NickServ Command Reference

NickServ allows you to "register" a nickname and prevent others from using it. If the nick is not used for 30 days, the registration will expire. The following commands allow for registration and maintenance of nicknames; to use them, type /msg NickServ command. For more information on a specific command, type /msg NickServ HELP command.

REGISTER

Syntax:

REGISTER password [E-mail]

Registers your nickname in the NickServ database. Once your nick is registered, you can use the SET and ACCESS commands to configure your nick's settings as you like them. Make sure you remember the password you use when registering; you'll need it to make changes to your nick later. (Note that case matters! FIDO, Fido, and fido are all different passwords!)

You may include an E-mail address when registering your nickname; you may also set one later using the SET EMAIL command. (If the NSRequireEmail is set, the E-mail address is mandatory.)

Guidelines on choosing passwords:

Passwords should not be easily guessable. For example, using your real name as a password is a bad idea. Using your nickname as a password is a much worse idea and, in fact, NickServ will not allow it. Also, short passwords are vulnerable to trial-and-error searches, so you should choose a password at least 5 characters long. Finally, the space character cannot be used in passwords.

AUTH  

Syntax:

AUTH code

Authorizes registration or change of E-mail for a nickname. To ensure that your E-mail address is correct, NickServ will send an message containing an authorization code to the E-mail address given when you register your nickname or change your E-mail address with the SET EMAIL command. This command allows you to confirm that you have received the message and continue using your nickname normally. Replace code in the command with the nine-digit authorization code given in the E-mail message.

SENDAUTH

Syntax:

SENDAUTH

Sends you a copy of the authorization code for your nickname after a REGISTER or SET EMAIL. If you accidentally delete or otherwise lose the message with the authorization code, you can use this command to have an extra copy sent to you.

To prevent abuse, this command may only be used once every 24 hours.

GETAUTH  

Syntax:

GETAUTH nickname

Retrieves the authorization code associated with nickname, if one exists.

CLEARAUTH

Syntax:

CLEARAUTH nickname

Clears any authorization code associated with nickname, allowing the nick to be used normally.

SENDPASS  

Syntax:

SENDPASS

Sends you an E-mail message containing your nickname's password. You must have first confirmed your nick's E-mail address using the AUTH command.

IDENTIFY

Syntax:

IDENTIFY password

Tells NickServ that you are really the owner of this nick. Many commands require you to authenticate yourself with this command before you use them. The password should be the same one you sent with the REGISTER command.

DROP

Syntax:

DROP password

De-registers (drops) your nickname from the NickServ database. A nick that has been dropped is free for anyone to re-register.

Note that when you drop a nick, all nicks linked to it will be dropped as well. To remove a single linked nickname, use the UNLINK command.

To prevent accidental use of this command, you must enter your password in order to drop your nick.

LINK  

Syntax:

LINK nick

Links a new nickname to the nick you are currently using, creating a new "alias" for your nick. The new nick will be equivalent to your current nick in terms of access privileges and memos; for example, you can read memos sent to one of your linked nicks from any other one, and if one of your nicks has auto-op privileges in a channel, you will get auto-opped no matter which linked nick you use.

To cancel a link, use the UNLINK command.

In order to use this command, you must identify for your current nick (using the IDENTIFY command).

UNLINK

Syntax:

UNLINK nick  

Removes a link (alias) to your nickname created with the LINK command. You cannot unlink the nick you are currently using; change to another linked nick first before using this command.

LISTLINKS  

Syntax:

LISTLINKS

Lists all nicks which are linked to your nick. The main nick for the group of linked nicks will be indicated by a "*" to the left of the nick.

ACCESS  

Syntax:

ACCESS ADD mask
ACCESS DEL mask
ACCESS LIST

Modifies or displays the access list for your nick. This is the list of addresses which will be automatically recognized by NickServ as allowed to use the nick. If you want to use the nick from a different address, you need to send an IDENTIFY command to make NickServ recognize you.

Examples:

ACCESS ADD achurch@*.dragonfire.net

Allows access to user achurch from any machine in the dragonfire.net domain.

ACCESS DEL achurch@*.dragonfire.net

Reverses the previous command.

ACCESS LIST

Displays the current access list.

AJOIN

Syntax:

AJOIN ADD channel
AJOIN DEL channel
AJOIN LIST

Modifies or displays the autojoin list for your nick. This is the list of channels that you would like to automatically join, and takes effect whenever you identify to NickServ.

SET

Syntax:

SET option parameters

Sets various nickname options. option can be one of:

PASSWORD

Set your nickname password

LANGUAGE

Set the language Services will use when sending messages to you

URL

Associate a URL with your nickname

EMAIL

Associate an E-mail address with your nickname

KILL

Turn kill protection on or off

SECURE

Turn nickname security on or off

PRIVATE

Prevent your nickname from appearing in a /msg NickServ LIST

HIDE

Hide certain pieces of nickname information

TIMEZONE

Set the time zone to use for displaying times

MAINNICK

Set the nickname shown in channel access lists

In order to use this command, you must first identify with your password (/msg NickServ HELP IDENTIFY for more information).

Type /msg NickServ HELP SET option for more information on a specific option.

SET PASSWORD

Syntax:

SET PASSWORD new-password

Changes the password used to identify you as the nick's owner.

SET LANGUAGE

Syntax:

SET LANGUAGE number

Changes the language Services uses when sending messages to you (for example, when responding to a command you send). number should be chosen from the list of supported languages displayed with /msg NickServ HELP SET LANGUAGE.

SET URL

Syntax:

SET URL url

Associates the given URL with your nickname. This URL will be displayed whenever someone requests information on your nick with the INFO command.

SET EMAIL

Syntax:

SET EMAIL address

Associates the given E-mail address with your nickname. This address will be displayed whenever someone requests information on your nick with the INFO command.

