---
name: "barnowl"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "barnowl"
version: "1.10-2+b9"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/barnowl"
---

# barnowl(1)

tty‐based zephyr client

## NAME

BarnOwl - tty‐based zephyr client

## SYNOPSIS

**barnowl** \[-n\] \[-d\] \[-D\] \[-v\] \[-h\] \[-c *CONFIGFILE*\] \[-t *TTY*\] \[-s *CONFIGDIR*\]\

## DESCRIPTION

**BarnOwl** is a fully integrated tty‐based instant messaging client.  Currently it supports AOL Instant Messenger, MIT Zephyr, Jabber, IRC, and Twitter.  It is curses‐based, allows for emacs‐style editing of outgoing messages, and uses Perl as an extension and configuration language.  **BarnOwl** will also run happily without a configuration file.

Once **BarnOwl** is started, typing ‘h’ will display a help screen. Typing ‘:’ enters command mode, allowing the user to type a **BarnOwl** command line.

## OPTIONS

The following command-line options are avilable when running **BarnOwl**:

- **-n**, **--no-subs**

  Do not subscribe to zephyr messages on startup.  By default, **BarnOwl** subscribes to the default subscriptions and to anything found in *~/.zephyr.subs*.  When this option is used, no subscriptions are loaded.

- **-c**, **--config-file**=*FILE*

  Specify an alternate config file for **BarnOwl** to use.  The config file is an arbitrary Perl script evaluated in the *main* package, and if it  overrides the *BarnOwl::startup* method that is run when **BarnOwl**  starts.  (Compare *~/.owl/startup*, which contains **BarnOwl** commands  that are run at startup after the config file is loaded.)

  By default, **BarnOwl** uses the first of *~/.owl/init.pl*,  *~/.barnowlconf*, or *~/.owlconf* that exists.

- **-s**, **--config-dir**=*DIR*

  Specify an alternate configuration directory.  By default, **BarnOwl** uses *~/.owl/*.

- **-t**, **--tty**=*TTY*

  Specify the tty name to use for the zephyr location.

- **-v**, **--version**

  Print the version number of **BarnOwl** and exit.

- **-d**, **--debug**

  Enable debugging.  By default, debugging information is placed in */var/tmp/barnowl-debug.PID*.

- **-h**, **--help**

  Print command‐line option help.

## AUTHORS

Written by Nelson Elhage and Alejandro Sedeno at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  Based on Owl by James Kretchmar.

Comments, questions, and bug reports may be mailed to **bug-barnowl@mit.edu**.