Channel Permissions

Every channel member has a rank that determines what they can do. Higher ranks inherit all privileges of lower ranks.

Rank Hierarchy

~ Owner (rank 4) — Full control over the channel.
@ Operator (rank 3) — Day-to-day channel management.
% Half-Operator (rank 2) — Limited moderation duties.
+ Voiced (rank 1) — Can speak in moderated channels.
Regular (rank 0) — Standard member, no special privileges.

What Each Rank Can Do

Owner (~)

Everything an Operator can do
Grant/revoke Owner status (/mode +q)
Cannot be kicked or banned by anyone
Drop (unregister) the channel via ChanServ

Operator (@)

Everything a Half-Operator can do
Grant/revoke Operator and Half-Operator status (/mode +o, /mode +h)
Ban and unban users (/ban, /unban, /mode +b/-b)
Set all channel modes (/mode +m, +i, +t, +k, +l, +n, +s, +p, +c, +R, +K, +j)
Change topic when channel is +t (topic locked)

Half-Operator (%)

Kick users of lower rank
Grant/revoke Voice (/mode +v)

Voiced (+)

Speak in moderated (+m) channels

Regular

Send messages (unless channel is +m moderated)
Change topic (unless channel is +t topic-locked)
Join channel (subject to +i, +k, +l, +R, +b restrictions)

Key Rules

Rank comparison: You can only kick or ban users with a strictly lower rank than yours. An operator cannot kick another operator.
Self-actions: You cannot ban yourself.
Ban vs. Kick: Kicking requires Half-Operator or higher. Banning requires Operator or higher.
Mode setting: Most channel modes require Operator. Only Owners can grant +q. Half-Operators can only grant +v.

ChanServ Auto-Grant

For registered channels, ChanServ automatically assigns ranks when identified users join:

Founder → Owner (~) automatically on join
SOP (Super Operator) → Operator (@) automatically on join
AOP (Auto Operator) → Operator (@) automatically on join
VOP (Auto Voice) → Voiced (+) automatically on join

You must be identified with NickServ (/ns identify) for ChanServ to recognize your access level.

Join Restrictions

Channel modes can restrict who may join:

+b (banned) — Banned users cannot join. Removed with /unban or /mode -b.
+i (invite-only) — Only invited users or those with ban exceptions can join.
+k (key) — Requires the correct password: /join #channel password.
+l (limit) — Channel cannot exceed the user limit.
+R (registered-only) — Only registered and identified users can join.
+j (throttle) — Limits the rate of joins (anti-flood).

Speaking Restrictions

+m (moderated) — Only Voiced, Half-Operator, Operator, and Owner can speak.
+n (no external) — Only channel members can send messages.