ngIRCd - Next Generation IRC Server
                           http://ngircd.barton.de/

               (c)2001-2013 Alexander Barton and Contributors.
               ngIRCd is free software and published under the
                   terms of the GNU General Public License.

                              -- Commands.txt --


This file lists all commands available on ngIRCd. It is written in a format
that is human readable as well as machine parseable and therefore can be used
as "help text file" of the daemon.

In short, the daemon reads this file on startup and parses it as following
when an user issues a "HELP <cmd>" command:

 1. Search the file for a line "- <cmd>",
 2. Output all subsequent lines that start with a TAB (ASCII 9) character
    to the client using NOTICE commands, treat lines containing a single "."
    after the TAB as empty lines.
 3. Break at the first line not starting with a TAB character.

This format allows to have information to each command stored in this file
which will not be sent to an IRC user requesting help which enables us to
have additional annotations stored here which further describe the origin,
implementation details, or limits of the specific command which are not
relevant to an end-user but administrators and developers.

A special "Intro" block is returned to the user when the HELP command is
used without a command name:


- Intro
	This is ngIRCd, a server software for Internet Relay Chat (IRC)
	networks. You can find more information about ngIRCd on its homepage:
		<http://ngircd.barton.de>
	.
	Use "HELP COMMANDS" to get a list of all available commands and
	"HELP <command-name>" to get help for a specific IRC command, for
	example "HELP quit" or "HELP privmsg".


Connection Handling Commands
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

- CAP
	CAP LS
	CAP LIST
	CAP REQ <capabilities>
	CAP ACK <capabilities>
	CAP NAK <capabilities>
	CAP CLEAR
	CAP END
	.
	List, request, and clear "IRC Capabilities".
	.
	Using this command, an IRC client can request additional "IRC
	capabilities" during login or later on, which influences the
	communication between server and client. Normally, these commands
	aren't directly used by humans, but automatically by their client
	software. And please note that issuing such commands manually can
	irritate the client software used, because of the "non-standard"
	behavior of the server!
	.
	- CAP LS: list all available capabilities.
	- CAP LIST: list active capabilities of this connection.
	- CAP REQ: Request particular capabilities.
	- CAP ACK: Acknowledge a set of capabilities to be enabled/disabled.
	- CAP NAK: Reject a set of capabilities.
	- CAP CLEAR: Clear all set capabilities.
	- CAP END: Indicate end of capability negotiation during login,
	  ignored in an fully registered session.

	Please note that the <capabilities> must be given in a single
	parameter but whitespace separated, therefore a command could look
	like this: "CAP REQ :capability1 capability2 capability3" for example.

	References:
	 - <http://ircv3.atheme.org/specification/capability-negotiation-3.1>
	 - <http://ngircd.barton.de/doc/Capabilities.txt>
	 - doc/Capabilities.txt

- CHARCONV
	CHARCONV <client-charset>
	.
	Set client character set encoding to <client-charset>.
	.
	After receiving such a command, the server translates all message
	data received from the client using the set <client-charset> to the
	server encoding (UTF-8), and all message data which is to be sent to
	the client from the server encoding (UTF-8) to <client-charset>.
	.
	This enables older clients and clients using "strange" character sets
	to transparently participate in channels and direct messages to
	clients using UTF-8, which should be the default today.

	References:
	 - IRC+, <http://ngircd.barton.de/doc/Protocol.txt>
	 - IRC+, doc/Protocol.txt

- NICK
	NICK <nickname>
	NICK <nickname> [<hops>]
	NICK <nickname> <hops> <username> <host> <servertoken> <usermodes> <realname>
	.
	Set or change the <nickname> of a client (first form) and register
	remote clients (second and third form; servers only).

	References:
	 - RFC 1459, 4.1.2 "Nick message" (old client and server protocol)
	 - RFC 2812, 3.1.2 "Nick message" (client protocol)
	 - RFC 2813, 4.1.3 "Nick" (server protocol)

- PASS
	PASS <password>
	PASS <password> <version> <flags> [<options>]
	.
	Set a connection <password>. This command must be the first command
	sent to the server, even before the NICK/USER or SERVER commands.
	.
	The first form is used by user sessions or (old) RFC 1459 servers,
	the second form is used by RFC 2812 or IRC+ compliant servers and
	enables the server to indicate its version and supported protocol
	features.

