Stoat

Overview

Stoat is the open-source software behind stoat.chat, the chat platform formerly called Revolt. It gives a community, a club or a group of friends its own chat server, organized into servers and text channels, with direct messages and group chats beside them. Every message and file stays on your box.

Features

• Servers with text channels, categories, roles and permissions
• Direct messages and group chats
• File and image uploads, custom emoji, and link previews
• Mentions, replies, reactions and message search
• Browser notifications through web push

Setting up

Open the app and create an account. Anyone who can reach the app can sign up, so turn on Invite-only sign-up in this app's settings if you want to hand out invites instead. For friends to join from outside, set the app's access to public.

Good to know

• Voice and video calls are off. They need a media server with its own open ports on the box, which apps do not get. Text chat, files and everything else work.
• Use the web app. The official Stoat mobile and desktop apps mostly cannot connect to a server other than stoat.chat. The web app works in any browser and can be installed as an app from the browser.
• Email is optional. With no outgoing email set up, accounts are not asked to confirm an email address, and password reset by email does not work.
• GIF search needs a Tenor API key, which you can add in this app's settings. Without one, the GIF picker stays empty.
• Some requests leave the box. The web app fetches its changelog from changelog.stoat.chat and a location hint from geo.revolt.chat, and loads some emoji and artwork from Stoat's own servers. Your messages and files stay on your box.
• This app needs a newer box. It runs only on boxes set up with moose's newer app isolation. On an older box it is not shown.