blog: add WeeChat on NixOS post
Signed-off-by: Christine Dodrill <me@christine.website>
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title: "How to Set Up WeeChat on NixOS"
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date: 2021-05-29
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tags:
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- irc
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- nixos
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- devops
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---
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# How to Set Up WeeChat on NixOS
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[Internet Relay Chat (IRC)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Relay_Chat)
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is the king of chats. It is the grandfather of nearly every chat protocol and
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program you use today. It has been a foundation of the internet for over 30
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years and is likely to outlive most of the chat apps you use today. IRC is used
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heavily by the people that make the software that you use daily, and has been
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catalytic to careers the world over.
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However, because of its age IRC can be a bit hard for newcomers to get into. It
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has its own cultural norms that will seem alien. In this article we're going to
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show you how to set up an IRC client and a persistent bouncer (something that
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stays connected for you) with a web UI on [NixOS](https://nixos.org/). For the
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sake of simplicity we well be connecting to [Libera Chat](https://libera.chat/).
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# Installing WeeChat
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IRC is an open protocol and it has been one for many years. As such there are
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many clients to pick from. However, you're reading an article on my blog and
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that means I get to let my opinions about IRC clients influence you. So, here's
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how to set up [WeeChat](https://weechat.org/) (not to be confused with WeChat,
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the chat program mainly used in China), my IRC client of choice.
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### Installing on NixOS
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[Even though this article is focusing on NixOS, WeeChat has been around for many
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years and is likely to be present in your distribution of choice's package
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manager.](conversation://Mara/hacker)
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You can install WeeChat by adding it to your configuration.nix like this:
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```nix
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environment.systemPackages = with pkgs; [ weechat ];
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```
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Then you can rebuild your configuration with the normal `nixos-rebuild` command:
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```console
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$ sudo nixos-rebuild switch
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```
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And WeeChat should be visible in your `$PATH`:
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```console
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$ which weechat
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/run/current-system/sw/bin/weechat
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```
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Then run WeeChat like this:
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```console
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$ weechat
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```
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And you should see the default UI:
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### Customization
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First let's change how WeeChat groups server buffers. Normally it lumps
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everything into one big merged buffer, however most other clients will have
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independent buffers per network. I like the behaviour where each server has its
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own buffer. To make the server buffers independent, paste this line into the
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input bar:
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```weechat
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/set irc.look.server_buffer independent
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```
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Enable mouse control with the `/mouse` command:
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```weechat
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/mouse enable
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```
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#### Colorscheme
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WeeChat has a very primitive colorscheme system through various settings. For
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most people the defaults will be fine. However certain color schemes (like the
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one I use, [Gruvbox Dark](https://github.com/morhetz/gruvbox)) can make the top
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titlebar hard to read. WeeChat's website has a [themes
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page](https://weechat.org/themes/) where you can get some ideas.
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[The files that the themes page offers are intended for a WeeChat script that
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hasn't been included in the normal script repository for some reason, however
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you can obviate that need by a little massaging with
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vim!](conversation://Mara/hacker)
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You can convert a theme to a bunch of `/set` commands with vim. Find a theme you
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like such as [nils_2](https://weechat.org/themes/source/nils_2.theme.html/) and
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copy the theme to a file. The theme script outputs something that looks like
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WeeChat configuration by default.
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[If you want the theme I use, download it from <a
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href="https://xena.greedo.xeserv.us/files/orca.theme">here</a>.](conversation://Cadey/enby)
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Then open that file in vim and we will munge it in a few steps.
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First, put `/set ` at the beginning of every line:
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```vim
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:%s%^%/set %
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```
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Then remove the ` =` from each line:
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```vim
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:%s/ =//
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```
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And finally remove all of the quotation marks (make sure to include the global
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flag here because otherwise only one of the quote marks will be removed):
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```vim
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:%s/"//g
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```
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And then paste it all into your input line and then run `/save`:
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```weechat
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/save
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```
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The result should look like this:
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### Plugins
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WeeChat has a rich scripting layer that you can read more about
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[here](https://weechat.org/files/doc/stable/weechat_scripting.en.html). It has
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bindings for most languages you could care about. I have a few plugins that I
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use to make my WeeChat experience polished. I'm going to go over them in their
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own sub-sections. You can install scripts using the `/script` command.