	References:
	 - RFC 1459, 4.1.1 "Password message" (old client and server protocol)
	 - RFC 2812, 3.1.1 "Password message" (client protocol)
	 - RFC 2813, 4.1.1 "Password message" (server protocol)
	 - IRC+, <http://ngircd.barton.de/doc/Protocol.txt>
	 - IRC+, doc/Protocol.txt

- PING
	PING <token> [<target>]
	.
	Tests the presence of a connection to a client or server.
	.
	If no <target> has been given, the local server is used. User clients
	can only use other servers as <target>, no user clients.
	.
	A PING message results in a PONG reply containing the <token>, which
	can be arbitrary text.

	Please note:
	The RFCs state that the <token> parameter is used to specify the
	origin of the PING command when forwared in the network, but this
	is not the case: the sender is specified using the prefix as usual,
	and the parameter is used to identify the PONG reply in practice.

	References:
	 - RFC 2812, 3.7.2 "Ping message"

- PONG
	PONG <target> [<token>]
	.
	Reply to a "PING" command, indicate that the connection is alive.
	.
	The <token> is the arbitrary text received in the "PING" command and
	can be used to identify the correct PONG sent as answer.
	.
	When the "PONG" command is received from a user session, the <target>
	parameter is ignored; otherwise the PONG is forwarded to this client.

	References:
	 - RFC 2812, 3.7.3 "Pong message"

- QUIT
	QUIT [<quit-message>]
	.
	Terminate a user session.
	.
	When received from a user, the server acknowledges this by sending
	an "ERROR" message back to the client and terminates the connection.
	.
	When a <quit-message> has been given, it is sent to all the channels
	that the client is a member of when leaving.

	References:
	 - RFC 2812, 3.1.7 "Quit"
	 - RFC 2813, 4.1.5 "Quit"

- USER
	USER <username> <hostname> <unused> <realname>
	.
	Register (and authenticate) a new user session with a short <username>
	and a human-readable <realname>.
	.
	The parameter <hostname> is only used when received by an other server
	and ignored otherwise; and the parameter <unused> is always ignored.
	But both parameters are required on each invocation by the protocol
	and can be set to arbitrary characters/text when not used.
	.
	If <username> contains an "@" character, the full <username> is used
	for authentication, but only the first part up to this character is
	set as "user name" for this session.

	References:
	 - RFC 2812, 3.1.3 "User message"

- WEBIRC
	WEBIRC <password> <username> <hostname> <ip-address>
	.
	Allow Web-to-IRC gateway software (for example) to set the correct
	user name and host name of users instead of their own.
	.
	It must be the very first command sent to the server, even before
	USER and NICK commands!
	.
	The <password> must be set in the server configuration file to prevent
	unauthorized clients to fake their identity; it is an arbitrary string.

	References:
	 - IRC+, <http://ngircd.barton.de/doc/Protocol.txt>
	 - IRC+, doc/Protocol.txt


General Commands
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

- AWAY
	AWAY [<message>]
	.
	Provides the server with a message to automatically send in reply to a
	PRIVMSG directed at the user, but not to a channel they are on.
	.
	If <message> is omitted, the away status is removed.

- HELP
	HELP [<command>]
	.
	Show help information for a specific IRC <command>. The <command> name
	is case-insensitive.
	.
	Use the command "HELP Commands" to get a list of all available commands.

	The HELP command isn't specified by any RFC but implemented by most
	daemons. If no help text could be read in, ngIRCd outputs a list of all
	implemented commands when receiving a plain "HELP" command as well as
	on "HELP Commands".

	ngIRCd replies using "NOTICE" commands like ircd 2.10/2.11; other
	implementations are using numerics 704, 705, and 706.


- MODE
	MODE <nickname> <flags> (user)
	MODE <channel> <flags> [<args>]
	.
	The MODE command is dual-purpose. It can be used to set both (user) and
	<channel> modes.
	.
	See doc/Modes.txt for more information.

