Matrix: Chat, Voice & Video Calls

Welcome to Matrix, the primary communication platform for The Nest! Matrix powers our group chat rooms, direct messaging, voice channels, and video calling.

1. Getting Started & Signing In

Because Matrix is a decentralized messaging network, you will log in by connecting your client app to The Nest's homeserver.

Open your preferred Matrix client or visit Element Web in your browser.
Click Sign In, and set your homeserver address to: https://starling.mynest.love
Select "Continue with sso.mynest.love/realms/nest" when prompted.
You will be redirected to our standard login screen (sso.mynest.love) to authenticate with your passkey.
Once authenticated, you will be brought right back into Matrix—ready to start chatting!

[!TIP] One-Time Authentication You only need to use your passkey for initial login on a new device. Your client app will stay securely signed in until you manually log out.

2. Recommended Clients

One of the best features of Matrix is that you can choose your own application client! However, because features like video calling and screen sharing require WebRTC support, we recommend using one of the official Element applications:

Element Desktop (Windows, macOS, Linux): The recommended option for desktop users, featuring full screen-sharing and multi-party video call support.
Element X (iOS & Android): A modern, high-performance mobile client for chatting on the go.
Element Web (Browser): Accessible immediately from any modern Web browser at app.element.io.

3. Coming from Discord? (Quick Comparison)

If you are accustomed to Discord, Matrix has a slightly different vocabulary, but the core concepts map over naturally:

Discord Concept	Matrix Equivalent	How It Works in The Nest
Discord	Homeserver	The host server managing your account (ours is `starling.mynest.love`). The Matrix ecosystem is just a bunch of people hosting their own Discords. Neat!
Server	Space	A folder structure used to organize multiple rooms together. Anyone can create a private or public Space.
Text / Voice Channel	Room	Where messaging happens! In Matrix, every room (including 1-on-1 direct messages) supports text, voice, and video.

[!NOTE] Federation (Connecting Beyond The Nest) Matrix is federated. This means you can use your Nest account to join public rooms or send direct messages to users on other Matrix homeservers across the internet (such as @username:matrix.org).

4. Voice & Video Calls

Matrix handles voice and video calls seamlessly using real-time WebRTC media streaming.

How to Join a Call:

Open any Matrix room with an active discussion.
Click the Call button (phone or camera icon) in the top header.
The call connects automatically via matrix-rtc.mynest.love—no extra configuration needed!

Screen sharing is supported when using desktop clients like Element Desktop.

5. System Service Endpoints

For reference or advanced client setup, here are the service endpoints powering Matrix on The Nest:

Service Component	URL / Endpoint	Purpose
Homeserver (Synapse)	`https://starling.mynest.love`	Handles chat messages and room routing
Authentication Service (MAS)	`https://mas.mynest.love`	Manages OAuth2 authentication flows
Matrix RTC (LiveKit)	`https://matrix-rtc.mynest.love`	Powers high-quality voice and video calls
Matrix Official Docs	Matrix Docs	Matrix Foundation Official Docs

Requesting Access to New Services: Send a direct message to @access-bot:starling.mynest.love inside Matrix to request permissions.

Ask an Admin: All Nest users should have access to the Admin space and Ask an Admin room. Use this room to ask questions, report issues, and seek help. If you have a problem, check Ask an Admin to see if someone else has run into the same issue!

Central Authentication: Keycloak manages single sign-on access across Matrix and connected services.

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