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[Newer versions of WeeChat require permission before they will be allowed to
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download scripts from the script repository. To give it permission, run this
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command:<br /><pre><code>/set script.scripts.download_enabled on</pre></code>](conversation://Mara/hacker)
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#### `autosort.py`
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Normally WeeChat will put buffers in the order that you opened them. I have a
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slight case of CDO, so I prefer having the buffers in the correct alphabetical
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order. `autosort.py` will do this. To install it, run this command:
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```weechat
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/script install autosort.py
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```
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It will kick in automatically when you create new buffers, however if you want
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to manually run it, use this command:
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```weechat
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/autosort
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```
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The autosort plugin has a lot of configuration, take a look at `/help autosort`
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if you want to dig deeper.
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#### `autojoin.py`
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WeeChat doesn't remember what channels you were in when you close your client
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and restart it later. `autojoin.py` fixes this by saving the list of channels
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you are in when you quit WeeChat. It also gives you a command to save all of the
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channels regardless. To install it, run this command:
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```weechat
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/script install autojoin.py
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```
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If you ever want to save your list of joined channels, run this command:
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```weechat
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/autojoin --run
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/save
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```
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[The `/save` isn't strictly needed there, however it may help you feel
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better!](conversation://Mara/happy)
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#### `confversion.py`
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WeeChat normally stores its configuration as a bunch of text files in
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`~/.weechat`. It doesn't version these files at all, which makes it slightly
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hard to undo changes. `confversion.py` puts these changes into a git repository.
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To install it, run this command:
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```weechat
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/script install confversion.py
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```
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It will automatically run every time you change settings. You don't need to care
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about it, however if you want to care about what it does, see the its settings
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with this command:
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```weechat
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/set plugins.var.python.confversion.*
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```
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#### `emoji.lua`
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WeeChat is a terminal program. As such it is not the easiest to input emoji and
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sometimes you absolutely need to call something 💩. This script converts the
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emoji shortcodes you use on Discord, GitHub and Slack into emoji for you. To
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install it, run this command:
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```weechat
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/script install emoji.lua
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```
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Then you can 💩post to your heart's content.
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#### `go.py`
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If you become a hyperlurker like I am, you tend to build up buffers. A lot of
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buffers. So many buffers that it gets hard to keep track of them all. `go.py`
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lets you search buffers by name and then go to them. To install it, run this
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command:
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```weechat
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/script install go.py
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```
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Then you should bind a key to call `/go` for you. I suggest `meta-j`:
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```weechat
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/key bind meta-j /go
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```
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[On some terminals, you can use the alt-key for this. On others you will need to
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press escape and then j. You can change this to control-j with something like
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`/key bind ctrl-j /go`.](conversation://Mara/hacker)
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#### `listbuffer.py`
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One of the main ways to discover new channels to talk in on IRC is by using the
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`/list` command. By default this output gets spewed to the server buffer and
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isn't particularly useful. `listbuffer.py` collects all of the channels into a
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buffer and then sorts them by user count. To install it, run this command:
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```weechat
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/script install listbuffer.py
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```
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This will fire automatically when you do `/list` on an IRC server connection:
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#### `screen_away.py`
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This one may not be super relevant if you don't run an IRC client in screen or
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tmux, but I do. This script will automatically mark you as "away" when you
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detach from screen/tmux and mark you as "back" when you attach again. To install
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it, run this command:
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```weechat
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/script install screen_away.py
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```
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## Connecting to an IRC Network
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Now that things are set up, let's actually connect to an IRC network. For this
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example, we will connect to [Libera Chat](https://libera.chat/). In WeeChat's
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model, you need to create a server and then set things in it. However, let's set
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some default settings first.
