This is a list of frequently asked questions regarding OFTC’s Services and their answers. Please make sure to read the documentation page of Services first, as it may already contain the information you are looking for.

Nicks

I want to register a nickname someone else already has.

Sorry, nicknames are served on a first come, first served basis.

But they’ve been offline for two years!

That shouldn’t be a problem then. Please stop by in #oftc and ask for the old nickname to be removed from the database.

Some nick was “last seen” several years ago, but has a more recent “last quit” time.

Sorry in that case. “Last quit” also counts for “last seen”. (The difference is different authentication methods used for nickserv, access lists vs. password/cert.)

I receive an error message saying i need to be identified and verified

To identify, use /msg NickServ IDENTIFY <password> [nick]. If you are identified and still receiving the error, you need to verify your account via the link that you received from NickServ upon registration. Should the link have expired or you need a new one, use /msg NickServ REVERIFY while being identified.

Do you provide SASL?

Not yet, please use CertFP as described below. SASL is on the Roadmap though.

How do I identify automatically to NickServ?

The best way is to connect using SSL and provide a client certificate. See NickServ/CertFP.

My CertFP SSL fingerprint doesn’t work anymore!

Make sure your certificate has not expired. Use openssl x509 -text -noout -in yourcert.pem to check.

Is there a minimum length for registered nicks?

We require a minimum length of 2 characters for new nick registrations.

Channels

I am not getting autoopped/autovoiced

People with CHANOP or MASTER access to the channel will be autooped, if AUTOOP is enabled for the channel. To check the setting send /msg ChanServ INFO <channel>. By default it will be off. To enable it ask a MASTER to /msg ChanServ SET <channel> AUTOOP ON.

The same applies for AUTOVOICE instead of AUTOOP.

Why does ChanServ keep removing operator status of people in my channel?

If you’ve given operator status to users in your channel who aren’t on the access list of the channel or aren’t identified with services, ChanServ will remove operator status from those users. To prevent this from happening you may either add these users to the access list with CHANOP role, or /msg ChanServ SET #channel LEAVEOPS on. This has the side effect that if no one is in your channel when a new user joins he will be given operator status by the IRCd and services won’t remove it.

How do I get ChanServ to join my channel?

ChanServ can carry out all its functions without being permanently in your channel. For the rare occasion when it does need to join your channel, it will join and leave your channel automatically.