diff --git a/omnibot/config.py b/omnibot/config.py
index 79b0ba2..9187166 100644
--- a/omnibot/config.py
+++ b/omnibot/config.py
@@ -71,6 +71,11 @@ class ServerConfig:
                 )
             self.plugins = obj["plugins"]
 
+        if "channels" in obj:
+            if not isinstance(obj["channels"], Sequence):
+                raise ConfigError("channels", "must by a list of strings")
+            self.channels = obj["channels"]
+
         if "nick" in obj:
             if not isinstance(obj["nick"], str):
                 raise ConfigError("nick", "must be a string")