Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting

"Nickname is already in use"

Someone else has it. Relay tries your alternate nickname automatically, then variations with underscores. Get your own back later with /nick yourname.

I can't join a channel

The channel is full, invite-only, banned you, or wants a key. Relay shows which one it is and offers the fix — see The X Service.

My messages send slowly when I paste a lot

On purpose. IRC servers disconnect people who send too many lines at once ("Excess Flood"). Relay lets a short burst through, then paces itself at about one line per second. Everything arrives; nobody gets kicked.

The connection keeps dropping

Relay redials with growing pauses (2s, 4s, 8s… up to 5 minutes) and rejoins your channels. Watch the server console — the terminal icon at the top of each network — for what the server says. "Reconnect automatically" must be on in Settings → Connections.

Someone is flooding a channel with junk

/ignore their name (local) or /silence them (server). Ops can right-click → Kick or Ban. Registered channels: use the X commands.

A notification didn't appear

Check: Settings → Notifications switches on? The channel isn't quiet (bell-slash icon)? macOS System Settings → Notifications allows Relay? Notifications only pop while Relay is in the background — when it's frontmost, badges do the job.

Where do server messages go?

Every network's raw traffic lives in its server console — click the network's name in the sidebar. When something acts odd, the explanation is usually printed there.