diff --git a/degesch.c b/degesch.c
index 413c6f0..8385f83 100644
--- a/degesch.c
+++ b/degesch.c
@@ -1342,6 +1342,7 @@ struct channel
 
 	struct channel_user *users;         ///< Channel users
 	struct str_vector names_buf;        ///< Buffer for RPL_NAMREPLY
+	size_t users_len;                   ///< User count
 
 	bool left_manually;                 ///< Don't rejoin on reconnect
 };
@@ -1366,7 +1367,7 @@ channel_destroy (struct channel *self)
 	str_free (&self->no_param_modes);
 	str_map_free (&self->param_modes);
 	// Owner has to make sure we have no users by now
-	hard_assert (!self->users);
+	hard_assert (!self->users && !self->users_len);
 	str_vector_free (&self->names_buf);
 	free (self);
 }
@@ -4362,7 +4363,7 @@ static bool
 irc_channel_is_joined (struct channel *channel)
 {
 	// TODO: find a better way of checking if we're on a channel
-	return !!channel->users;
+	return !!channel->users_len;
 }
 
 // Note that this eats the user reference
@@ -4378,6 +4379,7 @@ irc_channel_link_user (struct channel *channel, struct user *user,
 	channel_user->user = user;
 	str_append (&channel_user->prefixes, prefixes);
 	LIST_PREPEND (channel->users, channel_user);
+	channel->users_len++;
 }
 
 static void
@@ -4396,6 +4398,7 @@ irc_channel_unlink_user
 	// Then just unlink the user from the channel
 	LIST_UNLINK (channel->users, channel_user);
 	channel_user_destroy (channel_user);
+	channel->users_len--;
 }
 
 static void
@@ -5819,6 +5822,9 @@ make_prompt (struct app_context *ctx, struct str *output)
 		if (modes.len)
 			str_append_printf (output, "(+%s)", modes.str);
 		str_free (&modes);
+
+		if (buffer->channel->users_len)
+			str_append_printf (output, "{%zu}", buffer->channel->users_len);
 	}
 
 	if (buffer != ctx->global_buffer)
@@ -5838,6 +5844,7 @@ input_maybe_set_prompt (struct input *self, char *new_prompt)
 		CALL_ (self, set_prompt, new_prompt);
 }
 
+// TODO: do this in an idle task so as to not call this unnecessarily
 static void
 refresh_prompt (struct app_context *ctx)
 {
@@ -6528,9 +6535,6 @@ irc_handle_mode (struct server *s, const struct irc_message *msg)
 	}
 
 	free (modes);
-
-	// Our own modes might have changed
-	refresh_prompt (s->ctx);
 }
 
 static void
@@ -6646,9 +6650,6 @@ irc_handle_nick (struct server *s, const struct irc_message *msg)
 
 	free (user->nickname);
 	user->nickname = xstrdup (new_nickname);
-
-	// We might have renamed ourselves
-	refresh_prompt (s->ctx);
 }
 
 static void
@@ -7117,7 +7118,6 @@ irc_handle_rpl_umodeis (struct server *s, const struct irc_message *msg)
 	irc_handle_mode_user (s, msg->params.vector + 1);
 
 	// XXX: do we want to log a message?
-	refresh_prompt (s->ctx);
 }
 
 static void
@@ -7335,7 +7335,6 @@ irc_handle_rpl_channelmodeis (struct server *s, const struct irc_message *msg)
 	}
 
 	// XXX: do we want to log a message?
-	refresh_prompt (s->ctx);
 }
 
 static char *
@@ -7697,6 +7696,10 @@ irc_process_message (const struct irc_message *msg, struct server *s)
 	unsigned long numeric;
 	if (xstrtoul (&numeric, msg->command, 10))
 		irc_process_numeric (s, msg, numeric);
+
+	// Better always make sure everything is in sync rather than care about
+	// each case explicitly whether anything might have changed
+	refresh_prompt (s->ctx);
 }
 
 // --- Message autosplitting magic ---------------------------------------------