User Management

Manage your buddy list, user interactions, and user-related features

Nicotine+ provides comprehensive user management features including buddy lists, user status tracking, and privilege management.

Buddy List

The buddy list helps you track and organize your friends on the Soulseek network:

Adding Buddies

1. Find User

   Locate the user you want to add:

   • From chat room user list
   • From search results
   • From browse list
   • Manual username entry
2. Add to List

   Right-click username and select “Add Buddy” or use the buddy list interface

3. Configure Settings

   Set buddy properties:

   • Note: Personal reminder about this user
   • Notify Status: Get alerts when they come online/offline
   • Prioritize: Give upload queue priority
   • Trust: Grant access to trusted shares

Buddy Properties

Basic Info

Information tracked for each buddy:

Username: Their Soulseek username

Status: Online, Away, or Offline

Last Seen: Date/time of last online presence

Country: Geographic location (if available)

Note: Your personal notes about the user

Status Notifications

Get notified of status changes:

Online: Desktop notification when buddy comes online

Offline: Notification when buddy goes offline

Away: Status change from online to away

Format: “username is online/away/offline”

Requirements: Enable per-buddy in buddy properties

Privileges

Special buddy privileges:

Prioritized: Higher queue priority for uploads

Trusted: Access to your trusted shares

Buddy Shares: Access to buddy-level shares

Auto-granted: Privileges activate automatically

Buddy Management

Managing Your Buddy List

Add Buddy: Right-click any username > Add Buddy

Remove Buddy: Right-click in buddy list > Remove

Edit Note: Double-click note field or right-click > Edit

Toggle Notifications: Click notification icon

Set Prioritized: Right-click > Prioritize

Set Trusted: Right-click > Trust

View Details: Click username to see full info

User Status Tracking

Nicotine+ tracks status for all watched users:

Status Types

Offline: User is not connected to the network

Online: User is active and available

Away: User is connected but marked as away

Last Seen Tracking

For offline buddies, Nicotine+ tracks:

1. Online Status

   When buddy is online:

   • Last Seen field is empty
   • Status shows “Online” or “Away”
   • Real-time updates
2. Goes Offline

   When buddy disconnects:

   • Timestamp recorded (MM/DD/YYYY HH:MM:SS)
   • Last Seen updated in buddy list
   • Status changes to “Offline”
3. Returns Online

   When buddy reconnects:

   • Last Seen cleared
   • Previous timestamp preserved until next offline
   • Status notification sent (if enabled)

Last Seen shows “Never seen” for buddies who have never been online since being added.

User Information

View detailed information about any user:

User Profile

Access user information by clicking their username:

Statistics

View user’s sharing statistics:

Upload Speed: Average upload rate

Files Shared: Total number of files

Folders Shared: Number of shared directories

Updated: Stats refresh when user’s info changes

Network Info

Connection details:

IP Address: User’s network address

Port: Connection port

Country: Determined from IP geolocation

Privacy: IP addresses requested on-demand

Interaction History

Your interactions with this user:

Downloads: Files downloaded from them

Uploads: Files uploaded to them

Messages: Private conversation history

Notes: Your personal notes

Privileged Users

The Soulseek network includes privileged users:

What Are Privileges?

Privileged status is granted to users who support the network through donations. Privileged users receive:

• Higher priority in upload queues
• Faster search result delivery
• Enhanced network features
• Support badge in user listings

Privilege Benefits for Others

When uploading to privileged users:

1. Detection

   Nicotine+ receives privilege list from server

2. Queue Priority

   Privileged users move ahead in your queue:

   • Processed before non-privileged users
   • Marked as “privileged” in queue
   • Fair rotation among privileged users
3. Slot Access

   May bypass some upload restrictions:

   • Queue size limits (configurable)
   • File count limits (configurable)
   • Upload slot limits (configurable)

User Prioritization

Give upload priority to specific users:

Setting Up Prioritization

1. Add User as Buddy

   User must be on your buddy list

2. Enable Prioritization

   Right-click buddy > “Prioritize Uploads”

3. Configure Behavior

   In Preferences > Uploads:

   • Prefer Buddies: Prioritize ALL buddies
   • Selective: Only prioritize marked buddies

Prioritized buddies are treated similarly to server-privileged users in your upload queue.

