bouncer/docs/USAGE.md

# Usage

## Starting the Bouncer

```bash
bouncer -c config/bouncer.toml -v
```

| Flag | Description |
|------|-------------|
| `-c, --config PATH` | Config file (default: `config/bouncer.toml`) |
| `-v, --verbose` | Debug logging |
| `--version` | Show version |

## Connection Lifecycle

The bouncer goes through several states when connecting to an IRC server:

```
DISCONNECTED -> CONNECTING -> REGISTERING -> PROBATION -> READY
                    |              |              |
                    `--------------+--------------'
                         (failure = reconnect)
```

### 1. Stealth Registration

On connect, the bouncer registers with a **random identity**:

- **Nick**: pronounceable markov-generated word (e.g., `heliagu`, `crewo`, `midon`)
- **User/Ident**: random pronounceable word
- **Realname**: random capitalized word

No fixed prefix or pattern -- each attempt looks like a different person.

### 2. Probation (15 seconds)

After registration succeeds (001 RPL_WELCOME), the bouncer enters a probation
window (default 45s, configurable via `probation_seconds`). During this time it watches for:

- `ERROR` messages (K-line, ban)
- Server closing the connection

If the connection drops during probation, the bouncer reconnects with a fresh
random identity and tries again.

### 3. Ready

Once probation passes without incident:

1. Bouncer switches to your configured nick (`NICK mynick`)
2. Joins configured channels (if `autojoin = true`)
3. Begins relaying messages to/from connected clients

### 4. Reconnection

On any disconnection, the bouncer reconnects with exponential backoff
(configurable via `backoff_steps`):

| Attempt | Default Delay |
|---------|---------------|
| 1 | 5s |
| 2 | 10s |
| 3 | 30s |
| 4 | 60s |
| 5 | 120s |
| 6+ | 300s |

Each reconnection uses a fresh random identity.

## DNS Resolution

Hostnames are resolved locally before being passed to the SOCKS5 proxy. If a
hostname resolves to multiple IPs, the bouncer tries each one until a connection
succeeds. This handles proxies that don't support remote DNS and avoids IPs
that are unreachable through the proxy.

## Connecting with an IRC Client

Configure your IRC client to connect to the bouncer:

| Setting | Value |
|---------|-------|
| Server | `127.0.0.1` |
| Port | `6667` (or as configured) |
| Password | `yourpassword` |

### Password Format

```
PASS <password>
```

The password is the `bouncer.password` value from config. A single connection
automatically attaches to **all** configured networks.

### Client Examples

**irssi:**
```
/connect -password mypassword 127.0.0.1 6667
```

**weechat:**
```
/server add bouncer 127.0.0.1/6667 -password=mypassword
/connect bouncer
```

**hexchat:**

Set server password to `mypassword` in the network settings.

## Multi-Network Namespacing

All configured networks are multiplexed onto a single client connection. Channels
and nicks carry a `/network` suffix so you can tell which network they belong to:

```
Client sees:         Server wire:
#libera/libera  <->  #libera       (on libera network)
#debian/oftc    <->  #debian       (on oftc network)
user123/libera  <->  user123       (on libera network)
```

### Rules

- **Channels**: `#channel/network` in client, `#channel` on wire
- **Foreign nicks**: `nick/network` in client, `nick` on wire
- **Own nicks**: shown without suffix (prevents client confusion)
- **Sending messages**: include the `/network` suffix in the target

```
/msg #libera/libera hello     -> sends "hello" to #libera on libera network
/join #test/oftc              -> joins #test on oftc network
/msg user123/libera hi        -> private message to user123 on libera
```

### Comma-Separated JOIN/PART

Targets can span networks:

```
/join #a/libera,#b/oftc       -> joins #a on libera AND #b on oftc
```

Multiple clients can attach simultaneously. All receive the same namespaced
messages in real time.

## What Clients Receive on Connect

When a client authenticates:

1. **Backlog replay** -- missed messages (namespaced) from all networks
2. **Synthetic welcome** -- 001-004 numeric replies listing all networks
3. **Channel state** -- synthetic JOIN, TOPIC, and NAMES for every joined
   channel across all networks (all namespaced with `/network` suffix)

## Backlog

Messages are stored in `bouncer.db` (SQLite) next to the config file. When
you reconnect, missed messages are automatically replayed.

