Finding channels with /list

While you can browse public channels online via the web directory, you can also query the live server directly from your chat client using the /list command to see every active public chat room across the network.

1. Browsing All Public Channels

To pull up a complete list of open public channels currently running on AustNet, execute the command directly in your active window or status log:

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Depending on the size of the network and the number of active rooms, this can return a large volume of text. Many modern clients handle this by opening a dedicated channel list browser window rather than spamming your main text buffer.

2. Filtering by User Count or Name Pattern

To avoid pulling up hundreds of low-activity or empty channels, most servers allow you to filter your /list request using specific parameters:

1. Filtering by Minimum User Count:
2. To see only channels that have a certain number of active users (for example, rooms with more than 5 users), you can pass a parameter:

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1. Filtering by Name Pattern:
2. If you are looking for specific types of channels (such as help rooms or regional chats), you can use wildcard filters:

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3. Why Some Channels Do Not Appear

If you know a channel exists but it fails to show up when you run /list, it is usually due to one of a few standard channel privacy modes:

1. Secret Mode (+s):
2. If a channel has been set to secret mode by its operators, it is completely hidden from global /list queries and cannot be seen by anyone outside the room unless they are explicitly invited or already joined.
3. Private Mode (+p):
4. Similar to secret mode, private channels are omitted from public listings to maintain user privacy.
5. Empty Channels:
6. Many networks automatically prune empty channels from the /list index until at least one user occupies the room.