- NOTICE
	NOTICE <target>[,<target>[,...]] <message>
	.
	Send a <message> to a given <target>, which can be a user or a
	channel, but DON'T report any error.
	.
	The "NOTICE" command exactly behaves like the "PRIVMSG" command, but
	doesn't report any errors it encounters (like an unknown <target>).
	Please see the help text of the "PRIVMSG" command for a detailed
	description of the parameters!

	References:
	 - RFC 2812, 2.3.1 "Message format in Augmented BNF"
	 - RFC 2812, 3.3 "Sending messages"
	 - RFC 2812, 3.3.2 "Notice"

- PRIVMSG
	PRIVMSG <target>[,<target>[,...]] <message>
	.
	Send a <message> to a given <target>, which can be a user or a
	channel, and report all errors.
	.
	The <target> must follow one of these syntax variants:
	.
	 - <nickname>
	 - <channel>
	 - <user>[%<host>]@<server>
	 - <user>%<host>
	 - <nickname>!<user>@<host>
	.
	If the <target> is a user, a private message is sent directly to this
	user; if it resolves to a channel name, a public message is sent
	to all the members of that channel.
	.
	In addition, IRC Ops can use these two forms to specify the <target>:
	.
	 - #<hostmask>
	 - #<servermask>
	.
	The <mask> can contain the wildcard characters "*" and "?", but must
	contain at least one dot (".") and no wildcard after the last one.
	Then, the <message> is sent to all users matching this <mask>.
	.
	All warnings and errors are reported back to the initiator using
	numeric status codes, which is the only difference to the "NOTICE"
	command, which doesn't report back any errors or warnings at all.
	.
	Please note that clients often use "MSG" as an alias to PRIVMSG, and
	a command "QUERY <nick> [<message>]" to initiate private chats. Both
	are command extensions of the client and never sent to the server.

	References:
	 - RFC 2812, 2.3.1 "Message format in Augmented BNF"
	 - RFC 2812, 3.3 "Sending messages"
	 - RFC 2812, 3.3.1 "Private messages"

Status and Informational Commands
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

- ADMIN
	ADMIN [<target>]
	.
	Show administrative information about an IRC server in the network.
	.
	<target> can be a server name, the nickname of a client connected to
	a specific server, or a mask matching a server name in the network.
	The server of the current connection is used when <target> is omitted.

	References:
	 - RFC 2812, 3.4.9 "Admin command"

- INFO
	INFO [<target>]
	.
	Show the version, birth & online time of an IRC server in the network.
	.
	<target> can be a server name, the nickname of a client connected to
	a specific server, or a mask matching a server name in the network.
	The server of the current connection is used when <target> is omitted.

	References:
	 - RFC 2812, 3.4.10 "Info command"

- ISON
	ISON <nickname> [<nickname> [...]]
	.
	Query online status of a list of nicknames. The server replies with
	a list only containing nicknames actually connected to a server in
	the network. If no nicknames of the given list are online, an empty
	list is returned to the client requesting the information.

	Please note that "all" IRC daemons even parse separate nicknames in
	a single parameter (like ":nick1 nick2"), and therefore ngIRCd
	implements this behaviour, too.

	References:
	 - RFC 2812, 4.9 "Ison message"

- LINKS
	LINKS [[<target>] [<mask>]
	.
	List all servers currently registered in the network matching <mask>,
	or all servers if <mask> has been omitted, as seen by the server
	specified by <target> or the local server when <target> is omitted.
	.
	<target> can be a server name, the nickname of a client connected to
	a specific server, or a mask matching a server name in the network.

	References:
	 - RFC 2812, 3.4.5 "Links message"

- LUSERS
	LUSERS [<mask> [<target>]]
	.
	Return statistics about the number of clients (users, servers,
	services, ...) in the network as seen by the server <target>.
	.
	<target> can be a server name, the nickname of a client connected to
	a specific server, or a mask matching a server name in the network.
	The server of the current connection is used when <target> is omitted.

	Please note that ngIRCd ignores the <mask> parameter entirely: it
	is not possible to get information for a part of the network only.

	References:
	 - RFC 2812, 3.4.2 "Lusers message"

- MOTD
	MOTD [<target>]
	.
	Show the "Message of the Day" (MOTD) of an IRC server in the network.
	.
	<target> can be a server name, the nickname of a client connected to
	a specific server, or a mask matching a server name in the network.
	The server of the current connection is used when <target> is omitted.

