Matrirc – run irssi in 2026, talk to people on Matrix

Name: Matrirc – run irssi in 2026, talk to people on Matrix
Availability: InStock
Author: pawelb0

by pawelb0·Apr 26, 2026·12 points·1 comment

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AI Analysis

●●SolidNiche GemCozy

irssi with Matrix E2EE when bridges already exist — built for nostalgia, not necessity.

Strengths

•Media proxy decrypts E2EE attachments and serves them locally to IRC clients that can't handle Matrix media.
•Proper SAS verification flow for device authentication, not just token-based login.
•irssi helper script auto-starts daemon, manages chatnet, and handles reconnect on crash.

Weaknesses

•Author admits it solves no real problem — Matrix-IRC bridges already run on most FOSS networks.
•Extremely narrow audience: terminal users who specifically miss irssi's window-split commands.

Post Description

This solves no real problem — Element works, there's already a Matrix-to-IRC bridge running on half the FOSS networks, and probably nobody under 30 has opened irssi voluntarily this decade.

I wrote it anyway because I miss Esc 4 and clunky window-split commands.

Matrirc is a local IRC server that speaks Matrix on the back. Point irssi at localhost:6667, log in with Matrix creds, rooms show up as channels.

brew tap pawelb0/tap brew install matrirc