Irssi proxy usage: First you'll need to have the proxy module installed, either configure irssi with --with-proxy and do make install, or manually: cd src/irc/proxy make mkdir ~/.irssi/modules cp .libs/libproxy.so ~/.irssi/modules/ In irssi, say: /LOAD proxy If you want the proxy to be loaded automatically at startup, add the load command to ~/.irssi/startup: echo "load proxy" >> ~/.irssi/startup You really should set some password for the proxy with: /SET irssiproxy_password secret Then you'll need to configure the ports/ircnets the proxy listens in, something like: /SET irssiproxy_ports ircnet=2777 efnet=2778 freenode=2779 There we have 3 different irc networks answering in 3 ports. Note that you'll have to make the correct /IRCNET ADD and /SERVER ADD commands to make it work properly. The special network name "?" allows the client to select the network dynamically on connect: /SET irssiproxy_ports ?=2777 Now the client can send : as the server password, e.g. /CONNECT ... 2777 efnet:secret to connect to efnet. If there is no irssiproxy_password set, you can omit the ":" and just send the network name as the password. By default, the proxy binds to all available interfaces. To make it only listen on (for example) the loopback address: /SET irssiproxy_bind 127.0.0.1 Note that bind address changes won't take effect until the proxy is disabled and then reenabled. Once everything is set up, you can enable / disable the proxy: /TOGGLE irssiproxy When the proxy is configured and running, the following command will show all the currently connected clients: /IRSSIPROXY status