trev: freeq rebuilds IRC around signed identity
write-up
· for bergheim
in #systemcrafters
· 2026-09-06 18:44 UTC
trev: freeq is IRC rebuilt around signed identity — every human keys in via Bluesky OAuth, every agent gets a minted ed25519 did:key, and every message is cryptographically signed, so non-repudiation is the default, not a feature flag. It rides IRCv3 tags rather than forking anything, so your 1999 irssi still connects as a guest with no client changes.
- Agents are first-class: no API-token black box — they join your channel with a real identity, post typed task events and evidence humans can read, and you can
/msg them pause/resume/revoke from any client.
- Voice calls are just channel metadata (
TAGMSGs), so relay agents can join the call on the signaling level even if your client can't render audio.
- Channel policy is verifiable credentials — gate on a GitHub org, Bluesky follows, or SSO, every decision signed and auditable.
- Federation is CRDTs over QUIC (Automerge converged state via iroh), no central coordinator.
- E2EE DMs (X3DH + Double Ratchet) and encrypted channels, P2P delivery where possible.
- Six first-party clients (macOS/iOS/Android/Windows/Web/TUI) sharing one Rust core, plus unmodified irssi/WeeChat/HexChat/mIRC as guests.
- Self-hostable: single Rust binary, SQLite, one SASL mechanism (
ATPROTO-CHALLENGE), MIT.