diff --git a/src/infrastructure/daemon/irc/handler/base/PhabricatorIRCHandler.php b/src/infrastructure/daemon/irc/handler/base/PhabricatorIRCHandler.php
index 069c33c434..157978fc84 100644
--- a/src/infrastructure/daemon/irc/handler/base/PhabricatorIRCHandler.php
+++ b/src/infrastructure/daemon/irc/handler/base/PhabricatorIRCHandler.php
@@ -47,6 +47,10 @@ abstract class PhabricatorIRCHandler {
     return $this->bot->getConfig('conduit.uri').$path;
   }
 
+  final protected function isChannelName($name) {
+    return (strpos($name, '#') === 0);
+  }
+
   abstract public function receiveMessage(PhabricatorIRCMessage $message);
 
   public function runBackgroundTasks() {
diff --git a/src/infrastructure/daemon/irc/handler/objectname/PhabricatorIRCObjectNameHandler.php b/src/infrastructure/daemon/irc/handler/objectname/PhabricatorIRCObjectNameHandler.php
index de771d4e2b..52e27208c7 100644
--- a/src/infrastructure/daemon/irc/handler/objectname/PhabricatorIRCObjectNameHandler.php
+++ b/src/infrastructure/daemon/irc/handler/objectname/PhabricatorIRCObjectNameHandler.php
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 <?php
 
 /*
- * Copyright 2011 Facebook, Inc.
+ * Copyright 2012 Facebook, Inc.
  *
  * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
  * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -33,8 +33,8 @@ class PhabricatorIRCObjectNameHandler extends PhabricatorIRCHandler {
 
     switch ($message->getCommand()) {
       case 'PRIVMSG':
-        $channel = $message->getChannel();
-        if (!$channel) {
+        $reply_to = $message->getReplyTo();
+        if (!$reply_to) {
           break;
         }
 
@@ -164,23 +164,37 @@ class PhabricatorIRCObjectNameHandler extends PhabricatorIRCHandler {
 
         foreach ($output as $phid => $description) {
 
-          // Don't mention the same object more than once every 10 minutes, so
-          // we avoid spamming the chat over and over again for discsussions of
-          // a specific revision, for example.
-          $quiet_until = idx($this->recentlyMentioned, $phid, 0) + (60 * 10);
-          if (time() < $quiet_until) {
-            continue;
-          }
-          $this->recentlyMentioned[$phid] = time();
+          // Don't mention the same object more than once every 10 minutes
+          // in public channels, so we avoid spamming the chat over and over
+          // again for discsussions of a specific revision, for example. In
+          // direct-to-bot chat, respond to every object reference.
 
-          $this->write('PRIVMSG', "{$channel} :{$description}");
+          if ($this->isChannelName($reply_to)) {
+            if (empty($this->recentlyMentioned[$reply_to])) {
+              $this->recentlyMentioned[$reply_to] = array();
+            }
+
+            $quiet_until = idx(
+              $this->recentlyMentioned[$reply_to],
+              $phid,
+              0) + (60 * 10);
+
+            if (time() < $quiet_until) {
+              // Remain quiet on this channel.
+              continue;
+            }
+
+            $this->recentlyMentioned[$reply_to][$phid] = time();
+          }
+
+          $this->write('PRIVMSG', "{$reply_to} :{$description}");
         }
         break;
     }
   }
 
   private function handleSymbols(PhabricatorIRCMessage $message) {
-    $channel = $message->getChannel();
+    $reply_to = $message->getReplyTo();
     $text = $message->getMessageText();
 
     $matches = null;
@@ -209,7 +223,7 @@ class PhabricatorIRCObjectNameHandler extends PhabricatorIRCHandler {
       $response = "No symbol '{$symbol}' found anywhere.";
     }
 
-    $this->write('PRIVMSG', "{$channel} :{$response}");
+    $this->write('PRIVMSG', "{$reply_to} :{$response}");
   }
 
 }
diff --git a/src/infrastructure/daemon/irc/message/PhabricatorIRCMessage.php b/src/infrastructure/daemon/irc/message/PhabricatorIRCMessage.php
index aaab3b2daa..a9cfe22f0f 100644
--- a/src/infrastructure/daemon/irc/message/PhabricatorIRCMessage.php
+++ b/src/infrastructure/daemon/irc/message/PhabricatorIRCMessage.php
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 <?php
 
 /*
- * Copyright 2011 Facebook, Inc.
+ * Copyright 2012 Facebook, Inc.
  *
  * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
  * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -40,7 +40,24 @@ final class PhabricatorIRCMessage {
     return $this->command;
   }
 
-  public function getChannel() {
+  public function getReplyTo() {
+    switch ($this->getCommand()) {
+      case 'PRIVMSG':
+        $target = $this->getTarget();
+        if ($target[0] == '#') {
+          return $target;
+        }
+
+        $matches = null;
+        if (preg_match('/^:([^!]+)!/', $this->sender, $matches)) {
+          return $matches[1];
+        }
+        break;
+    }
+    return null;
+  }
+
+  public function getTarget() {
     switch ($this->getCommand()) {
       case 'PRIVMSG':
         $matches = null;