutes

These three signals serve different purposes:

Unread badges count live chat that arrived while a conversation was not selected. Chat in the open conversation also becomes unread while the window is unfocused. Server replay into an already open conversation does not create ordinary unread badges.
The New messages marker identifies the first unread live line in a transcript. With Open conversations at unread enabled, switching conversations lands at this marker instead of the bottom. Status always follows the end.
The session inbox collects actionable background events: mentions, configured highlight words, channel invites, monitored users coming online, and being kicked. A plain direct message does not add a row, but a mention or highlight inside one does. Its inbox label and count appear by your identity in the sidebar footer.

Open the inbox with Ctrl+Shift+A (Cmd+Shift+A on macOS), move with Up/Down, and press Enter to activate an item. Press Delete (or use the row’s delete control) to dismiss a row without opening it. Selecting the corresponding conversation consumes its related inbox rows. The inbox is a session waiting list, not permanent message storage.

Mute a noisy conversation

In a selected conversation, enter:

/mute

Use /unmute to restore it and /muted to list muted targets on the focused network. You can also supply a target, such as /mute #busy-channel. Mutes persist.

Muting suppresses attention behavior for that conversation; it does not leave the channel or erase its transcript. Do not use mute when you actually mean to leave a channel.

Open and close direct messages

Click a nick in the member panel to open a direct message, or use the nick jump sheet with Ctrl+Shift+K (Cmd+Shift+K on macOS). Ctrl+W/Cmd+W closes the selected direct-message tab; it does not quit Omairc.

Whether previously opened direct messages return after reconnecting is controlled by Reopen direct messages on startup.

Expected result

After selecting a sidebar or jump-sheet row, the center header and transcript change to that target while the composer remains ready. Activating an inbox conversation removes matching waiting items; reaching the unread content lets you continue to the newest line with the scroll-down chip.

Common mistakes

Looking for server errors in a channel: open that network’s Status view.
Treating the inbox count as the unread total: inbox events and conversation unread badges are related but independent.
Expecting mute to stop receiving messages: mute changes attention behavior, not IRC membership.
Using Ctrl+W on a channel: it is specifically the close-direct-message shortcut.