	References:
	 - RFC 2812, 3.4.1 "Motd message"

- NAMES
	NAMES [<channel>[,<channel>[,...]] [<target>]]
	.
	Show the list of users that are members of a particular <channel>
	(and that are visible for the client requesting this information) as
	seen by the server <target>. More than one <channel> can be given
	separated by "," (but not whitespaces!).
	.
	If <channel> has been omitted, all visible users are shown, grouped
	by channel name, and all visible users not being members of at least
	one channel are shown as members of the pseudo channel "*".
	.
	<target> can be a server name, the nickname of a client connected to
	a specific server, or a mask matching a server name in the network.
	The server of the current connection is used when <target> is omitted.

	References:
	 - RFC 2812, 3.2.5 "Names message"

- STATS
	STATS [<query> [<target>]]
	.
	Show statistics and other information of type <query> of a particular
	IRC server in the network.
	.
	The following <query> types are supported (case-insensitive):
	.
	 - g  Network-wide bans ("G-Lines").
	 - k  Server-local bans ("K-Lines").
	 - l  Link status (parent server and own link only).
	 - m  Command usage count.
	 - u  Server uptime.
	.
	<target> can be a server name, the nickname of a client connected to
	a specific server, or a mask matching a server name in the network.
	The server of the current connection is used when <target> is omitted.

	References:
	 - RFC 2812, 3.4.4 "Stats message"

- TIME
	TIME [<target>]
	.
	Show the local time of an IRC server in the network.
	.
	<target> can be a server name, the nickname of a client connected to
	a specific server, or a mask matching a server name in the network.
	The server of the current connection is used when <target> is omitted.

	References
	 - RFC 2812, 3.4.6 "Time message"

- TRACE
	TRACE [<server>]
	.
	Trace a path across the IRC network of the current server, or if given
	of a specific <server>, in a similar method to traceroute.

- USERHOST
	USERHOST <nickname> [<nickname> [...]]
	.
	Show flags and the hostmasks (<user>@<host>) of the <nickname>s,
	separated by spaces. The following flags are used:
	.
	 - "-"  The client is "away" (the mode "+a" is set on this client).
	 - "+"  Client seems to be available, at least it isn't marked "away".
	 - "*"  The client is an IRC operator (the mode "+o" is set).

	References:
	 - RFC 2812, 4.8 "Userhost message"

- VERSION
	VERSION [<target>]
	.
	Show version information about a particular IRC server in the network.
	.
	<target> can be a server name, the nickname of a client connected to
	a specific server, or a mask matching a server name in the network.
	The server of the current connection is used when <target> is omitted.
	.
	Please note: in normal operation, the version number ends in a dot
	(".", for example "ngIRCd-20.1."). If it ends in ".1" (for example
	"ngIRCd-20.1.1", same version than before!), the server is running in
	debug-mode; and if it ends in ".2", the "network sniffer" is active!
	Keep your privacy in mind ...

	References:
	 - RFC 2812, 3.4.3 "Version message"

- WHO
	WHO [<mask> ["o"]]
	.
	Show a list of users who match the <mask>, or all visible users when
	the <mask> has been omitted. (Special case: the <mask> "0" is
	equivalent to "*")
	.
	If the flag "o" is given, the server will only return information about
	IRC Operators.

	References:
	 - RFC 2812, 3.6.1 "Who query"

- WHOIS
	WHOIS [<target>] <mask>[,<mask>[,...]]
	.
	Query information about users matching the <mask> parameter(s) as seen
	by the server <target>; up to 3 <masks> are supported.
	.
	<target> can be a server name, the nickname of a client connected to a
	specific server, or a mask matching a server name in the network. The
	server of the current connection is used when <target> is omitted.

	References:
	 - RFC 2812, 3.6.2 "Whois query"

- WHOWAS
	WHOWAS <nickname>[,<nickname>[,...]] [<count> [<target>]]
	.
	Query information about nicknames no longer in use in the network,
	either because of nickname changes or disconnects. The history is
	searched backwards, returning the most recent entry first. If there
	are multiple entries, up to <count> entries will be shown (or all of
	them, if no <count> has been given).
	.
	<target> can be a server name, the nickname of a client connected to a
	specific server, or a mask matching a server name in the network. The
	server of the current connection is used when <target> is omitted.

