Nostr DM Channel Plugin for OpenClaw via NIP-04 Encrypted Messages

Nostr is a downloadable channel plugin (@openclaw/nostr) that enables OpenClaw to receive and reply to NIP-04 encrypted direct messages through Nostr relays. One account per gateway; only DMs are supported.

Install

openclaw plugins install @openclaw/nostr

Use the bare package spec to track the latest official release tag. Pin a specific version only when you need reproducible builds.

From a local checkout (development workflows):

openclaw plugins install --link <path-to-local-nostr-plugin>

Restart the gateway after installing or enabling plugins. Once the plugin is installed, openclaw onboard and openclaw channels add expose Nostr in the shared channel catalog.

Non-interactive setup

openclaw channels add --channel nostr --private-key "$NOSTR_PRIVATE_KEY"
openclaw channels add --channel nostr --private-key "$NOSTR_PRIVATE_KEY" --relay-urls "wss://relay.damus.io,wss://relay.primal.net"

Use --use-env to keep NOSTR_PRIVATE_KEY in the environment rather than storing the key in configuration (applies to the default account only).

Quick setup

1. Generate a Nostr keypair if you do not already have one:

# Using nak
nak key generate

2. Add it to the configuration:

{
  channels: {
    nostr: {
      privateKey: "${NOSTR_PRIVATE_KEY}",
    },
  },
}

3. Export the key:

export NOSTR_PRIVATE_KEY="nsec1..."

4. Restart the gateway.

Configuration reference

Profile metadata

Profile data is published as a NIP-01 kind:0 event. You can manage it through the Control UI (Channels -> Nostr -> Profile) or define it directly in the config.

Example:

{
  channels: {
    nostr: {
      privateKey: "${NOSTR_PRIVATE_KEY}",
      profile: {
        name: "openclaw",
        displayName: "OpenClaw",
        about: "Personal assistant DM bot",
        picture: "https://example.com/avatar.png",
        banner: "https://example.com/banner.png",
        website: "https://example.com",
        nip05: "openclaw@example.com",
        lud16: "openclaw@example.com",
      },
    },
  },
}

Notes:

• Profile URLs must use https://.
• Importing from relays merges fields and keeps local overrides intact.

Access control

DM policies

• pairing (default): unknown senders receive a pairing code.
• allowlist: only pubkeys in allowFrom can send DMs.
• open: anyone can send DMs (requires allowFrom: ["*"]).
• disabled: inbound DMs are ignored.

Enforcement notes:

• Inbound event signatures are verified before the sender policy and NIP-04 decryption are applied, so forged events are rejected early.
• Pairing replies are sent without decrypting or processing the original DM body.
• Inbound DMs are rate limited globally and per sender, and oversized payloads are discarded before decryption.

Allowlist example

{
  channels: {
    nostr: {
      privateKey: "${NOSTR_PRIVATE_KEY}",
      dmPolicy: "allowlist",
      allowFrom: ["npub1abc...", "npub1xyz..."],
    },
  },
}

Key formats

Accepted formats:

• Private key: nsec... or a 64-character hex string
• Pubkeys (allowFrom): npub... or hex

Relays

Defaults: relay.damus.io and nos.lol.

{
  channels: {
    nostr: {
      privateKey: "${NOSTR_PRIVATE_KEY}",
      relays: ["wss://relay.damus.io", "wss://relay.primal.net", "wss://nostr.wine"],
    },
  },
}

Tips:

• Use 2-3 relays for redundancy.
• Avoid too many relays to reduce latency and duplication.
• Paid relays can improve reliability.
• Local relays work fine for testing (ws://localhost:7777).

Protocol support

Testing

Local relay

# Start strfry
docker run -p 7777:7777 ghcr.io/hoytech/strfry

{
  channels: {
    nostr: {
      privateKey: "${NOSTR_PRIVATE_KEY}",
      relays: ["ws://localhost:7777"],
    },
  },
}

Manual test

1. Note the bot pubkey from gateway logs or openclaw channels status (hex format; convert to npub in your client if needed).
2. Open a Nostr client such as Amethyst or Damus.
3. Send a DM to the bot pubkey.
4. Check that you receive a response.

Troubleshooting

Not receiving messages

• Confirm the private key is valid.
• Make sure relay URLs are reachable and use wss:// (or ws:// for local).
• Verify that enabled is not set to false.
• Review gateway logs for relay connection errors.

Not sending responses

• Confirm the relay allows writes.
• Ensure outbound connectivity is working.
• Keep an eye on relay rate limiting.

Duplicate responses

• Normal behavior when several relays are in use.
• Duplicate messages are removed based on event ID; only the initial delivery causes a response.

Security

• Private keys must never be committed.
• Store keys using environment variables.
• For production bots, allowlist is recommended.
• Signatures are validated before sender policy, and sender policy is checked before decryption, so fake events are turned away early and unknown senders cannot force full cryptographic processing.

Limitations (MVP)

• Only direct messages are supported, no group chats.
• Media attachments are not available.
• Only NIP-04 is used; NIP-17 gift-wrap is planned for the future.

Related

• Channels Overview, a summary of every supported channel
• Pairing, how DM authentication and pairing work
• Groups, group chat behavior and mention gating
• Channel Routing, session routing for messages
• Security, the access model and hardening measures