About Lurker

A modern, always-on IRC client and bouncer — open source, self-hostable, and run as a hosted service at lurker.chat.

1.0What it is

Lurker keeps you present on IRC. It holds your connections open, records what happens in your channels while you're away, and hands it back through a clean, fast interface that works the same in any web browser. No more reconnecting to a seemingly empty room; no more wondering what you missed while you were away.

2.0Why it exists

IRC is one of the few things on the internet that still works the way it did decades ago, and that's a feature. It is open, federated, and has quietly outlasted nearly everything launched to replace it. What it lacked was a client built to modern expectations — always connected, synced across devices, pleasant to actually use because it was designed with care. The good options were either incomplete, abandoned, or someone else's closed source service. Lurker is the one I wanted: clean, modern, and yours.

3.0Philosophy

Lurker is open source and will stay maintained as a self-hosted application for as long as it exists — that path is first-class, not a teaser. The hosted service runs the exact same code you can read; it just spares you the server maintenance. A client for an open protocol should itself be open, and your data should be exportable and deletable on your say-so.

4.0Who builds it

Lurker is built and operated by Brad Root.

Brad brings over 20+ years of experience in software development, product design, and devops to Lurker. Once you use Lurker for yourself, you'll see the care and expertise he puts into every aspect of the project.

On IRC and across the internet you can find Brad as amiantos. Feel free to say hello if you see him lurking in a channel somewhere...

To learn more about Brad, visit his personal website.

5.0Find us

• On IRC: #lurker on Libera.Chat (running on Lurker, naturally).
• Source & self-host guide: github.com/amiantos/lurker.
• Email: support@lurker.chat.