SET KILL

Syntax:

SET KILL {ON | QUICK | IMMED | OFF}

Turns the automatic kill protection option for your nick on or off. With kill protection on, if another user tries to take your nick, they will be given one minute to change to another nick, after which they will be forcibly removed from IRC by NickServ.

If you select QUICK, the user will be given only 20 seconds to change nicks instead of the usual 60. If you select IMMED, the user will be killed immediately without being warned first or given a chance to change their nick; please do not use this option unless necessary. (IMMED can be disabled; see option NSAllowKillImmed in modules.conf.)

SET SECURE

Syntax:

SET SECURE {ON | OFF}

Turns NickServ's security features on or off for your nick. With SECURE set, you must enter your password before you will be recognized as the owner of the nick, regardless of whether your address is on the access list. However, if you are on the access list, NickServ will not auto-kill you regardless of the setting of the KILL option.

SET PRIVATE

Syntax:

SET PRIVATE {ON | OFF}

Turns NickServ's privacy option on or off for your nick. With PRIVATE set, your nickname will not appear in nickname lists generated with NickServ's LIST command. (However, anyone who knows your nickname can still get information on it using the INFO command.)

SET HIDE

Syntax:

SET HIDE {EMAIL | USERMASK | QUIT} {ON | OFF}

Allows you to prevent certain pieces of information from being displayed when someone does a NickServ INFO on your nick. You can hide your E-mail address (EMAIL), last seen user@host mask (USERMASK), and last quit message (QUIT). The second parameter specifies whether the information should be displayed (OFF) or hidden (ON).

SET TIMEZONE

Syntax:

SET TIMEZONE {UTC-offset | time-zone | DEFAULT}

Sets the time zone to use for displaying times (such as a nickname or channel's last used time), instead of using the time zone Services is operating in; the DEFAULT setting can be used to return to Services' time zone. The time zone can be specified in one of two ways:

• As a UTC offset, the time difference between your local time and UTC (Universal Coordinated Time, also known as GMT, Greenwich Mean Time). The offset is given as a "+" or "-" to indicate ahead of (east) or behind (west) UTC, followed by either a whole number of hours or a string in the form "hh:mm".

• As a time zone name, such as "GMT" or "EDT". Not all time zone names are supported by Services, and some countries' time zones have the same names, so if you get an error or the time displayed by Services is wrong, use a UTC offset instead.

Examples:

SET TIMEZONE -5

Set the time zone to 5 hours behind UTC.

SET TIMEZONE +3:30

Set the time zone to 3 hours, 30 minutes ahead of UTC.

SET TIMEZONE JST

Set the time zone to Japan Standard Time (UTC+9:00).

SET MAINNICK

Syntax:

SET MAINNICK nick

When you have several nicks linked together, allows you to select which one is displayed in channel access lists. If you later unlink this nick, then a different one will be selected automatically.

UNSET

Syntax:

UNSET {URL | EMAIL}

Allows you to clear the URL or E-mail address associated with your nickname. Use the URL parameter to clear the URL, or the EMAIL parameter to clear the E-mail address. You cannot clear both at the same time.

If the NSRequireEmail option is set in modules.conf, then the E-mail address cannot be cleared (UNSET EMAIL will generate an error).

RECOVER

Syntax:

RECOVER nickname [password]

Allows you to recover your nickname if someone else has taken it; this does the same thing that NickServ does automatically if someone tries to use a kill-protected nick.

When you give this command, NickServ will bring a fake user online with the same nickname as the user you're trying to recover your nick from, causing the IRC servers to disconnect the other user. This fake user will remain online for one minute to ensure that the other user does not immediately reconnect; after that minute, you can reclaim your nick. Alternatively, use the RELEASE command to get the nick back sooner.

In order to use the RECOVER command for a nick, you must supply the correct password for the nickname, or you must already have identified to a nick linked to the given nick.

RELEASE

Syntax:

RELEASE nickname [password]

Instructs NickServ to remove any hold on your nickname caused by automatic kill protection or use of the RECOVER command. By default, such holds last for one minute; this command gets rid of them sooner.

In order to use the RELEASE command for a nick, you must supply the correct password for the nickname, or you must already have identified to a nick linked to the given nick.

GHOST

Syntax:

GHOST nickname [password]

Terminates a "ghost" IRC session using your nick. A "ghost" session is one which is not actually connected, but which the IRC server believes is still online for one reason or another. Typically, this happens if your computer crashes or your Internet or modem connection goes down while you're on IRC.

In order to use the GHOST command for a nick, you must supply the correct password for the nickname, or you must already have identified to a nick linked to the given nick.

INFO

Syntax:

INFO nickname [ALL]

Displays information about the given nickname, such as the nick's owner, last seen address and time, and nick options. If you are identified for the nick you're getting information for and ALL is specified, you will be shown all the information, regardless of whether it's hidden or not.

LISTCHANS

Syntax:

LISTCHANS

Lists the names and the total number of channels you have registered under your nickname.

LIST

Syntax:

LIST pattern [FORBIDDEN] [NOEXPIRE] [SUSPENDED]

Lists all registered nicknames which match the given pattern, in nick!user@host format. Nicks with the PRIVATE option set will only be displayed to Services admins. 

Examples:

LIST *!joeuser@foo.com

Lists all registered nicks owned by joeuser@foo.com.

LIST *Bot*!*@*

Lists all registered nicks with Bot in their names (case insensitive).

STATUS

Syntax:

STATUS nickname...

Returns whether the user using the given nickname is recognized as the owner of the nickname. The response has this format:

nickname status-code

0

no such user online or nickname not registered

1

user not recognized as nickname's owner

2

user recognized as owner via access list only

3

user recognized as owner via password identification