IRC Bot Updates!

By SarahRose on May 24, 2025

Introducing Our New Welcome Plugin & Overhauled RoleManager for Better Moderation on TransIRC.Chat

At TransIRC.Chat, we are always striving to enhance your experience and create a welcoming, safe, and well-managed community for trans and gender-questioning folks. Today, we’re excited to introduce two major updates to our IRC server: a brand-new Welcome Plugin and an overhauled RoleManager plugin. These tools give us better control over moderation, improved onboarding for newcomers, and a smoother overall IRC experience.

Friendly & Flexible Welcomes for Guests and Registered Users

The new Welcome Plugin is designed to greet you warmly as soon as you join the server, tailoring messages to your registration status on NickServ.

What’s new?

  • Dynamic, reloadable welcome messages: The plugin loads welcome texts from simple text files on the server, sending each line one at a time. This makes it super easy for admins to update welcome messages or rules without restarting the bot or plugin.
  • Delayed guest welcome: Guests who have not registered their nicknames receive their welcome messages after a short delay, avoiding overwhelming new arrivals.
  • Instant registered user welcome: Registered users get welcomed immediately upon joining, with information about access to special channels and services.
  • Clear guidance: The messages explain how to register or identify with NickServ, point to important rules, and highlight community values like respect, consent, and safe space policies.
  • Links to resources: Newcomers and members alike are directed to our social network and wiki for further community engagement.
  • Exclusive services info: Registered users learn about additional perks such as SSH and Tor access to the IRC network using the !backdoor command, available after a 10-minute registration wait.

This plugin brings a friendlier, automated touch to your first moments on TransIRC.Chat — helping you feel right at home from the start.

Overhauled RoleManager: More Precise Control Over Moderation & Permissions

Moderation on IRC can be tricky, especially in a community that values respect and safety. Our revamped RoleManager plugin gives our team the tools needed to enforce rules effectively and fairly.

Key improvements include:

  • Fine-grained role checks: The system understands multiple roles including server_owner, channel_owner, channel_op, and half_op, enabling commands and moderation actions to be restricted or allowed based on your role in a channel or the server.
  • WHOX integration: RoleManager queries WHOX information to accurately associate nicks with registered accounts, ensuring permissions are based on verified identities.
  • Callback support for asynchronous checks: Sometimes role info isn’t immediately available. RoleManager now supports callbacks, which retry permission checks once the WHO data is received — meaning no command slips through prematurely, and users get clear feedback if their privileges are still being verified.
  • Configurable server owner: The server owner’s account is specified in a config file, allowing the highest level of control reserved for the rightful admin.
  • Automatic WHO requests on JOIN: When users join channels, RoleManager automatically requests WHOX info, keeping role data up-to-date and ready for enforcement.

Together with our Welcome Plugin, RoleManager helps us maintain a safe, welcoming, and well-moderated environment where everyone can participate comfortably.

What This Means for You

  • New users get clear, friendly guidance from the moment they join, helping them register, identify, and understand the community’s rules and values.
  • Registered members gain instant access to exclusive channels and services, along with clear instructions on how to navigate the network.
  • Moderators and admins have a robust, reliable system that respects channel and server roles, ensuring fair enforcement of rules and quick reactions to potential issues.

Looking Ahead

We’re committed to continuously improving TransIRC.Chat by listening to our community and updating our tools. If you have ideas or feedback about the welcome process, moderation, or anything else, please let us know!

Together, we can keep TransIRC a safe, affirming, and supportive space for all trans and gender-questioning folks online.

Stay connected:

Thank you for being part of TransIRC.Chat — where your identity is respected, and your voice matters.

— The TransIRC Team

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