Due to some pecularities of freenode services, nick setup check can be performed only on master nicknames. So we are asking you to ensure that you are leaving your request from your master nick.
Type /msg NickServ info to get detailed information on your nickname.
- If you see something like "The nickname [your nick] is not registered", please register your nickname with /msg NickServ register your_password (more info).
- If you see "Linked Nicknames (first is master):" section, switch to the first nickname you see after this to proceed. You may also want to run /msg NickServ set master current_nickname, if you use your current nick more often than one you see on the section top.
- Otherwise, your current nick is your master one.
You may also want to repeat these steps when you link your alternative nickname, but it is not required if you haven't registered it earlier.