NCHAT(1)

📦
version 5.19.18 · 2 versions
, in nixpkgs unstable

💅 NCHAT(1) 💅

ok so you found the manual page for nchat — that's the User Commands one, bestie, and yes she's the main character of this whole document. buckle up 🎀

✨ NAME ✨

nchat — ncurses chat. that's it, that's the name, she's short and she knows it 🫶

🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

nchat [OPTION]

🌸 DESCRIPTION 🌸

nchat is a terminal-based messaging client with Telegram, WhatsApp and Signal support. literally all your chats, in a terminal, ncurses aesthetic. no cap. 💖

⭐ Command-line Options ⭐

  • -d, --confdir <DIR> — use a different directory than ~/.config/nchat. yes you can move her house 🏠
  • -e, --verbose — enable verbose logging. she tells you things 👀
  • -ee, --extra-verbose — enable extra verbose logging. she tells you everything, absolutely unhinged amounts of detail 💀
  • -h, --help — display this help and exit. the classic "help me help you" 🫶
  • -k, --keydump — key code dump mode. press keys, get numbers, iykyk ⌨️
  • -m, --devmode — developer mode. for the builders 👑
  • -r, --remove — remove chat protocol account. bye bestie 😭
  • -s, --setup — set up chat protocol account. hiiii bestie ✨
  • -v, --version — output version information and exit. she'll tell you who she is 💅
  • -x, --export <DIR> — export message cache to specified dir. receipts, archived 📦

🔥 Interactive Commands 🔥

these are the keys you press while you're in there, living your best life:

  • PageDn — history next page
  • PageUp — history previous page
  • Tab — next chat
  • Sh-Tab — previous chat
  • Ctrl-f — jump to unread chat
  • Ctrl-g — toggle show help bar
  • Ctrl-l — toggle show contact list
  • Ctrl-n — goto chat
  • Ctrl-p — toggle show top bar
  • Ctrl-q — quit
  • Ctrl-s — insert emoji
  • Ctrl-t — send file
  • Ctrl-x — send message
  • Ctrl-y — toggle show emojis
  • KeyUp — select message
  • Alt-@ — insert mention
  • Alt-a — archive current chat
  • Alt-d — delete/leave current chat
  • Alt-e — external editor compose
  • Alt-i — auto-compose reply
  • Alt-n — search contacts
  • Alt-p — pin/unpin current chat
  • Alt-t — external telephone call
  • Alt-/ — find in chat
  • Alt-? — find next in chat
  • Alt-$ — external spell check
  • Alt-, — decrease contact list width
  • Alt-. — increase contact list width

🦋 Interactive Commands for Selected Message 🦋

so you clicked a message and now she's selected, main character energy, here's what you can do to her:

  • Ctrl-d — delete selected message
  • Ctrl-r — download attached file
  • Ctrl-v — open/view attached file
  • Ctrl-w — open link
  • Ctrl-x — send reply to selected message
  • Ctrl-z — edit selected message
  • Alt-c — copy selected message to clipboard
  • Alt-q — jump to quoted/replied message
  • Alt-r — forward selected message
  • Alt-s — add/remove reaction on selected message
  • Alt-w — external message viewer

🎀 Interactive Commands for Text Input 🎀

and these ones are for when you're typing your little heart out ✍️:

  • Ctrl-a — move cursor to start of line
  • Ctrl-c — clear input buffer
  • Ctrl-e — move cursor to end of line
  • Ctrl-k — delete from cursor to end of line
  • Ctrl-u — delete from cursor to start of line
  • Alt-Left — move cursor backward one word
  • Alt-Right — move cursor forward one word
  • Alt-Backsp — delete previous word
  • Alt-Delete — delete next word
  • Alt-c — copy input buffer to clipboard (if no message selected)
  • Alt-v — paste into input buffer from clipboard
  • Alt-x — cut input buffer to clipboard

🌈 AUTHOR 🌈

Written by Kristofer Berggren. king behavior, honestly 👑

🐛 REPORTING BUGS 🐛

Report bugs at https://github.com/d99kris/nchat — don't be shy, she wants to know 🙈

Copyright © 2019-2026 Kristofer Berggren

License varies by build configuration. See nchat --version for details.

lowkey obsessed with the fact that she's been around since 2019 and still slaying. legends only 💅✨

ok bye bestie!! this was nchat version 5.19.18, dated September 2026, user commands manual, and she ate fr fr 💖🎀🫶

📦 where this page comes from