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57_WolveandClaude Opus 5 6dba4a5f09 docs(ergo): user guide and admin/moderator cheat sheet

Two quick-reference documents, written to be scanned rather than read:

- USER-GUIDE.md for people new to IRC -- connecting, claiming a nickname,
  the dozen commands that matter, scrollback, and a plain-language privacy
  section (cloaked IP, channels logged for the configured retention, how to
  turn off DM storage).
- ADMIN-CHEATSHEET.md split by where you work: from IRC as an operator
  (UBAN, KILL, DEFCON, ChanServ, NickServ) and on the host via ergoctl, plus
  mode tables and a "when things go wrong" section.

Both use the same placeholder convention as ergo.motd and are rendered by
deploy.sh into $STACK_DIR/docs/ with the network's real name, domain and
retention, so they can be handed straight to users and moderators. Refreshed
on every run, like the other installed files.

Command and mode references were checked against the v2.19.1 sources rather
than written from memory: irc/modes/modes.go for every mode letter, and
irc/chanserv.go and irc/nickserv.go for the service subcommands and which
require an oper capability.

build.sh's embed guard caught the docs being added to FILES without being
added to deploy.sh's EMBEDDED manifest -- the exact failure it was added to
prevent.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

2026-09-02 21:48:01 -05:00

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NETWORK_NAME — new to IRC? Start here

IRC is group chat. You pick a nickname, join channels (chat rooms whose names start with #), and talk. Commands start with /.

1. Connect


Server	`__DOMAIN__`
Port	`6697`
TLS/SSL	on (required)
Network	NETWORK_NAME

Any IRC client works. Good starting points: HexChat (Windows/Linux), Textual or Halloy (macOS), Revolution IRC (Android), Goguma (iOS).

If your client asks for a "network" and a "server", the network is just a label — the server address above is what matters.

2. Claim your nickname

On this network your nickname is your account, so register it or someone else could use it later.

/msg NickServ REGISTER your-password

Then tell your client to log in automatically: enable SASL, method PLAIN, with your nickname as the username and that password. Most clients have this in the same dialog as the server address.

Not using SASL yet? Log in by hand each time:

/msg NickServ IDENTIFY your-password

Someone else on your nick? /msg NickServ GHOST yournick disconnects them.

3. Talk

Do this	Command
Join a channel	`/join #channel`
Leave	`/part #channel`
Private message	`/msg someone hello`
See who's here	`/names`
Look someone up	`/whois someone`
Set yourself away	`/away back in 10` (`/away` to return)
Change nick	`/nick newnick`
List channels	`/list`
Quit	`/quit see you`

Type normally to speak in the channel you're looking at. /me waves writes an action line.

4. Scrollback

Messages are stored for HISTORY_DAYS, so you see what you missed while away — no need to stay connected. Most modern clients fetch it automatically; otherwise /history #channel 50 pulls the last 50 lines.

To have a channel's recent messages replayed every time you join:

/msg NickServ SET autoreplay-lines 25

5. Privacy, plainly

Your IP address is hidden from other users (you'll see a scrambled hostname). Server staff can still see it.
Channels are logged for HISTORY_DAYS. Treat anything you type as recorded — including private messages, which are stored for logged-in users.
Turn off storage of your own DMs with /msg NickServ SET dm-history off.
Connections are encrypted (TLS). Your client shows +Z when secure.

6. Making your own channel

Just join one that doesn't exist yet — you become its founder:

/join #mychannel
/msg ChanServ REGISTER #mychannel

Registering keeps it yours. A few useful settings once you own it:

Want	Command
Invite-only	`/mode #mychannel +i` then `/mode #mychannel +I nickname`
Registered users only	`/mode #mychannel +R`
Set the topic	`/topic #mychannel Welcome!`
Give someone ops	`/msg ChanServ OP #mychannel nickname`
Make that permanent	`/msg ChanServ AMODE #mychannel +o nickname`

7. Stuck?

/msg NickServ HELP and /msg ChanServ HELP list everything.
/motd shows the network's rules.
/admin shows who runs the server.

Be kind, and enjoy yourself.

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