diff --git a/server/rooms.ts b/server/rooms.ts
index a21170f63f..d1b627f6a9 100644
--- a/server/rooms.ts
+++ b/server/rooms.ts
@@ -78,7 +78,6 @@ export interface RoomSettings {
 	auth: {[userid: string]: GroupSymbol};
 	creationTime: number;
 
-	readonly staffAutojoin?: string | boolean;
 	readonly autojoin?: boolean;
 	aliases?: string[];
 	banwords?: string[];
@@ -924,9 +923,9 @@ export class GlobalRoomState {
 	 */
 	readonly autojoinList: RoomID[];
 	/**
-	 * Rooms that staff autojoin upon connecting
+	 * Rooms that users autojoin upon logging in
 	 */
-	readonly staffAutojoinList: RoomID[];
+	readonly modjoinedAutojoinList: RoomID[];
 	readonly ladderIpLog: WriteStream;
 	readonly reportUserStatsInterval: NodeJS.Timeout;
 	lockdown: boolean | 'pre' | 'ddos';
@@ -956,28 +955,35 @@ export class GlobalRoomState {
 				title: 'Staff',
 				auth: {},
 				creationTime: Date.now(),
-				isPrivate: true,
-				staffRoom: true,
-				staffAutojoin: true,
+				isPrivate: 'hidden',
+				modjoin: '%',
+				autojoin: true,
 			}];
 		}
 
 		this.chatRooms = [];
 
 		this.autojoinList = [];
-		this.staffAutojoinList = [];
+		this.modjoinedAutojoinList = [];
 		for (const [i, settings] of this.settingsList.entries()) {
 			if (!settings || !settings.title) {
 				Monitor.warn(`ERROR: Room number ${i} has no data and could not be loaded.`);
 				continue;
 			}
+			if ((settings as any).staffAutojoin) {
+				// convert old staffAutojoin format
+				delete (settings as any).staffAutojoin;
+				(settings as any).autojoin = true;
+				if (!settings.modjoin) settings.modjoin = '%';
+				if (settings.isPrivate === true) settings.isPrivate = 'hidden';
+			}
 
 			// We're okay with assinging type `ID` to `RoomID` here
 			// because the hyphens in chatrooms don't have any special
 			// meaning, unlike in helptickets, groupchats, battles etc
 			// where they are used for shared modlogs and the like
 			const id = toID(settings.title) as RoomID;
-			Monitor.notice("NEW CHATROOM: " + id);
+			Monitor.notice("RESTORE CHATROOM: " + id);
 			const room = Rooms.createChatRoom(id, settings.title, settings);
 			if (room.settings.aliases) {
 				for (const alias of room.settings.aliases) {
@@ -986,8 +992,13 @@ export class GlobalRoomState {
 			}
 
 			this.chatRooms.push(room);
-			if (room.settings.autojoin) this.autojoinList.push(id);
-			if (room.settings.staffAutojoin) this.staffAutojoinList.push(id);
+			if (room.settings.autojoin) {
+				if (room.settings.modjoin) {
+					this.modjoinedAutojoinList.push(id);
+				} else {
+					this.autojoinList.push(id);
+				}
+			}
 		}
 		Rooms.lobby = Rooms.rooms.get('lobby') as ChatRoom;
 
@@ -1295,7 +1306,7 @@ export class GlobalRoomState {
 	}
 	autojoinRooms(user: User, connection: Connection) {
 		// we only autojoin regular rooms if the client requests it with /autojoin
-		// note that this restriction doesn't apply to staffAutojoin
+		// note that this restriction doesn't apply to modjoined autojoin rooms
 		let includesLobby = false;
 		for (const roomName of this.autojoinList) {
 			user.joinRoom(roomName, connection);
@@ -1305,19 +1316,14 @@ export class GlobalRoomState {
 	}
 	checkAutojoin(user: User, connection?: Connection) {
 		if (!user.named) return;
-		for (let [i, staffAutojoin] of this.staffAutojoinList.entries()) {
-			const room = Rooms.get(staffAutojoin);
+		for (let [i, roomid] of this.modjoinedAutojoinList.entries()) {
+			const room = Rooms.get(roomid);
 			if (!room) {
-				this.staffAutojoinList.splice(i, 1);
+				this.modjoinedAutojoinList.splice(i, 1);
 				i--;
 				continue;
 			}
-			if (room.settings.staffAutojoin === true && user.isStaff ||
-					typeof room.settings.staffAutojoin === 'string' && room.settings.staffAutojoin.includes(user.tempGroup) ||
-					room.auth.has(user.id)) {
-				// if staffAutojoin is true: autojoin if isStaff
-				// if staffAutojoin is String: autojoin if user.group in staffAutojoin
-				// if staffAutojoin is anything truthy: autojoin if user has any roomauth
+			if (room.checkModjoin(user)) {
 				user.joinRoom(room.roomid, connection);
 			}
 		}