- GLINE [[!][+|-]<mask> [[<target>] <expiration> :<reason>]]
-
-If <mask> is not given, or if it is not prefixed by "+" or "-", the
-operation is exactly the same as if it were issued by an ordinary
-user, except that a list of all G-lines may be returned. If the "+"
-or "-" prefixes are used, the arguments <target>, <expiration>, and
-<reason> must be given, even if the G-line already exists. If
-<target> is "*" and the currently existing G-line is a local G-line,
-the local G-line will be erased and recreated with the parameters
-given, as described below. Otherwise, if the G-line currently exists,
-a prefix of "+" will cause an inactive G-line to be activated, whereas
-a prefix of "-" will cause an active G-line to be deactivated. If an
-attempt is made to modify a G-line set by a U-lined service such as
-Uworld, the change will be forced to be local. If the mask would not
-be permitted due to it being too wide or affecting too many users
-(governed by the GLINEMAXUSERCOUNT feature), the "!" prefix may be
-used to force the G-line to be set anyway.
-
-If the G-line does not already exist, it is created. The <target>
-parameter is used to select whether the G-line is only to apply to a
-single server (which need not be the local server) or to the whole
-network; if <target> is not given, it is assumed to be the local
-server. This could be useful if a single particular link is having
-problems, for instance. The <expiration> parameter is a number of
-seconds, not to exceed 7 days, for the G-line to exist. The <reason>
-argument is mandatory and should describe why this particular G-line
-was placed. The <mask> parameter must be a user@host mask; the host
-component must contain at least 2 non-wildcarded subdomains or, if it
-is an IP address, at least 16 bits. Normally, the host component may
-not contain *any* wildcards, but that can be overridden with the "!"
-prefix, as indicated above, if the operator has the WIDE_GLINE
-privilege.
+ GLINE [[!][+|-|>|<]<mask> [<target>] [<expiration> [:<reason>]]]
+
+There are a total of 10 basic forms of the GLINE command. If no
+arguments are given, all existing G-lines will be listed; if only
+<mask> is given, the behavior is the same as for an ordinary user.
+The remaining forms allow G-lines to be set, manipulated, or possibly
+destroyed.
+
+* Local G-lines.
+
+Opers may set or remove G-lines that only apply to a specific server.
+When the <target> parameter is not given, the specific server will be
+the local server; otherwise, it will be taken to be a remote server,
+and the G-line operations will take place there, if the oper has the
+GLINE privilege. When <mask> is preceded with the '+' character, the
+G-line will be added, and <expiration> and <reason> are required; when
+<mask> is preceded with the '-' character, the G-line will be removed,
+and <expiration> and <reason> are not required. The '<' and '>'
+character prefixes are not valid for local G-lines.
+
+* Local modifications to global G-lines.
+
+Opers may locally activate or deactivate global G-lines. In this
+mode, <mask> is interpreted as referencing an existing G-line, and
+will be preceded by either '<' (to locally deactivate the G-line) or
+'>' (to locally activate the G-line). This local state overrides the
+global state of the G-line, and persists until there is a global state
+change to the G-line, or until the G-line expires. The <expiration>
+and <reason> arguments are not required, but <target> may be given if
+the oper desires to make the appropriate change on a remote
+server--note that the oper will need the GLINE privilege for this.
+
+* Global G-lines.
+
+Opers may, if they have the GLINE privilege, set and manipulate global
+G-lines on the network. To create a new G-line, the oper must prefix
+the <mask> with either '+' (for globally activated G-lines) or '-'
+(for globally deactivated G-lines). Additionally, <target> must be
+given as "*", and the <expiration> and <reason> parameters are
+required. If the G-line already exists, it will be modified to match
+the new global status, <expiration>, and <reason>.
+
+When the G-line already exists, an oper may activate or deactivate it
+simply by setting <target> to "*" and prefixing the <mask> with either
+"+" (to activate the G-line) or "-" (to deactivate it). If it is
+desired to simply modify the expiration time or reason, without
+changing the activation status, specify <mask> without any prefix, set
+<target> to "*", and provide the updated <expire> and optionally an
+updated <reason>.
+
+* Privilege notes.
+
+Note that, for all locally-restricted G-line changes, such as locally
+activating a G-line or creating a local G-line, the oper must have the
+LOCAL_GLINE privilege. For any other G-line change, including
+locally-restricted changes on remote servers, the server's
+CONFIG_OPERCMDS privilege must be enabled and the oper must have the
+GLINE privilege. There are also restrictions to prevent an oper from
+setting a G-line that is too wide; in some cases, those restrictions
+may be overridden by prefixing the <mask> parameter with the "!"
+character, IF the operator has the WIDE_GLINE privilege.