diff --git a/packages/renderer/src/pages/App.tsx b/packages/renderer/src/pages/App.tsx
index a01365f..339dfd8 100644
--- a/packages/renderer/src/pages/App.tsx
+++ b/packages/renderer/src/pages/App.tsx
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ export const channelContext = createContext<{
 });
 
 export default function App() {
-  const [channel, setChannel] = useState<string>(null);
+  const [channel, setChannel] = useState<string | null>(null);
 
   const channelContextValue = { channel, setChannel };
 
diff --git a/packages/renderer/src/pages/Channels.tsx b/packages/renderer/src/pages/Channels.tsx
index 211d88a..93f5194 100644
--- a/packages/renderer/src/pages/Channels.tsx
+++ b/packages/renderer/src/pages/Channels.tsx
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
-import { useCallback, useEffect, useRef, useState } from 'react';
+import { useCallback, useContext, useEffect, useRef, useState } from 'react';
 import { registerRouter, router, send, unregisterRouter } from '../lib/api';
+import { channelContext } from './App';
 
 function useRouter(actions: Function | object, deps: any[]) {
   const _router = typeof actions === 'object' ? router(actions) : actions;
@@ -31,6 +32,7 @@ function Hashmark() {
 export default function Channels() {
 
   const [channels, setChannels] = useState<IChannel[]>([]);
+  const {channel, setChannel} = useContext(channelContext);
 
   const { send } = useRouter({
     'channels:list'(data: IChannel[]) {
@@ -48,6 +50,12 @@ export default function Channels() {
     }
   }, [channels]);
 
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if(channels.length === 0) return;
+    if(channel !== null) return;
+    setChannel(channels[0].uid);
+  }, [channel, channels]);
+
   const textbox = useRef<HTMLInputElement>(null);
   const add = useCallback(() => {
     if(textbox.current === null) return;
@@ -59,11 +67,15 @@ export default function Channels() {
   return (
     <>
       <br></br>
-      {channels.map(channel => (
-        <div key={channel.uid} style={{
+      {channels.map(c => (
+        <div key={c.uid} style={{
           margin: '8px 0px',
+          color: channel === c.uid ? 'cyan' : 'inherit',
+          cursor: 'pointer',
+        }} onClick={() => {
+          setChannel(c.uid);
         }}>
-          <Hashmark></Hashmark>{channel.name}
+          <Hashmark></Hashmark>{c.name} {c.uid.substring(0, 4)}
           <a style={{ color: 'rgba(0, 100, 200, 1)', marginLeft: '8px', fontSize: '10px' }} href="#" onClick={() => {}}>Delete</a>
         </div>
       ))}
diff --git a/packages/renderer/src/pages/Chat.tsx b/packages/renderer/src/pages/Chat.tsx
index 60dfea8..9aefd6c 100644
--- a/packages/renderer/src/pages/Chat.tsx
+++ b/packages/renderer/src/pages/Chat.tsx
@@ -1,16 +1,18 @@
-import { useCallback, useEffect, useRef, useState } from 'react';
+import { useCallback, useContext, useEffect, useRef, useState } from 'react';
 import TimeAgo from 'react-timeago';
 import { v4 } from 'uuid';
 import { registerRouter, router, send, unregisterRouter } from '../lib/api';
+import { channelContext } from './App';
 import type { IMessage} from './Message';
 import { Message } from './Message';
 
-function createMessage(from: string, text: string, t = 0): IMessage {
+function createMessage(from: string, text: string, channel: string, t = 0): IMessage {
   return {
     text,
     from,
     timestamp: Date.now() - t * 1000,
     uid: v4(),
+    channel,
   };
 }
 
@@ -19,14 +21,15 @@ export default () => {
   const [hist, setHist] = useState(false);
 
   const textBoxRef = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null);
+  const { channel, setChannel } = useContext(channelContext);
 
   useEffect(() => {
     const actions = router({
-      message(data: IMessage) {
+      'message:message'(data: IMessage) {
         setMessages([...messages, data]);
       },
       'message:recent'(data: { messages: IMessage[] }) {
-        setMessages([...data.messages, ...messages]);
+        setMessages(data.messages);
       },
     });
     registerRouter(actions);
@@ -36,18 +39,16 @@ export default () => {
   }, [messages]);
 
   useEffect(() => {
-    if(!hist) {
-      console.log('sending recents request');
-      send('message:recent');
-      setHist(true);
-    }
-  }, [hist]);
+    console.log('sending recents request');
+    send('message:recent', { channel });
+  }, [channel]);
 
   const sendMessage = useCallback(() => {
     if(textBoxRef.current === null) return;
-    send('message:message', createMessage('Val', textBoxRef.current.innerText));
+    if(channel === null) return;
+    send('message:message', createMessage('Val', textBoxRef.current.innerText, channel));
     textBoxRef.current.innerText = '';
-  }, []);
+  }, [channel]);
 
   const keyDown = useCallback((evt: any) => {
     console.log(evt);
diff --git a/packages/renderer/src/pages/Message.tsx b/packages/renderer/src/pages/Message.tsx
index 5670464..75c886b 100644
--- a/packages/renderer/src/pages/Message.tsx
+++ b/packages/renderer/src/pages/Message.tsx
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ export interface IMessage {
   timestamp: number;
   from: string;
   text: string;
+  channel: string;
 }
 
 interface MessageProps {
diff --git a/packages/server/src/db/snippets/message/new.sql b/packages/server/src/db/snippets/message/new.sql
index 9cfacbc..c9f5767 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/db/snippets/message/new.sql
+++ b/packages/server/src/db/snippets/message/new.sql
@@ -1,8 +1,10 @@
 INSERT INTO messages
-  (`text`, `from`, `uid`, `t_sent`)
+  (`text`, `from`, `uid`, `t_sent`, channel_uid)
   VALUES (
     ?,
     ?,
     ?,
-    UNIX_TIMESTAMP()
+    /* UNIX_TIMESTAMP(), */
+    ?,
+    ?
   )
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/packages/server/src/db/snippets/message/recent.sql b/packages/server/src/db/snippets/message/recent.sql
index 9bdefd3..9944e67 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/db/snippets/message/recent.sql
+++ b/packages/server/src/db/snippets/message/recent.sql
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
 SELECT * FROM messages
+  WHERE channel_uid=?
   ORDER BY t_sent
   LIMIT 100;
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/packages/server/src/routers/message.ts b/packages/server/src/routers/message.ts
index bc68950..35c4a3a 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/routers/message.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/routers/message.ts
@@ -6,13 +6,20 @@ import { broadcast, reply } from '../lib/WebSocketServer';
 
 export default router({
   async message(data: any) {
-    const failed = null === await query(newMessage, data.text, data.from, data.uid, data.timestamp);
+    const failed = null === await query(
+      newMessage,
+      data.text,
+      data.from,
+      data.uid,
+      data.timestamp,
+      data.channel,
+    );
     if(failed) return;
     return broadcast(data);
   },
-  async recent() {
-    console.log('got recents request');
-    const messages = await query(recentMessages);
+  async recent(data: any) {
+    console.log('got recents request ch', data.channel);
+    const messages = await query(recentMessages, data.channel);
     if(messages === null) return;
     return reply({
       messages: messages.map(v => ({