	References:
	 - RFC 2812, 3.6.3 "Whowas"


Channel Commands
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

- INVITE
	INVITE <nickname> <channel>
	.
	Invite <nickname> to join channel <channel>.
	.
	<channel> does not have to exist, but if it does, only members of the
	channel are allowed to invite other users. If the channel mode "+i"
	is set, only channel "half-ops" (and above) may invite other clients,
	and if channel mode "+V" is set, nobody can invite other users.

	References:
	 - RFC 2812, 3.2.7 "Invite message"

- JOIN
	JOIN <channels> [<channel-keys>]
	.
	Makes the client join the <channels> (comma-separated list), specifying
	the passwords, if needed, in the comma-separated <channel-keys> list.
	A <channel-key> is only needed, if the <channel> mode "+k" is set.
	.
	If the channel(s) do not exist, then they will be created.

- KICK
	KICK <channel>[,<channel>[,...]] <nickname>[,<nickname>[,...]] [<reason>]
	.
	Remove users(s) with <nickname>(s) from <channel>(s).
	.
	There must be either exactly one <channel> parameter and multiple
	<nickname> parameters, or as many <channel> parameters as there are
	<nickname> parameters. The <reason> is shown to the users being
	kicked, and the nickname of the current user is used when <reason>
	is omitted.

	References:
	 - RFC 2812, 3.2.8 "Kick command"

- LIST
	LIST [<channels> [<server>]]
	.
	List all visible <channels> (comma-seperated list) on the current
	server.
	If <server> is given, the command will be forwarded to <server> for
	evaluation.

- PART
	PART <channels> [<part-message>]
	.
	Leave <channels> (comma-separated list), optional with a
	<part-message>.

- TOPIC
	TOPIC <channel> <topic>
	.
	Set a <topic> for <channel>.
	.
	Only <channel> operators are able to set a <topic>.


Administrative Commands
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

- CONNECT
	CONNECT <target server> [<port> [<remote server> [<mypwd> <peerpwd>]]]
	.
	Instructs the current server, or <remote server> if specified,
	to connect to <target server>.
	.
	To connect <remote server> you need to have remote oper status.
	If <port> is omitted, it uses the server port of the configuration.
	If <mypwd> and <peerpwd> is given, it uses those passwords instead
	of the ones in the configuration.

- DIE
	DIE
	.
	Instructs the server to shut down.

- DISCONNECT
	DISCONNECT [<remote server>]
	.
	Disconnects the current server, or <remote server> if specified.
	To disconnect a <remote server> you need to have remote oper status.

- GLINE
	GLINE <nick!user@hostmask> <seconds> :<reason>
	.
	This command provides timed G-Lines (Network-wide bans).
	If a client matches a G-Line, it cannot connect to any server on
	the IRC network. If you put 0 as <seconds>, it makes the G-Line
	permanent.
	.
	To remove a G-Line, type "GLINE <nick!user@hostmask>".
	To list the G-Lines, type "STATS g".

- KILL
	KILL <nickname> <reason>
	.
	Forcibly remove all users with a given <nickname> from the IRC
	network and display the given <reason> to them.
	.
	This command is used internally between servers, too, for example
	to disconnect duplicate <nickname>'s after a "net split".

	References:
	 - RFC 2812, 3.7.1 "Kill message"

- KLINE
	KLINE <nick!user@hostmask> <seconds> :<reason>
	.
	This command provides timed K-Lines (Server-local bans).
	If a client matches a K-Line, it cannot connect to the issued server.
	If you put 0 as <seconds>, it makes the K-Line permanent.
	.
	To remove a K-Line, type "KLINE <nick!user@hostmask>".
	To list the K-Lines, type "STATS k".

- OPER
	OPER <user> <password>
	.
	Authenticates <user> as an IRC operator on the current server/network.

- REHASH
	REHASH
	.
	Causes the server to re-read and re-process its configuration file(s).

- RESTART
	RESTART
	.
	Restart the server.

- WALLOPS
	WALLOPS <message>
	.
	Sends <message> to all users with user mode "+w".


