# chat.sr.ht quick-start for experienced IRC users

The webchat is available at [chat.sr.ht](https://chat.sr.ht) and requires no
configuration to use. It will automatically connect you to your bouncer account.
You can also connect directly to the bouncer using your own IRC client.

<!-- Note: update chat.sr.ht/bouncer-usage.md if changing this -->

To connect with a third-party IRC client, you will need to generate an OAuth 2.0
personal access token to use as your server password. Visit [the personal access
token issuance page](https://meta.sr.ht/oauth2/personal-token) and set the
grant string to "meta.sr.ht/PROFILE:RO", adding an optional comment, and leaving
the other fields unchanged.

<dl>
<dt>Hostname</dt><dd>chat.sr.ht</dd>
<dt>Port</dt><dd>6697</dd>
<dt>SSL/TLS</dt><dd>Yes</dd>
<dt>SASL</dt><dd>Yes</dd>
<dt>Username</dt><dd><em>your sourcehut username</em></dd>
<dt>Password</dt><dd><em>your personal access token</em></dd>
</dl>

If you intend to use multiple clients, it is recommended that you append
"@*clientname*" to your username, using an arbitrary unique string to identify
each client. If your IRC client does not support soju's
"soju.im/bouncer-networks" extension (check if [a plugin is available][config]),
you may want to configure separate connections for each network by using the
username format `username/network-name@client-name`.

See [client-specific configuration][config] for recommended configuration steps
specific to your preferred IRC client.

[config]: https://git.sr.ht/~emersion/soju/tree/master/item/contrib/clients.md