README.md

@@ -159,11 +159,13 @@ for multi-client access.
 
 - **Session creation**: client sends `POST /api/v1/session` with a desired
   nick → server sets an **HttpOnly auth cookie** (`neoirc_auth`) containing
-  a cryptographically random token (64 hex characters) and returns the user
-  ID and nick in the JSON response body. No token appears in the JSON body.
+  a cryptographically random value (64 hex characters) and returns the user
+  ID and nick in the JSON response body. No auth credential appears in the
+  JSON body.
 - The auth cookie is HttpOnly, SameSite=Strict, and Secure when behind TLS.
-  Clients never need to handle the token directly — the browser/HTTP client
-  manages cookies automatically.
+  Browsers handle cookies automatically. **CLI clients (curl, custom HTTP
+  clients) must explicitly save and send cookies** — e.g., using curl's
+  `-c`/`-b` flags or an HTTP cookie jar in their language's HTTP library.
 - Sessions start anonymous — no password required. When the session expires
   or the user QUITs, the nick is released.
 
@@ -188,16 +190,17 @@ For users who want to access the same session from multiple devices:
   the stable identity.
 - Server-assigned IDs — clients do not choose their own IDs.
 - Auth cookies contain opaque random bytes, **not JWTs**. No claims, no expiry
-  encoded in the token, no client-side decode. The server is the sole authority
-  on cookie validity.
+  encoded in the cookie value, no client-side decode. The server is the sole
+  authority on cookie validity.
 
 **Rationale:** IRC has no accounts. You connect, pick a nick, and talk.
 Anonymous sessions preserve that simplicity — instant access, zero friction.
 But some users want to access the same session from multiple devices without
 a bouncer. The PASS command enables multi-client login without adding friction
 for casual users: if you don't need multi-client, just create a session and
-go. Cookie-based auth eliminates token management from client code entirely —
-browsers and HTTP cookie jars handle it automatically. Note: both anonymous
+go. Cookie-based auth simplifies credential management — browsers handle
+cookies automatically, and CLI clients just need a cookie jar (e.g., curl's
+`-c`/`-b` flags). Note: both anonymous
 and password-protected sessions are deleted when the last client disconnects
 (QUIT or logout). Identity verification at the message layer via cryptographic
 signatures (see [Security Model](#security-model)) remains independent of
@@ -265,9 +268,9 @@ A single user session can have multiple clients (phone, laptop, terminal).
 
 ```
 User Session
-├── Client A (token_a, queue_a)
-├── Client B (token_b, queue_b)
-└── Client C (token_c, queue_c)
+├── Client A (cookie_a, queue_a)
+├── Client B (cookie_b, queue_b)
+└── Client C (cookie_c, queue_c)
 ```
 
 **Multi-client via login:** The `POST /api/v1/login` endpoint adds a new
@@ -395,8 +398,8 @@ Opaque auth cookies are simpler:
 - Revocation is a database delete (cookie becomes invalid immediately)
 - No clock skew issues, no algorithm confusion, no "none" algorithm attacks
 - Cookie format can change without breaking clients
-- Clients never handle tokens directly — browsers and HTTP cookie jars
-  manage everything automatically
+- Browsers and HTTP cookie jars manage cookies automatically; CLI clients
+  must explicitly save and resend cookies (e.g., curl `-c`/`-b` flags)
 
 ---
 
@@ -426,12 +429,12 @@ The entire read/write loop for a client is two endpoints. Everything else
 ┌─ Client ──────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
 │                                                            │
 │  1. POST /api/v1/session {"nick":"alice"}                  │
-│     → Set-Cookie: neoirc_auth=<token>; HttpOnly; ...       │
+│     → Set-Cookie: neoirc_auth=<random_hex>; HttpOnly; ...  │
 │     → {"id":1, "nick":"alice"}                             │
 │                                                            │
 │  2. POST /api/v1/messages {"command":"JOIN","to":"#gen"}   │
 │     → {"status":"joined","channel":"#general"}             │
-│     (Cookie sent automatically on all subsequent requests) │
+│     (Cookie must be sent on all subsequent requests)       │
 │                                                            │
 │  3. POST /api/v1/messages {"command":"PRIVMSG",            │
 │       "to":"#general","body":["hello"]}                    │
@@ -459,7 +462,7 @@ The entire read/write loop for a client is two endpoints. Everything else
 ┌─ Client A ────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
 │                                                            │
 │  1. POST /api/v1/session {"nick":"alice"}                  │
-│     → Set-Cookie: neoirc_auth=<token_a>; HttpOnly; ...     │
+│     → Set-Cookie: neoirc_auth=<cookie_a>; HttpOnly; ...    │
 │     → {"id":1, "nick":"alice"}                             │
 │                                                            │
 │  2. POST /api/v1/messages                                  │
@@ -475,7 +478,7 @@ The entire read/write loop for a client is two endpoints. Everything else
 │                                                            │
 │  3. POST /api/v1/login                                     │
 │     {"nick":"alice", "password":"s3cret!!"}                │
-│     → Set-Cookie: neoirc_auth=<token_b>; HttpOnly; ...     │
+│     → Set-Cookie: neoirc_auth=<cookie_b>; HttpOnly; ...    │
 │     → {"id":1, "nick":"alice"}                             │
 │     (New client added to existing session — channels       │
 │      and message queues are preserved.)                    │
@@ -862,7 +865,7 @@ Destroy the session and disconnect from the server.
 - Empty channels are deleted (ephemeral).
 - The user's session is destroyed — the auth cookie is invalidated, the nick
   is released.
-- Subsequent requests with the old token return HTTP 401.
+- Subsequent requests with the old auth cookie return HTTP 401.
 
