Real-time chat
DMs, server channels, images, replies, edits, deletes, reactions, pins, mentions, unread markers, typing, presence, and read receipts.
Your people. Your signal. Your server.
See who’s live. Call privately.
Cutout is a real-time home for close communities: encrypted direct messages and calls, drop-in voice, video, forums, and everything you need to stay connected—without giving up control.
E2EE direct messages
E2EE direct calls
Self-hosted
AR
FR
+
# general
Message #general↗
ONLINE — 3
Jjohn
Mmaya
Aalex
2 people live in Workroom
⌂
CONTROL CENTERHome
Live
LIVE NOW
ARPI TECTUREWorkroom
john, maya + 1 more
CONTINUE MESSAGING
Recent firstM
mayaI’m in. Send me a direct call…
A
alexThe rollout notes are pinned.
Home is a live command center
Know where the energy is.
Cutout’s Home puts the newest conversations and active voice rooms in front of you. You can see which server is alive, who is already there, and join without hunting through every channel.
- Live voice discoveryServer indicators and room cards show active voice at a glance.
- Recent conversations, actually recentContinue messaging is sorted by the latest message sent or received.
- Calm friend controlsOnline status is visible, the list collapses, and removal stays safely inside a menu.
Voice without the meeting ritual
Drop in. Call direct. Share the moment.
Join a server room in one tap or call a friend directly with voice or video. Share your screen, bring tab audio, and move the camera grid between picture-in-picture and a full stage.
- Server voice roomsPresence, speaking indicators, connection quality, and one-tap joining.
- Direct voice and video callsPrivate one-to-one calling from the conversation you are already in.
- Audio built for real peopleEcho control, device switching, mute, deafen, and saved personal volumes.
Workroom3 connected · excellent
Mmaya
Jjohn
alex is sharing a screen
Live on your self-hosted voice service
PRIVATE LINE / 01 End-to-end encrypted
M
maya
04:18 · excellent connection
SAFETY NUMBER
7A2F · 91C8 · E43DverifiedA private line for two
Your direct conversations stay direct.
New person-to-person DM text, images, direct-call audio, video, and screen sharing are end-to-end encrypted on your devices. Safety numbers let friends verify each other, and key changes stay visible.
- Encryption happens on deviceThe server relays encrypted content instead of holding the conversation keys.
- Clear trust signalsVerify a safety number and get warned when a friend’s encryption identity changes.
- Honest boundariesServer channels, metadata, reactions, and older unencrypted history are labeled—not disguised.
#projects5 members
FORUM POSTLaunch checklist and rollback plan
maya · 7 replies · updated now
Message #projects ↗
More than a message stream
Conversations keep their shape.
Quick replies stay quick. Longer ideas get a forum post. Reactions, pins, markdown, images, custom emoji, mentions, and read markers keep the context visible without turning everything into noise.
- Text and forum channelsChoose the format that fits the conversation.
- Replies, reactions, pins, and searchKeep decisions attached to the message that started them.
- Profiles, status, and direct messagesMake the community personal without losing the shared space.
The whole signal stack
Everything your community reaches for.
Cutout combines fast everyday conversation with the deeper tools communities usually scatter across separate services.
Forums that hold context
Long-lived posts and replies sit beside quick chat, so plans, guides, and decisions do not disappear into the scroll.
Voice, video, and media
Drop-in rooms, direct calls, cameras, screen sharing, tab audio, a movable stage, quality feedback, device controls, and soundboards.
Stay in the loop
Push notifications, unread counts, channel mute controls, online status, friend requests, and live voice activity across every server.
Make it feel like yours
Server icons, profiles, avatars, display names, status text, custom emoji, channel structure, and community-specific soundboards.
Connect your tools
Incoming webhooks can deliver builds, alerts, and updates directly to the right channel without turning Cutout into a sprawling stack.
Control without the control theater
Your server. Your rules.
Your exit plan.
Cutout is deliberately understandable: one application, one SQLite database, your uploads, and a self-hosted voice service. Routine operations live in the admin panel, not a maze of mystery dashboards.
01 / OWNERSHIP
The important parts stay with you.
Accountsyour database
Messagesyour database
Uploadsyour disk
Voiceyour LiveKit
Invite-only when you want it.
Open registration, require a code, or close the door. Owners and moderators manage members, roles, bans, and permanent or expiring invitations.
Safer sign-in by default.
Passwords are hashed, repeated failures lock the account for 15 minutes, and rate limits slow automated login, signup, message, friend, and reset abuse.
Humans stay in the loop.
Forgot-password requests surface to the instance administrator, who can issue a single-use temporary password that expires after the first successful login.
An admin panel built for humans.
Review health, storage, users, registration, announcements, invites, moderation, and instance or server audit history without opening the database by hand.
06 / EXTENSIBILITY
Let the rest of your stack speak.
Incoming webhooks post trusted alerts and updates directly into channels. Tokens are revocable and every endpoint is rate-limited.
POST
/api/hooks/your-token→ #deploymentsInstall CutoutWorks like an app
Wherever the conversation goes
Open it anywhere. Install it everywhere.
Cutout works in a browser and installs as a Progressive Web App on phones and computers. Push notifications, responsive navigation, touch-friendly controls, and a desktop scaffold keep the same community within reach.
WebiPhoneAndroidDesktop
Open the web app
No feed. No algorithm. Just your people.
Find your signal.
Own the room.
Meet on infrastructure you control, with the people you actually came to see.
Get Cutout