With NickServ you can “register” a nickname and thus prevent others from using it. The following commands allow you to register and change nickname settings; to use them, type /msg NickServ command. For more information on a specific command, type /msg NickServ HELP command.

Other commands: GHOST, ALIST, INFO, LIST, LOGOUT, STATUS

WARNING: This service is intended to provide users with a way to prevent misuse of their nicknames. It is NOT intended to steal nicknames or reserve them in bulk. Abuse of NickServ will be penalised and will result in at least the loss of your registered nick.

Nicknames that have not been used for a long time will be removed from the database by automatic expiry after 21 days.

Example: /msg NickServ REGISTER mypassword meine@mail.de

Registers your nickname in the NickServ database. After your nick is registered, you can use the SET and ACCESS commands to customise the settings of your nick as you wish. Please make sure you remember the password when you register - you will need it if you want to change the settings later!

(Also note that the password is case sensitive! FREEIRC, Freeirc, and freeirc are different passwords!)

Guidelines for choosing a password:

Passwords should not be easy to guess. For example, using your real name as a password is a bad idea. Using your nickname itself as a password is an even worse idea ;) and besides, NickServ wouldn't allow it either. Furthermore, short passwords are prone to trial-and-error attempts, so it should be at least 5 characters long. Last but not least, you should not use spaces in your password.

The email parameter is optional and allows NickServ to send you your password by email in case you forget it. Your privacy is respected, your email address will not be made available to third parties.

This command (REGISTER) also creates a new group for your nick, which allows you to add other nicks to this group, which will automatically have the same configuration and channel privileges. For more information about this function type /msg NickServ HELP GROUP.

Example: /msg NickServ GROUP yourmainnick Password

This command connects your nickname with the group of target. password is the password of the target nickname.

Participating in the group shares your configuration, memos and channel privileges with all nicknames in the group, and much more!

A group exists as long as it is useful. This means that even if the group is DROPPed, the shared configurations/privileges will remain as long as at least one nick remains in the group.

This command can even be used if your nick is not (yet) registered. However, if it is registered, you must first identify yourself. Type /msg NickServ HELP IDENTIFY for more information.

However, it is recommended to use this command with a non-registered nick, as the nick will be automatically registered when it joins the group. Joining a group with an already registered nick may be blocked by the network administrators.

You can only be in one group at a time. It is not possible to merge different groups.

Please note: All members of a group have the same password.

Proves to NickServ that you are really the owner of this nick. Many commands require you to authorise yourself before you can use them. The password is the one from your registration that you set with the REGISTER command.

ACCESS DEL mask ACCESS DEL mask ACCESS LIST

Examples: /msg NickServ ACCESS ADD anyone@*.bepeg.com Allows access by the user anyone from any host in the bepeg.com domain.

/msg NickServ ACCESS DEL anyone@*.bepeg.com Cancels the above command.

/msg NickServ ACCESS LIST Displays the current access list.

Displays or edits the access list for your nick. Through this list, NickServ automatically recognises you as authorised to use this nick. If you want to use the nick from other addresses, you must log in using the IDENTIFY command so that NickServ recognises you.

Sets various options for your nickname. option can be one of the following values:

If you want to use one of these options, you must first identify yourself. (/msg NickServ HELP IDENTIFY for more information).

Type /msg NickServ HELP SET option for explanations on a specific option mentioned above.

As an additional option, services can set the NOEXPIRE flag on a nick to prevent it from expiring when not in use.

This parameter removes your nickname from the NickServ database.

Allows you to release your nickname again if someone else has taken it. This function is also used by NickServ if someone tries to accept a nick with kill protection.

When this command is called, NickServ will put a virtual user online with the same nick you want to recover. The consequence of this is that the user who took your nick will be disconnected from the server. The virtual user from the services will remain online for 1 minute to ensure that the other user does not reconnect immediately. After this minute, the nick will be released again and you can accept it.

Alternatively, you can use the RELEASE command (/msg NickServ HELP RELEASE) to get your nick back more quickly.

As a prerequisite for the RECOVER command, your current address (see output of /WHOIS) must be on the access list of the nick to be recovered or in its group. As a third option, you can enter the password for the nick.

Sends the password of the specified nick to the associated e-mail address from the NickServ database. This command is really useful if you have forgotten your password.

May be limited to IRC operators on some networks.

Attention: This command is not available if the databases are encrypted.

Disconnects a “ghost” IRC connection that has your nickname. Such a connection is one that is not really connected or is about to be disconnected. Usually this happens when your computer crashes or your internet connection drops when you are on IRC.

