Chatify

Chatify is a small self-hosted chat app that runs in the terminal.

It includes:

• a Windows-friendly launcher, chatify.exe
• a terminal chat client with channels, DMs, replies, reactions, media, voice, and screen-share controls
• a WebSocket server with SQLite history
• an optional Discord bridge for advanced setups

Easiest Start

Windows

1. Download chatify-setup-<version>.exe from Releases.
2. Install it.
3. Open Chatify from the Start Menu or desktop shortcut.
4. Pick one option:

Option	Use it when
1 Start here	You want to try Chatify on this PC.
2 Host for others	You want people on your local network to join.
3 Join a server	Pick a saved server profile or enter a new IP/host.
4 Server only	This PC should only run the server.
5 Manage servers	Add or remove saved server profiles.

The launcher stores server data in:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\Chatify

First-time usernames can register automatically when using the packaged launcher. After first setup, pressing Enter in the launcher reconnects with your last mode, host, and port.

Portable Windows ZIP

1. Download chatify-windows-x64.zip from Releases.
2. Extract it.
3. Run:

chatify.exe

Build From Source

Install the Rust stable toolchain, then run:

cargo build --release

Start the server:

./target/release/chatify-server --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8765 --enable-self-registration

Start the client in another terminal:

./target/release/chatify-client --host 127.0.0.1 --port 8765

On Windows, use .exe:

.\target\release\chatify-server.exe --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8765 --enable-self-registration
.\target\release\chatify-client.exe --host 127.0.0.1 --port 8765

Daily Use

Most common actions are clickable in the terminal UI:

• click a room to switch rooms
• click a person to open a DM
• click Join call, Mute, Deafen, or Share screen
• click Reply or React on messages
• click Image, Video, or Audio to attach media
• press Ctrl+K for the action palette
• press Ctrl+, or click Settings to toggle media, markdown, notifications, sound, reconnect, and animations

Slash commands still work as a fallback. See docs/COMMANDS.md.

Main Binaries

Binary	What it does
chatify.exe	Simple Windows launcher.
chatify-server	Runs the WebSocket chat server.
chatify-client	Opens the terminal chat UI.
discord_bot	Optional Discord bridge, built only with --features discord-bridge.

Useful Commands

Run the Windows dev scripts:

.\run-server.ps1
.\run-client.ps1 -ProgramArgs @('--host','127.0.0.1','--port','8765')

Build a Windows package:

.\build-windows-package.ps1

Build only the ZIP:

.\build-windows-package.ps1 -SkipInstaller

Checks

Before committing changes, run:

cargo check --workspace --bins --locked
cargo fmt --all --check
cargo clippy --workspace --all-targets --all-features --locked -- -D warnings
cargo test --workspace --all-targets --locked

Protocol contract checks:

cargo test --locked --test message_contracts auth_contract_returns_expected_fields
cargo test --locked --test message_contracts compatibility_contract_client_bootstrap_flow_stays_stable
cargo test --locked --test message_contracts protocol_contract_advertises_backward_compatible_version
cargo test --locked --test message_contracts file_contract_relays_media_metadata_and_chunks

Feature-gated builds:

cargo check --features discord-bridge --bin discord_bot --locked
cargo check -p chatify-client --features bridge-client --locked

Security Notes

Chatify is designed for small, controlled deployments.

Important limits:

• no certificate pinning
• session tokens do not survive server restarts
• encrypted search is a linear scan
• single-node server only
• no independent third-party security audit

Read SECURITY.md and docs/SECURITY_NOTES.md before using it in a serious environment.

More Docs

• docs/COMMANDS.md - click-first UI and slash command fallback
• docs/DEMO.md - local demo walkthrough
• docs/ARCHITECTURE.md - system design
• docs/BENCHMARKS.md - performance notes
• docs/ENGINEERING_CASE_STUDY.md - design tradeoffs
• docs/RELEASE_CHECKLIST.md - release steps
• CHANGELOG.md - release history

License

MIT. See LICENSE.