diff --git a/src/app/commands.ts b/src/app/commands.ts
index 83445667..792a8bb4 100644
--- a/src/app/commands.ts
+++ b/src/app/commands.ts
@@ -8,6 +8,8 @@ import {
   FOLLOWS,
   REACTION,
   AUTH_JOIN,
+  GROUP_JOIN,
+  GROUP_LEAVE,
   isSignedEvent,
   createEvent,
   displayProfile,
@@ -49,8 +51,10 @@ import {
   clearStorage,
   dropSession,
 } from "@welshman/app"
+import type {Relay} from "@welshman/app"
 import {
   COMMENT,
+  tagRoom,
   userMembership,
   MEMBERSHIPS,
   INDEXER_RELAYS,
@@ -216,6 +220,22 @@ export const broadcastUserData = async (relays: string[]) => {
   }
 }
 
+// NIP 29 stuff
+
+export const nip29 = {
+  isSupported: (relay?: Relay) => relay?.profile?.supported_nips?.map(String)?.includes("29"),
+  joinRoom: (url: string, room: string) => {
+    const event = createEvent(GROUP_JOIN, {tags: [tagRoom(room, url)]})
+
+    return publishThunk({event, relays: [url]})
+  },
+  leaveRoom: (url: string, room: string) => {
+    const event = createEvent(GROUP_LEAVE, {tags: [tagRoom(room, url)]})
+
+    return publishThunk({event, relays: [url]})
+  },
+}
+
 // List updates
 
 export const addSpaceMembership = async (url: string) => {
@@ -327,7 +347,11 @@ export const checkRelayAccess = async (url: string, claim = "") => {
       result[url].message?.replace(/^.*: /, "") ||
       "join request rejected"
 
-    return `Failed to join relay (${message})`
+    // If it's a strict NIP 29 relay don't worry about requesting access
+    // TODO: remove this if relay29 ever gets less strict
+    if (message !== "missing group (`h`) tag") {
+      return `Failed to join relay (${message})`
+    }
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/src/routes/spaces/[relay]/[room]/+page.svelte b/src/routes/spaces/[relay]/[room]/+page.svelte
index 44fce464..6fcf082d 100644
--- a/src/routes/spaces/[relay]/[room]/+page.svelte
+++ b/src/routes/spaces/[relay]/[room]/+page.svelte
@@ -9,7 +9,8 @@
   import type {TrustedEvent, EventContent} from "@welshman/util"
   import {throttled} from "@welshman/store"
   import {createEvent, DELETE} from "@welshman/util"
-  import {formatTimestampAsDate, publishThunk} from "@welshman/app"
+  import {PublishStatus} from "@welshman/net"
+  import {formatTimestampAsDate, publishThunk, deriveRelay} from "@welshman/app"
   import {slide} from "@lib/transition"
   import {createScroller, type Scroller} from "@lib/html"
   import Icon from "@lib/components/Icon.svelte"
@@ -33,17 +34,41 @@
     getMembershipRoomsByUrl,
   } from "@app/state"
   import {setChecked} from "@app/notifications"
-  import {addRoomMembership, removeRoomMembership, subscribePersistent} from "@app/commands"
+  import {nip29, addRoomMembership, removeRoomMembership, subscribePersistent} from "@app/commands"
   import {PROTECTED} from "@app/state"
   import {popKey} from "@app/implicit"
+  import {pushToast} from "@app/toast"
 
   const {room = GENERAL} = $page.params
   const content = popKey<string>("content") || ""
   const url = decodeRelay($page.params.relay)
+  const relay = deriveRelay(url)
   const events = throttled(300, deriveChannelMessages(url, room))
 
   const assertEvent = (e: any) => e as TrustedEvent
 
+  const joinRoom = async () => {
+    if (nip29.isSupported($relay)) {
+      const thunk = nip29.joinRoom(url, room)
+      const result = await thunk.result
+      const {status, message} = result[url]!
+
+      if (status !== PublishStatus.Success) {
+        return pushToast({theme: "error", message})
+      }
+    }
+
+    addRoomMembership(url, room)
+  }
+
+  const leaveRoom = () => {
+    if (nip29.isSupported($relay)) {
+      nip29.leaveRoom(url, room)
+    }
+
+    removeRoomMembership(url, room)
+  }
+
   const replyTo = (event: TrustedEvent) => {
     const relays = ctx.app.router.Event(event).getUrls()
     const nevent = nip19.neventEncode({...event, relays})
@@ -141,12 +166,12 @@
     <div slot="action" class="row-2">
       {#if room !== GENERAL}
         {#if getMembershipRoomsByUrl(url, $userMembership).includes(room)}
-          <Button class="btn btn-neutral btn-sm" on:click={() => removeRoomMembership(url, room)}>
+          <Button class="btn btn-neutral btn-sm" on:click={leaveRoom}>
             <Icon icon="arrows-a-logout-2" />
             Leave Room
           </Button>
         {:else}
-          <Button class="btn btn-neutral btn-sm" on:click={() => addRoomMembership(url, room)}>
+          <Button class="btn btn-neutral btn-sm" on:click={joinRoom}>
             <Icon icon="login-2" />
             Join Room
           </Button>