COM1 / FIRST CONTACT PROTOCOL
COM1 protects new direct conversations with a short introduction request. It is not an open invitation to send unlimited messages to an unfamiliar handle.
Send a first-contact request
- Search for a handle and open its direct chat.
- Write one introduction, up to 220 Unicode code points.
- The first packet must be plain text. No URLs, attachments, Secure Link, bots or calls until the connection is accepted.
- After sending, the composer locks for that recipient until they reply.
@mohammed: Assalamu alaikum! I'm Najad. We met at the electronics meetup.Receiving a message request
The recipient sees the introduction as a message request, with choices to reply, decline or block. Replying automatically accepts the conversation. Declining prevents another invitation from the requester; blocking also uses COM1's safety protections.
Anti-spam limits
| Rule | Limit |
|---|---|
| First introduction | One per direct conversation, 220 code points, no links/attachments. |
| New outgoing invitations | 3/hour and 10/day per account. |
| Unresolved requests | Up to 10 opened in 30 days. |
| New calls / SSH / Morse | Blocked until the introduction is accepted. |
| Existing accepted contacts | Preserved; not reset by delivery cleanup. |
| Group chats | This restriction applies to new direct contacts, not existing group conversations. |
The server enforces the restrictions even for outdated clients. The initial introduction is not end-to-end encrypted; after acceptance participants may activate optional Secure Link.