Documentation
How DevRel(ish) Works
DevRel(ish) is a platform for developer relations professionals and adjacent roles to find and run in-person gatherings around the world. It's built on the open AT Protocol — the same decentralized standard that powers Bluesky — so your data is portable, your identity travels with you, and events are visible across compatible apps.
Finding & joining the community
Browse groups and events
Head to devrelish.tech/groups to see all active communities, or devrelish.tech/gatherings to browse upcoming events. You'll also find events from other ATProto-compatible apps like Smoke Signal — everything in the open calendar ecosystem shows up here.
Sign in with your Bluesky account
DevRel(ish) uses AT Protocol OAuth — if you have a Bluesky account, that's your login. No separate password or account needed. Your handle and identity come from your AT Protocol Personal Data Server (PDS), so they're yours regardless of what apps you use.
Join a group on ATProto
On any group's page, signed-in members can click Join on ATProto. This writes a membership record directly to your AT Protocol PDS, meaning your membership is stored in your own account — not just our database — and is readable by any compatible app.
Follow for email updates
You can also enter your email on any group's page to follow via email. You'll receive a confirmation, and from then on you'll be notified when new gatherings are announced. You can unsubscribe at any time from any notification email.
RSVP to a gathering
When a gathering is announced, RSVP directly on the event page.
Signed-in users can RSVP with one click via their ATProto account — this writes an RSVP record
to your PDS using the open community.lexicon.calendar.rsvp schema.
You can also fill out the traditional form if you prefer not to sign in.
Capacity is limited; spots are first come, first served.
Cancel your RSVP if plans change
No account required to cancel. When you RSVP via the form, the confirmation page shows a personal cancellation link — bookmark it or save it somewhere handy. If you lose it, go back to the event's RSVP page and click Cancel your RSVP in the sidebar. Enter the email you registered with and we'll send the cancellation link to your inbox.
Stay in the loop with RSS
Every group has an RSS feed at /groups/[group-slug]/rss.xml.
Add it to your feed reader to get gathering announcements without email or a login.
Launching & managing a group
Register your group
Fill out the group registration form. Provide your group's name, a description (50 characters minimum, Markdown supported), a contact email, and optionally a category, tags, and location. Your group goes live instantly — no approval queue, no waiting.
Sign in with your Bluesky account
Your Bluesky handle is your organizer login. Use AT Protocol OAuth on the sign-in page to claim your group and access the dashboard. Your account is linked by your decentralized identifier (DID), so it works even if you change your handle or move to a different PDS.
Publish your group to the ATProto network
From the organizer dashboard, publish your group to AT Protocol.
This writes a com.devrelish.group record to your PDS, making your group
discoverable across the ATProto ecosystem and enabling members to join via Bluesky.
Gatherings you create are also published as open calendar records that compatible apps can index.
Set up your group page
In the My Group section of the dashboard you can edit your description, tagline, category, tags, location, and social links at any time. Your group name is set at registration — contact support if you need it changed.
Add a custom short URL
Choose a custom short URL for your group such as devrelish.tech/sf-user-group.
This makes it easier to share at events, on slides, or in email signatures.
Short URLs can be changed at any time from My Group.
Announce a gathering
Go to Gatherings in the dashboard and click New gathering.
Add a title, description, date, time, venue, and capacity.
Once created, the gathering appears on your public group page and is published as an open
community.lexicon.calendar.event record — compatible with Smoke Signal and other ATProto calendar apps.
Import upcoming events from Meetup
Already running a group on Meetup.com? Use the Import from Meetup option in the Gatherings dashboard to pull in your upcoming events directly. Paste your Meetup group URL and DevRel(ish) will pre-fill the title, description, date, and time — you just confirm the venue and capacity before importing.
Manage attendees
In the dashboard you can view the RSVP list for each gathering and export it as a CSV. The attendee list shows name, email, job title, and company for form-based RSVPs.
Add co-organizers
Share the load by inviting co-organizers via the Team page. Co-organizers sign in with their own Bluesky account and are added as co-organizers on your group's ATProto record. They have the same dashboard access as the primary organizer.
Respond to messages
Community members can send your group a message through the contact form on your public page. Messages land in your Messages inbox in the dashboard.
Common questions
What is AT Protocol?
AT Protocol (atproto) is an open, decentralized protocol for building social apps — the same standard that powers Bluesky. Your identity is a DID (decentralized identifier) that you control, and your data lives on a Personal Data Server (PDS) that can be self-hosted or provided by a service. DevRel(ish) uses ATProto so that your RSVPs, group memberships, and event records belong to you — not a walled garden.
Do I need a Bluesky account?
You need an AT Protocol account to sign in as an organizer or to RSVP and join groups via ATProto. Bluesky is the most common way to get one, but any AT Protocol PDS works. You can still browse groups, view events, RSVP via the traditional form, and follow groups by email without signing in.
What is Smoke Signal, and how does interop work?
Smoke Signal is another ATProto-based event app that uses the same open
community.lexicon.calendar.event and community.lexicon.calendar.rsvp schemas.
Because both apps write events to the shared ATProto network using the same format,
events created in DevRel(ish) can appear in Smoke Signal and vice versa.
This is the practical benefit of open standards — your events aren't siloed.
Is DevRel(ish) free for organizers?
Yes, the platform is free for all organizers and community members.
What kinds of groups are accepted?
Groups focused on developer relations and adjacent roles — including developer advocacy, developer experience, technical writing, community management, and related fields. Groups are intended for in-person gatherings; online-only communities aren't the current focus. There is no manual approval step — groups go live immediately after registration.
Can I change my group's name?
Group names are set at registration to preserve recognition and existing links. If you have a compelling reason to rename your group, contact us and we'll discuss options.
What happens to follower emails?
Follower emails are only used to notify followers when your group announces a new gathering. Emails are never shared, sold, or used for any other purpose. Every email includes an unsubscribe link.
Can I close or pause my group?
Yes. If your group is no longer active, contact the DevRel(ish) team and we can mark it as closed. Closed groups remain visible but display a notice that the group is no longer active and stop appearing in the main event listings.
Ready to get started?
Browse existing communities or register your own group today.