 **Response:** `200 OK`
 ```json
@@ -1226,8 +1229,8 @@ the hostmask used in WHOIS, WHO, and future ban matching (`+b`).
 
 **Response:** `201 Created`
 
-The response sets an `neoirc_auth` HttpOnly cookie containing the auth token.
-The JSON body does **not** include the token.
+The response sets an `neoirc_auth` HttpOnly cookie containing an opaque auth
+value. The JSON body does **not** include the auth credential.
 
 ```
 Set-Cookie: neoirc_auth=494ba9fc...e3; Path=/; HttpOnly; SameSite=Strict
@@ -1914,8 +1917,8 @@ authenticity.
 ### Authentication
 
 - **Cookie-based auth**: Opaque HttpOnly cookies (64 hex chars = 256 bits of
-  entropy). Tokens are hashed (SHA-256) before storage and validated on every
-  request. Cookies are HttpOnly (no JavaScript access), SameSite=Strict
+  entropy). Cookie values are hashed (SHA-256) before storage and validated on
+  every request. Cookies are HttpOnly (no JavaScript access), SameSite=Strict
   (CSRF protection), and Secure when behind TLS.
 - **Anonymous sessions**: `POST /api/v1/session` requires only a nick. No
   password, instant access. The auth cookie is the sole credential.
@@ -2094,11 +2097,11 @@ Index on `(uuid)`.
 
 #### `clients`
 | Column       | Type     | Description |
-|-------------|----------|-------------|
+|--------------|----------|-------------|
 | `id`         | INTEGER  | Primary key (auto-increment) |
 | `uuid`       | TEXT     | Unique client UUID |
 | `session_id` | INTEGER  | FK → sessions.id (cascade delete) |
-| `token`     | TEXT     | Unique auth token (SHA-256 hash of 64 hex chars) |
+| `token`      | TEXT     | Auth cookie value (SHA-256 hash of the 64-hex-char cookie) |
 | `ip`         | TEXT     | Real IP address of this client connection |
 | `hostname`   | TEXT     | Reverse DNS hostname of this client connection |
 | `created_at` | DATETIME | Client creation time |
@@ -2171,7 +2174,7 @@ skew issues) and simpler than UUIDs (integer comparison vs. string comparison).
   after `SESSION_IDLE_TIMEOUT`
   (default 30 days) — the server runs a background cleanup loop that parts
   idle users from all channels, broadcasts QUIT, and releases their nicks.
-- **Clients**: Individual client tokens are deleted on `POST /api/v1/logout`.
+- **Clients**: Individual client auth cookies are invalidated on `POST /api/v1/logout`.
   A session can have multiple clients; removing one doesn't affect others.
   However, when the last client is removed (via logout), the entire session
   is deleted — the user is parted from all channels, QUIT is broadcast, and
@@ -2317,7 +2320,7 @@ with an HTTP client library.
 A complete client needs only four HTTP calls:
 
 ```
-1. POST /api/v1/session          → get token
+1. POST /api/v1/session          → get auth cookie
 2. POST /api/v1/messages (JOIN)  → join channels
 3. GET  /api/v1/messages (loop)  → receive messages
 4. POST /api/v1/messages         → send messages

internal/handlers/api.go

@@ -335,7 +335,7 @@ func (hdlr *Handlers) executeCreateSession(
 
 	hdlr.respondJSON(writer, request, map[string]any{
 		"id":   sessionID,
-		"nick": payload.Nick,
+		"nick": nick,
 	}, http.StatusCreated)
 }
 

internal/handlers/api_test.go

@@ -2230,7 +2230,7 @@ func TestWhoisShowsHostInfo(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 // createSessionWithUsername creates a session with a
-// specific username and returns the token.
+// specific username and returns the auth cookie value.
 func (tserver *testServer) createSessionWithUsername(
 	nick, username string,
 ) string {
@@ -2264,13 +2264,19 @@ func (tserver *testServer) createSessionWithUsername(
 		)
 	}
 
-	var result struct {
-		Token string `json:"token"`
+	// Drain the body.
+	_, _ = io.ReadAll(resp.Body)
+
+	// Extract auth cookie from response.
+	for _, cookie := range resp.Cookies() {
+		if cookie.Name == authCookieName {
+			return cookie.Value
+		}
 	}
 
-	_ = json.NewDecoder(resp.Body).Decode(&result)
+	tserver.t.Fatal("no auth cookie in response")
 
-	return result.Token
+	return ""
 }
 
 func TestWhoShowsHostInfo(t *testing.T) {

internal/handlers/auth.go

@@ -10,7 +10,6 @@ import (
 
 const minPasswordLength = 8
 
-
 // HandleLogin authenticates a user with nick and password.
 func (hdlr *Handlers) HandleLogin() http.HandlerFunc {
 	return func(