Configure in `bouncer.toml`:

```toml
[bouncer.backlog]
max_messages = 10000       # per network, 0 = unlimited
replay_on_connect = true   # set false to disable replay
```

Stored commands: `PRIVMSG`, `NOTICE`, `TOPIC`, `KICK`, `MODE`.

## Configuration Reference

```toml
[bouncer]
bind = "127.0.0.1"        # listen address
port = 6667                # listen port
password = "changeme"      # client authentication password

# Captcha solving (NoCaptchaAI)
captcha_api_key = ""       # API key (optional, for auto-verification)
captcha_poll_interval = 3  # seconds between solve polls
captcha_poll_timeout = 120 # max seconds to wait for solve

# Connection tuning
probation_seconds = 45     # post-connect watch period for k-lines
backoff_steps = [5, 10, 30, 60, 120, 300]  # reconnect delays
nick_timeout = 10          # seconds to wait for nick change
rejoin_delay = 3           # seconds before rejoin after kick
http_timeout = 15          # per-request HTTP timeout

# Email verification
email_poll_interval = 15   # seconds between inbox checks
email_max_polls = 30       # max inbox checks (~7.5 min)
email_request_timeout = 20 # per-request timeout for email APIs

# Certificate generation
cert_validity_days = 3650  # client cert validity (~10 years)

[bouncer.backlog]
max_messages = 10000       # per network, 0 = unlimited
replay_on_connect = true   # replay missed messages on client connect

[proxy]
host = "127.0.0.1"        # SOCKS5 proxy address
port = 1080                # SOCKS5 proxy port

[networks.libera]
host = "irc.libera.chat"  # IRC server hostname
port = 6697                # server port (default: 6697 if tls, 6667 otherwise)
tls = true                 # use TLS for server connection
nick = "mynick"            # desired IRC nick (set after probation)
channels = ["#test"]       # channels to join (after probation)
autojoin = true            # auto-join channels on ready (default: true)
password = ""              # IRC server password (optional, for PASS command)
```

## Automatic Captcha Solving

Some IRC networks (e.g. OFTC) require visiting a URL with hCaptcha to verify
nick registration. The bouncer can solve these automatically using NoCaptchaAI.

### Setup

1. Sign up at [dash.nocaptchaai.com](https://dash.nocaptchaai.com) (free tier: 6000 solves/month)
2. Copy your API key from the dashboard
3. Add to config:
   ```toml
   [bouncer]
   captcha_api_key = "your-api-key-here"
   ```
4. Reload config:
   ```
   /msg *bouncer REHASH
   ```

### How It Works

When NickServ sends a verification URL containing `/verify/`:

1. The bouncer fetches the page via the SOCKS proxy
2. If hCaptcha is detected and an API key is configured, it submits the
   challenge to NoCaptchaAI for solving (all traffic routed through the proxy)
3. The solved token is submitted with the verification form
4. On success, the nick is promoted from `pending` to `verified` status

If no API key is set, or solving fails, the URL is stored as `pending` and
shown via the `CREDS` command for manual verification.

## CertFP Authentication

The bouncer supports client certificate fingerprint (CertFP) authentication
via SASL EXTERNAL. Each certificate is unique per (network, nick) pair and
stored as a combined PEM file at `{data_dir}/certs/{network}/{nick}.pem`.

### Authentication Cascade

When connecting, the bouncer selects the strongest available method:

| Priority | Method | Condition |
|----------|--------|-----------|
| 1 | SASL EXTERNAL | Stored creds + cert file exists |
| 2 | SASL PLAIN | Stored creds, no cert |
| 3 | NickServ IDENTIFY | Fallback after SASL failure |

### Setup

1. Generate a certificate:
   ```
   /msg *bouncer GENCERT libera
   ```
   This creates an EC P-256 self-signed cert (10-year validity) and
   auto-sends `NickServ CERT ADD <fingerprint>` if the network is connected.

2. Reconnect to use CertFP:
   ```
   /msg *bouncer RECONNECT libera
   ```
   The bouncer will now present the client certificate during TLS and
   authenticate via SASL EXTERNAL.

