# irssi/irssi

The client of the future

Repository: https://github.com/irssi/irssi
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/irssi
Homepage: https://irssi.org
Language: C
License: NOASSERTION
License Family: other
Topics: irc, irssi, irc-client, irc-protocol
Last push: 2026-02-01T19:01:46+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 52/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 65, release rhythm 8, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 4478, "days_push": 213, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: no_license
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 3133, forks 394 (observed 2026-08-28T04:07:45.567587+00:00)

## What it is
Irssi is a modular text-mode IRC chat client written in C, with a terminal UI and built-in IRC support plus third-party protocol modules for XMPP, ICB, SILC, and others. It is highly extensible via Perl scripts, themes, and plugins, and is actively maintained with regular releases.

## Use cases
- irc client for the terminal
- chat in irc channels from the command line
- connect to multiple irc networks with nickserve and certfp login
- customize a chat client with perl scripts and themes
- run an irc client over ssh on a headless server
- proxy irc connections with irssiproxy

## When to choose
- you want a lightweight, scriptable terminal IRC client
- you live in the terminal or on remote servers over ssh
- you need extensibility through scripts, themes, and protocol modules

## When to avoid
- you want a graphical chat client with rich media previews
- you need modern chat platforms like Slack or Discord out of the box
- you prefer a zero-configuration beginner-friendly chat app

## Facets
- artifact type: application
- maturity: stable
- function: chat-interface, plugin-system, terminal-ui
- domain: messaging-platforms, developer-tools
- platform: windows, bsd, cross-platform, cli
- tags: irc-client, irc, perl-scripting, themes, text-mode, chat, command-line, linux, macos

## Member repositories
- irssi/irssi (main) score 52

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:07:45.567587+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T07:26:07.636559+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/irssi/irssi (fetched 2026-08-28T04:07:45.567587+00:00, sha 63259eb5fa23)
  - homepage: https://irssi.org (fetched 2026-08-29T09:41:02.176404+00:00, sha 548cadf8428e)
  - site_page: https://irssi.org/documentation/manual/configuration (fetched 2026-08-29T09:41:02.185313+00:00, sha 50c6efae5c6e)
  - site_page: https://irssi.org/documentation (fetched 2026-08-29T09:41:02.178790+00:00, sha 83e1a8179f5b)
  - site_page: https://irssi.org/documentation/manual (fetched 2026-08-29T09:41:02.180534+00:00, sha ee07322adbc7)
  - site_page: https://irssi.org/documentation/manual/commands (fetched 2026-08-29T09:41:02.182125+00:00, sha 37158d5e3bdc)
  - site_page: https://irssi.org/documentation/manual/automation (fetched 2026-08-29T09:41:02.183771+00:00, sha 4f967607dd4f)
  - site_page: https://irssi.org/documentation/qna (fetched 2026-08-29T09:41:02.187017+00:00, sha 997671e0c005)
  - site_page: https://irssi.org/documentation/qna/aligned-nicks (fetched 2026-08-29T09:41:02.188589+00:00, sha ca8432dd2c83)
  - site_page: https://irssi.org/documentation/qna/automatic-login (fetched 2026-08-29T09:41:02.190141+00:00, sha d4084c23322c)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.