If you want to use the GHOST command, your current hostmask (see /WHOIS) must be in the access list of the corresponding nick or in the group of the nick. You must also have the correct password for the nick.

All channels to which you have access are listed.

Displays information about the specified nick, for example the owner of the nick, the last seen address and its time and the options of the nick. If you have identified yourself for the nick you want to display information about and use the ALL parameter, all information will be displayed. (Regardless of whether they are hidden or not).

Examples: /msg NickServ LIST *!joeuser@foo.com Shows all nicknames owned by joeuser@foo.com.

/msg NickServ LIST *Bot*!*@* Lists all registered nicknames that have bot in their ident (case insensitive).

/msg NickServ LIST * NOEXPIRE Shows all registered nicknames that have the NOEXPIRE flag set. Displays all registered nicknames that match a certain pattern, nick!user@host. Nicks with the PRIVATE option activated are only displayed to Services Admins. Nicks with NOEXPIRE enabled will have a ! in front of their entry in the list (only for Services Admins).

If the FORBIDDEN or NOEXPIRE parameter is specified, only nicks that have the corresponding flag set are listed. If both parameters are specified at the same time, only nicks that have both flags switched on are listed. This function is restricted to Services Admins.

Without a specified parameter, this command cancels the effect of IDENTIFY; for example, you will no longer be recognised as the owner of the nick. Note, however, that you will not be asked to identify yourself again.

Returns a value indicating whether the current user of the nick is the identified owner or not. The response has the format:

nickname status-code

where nickname is the nick that was requested with the command and status-code is one of the following values:

0 - User is not online or nick is not registered 1 - User is not recognised as owner 2 - User is recognised as owner by the access list 3 - User is recognised as owner by identification with password

Up to 16 nicknames can be passed to the command; the rest are ignored. No error message is issued if no nickname is specified.

Changes the virtual “leader” of your group in the services. The value of new-display MUST be a nickname in your group.

Note: This command does not change the access rights of the individual nick, it is only listed as the “origin” of the group in the list.

Changes the password with which you identify yourself as the owner of the nick.

Sets the language in which the services communicate with you. (For example, in a response to a command that you have sent).

number must be selected from the following list of supported languages: 1) English 2) Français (French) 3) Deutsch (German) 4) Italiano (Italiano) 5) Português (Portuguese) 6) Español (Spanish) 7) Türkçe (Turkish) 8) Catala (Catalan) 9) ÅëëçíéêÜ (Greek) 10) Nederlands (Dutch)

Associates the specified URL with your nickname. This URL is displayed when someone requests information about your nickname using the INFO command.

Associates the specified e-mail address with your nickname. This address is displayed when someone requests information about your nickname using the INFO command.

Associates the specified ICQ number with your nickname. This number is displayed when someone requests information about your nickname using the INFO command.

The specified message is sent as a welcome message when you join a channel that has the GREET option switched on. Provided you have the necessary access level in the channel's access list.

Syntax: SET KILL {ON | QUICK | IMMED | OFF}

Sets the automatic protection of the nickname by a kill on or off. If a user takes your nick, they have one minute to identify themselves, after which NickServ will rename it to a random name if protection is switched on.

With the QUICK setting, the waiting time for identification is reduced to 20 seconds. With IMMED, the user is immediately renamed without warning if he is not on the nick's access list; please do not use this option unnecessarily. It is also possible that the network admins have deactivated this option.

Syntax: SET SECURE {ON | OFF}

Sets the NickServ security functions for your nick on or off. If SECURE is switched on, you must always identify yourself, regardless of whether your host mask is on the access list for the nick or not. However, if you are on the access list, NickServ will not kill the nick if you are not identified (this is independent of the KILL option).

Syntax: SET PRIVATE {ON | OFF}

Changes NickServ's private mode for your nickname. With PRIVATE switched on, your nickname will not appear on lists created by NickServ's LIST command.

(Anyone who knows your nick can retrieve information about your nick using the INFO command, regardless of the private mode).

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

Allows you to hide certain information in the NickServ INFO output. You can hide your email address (EMAIL), the last seen user@host mask (USERMASK) and the last quit message (QUIT). The second parameter determines whether the information should be displayed (OFF) or not (ON).

Syntax: SET MSG {ON | OFF}

Determines the mode in which the services communicate with you. If MSG is switched on, the services use messages (queries), otherwise the responses are sent to you as notifications (default).