IRC Service Commands
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

- SERVICE
	SERVICE <name> <reserved1> <distribution> <type> <reserved2> <info>
	SERVICE <name> <servertoken> <distribution> {<type>|+<modes>} <hops> <info>
	.
	Register a new service in the network.
	.
	The first form is used by directly linked services and isn't supported
	by ngIRCd at the moment. The second form announces services connected
	to remote "pseudo-servers" ("services hubs").
	.
	The <distribution> and <type> parameters are ignored by ngIRCd.

	References:
	 - RFC 2812, 3.1.6 "Service message"
	 - RFC 2813, 4.1.4 "Service message"

- SERVLIST
	SERVLIST [<mask> [<type>]]
	.
	List all IRC services currently registered in the network.
	.
	The optional <mask> and <type> parameters can be used to limit the
	listing to services matching the <mask> and that are of type <type>.
	.
	Please note that ngIRCd doesn't use any service types at the moment
	and therefore all services are of type "0".

	References:
	 - RFC 2812, 3.5.1 "Servlist message"

- SQUERY
	SQUERY <target>[,<target>[,...]] <message>
	.
	Send a <message> to a given <target> IRC service, and report all
	errors.
	.
	The "SQUERY" command exactly behaves like the "PRIVMSG" command, but
	enforces that the <target> of the <message> is an IRC service.
	Please see the help text of the "PRIVMSG" command for a detailed
	description of the parameters!
	.
	If a user wants to interact with IRC services, he should use "SQUERY"
	instead of "PRIVMSG" or "NOTICE": only "SQUERY makes sure that no
	regular user, which uses the nickname of an IRC service, receives
	the command in error, for example during a "net split"!

	References:
	 - RFC 2812, 2.3.1 "Message format in Augmented BNF"
	 - RFC 2812, 3.3 "Sending messages"
	 - RFC 2812, 3.3.2 "Notice"

- SVSNICK
	SVSNICK <oldnick> <newnick>
	.
	Forcefully change foreign user nicknames. This command is allowed
	for servers only.
	.
	The "SVSNICK" command is forwarded to the server to which the user
	with nickname <oldnick> is connected to, which in turn generates a
	regular "NICK" command that then is sent to the client, so no special
	support in the client software is required.

	References:
	 - ngIRCd GIT commit e3f300d3231f


Server Protocol Commands
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

- CHANINFO
	CHANINFO <channel> +<modes> [[<key> <limit>] <topic>]
	.
	CHANINFO is used by servers to inform each other about a channel:
	its modes, channel key, user limits and its topic.

	References:
	 - IRC+, <http://ngircd.barton.de/doc/Protocol.txt>
	 - IRC+, doc/Protocol.txt

- ERROR
	ERROR [<message> [<> [...]]]
	.
	Inform a client or a server about an error condition. The first 
	parameter, if given, is logged by the server receiving the message,
	all other parameters are silently ignored.
	.
	This command is silently ignored on non-server and non-service links
	and shouldn't be used by regular IRC clients.
	.
	The ERROR message is also sent before terminating a regular client
	connection.

	References:
	 - RFC 2812, 3.7.4 "Error message"

- METADATA
	METADATA <target> <key> <value>
	.
	The METADATA command is used on server-links to update "metadata"
	information of clients, like the hostname, the info text ("real name"),
	or the user name.

	References:
	 - IRC+, <http://ngircd.barton.de/doc/Protocol.txt>
	 - IRC+, doc/Protocol.txt

- NJOIN

- SERVER

- SQUIT
	SQUIT <server>
	.
	Disconnects an IRC Server from the network.


Dummy Commands
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

- SUMMON
	SUMMON <user> [<target> [<channel>]]
	.
	This command was intended to call people into IRC who are directly
	connected to the terminal console of the IRC server -- but is
	deprecated today. Therefore ngIRCd doesn't really implement this
	command and always returns an error message, regardless of the
	parameters given.

	References:
	 - RFC 2812, 4.5 "Summon message"

- USERS
	USERS [<target>]
	.
	This command was intended to list users directly logged in into the
	console of the IRC server -- but is deprecated today. Therefore ngIRCd
	doesn't really implement this command and always returns an error
	message, regardless of the parameters given.

	References:
	 - RFC 2812, 4.6 "Users"

- GET

- POST