3. Verify the fingerprint is registered:
   ```
   /msg *bouncer CERTFP libera
   ```

### Certificate Storage

Certificates are stored alongside the config file:

```
{data_dir}/certs/
  libera/
    fabesune.pem     # cert + private key (chmod 600)
  oftc/
    mynick.pem
```

## Bouncer Commands

Send a PRIVMSG to `*bouncer` (or `bouncer`) from your IRC client to inspect
and control the bouncer. All commands are case-insensitive.

Responses arrive as NOTICE messages from `*bouncer`.

### Inspection

| Command | Description |
|---------|-------------|
| `HELP` | List available commands |
| `STATUS` | Overview: state, nick, host per network |
| `INFO <network>` | Detailed info for one network (state, server, channels, creds) |
| `UPTIME` | Bouncer uptime since process start |
| `NETWORKS` | List all configured networks with state |
| `CREDS [network]` | NickServ credential status (all or per-network) |
| `CHANNELS [network]` | List joined channels with topics (all or per-network) |
| `CLIENTS` | List connected bouncer clients |
| `BACKLOG [network]` | Message counts per network and database size |
| `VERSION` | Bouncer and Python version |

### Network Control

| Command | Description |
|---------|-------------|
| `CONNECT <network>` | Start a disconnected network |
| `DISCONNECT <network>` | Stop a network |
| `RECONNECT <network>` | Stop and restart with a fresh identity |
| `NICK <network> <nick>` | Change nick on a network |
| `RAW <network> <command>` | Send a raw IRC command to a network |

### Config Management

| Command | Description |
|---------|-------------|
| `REHASH` | Reload config file, add/remove/reconnect networks |
| `ADDNETWORK <name> key=val ...` | Create a network at runtime |
| `DELNETWORK <name>` | Stop and remove a network |
| `AUTOJOIN <network> +/-#channel` | Add or remove channel from autojoin list |

**ADDNETWORK keys:** `host` (required), `port`, `tls` (yes/no), `nick`,
`channels` (comma-separated), `password`.

### NickServ

| Command | Description |
|---------|-------------|
| `IDENTIFY <network>` | Force NickServ IDENTIFY with stored credentials |
| `REGISTER <network>` | Trigger NickServ registration attempt |
| `DROPCREDS <network> [nick]` | Delete stored NickServ credentials |

### CertFP

| Command | Description |
|---------|-------------|
| `GENCERT <network> [nick]` | Generate client cert, auto-register with NickServ |
| `CERTFP [network]` | Show certificate fingerprints (all or per-network) |
| `DELCERT <network> [nick]` | Delete a client certificate |

### Examples

```
/msg *bouncer HELP
/msg *bouncer STATUS
/msg *bouncer INFO libera
/msg *bouncer CHANNELS
/msg *bouncer CLIENTS
/msg *bouncer BACKLOG
/msg *bouncer VERSION
/msg *bouncer CONNECT libera
/msg *bouncer DISCONNECT libera
/msg *bouncer RECONNECT libera
/msg *bouncer NICK libera newnick
/msg *bouncer RAW libera WHOIS someuser
/msg *bouncer REHASH
/msg *bouncer ADDNETWORK oftc host=irc.oftc.net port=6697 tls=yes channels=#test
/msg *bouncer DELNETWORK oftc
/msg *bouncer AUTOJOIN libera +#newchannel
/msg *bouncer AUTOJOIN libera -#oldchannel
/msg *bouncer IDENTIFY libera
/msg *bouncer REGISTER libera
/msg *bouncer DROPCREDS libera
/msg *bouncer DROPCREDS libera oldnick
/msg *bouncer GENCERT libera
/msg *bouncer GENCERT libera fabesune
/msg *bouncer CERTFP
/msg *bouncer CERTFP libera
/msg *bouncer DELCERT libera
/msg *bouncer DELCERT libera fabesune
```

### Example Output

```
[STATUS]
  libera     ready  fabesune       user/fabesune
  oftc       ready  ceraty         cloaked.user
  hackint    connecting (attempt 3)
  quakenet   ready  spetyo         --

[CHANNELS]
  libera  #test       Welcome to the test channel
  libera  #dev
  oftc    #debian     Debian support

[CLIENTS]
  myuser  127.0.0.1:54321  connected 2h 15m 3s

[BACKLOG]
  libera  1,500 messages
  oftc      842 messages
  DB size: 2.1 MB
```

## Stopping

Press `Ctrl+C` or send `SIGTERM`. The bouncer shuts down gracefully, closing
all network connections and the backlog database.