What is Lurker?
Lurker is a self-hosted, always-on IRC client with a retro flair — most easily described as "your personal IRCCloud, with WeeChat looks."
Lurker runs as a server that stays connected to IRC on your behalf, keeps full message history, and lets you reattach from any browser — desktop or mobile — picking up exactly where you left off. Open it on as many devices and tabs as you like; read state, settings, and history stay in sync everywhere. When all of your clients disconnect, auto-away sets your status, and web-push notifications keep you informed of highlights.
Two ways to run Lurker
- Hosted — app.lurker.chat is the managed service. Sign up, connect your networks, and you're online; updates, backups, and uptime are handled for you.
- Self-hosted — Lurker is open source (MPL-2.0). Run it on your own server in a single container. See the Self-Hosting guide.
Whichever you choose, the application is identical — this guide covers using it.
What's in this guide
- Getting Started — your first connection and channels.
- The Interface — buffers, DMs, and finding your way around.
- Slash Commands — driving Lurker from the keyboard.
- Notifications — staying informed across devices.
- Encryption (E2E) — end-to-end encrypted channels.
This guide is growing
Lurker's manual is being written. Some chapters are outlines today — follow the repository or use the Edit this page on GitHub link at the bottom of any page to help fill them in.