Trusted Users

Grant access to exclusive shares:

Trusted Share Access

Setting Trust

Mark buddies as trusted:

1. Add user to buddy list
2. Right-click buddy > “Trust User”
3. User gains access to trusted shares
4. Access activated immediately

What They See

Trusted users can:

• Browse your trusted-level shares
• Search your trusted-level files
• Download from trusted shares
• See trusted shares in share counts (if revealed)

Revoking Trust

Remove trusted status:

1. Right-click buddy > “Untrust User”
2. Access to trusted shares revoked
3. Existing downloads may continue
4. New downloads blocked

Only grant trusted status to users you truly trust. They will have access to files not available to the general public.

User Watching

Nicotine+ watches users to track their status:

How User Watching Works

Watch System

Automatic Watching: Users are automatically watched when:

• Added to buddy list
• In a joined chat room
• Have active transfers with you
• In private message conversation

Watch Contexts: Separate tracking for:

• buddies: From buddy list
• chatrooms_roomname: From specific chat room
• privatechat: From private messages

Unwatching: Users are unwatched when:

• Removed from all contexts
• Chat room left
• Buddy removed
• Message window closed

User Actions

Common actions you can perform on users:

1. Browse Files

   View user’s shared files:

   • Right-click username
   • Select “Browse Files”
   • File browser opens
   • Download files/folders
2. Send Message

   Start private conversation:

   • Right-click username
   • Select “Send Message”
   • Message tab opens
   • Chat one-on-one
3. Get User Info

   View detailed information:

   • Right-click username
   • Select “User Info”
   • Info panel displays
   • See stats and details
4. Ban/Ignore

   Block problematic users:

   • Right-click username
   • Select “Ban User” or “Ignore User”
   • User blocked from interactions
   • Configure in preferences

User Notes

Add personal notes about buddies:

Adding Notes

1. Open Note Field

   Double-click the note column in buddy list

2. Enter Note

   Type your note:

   • Remind yourself how you know them
   • Track shared interests
   • Note music tastes
   • Record any useful information
3. Save

   Press Enter or click away to save

Note Ideas:

• “Friend from rock chat room”
• “Great jazz collection, friendly”
• “Shares rare classical recordings”
• “Met 2024, loves techno”

Country Detection

Nicotine+ shows user locations:

How Country Detection Works

1. IP Request: IP address requested from server
2. Geolocation: IP mapped to country code
3. Flag Display: Country flag shown in UI
4. Caching: Country stored for future reference
5. Updates: Refreshed if user’s IP changes

Privacy Considerations

IP addresses are only requested when needed:

• When viewing user info
• When user joins a room
• When receiving private messages
• For ignore/ban by IP checks

Buddy List Persistence

Your buddy list is automatically saved:

Buddy information stored in configuration:

• Username
• Personal note
• Notification settings
• Prioritization status
• Trust status
• Last seen timestamp
• Country code

Data synced to disk whenever changes occur.

Auto-Completion

Buddy names appear in auto-completion:

1. Enable in Preferences

   Settings > Words > Auto-Complete Buddies

2. Use in Chat

   Start typing buddy name and press Tab

3. Complete Name

   Name auto-completes in chat input

Best Practices

Managing Buddies Effectively:

Organization:

• Add descriptive notes to remember users
• Use trust selectively for close contacts
• Enable notifications for important buddies
• Review and clean up buddy list periodically

Sharing:

• Use buddy shares for friends-only content
• Reserve trusted shares for very close contacts
• Don’t trust users you don’t know well
• Monitor who accesses your shares

Prioritization:

• Prioritize buddies who reciprocate
• Use “prefer buddies” for fair treatment
• Don’t over-prioritize (slows non-buddy uploads)
• Consider queue system implications

Privacy:

• Be selective about sharing IP addresses
• Review buddy list for inactive users
• Use ignore feature for problem users
• Check privileges before trusting

Troubleshooting

Buddy Always Shows Offline

1. Verify username spelling
2. Check user exists on network
3. Ensure you’re connected to server
4. Try removing and re-adding buddy
5. Check if user changed username

Status Notifications Not Working

• Enable notifications in buddy properties
• Check OS notification settings
• Verify buddy status is actually changing
• Ensure Nicotine+ has notification permission
• Check notification preferences globally

Trusted Shares Not Accessible

1. Confirm user is marked as trusted
2. Verify trusted shares are configured
3. Check shares have been scanned
4. Ensure user is actively browsing
5. Review share reveal settings

Last Seen Not Updating

• Timestamp only updates on status change
• Must be online for timestamp to clear
• Check buddy list is being saved
• Verify server connection
• Restart Nicotine+ if stuck