qchat

Disposable group chat. One command, one QR code, zero signup.

Spin up an instant chat room from your terminal. Share the QR code — people scan it and join from their phone browser. No app to install. Room self-destructs when done.

Install

npx @pigeonflow/qchat

That's it. No global install needed.

Usage

# Start a local chat room (default: 60 min TTL)
npx @pigeonflow/qchat

# Public mode — accessible from anywhere via Cloudflare tunnel
npx @pigeonflow/qchat --public

# Custom room name
npx @pigeonflow/qchat --name "Team Standup"

# Persist mode — room stays open until everyone leaves
npx @pigeonflow/qchat --persist

# Password-protected room
npx @pigeonflow/qchat --password secret123

# Custom TTL (30 minutes)
npx @pigeonflow/qchat --ttl 30

# Combine flags
npx @pigeonflow/qchat --public --name "Workshop" --persist --password demo

Options

| Flag | Description | Default | |------|-------------|---------| | -p, --port <n> | Port to serve on | Random (3000-9000) | | -t, --ttl <min> | Room expires after N minutes | 60 | | -n, --name <s> | Room display name | Chat Room | | -m, --max <n> | Max participants | 50 | | --password <s> | Require password to join | None | | --public | Expose via Cloudflare tunnel | Off | | --persist | No TTL — room lives until empty | Off |

How it works

1. You run npx @pigeonflow/qchat on your machine
2. A QR code appears in your terminal
3. People scan it → opens a chat in their phone browser
4. Real-time messaging via WebSocket
5. Room auto-expires after TTL (or when everyone leaves in persist mode)
6. Ctrl+C closes everything

Public mode

By default, qchat runs on your local network. Add --public to make it accessible from anywhere:

npx @pigeonflow/qchat --public

This starts a Cloudflare tunnel — your room gets a public HTTPS URL like https://random-words.trycloudflare.com/room/abc123. First run downloads the cloudflared binary (~25MB, cached at ~/.qchat/bin/).

Add to Home Screen

The chat UI is a PWA. Users can tap "📲 Add to Home" in the header to save it as an app shortcut on their phone — instant access without opening a browser.

Use cases

• Meetings — quick throwaway chat for a standup or call
• Workshops — audience Q&A without installing anything
• Events — conference hallway chat, party coordination
• Classrooms — real-time backchannel
• LAN parties — local network, no internet needed

Features

• 📱 WhatsApp-style mobile-first UI (dark theme)
• 🔒 Optional password protection
• ⏱️ Configurable TTL or persist-until-empty mode
• 🌐 Public mode via Cloudflare tunnel
• 📲 PWA — installable as home screen shortcut
• 💬 Typing indicators, read ticks, color-coded names
• 🔄 Device ID tracking (reconnect handling, name memory)
• 📷 QR code in terminal + shareable SVG endpoint

License

MIT

Links

• npm
• GitHub