diff -r 0ee17db5d86b rc/bin/ircrc
--- a/rc/bin/ircrc	Sat May 02 17:32:01 2020 +0200
+++ b/rc/bin/ircrc	Tue May 05 00:36:54 2020 -0700
@@ -49,71 +49,86 @@
 			echo  QUIT : Leaving... > $netdir/data
 			exit
 		}
-		msg=()
-		out=()
-		switch ($cmd(1)) {
-		case /!
-			eval `{mshift $cmd} | while(rc=`{read})echo 'PRIVMSG '^$target^' :' $rc | tee $netdir/data
-		case /M
-			msg = (MODE `{mshift $cmd})
-		case /N
+		do_cmd
+	}
+}
+
+fn do_cmd {
+	msg=()
+	out=()
+	switch ($cmd(1)) {
+	case /!
+		eval `{mshift $cmd} | while(rc=`{read})echo 'PRIVMSG '^$target^' :' $rc | tee $netdir/data
+	case /M
+		msg = (MODE `{mshift $cmd})
+	case /N
+		cmd = `{mshift $cmd}
+		if (! ~ $#cmd 0)
+			msg = (NOTICE $cmd(1) : `{mshift $cmd})
+	case /T
+		msg = (TOPIC `{mshift $cmd})
+	case /W
+		msg = (WHOIS `{mshift $cmd})
+	case /a
+		msg =  (AWAY : `{mshift $cmd})
+	case /j
+		if (~ $#cmd 2) {
+			target=$cmd(2)
+			title
+			msg = (JOIN `{mshift $cmd})
+			if(~ $target *,*)
+				target = `{echo $target | awk -F',' '{print $NF}'}
+		}
+	case /l
+		msg = (LIST `{mshift $cmd})
+	case /m
+		cmd = `{mshift $cmd}
+		if (! ~ $#cmd 0) {
+			target_orig=$target
+			target = $cmd(1)
 			cmd = `{mshift $cmd}
-			if (! ~ $#cmd 0)
-				msg = (NOTICE $cmd(1) : `{mshift $cmd})
-		case /T
-			msg = (TOPIC `{mshift $cmd})
-		case /W
-			msg = (WHOIS `{mshift $cmd})
-		case /a
-			msg =  (AWAY : `{mshift $cmd})
-		case /j
-			if (~ $#cmd 2) {
-				target=$cmd(2)
-				title
-				msg = (JOIN `{mshift $cmd})
-				if(~ $target *,*)
-					target = `{echo $target | awk -F',' '{print $NF}'}
-			}
-		case /l
-			msg = (LIST `{mshift $cmd})
-		case /m
-			cmd = `{mshift $cmd}
-			if (! ~ $#cmd 0) {
-				to = $cmd(1)
-				cmd = `{mshift $cmd}
-				out =  '('^$to^')	⇐	'^$"cmd
-				msg = 'PRIVMSG '^$to^' :'^$"cmd
-			}
-		case /n
-			nick = `{mshift $cmd}
-			msg =  (NICK $nick)
-		case /p
-			cmd = `{mshift $cmd}
-			if (! ~ $#cmd 0)
-				msg = (PART $cmd(1) : `{mshift $cmd})
-		case /q
-			msg =  `{mshift $cmd}
-		case /t
-			target = `{mshift $cmd}
-			title
-		case /u
-			msg = (USERS `{mshift $cmd})
-		case /w
-			msg = (WHO `{mshift $cmd})
-		case /x
-			echo  QUIT : Leaving... > $netdir/data
-			exit
-		case /*
-			echo unknown command
-		case *
-			msg = 'PRIVMSG '^$target^' :'^$"cmd
-			out = '('^$target^')	⇐	'^$"cmd
+			send_msg
+			target=$target_orig
 		}
-		if (! ~ $#msg 0)
-			echo $msg > $netdir/data
-		if (! ~ $#out 0)
-			echo `{etime}^' '^$out
+	case /n
+		nick = `{mshift $cmd}
+		msg =  (NICK $nick)
+	case /p
+		cmd = `{mshift $cmd}
+		if (! ~ $#cmd 0)
+			msg = (PART $cmd(1) : `{mshift $cmd})
+	case /q
+		msg =  `{mshift $cmd}
+	case /t
+		target = `{mshift $cmd}
+		title
+	case /u
+		msg = (USERS `{mshift $cmd})
+	case /w
+		msg = (WHO `{mshift $cmd})
+	case /x
+		echo  QUIT : Leaving... > $netdir/data
+		exit
+	case /*
+		echo unknown command
+	case *
+		send_msg
 	}
+	if (! ~ $#msg 0)
+		echo $msg > $netdir/data
+	if (! ~ $#out 0)
+		echo `{etime}^' '^$out
+}
+
+fn send_msg {
+	prefixmsg='PRIVMSG '^$target^' :'
+	prefixout='('^$target^')	⇐	'
+	linelen=`{hoc -e 447^'-'^`{echo -n $prefixmsg | wc -c} }
+	ifs_orig=$ifs
+	ifs=''
+	msg=`{echo -n $cmd | fmt -l $linelen | awk '{ printf "%s%s\n", ENVIRON["prefixmsg"], $0 }' }
+	out=`{echo $msg | sed s/$prefixmsg/$prefixout/ }
+	ifs=$ifs_orig
 }
 
 fn misc {
diff -r 0ee17db5d86b sys/man/1/ircrc
--- a/sys/man/1/ircrc	Sat May 02 17:32:01 2020 +0200
+++ b/sys/man/1/ircrc	Tue May 05 00:36:54 2020 -0700
@@ -152,6 +152,10 @@
 command.
 Control-D also sends this command.
 .PP
+Any message containing more than the protocol's maximum allowed characters (447) is chunked into multiple messages using
+.I fmt(1)
+.
+.PP
 See RFC 1459 and RFC 2812 for detailed information about
 IRC commands.
 .SH EXAMPLES