diff --git a/client/app.js b/client/app.js
index 09d8d9d..4d884d2 100644
--- a/client/app.js
+++ b/client/app.js
@@ -69,8 +69,11 @@ window.getUser = async (id, name) => {
 	);
 };
 
-window.makeUser = (user, url, removable) => {
-	removable &&= window.currentThread.permissions.admin && !user.permissions?.admin;
+window.makeUser = (user, url, context) => {
+	let removable = context === 'user' ? false :
+		window.currentThread?.permissions.admin && !user.permissions?.admin &&
+		(context === 'member' ? true : Array.from(document.getElementById('memberlist').children)
+			.find(p => p.children[0].user?.id == user.id));
 	let span = html.node`
 		<span class='user' onclick=${function(e) {
 			let member = document.getElementById('member');
@@ -134,7 +137,7 @@ function instanceClicked(event) {
 		instance.emit?.('list_users', {}, msg =>
 			userlist.replaceChildren(...msg.users.map(user => {
 				let p = document.createElement('p');
-				p.append(window.makeUser(user, instance.url));
+				p.append(window.makeUser(user, instance.url, 'user'));
 				return p;
 			}))
 		);
@@ -192,32 +195,34 @@ document.body.append(html.node`
 			<input id='profilepublic' type='checkbox' oninput=${saveProfile}>
 			<label for='profilepublic'>show profile in instance users</label>
 		</p>
-		<label class='heading'>authentication requests</label>
+		<label class='heading'>authentication requests:</label>
 		<div id='authrequests'></div>
 	</div>
 	<hr class='separator' color='#505050'>
 	<div id='home' class='column'>
+		<h3>vybe</h3>
+		<p id='instances'>instances:<button onclick=${e => {
+			let div = html.node`
+				<div>
+					<div class='instancetitle'>
+						<span> </span>
+						<span onblur=${addInstance} onkeydown=${function(event) {
+							if (event.key === 'Enter') {
+								event.preventDefault();
+								addInstance.call(this);
+							}
+						}} class='title' contenteditable='true'>
+						</span>
+					</div>
+				</div>`;
+			document.getElementById('instancelist').append(div);
+			div.children[0].children[1].focus();
+		}}>add</button></p>
 		<div id='instancelist'>
-			<h3>vybe</h3>
-			<p id='instances'>instances:<button onclick=${() => {
-				let div = html.node`
-					<div>
-						<div class='instancetitle'>
-							<span> </span>
-							<span onblur=${addInstance} onkeydown=${function(event) {
-								if (event.key === 'Enter') {
-									event.preventDefault();
-									addInstance.call(this);
-								}
-							}} class='title' contenteditable='true'>
-							</span>
-						</div>
-					</div>`;
-				document.getElementById('instancelist').append(div);
-				div.children[0].children[1].focus();
-			}}>add</button></p>
 		</div>
-		<div id='user' onclick=${() =>
+		<div class='content'><!-- empty flex div to push instancelist up -->
+		</div>
+		<div id='user' onclick=${e =>
 			document.getElementById('profile').classList.toggle('hidden')
 		}>${window.name}</div>
 	</div>
diff --git a/client/index.html b/client/index.html
index 6ea13a0..f689102 100644
--- a/client/index.html
+++ b/client/index.html
@@ -174,7 +174,8 @@
 			.user {
 				white-space: pre-wrap;
 				&:hover {
-					background-color: #444;
+					background-color: #333;
+					border-bottom: 1px #bbb solid;
 				}
 			}
 			#profile {
diff --git a/client/message.js b/client/message.js
index 5db63b8..4091023 100644
--- a/client/message.js
+++ b/client/message.js
@@ -72,8 +72,7 @@ function loadMessages(callback) {
 					}
 				}
 				let div = html.node`<div class='message'>: ${message.content}</div>`;
-				div.prepend(user ? window.makeUser(user,
-						user.id.split?.('@')[1] || instance.url, true)
+				div.prepend(user ? window.makeUser(user, user.id.split?.('@')[1] || instance.url)
 					: html.node`<span>${message.user.id}</span>`);
 				messages.prepend(div);
 			}
@@ -93,7 +92,7 @@ function loadMessages(callback) {
 			let scroll = messages.scrollTop + 10 >= messages.scrollHeight - messages.clientHeight;
 			let div = html.node`<div class='message'>: ${message.content}</div>`;
 			div.prepend(window.makeUser(message.user,
-				message.user.id.split?.('@')[1] || instance.url, true));
+				message.user.id.split?.('@')[1] || instance.url));