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[At this point it may be a good idea to start running WeeChat in tmux or a
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similar program. This will let you detach WeeChat and come back to it
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later.](conversation://Mara/hacker)
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Here's how you set the default nickname, username and "real name":
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```weechat
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/set irc.server_default.nicks Mara,MaraH4Xu,[Mara]
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/set irc.server_default.username mara
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/set irc.server_default.realname Mara Sh0rka
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```
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### Setting Up Libera Chat
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Add the Libera Chat connection with the `/server` command:
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```weechat
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/server add liberachat irc.libera.chat/6697 -ssl -auto
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```
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Then you can check the settings with `/set irc.server.liberachat.*`:
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More than likely the defaults are fine, however you can customize them with
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`/set` if you want.
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Next, let's connect to Libera Chat with this command:
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```weechat
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/connect liberachat
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```
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### Registration
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Once you are connected, register an account with NickServ:
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[IRC is a bit primitive, most networks use services like `NickServ` to help
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handle persistent identities on IRC.](conversation://Mara/hacker)
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```weechat
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/q NickServ help register
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```
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Then set a password (make sure it's a good one!) and email address, then run the
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command. You will get an email from the Libera Chat services daemon with a
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verification command. Run it and then your account will be set up. For the rest
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of this article we are going to assume that your account name is `[Mara]`.
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```weechat
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/msg NickServ register hunter2 mara@best.shork
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```
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Now you can configure WeeChat to automatically identify with NickServ on
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connection by using [SASL](https://libera.chat/guides/sasl). To configure SASL
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with WeeChat, do this:
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```weechat
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/set irc.server.liberachat.sasl_mechanism plain
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/set irc.server.liberachat.sasl_username [Mara]
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/set irc.server.liberachat.sasl_password hunter2
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```
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[If you aren't using `confversion.py`, now is a good time to run
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`/save`.](conversation://Mara/hacker)
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Then run `/reconnect` and look for this line in your Libera Chat buffer:
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```weechat
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-- SASL authentication successful
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```
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If you see this, then you are successfully identifying with NickServ when you
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connect to Libera Chat.
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### Getting a Cloak
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IRC attaches your public IP or DNS hostname to every message you send. Some
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people may not want to have this happen. A cloak lets you hide your public IP
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address and put something else there instead. It allows you to show up as
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something like `user/xe` instead of `chrysalis.cetacean.club`.
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To get a cloak, join `#libera-cloak`:
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```weechat
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/j #libera-cloak
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```
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Then send `!cloakme` to the channel. The bot will kick you once your cloak is
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set.
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### Joining Channels
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From here you can join channels and talk around places like normal. Here are
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some of my main haunts on Libera Chat:
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- [`#xeserv`](https://web.libera.chat/#xeserv) -> The official channel for this
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blog
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- [`#lobsters`](https://web.libera.chat/#lobsters) -> The official channel for
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[Lobsters](https://lobste.rs), a news aggregation site that I really like
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- [`##hntop`](https://web.libera.chat/##hntop) -> A feed of new articles that
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are posted to [Orange Site](https://news.ycombinator.com/)
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- [`##furry`](https://web.libera.chat/##furry) -> Encounters of the furred kind
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I am `Xe` on Libera Chat.
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## WeeChat Relay and Glowing Bear
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If you run WeeChat in tmux, you can attach to that tmux session later and then
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continue chatting wherever you end up. If you are on your phone or a tablet,
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this may not be the most useful thing in the world. It is somewhat difficult to
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use a shell on a phone. WeeChat has a
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[relay](https://weechat.org/files/doc/stable/weechat_relay_protocol.en.html)
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protocol setting that lets you connect to your chats on the go. You can use
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[Glowing Bear](https://www.glowing-bear.org/) to work with WeeChat. The public
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instance at [glowing-bear.org](https://www.glowing-bear.org/) will work fine for
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many cases, but I prefer running it myself so I don't have to give my WeeChat
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instance access to a blessed TLS certificate pair.