 			messages.append(div);
 			if (scroll)
 				messages.scroll(0, messages.scrollHeight - messages.clientHeight);
diff --git a/client/stream.js b/client/stream.js
index 428f56c..fb73c0d 100644
--- a/client/stream.js
+++ b/client/stream.js
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ function loadStreams() {
 
 	let div = document.getElementById('stream');
 	div.innerHTML = '';
-	if (window.currentThread.permissions.post) {
+	if (window.currentThread?.permissions.post) {
 		// why doesn't html` work here? html.node` does
 		render(div, html.node`
 			<button id='streaming' onclick=${stream}>
@@ -92,7 +92,10 @@ function loadStreams() {
 						thread: window.currentThread.id,
 						name: this.value
 					});
+				window.currentThread.streamname = this.value;
 			}}>`);
+		if (window.currentThread.streamname)
+			document.getElementById('streamname').value = window.currentThread.streamname;
 	}
 	div.insertAdjacentHTML('beforeend', `
 		<p>streams:</p>
@@ -123,8 +126,11 @@ function loadStreams() {
 							console.log('play stream failed: ', msg.message);
 					});
 				}}>${instance.streaming[stream.id] ? '⏹' : '▶'}</button>
-				${stream.user}<span id='name'>${stream.name ? ` - ${stream.name}` : ''}</span>
+				<span id='name'>${stream.name ? ` - ${stream.name}` : ''}</span>
 			</p>`;
+		p.insertBefore(window.makeUser(stream.user,
+			stream.user.id.split?.('@')[1] || window.currentInstance.url),
+			p.children[1]);
 		p.id = 'stream' + stream.id;
 		document.getElementById('streams').append(p);
 	}
@@ -167,8 +173,9 @@ function loadStreams() {
 		});
 	}
 
-	for (let stream of window.currentThread.streams)
-		addStream(stream);
+	if (window.currentThread)
+		for (let stream of window.currentThread.streams)
+			addStream(stream);
 }
 
 export default loadStreams;
diff --git a/client/thread.js b/client/thread.js
index d23a64c..fce8db8 100644
--- a/client/thread.js
+++ b/client/thread.js
@@ -39,26 +39,17 @@ function chooseThread() {
 	}
 	else
 		document.getElementById('thread').classList.remove('hidden');
-	if (thread.permissions.admin)
+	if (thread.permissions.admin) {
 		edit.classList.remove('hidden');
-	else
+		document.getElementById('membersadd').classList.remove('hidden');
+	} else {
 		edit.classList.add('hidden');
+		document.getElementById('membersadd').classList.add('hidden');
+	}
 	document.getElementById('threadname').textContent = thread.name;
 	this.classList.add('active');
 	window.currentThread = thread;
 	window.currentInstance = thread.instance;
-	let tab = url.searchParams.get('tab');
-	if (!['message', 'space', 'stream'].includes(tab))
-		tab = null;
-	if (tab || this.tab) {
-		if (tab)
-			this.tab = tab + 'tab';
-		switchTab(document.getElementById(this.tab));
-		if (this.tab === 'messagetab')
-			loadMessages();
-		else if (this.tab === 'spacetab')
-			loadSpace();
-	}
 	let div = this;
 	window.currentInstance.emit('get_thread', { thread: thread.id }, async msg => {
 		if (!msg.success) {
@@ -71,13 +62,13 @@ function chooseThread() {
 			...await Promise.all(msg.thread.members.map(async member => {
 				let p = document.createElement('p');
 				if (member.name)
-					p.append(window.makeUser(member, window.currentInstance.url, true));
+					p.append(window.makeUser(member, window.currentInstance.url, 'member'));
 				else
 					try {
 						let user = await window.getUser(member.id);
 						user.id = member.id;
 						user.permissions = member.permissions;
-						p.append(window.makeUser(user, user.id.split?.('@')[1], true));
+						p.append(window.makeUser(user, user.id.split?.('@')[1], 'member'));
 					}
 					catch (e) {
 						console.log(`error getting user ${member.id}: ${e}`);
@@ -87,9 +78,20 @@ function chooseThread() {
 			}))
 		);
 		loadStreams();
-		if (!div.tab)
+		let tab = url.searchParams.get('tab');
+		if (!['message', 'space', 'stream'].includes(tab))
+			tab = null;
+		if (tab || this.tab) {
+			if (tab)
+				this.tab = tab + 'tab';
+			switchTab(document.getElementById(this.tab));
+			if (this.tab === 'messagetab')
+				loadMessages();
+			else if (this.tab === 'spacetab')
+				loadSpace();
+		}
+		else // load first tab that has any content
 			await new Promise(resolve => {
-				// load first tab that has any content
 				loadMessages(messages => {
 					if (messages.length) {
 						switchTab(document.getElementById(div.tab = 'messagetab'));
@@ -108,8 +110,13 @@ function chooseThread() {
 						});
 				});
 			});
-		url.searchParams.set('thread', thread.id);
-		url.searchParams.set('tab', div.tab.substring(0, div.tab.length - 3));
+		if (window.currentInstance === window.instancelist[0]) {
+			url.searchParams.set('thread', thread.id);
+			url.searchParams.set('tab', div.tab.substring(0, div.tab.length - 3));
+		} else {
+			url.searchParams.delete('thread');
+			url.searchParams.delete('tab');
+		}
 		window.history.pushState(null, '', url.toString());
 	});
 }
@@ -327,10 +334,8 @@ async function addMember() {
 		name.value = '';
 		document.getElementById('addmember').classList.add('hidden');
 	}
-	if (!name.value) {
-		close();
-		return;
-	}
+	if (!name.value)
+		return close();
 	let at = name.value.split('@');
 	let url = at[1] || window.currentInstance.url;
 	let user = await window.getUser('@' + url, at[0]);
@@ -339,15 +344,11 @@ async function addMember() {
 		return;
 	}
 	error.innerText = '';
-	if (window.currentInstance.url !== url) {
+	if (window.currentInstance.url !== url)
 		user.id += '@' + url;
-		user.name += '@' + url;
-	}
 	for (let p of document.getElementById('memberlist').children)
-		if (p.children[0].user.id == user.id) {
-			close();
-			return;
-		}
+		if (p.children[0].user.id == user.id)
+			return close();
 	window.currentInstance.emit('add_member', {
 		id: String(user.id),
 		thread: window.currentThread.id
@@ -359,7 +360,7 @@ async function addMember() {
 		}
 		close();
 		let p = document.createElement('p');
-		p.append(window.makeUser(user, url, true));
+		p.append(window.makeUser(user, url, 'member'));
 		document.getElementById('memberlist').append(p);
 	});
 }
@@ -404,7 +405,7 @@ async function loadThreads(instancediv, select) {
 				<p id='visibility'></p>
 				<div id='membershead'>
 					<strong>members</strong>
-					<button onclick=${e => {
+					<button id='membersadd' onclick=${e => {
 						document.getElementById('addmember').classList.remove('hidden');
 						document.getElementById('addmembername').focus();
 					}}>add</button>
diff --git a/src/events/stream.js b/src/events/stream.js
index d6f54bf..fffcc8b 100644
--- a/src/events/stream.js
+++ b/src/events/stream.js
@@ -26,8 +26,7 @@ async function stream(msg, respond, socket) {
 					socket.emit('stream', stream);
 		} else {
 			for (let member of (
-				await db.query(
-					'select user from member where member.thread = ?', msg.thread)
+				await db.query('select user from member where member.thread = ?', msg.thread)
 			).rows) {
 				member = vybe.users[member.user];
 				if (member)
@@ -49,19 +48,30 @@ async function stream(msg, respond, socket) {
 				message: "stream doesn't belong to user"
 			});
 		if (msg.stop) {
-			stream.stop();
+			await stream.stop();
 			return respond({
 				success: true
 			});
 		}
 		stream = stream.stream;
 		stream.name = msg.name;
+		stream.user.displayname = msg.auth_user.displayname;
 	}
 	else {
 		stream = {
 			id: newstreamid++,
 			thread: msg.thread,
-			user: msg.auth_user.displayname,
+			user: {
+				id: msg.auth_user.id,
+				name: msg.auth_user.name,
+				displayname: msg.auth_user.displayname,
+				permissions: Object.fromEntries((await db.query(
+					`select permission, value from permission
+					where type = 'user' and thread = ? and user = ?`,
+					[msg.thread, msg.auth_user.id])).rows.map(p =>
+						[p.permission, ['admin', 'post', 'view'].includes(p.permission)
+							? p.value === 'true' : p.value]))
+			},
 			name: msg.name
 		};
 		thread.streams.push(stream);
@@ -70,11 +80,11 @@ async function stream(msg, respond, socket) {
 			userid: msg.auth_user.id,
 			listeners: {},
 			socket: socket.id,
-			stop: () => {
+			stop: async () => {
 				stream.stopped = true;
 				thread.streams.splice(thread.streams.findIndex(s => s.id === stream.id), 1);
 				delete vybe.streams[stream.id];
-				send();
+				await send();
 			}
 		};
 	}