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To set this up, you will need to choose a relay password. I personally use
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type-4 UUIDs generated with `uuidgen`:
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```console
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$ uuidgen
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73b4d63d-ef7f-40a5-ab6e-01dfa4298a28
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```
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Then you can configure the relay port:
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```weechat
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/set relay.network.bind_address 127.0.0.1
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/set relay.network.password 73b4d63d-ef7f-40a5-ab6e-01dfa4298a28
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/relay add weechat 9001
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```
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Now that you have the relay set up, you can check to see if it's working with
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netcat:
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```console
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$ nc -v 127.0.0.1 9001
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Connection to 127.0.0.1 9001 port [tcp/etlservicemgr] succeeded!
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```
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This should also trigger a message in WeeChat:
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```weechat
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relay: new client on port 9001: 1/weechat/127.0.0.1 (waiting auth)
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```
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Now that you know WeeChat is listening, you can set up Glowing Bear with a NixOS
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module. Here's how I do it:
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```nix
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# weechat.nix
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{ config, pkgs, ... }:
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{
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# Mara\ Set up an nginx vhost for irc-cadey.chrysalis.cetacean.club:
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services.nginx.virtualHosts."irc-cadey.chrysalis.cetacean.club" = {
|
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# Mara\ "gently encourage" clients to use HTTPS
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forceSSL = true;
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# Mara\ Proxy everything at `/weechat` to WeeChat
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locations."^~ /weechat" = {
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# Mara\ Replace the host and port with whatever you configured
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# instead of this.
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proxyPass = "http://127.0.0.1:9001";
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# Mara\ WeeChat has websocket support for the relay protocol,
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# this tells nginx to expect that.
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proxyWebsockets = true;
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};
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# Mara\ Serve glowing bear's assets at the root of the domain.
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locations."/".root = pkgs.glowing-bear;
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# Mara\ Use the ACME cert for `cetacean.club` for this
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useACMEHost = "cetacean.club";
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};
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}
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```
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You can add this to your `imports` in your server's `configuration.nix` using
|
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[the layout I described in this
|
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post](https://christine.website/blog/morph-setup-2021-04-25). This would go in
|
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the host-specific configuration folder.
|
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Once you've deployed this to a server, try to open the page in your browser:
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|
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Then enter in the following details:
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- For the relay hostname, enter `irc-cadey.chrysalis.cetacean.club`
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- For the port, enter `443`
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- For the password, enter the UUID from earlier
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Then click "Save" and "Automatically connect" you will be connected to your
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chats!
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## IRC Norms and Netiquette
|
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IRC is a unique side of the internet. Here are some words of advice that may
|
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help you adjust to it:
|
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|
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- Most channels will go silent unless there is something to say. The channel
|
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being silent is a good thing.
|
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- Don't [ask to ask](https://dontasktoask.com/). If you have a question, just
|
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ask it.
|
||||
- Lurk for a bit in a social channel before chatting.
|
||||
- Always have an exit strategy.
|
||||
- Be wary of links from strangers.
|
||||
- Furries, LGBT and neurodivergent people wrote the software you are using. Do
|
||||
not anger the furries.
|
||||
- Befriend but be wary of rabbits.
|
||||
- Don't run weird commands if people you don't know ask you to run them.
|
||||
- Power is a curse.
|
||||
- Be kind to those who answer your questions. This may be a repeat question for
|
||||
them.
|
||||
- Tell people what documentation you read and what you tried.
|
||||
- Don't paste code snippets into the chat directly. Use a pastebin or [GitHub
|
||||
gists](https://gist.github.com).
|
||||
- Write things in longer sentences instead of sending lots of little lines.
|
||||
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
Drop in [`#xeserv`](https://web.libera.chat/#xeserv)! There's a small but
|
||||
somewhat active community there. I would love to hear any feedback you have
|
||||
about my articles.
|
||||
Loading…
Reference in New Issue