Nostr Logging System
Use Nostr as a distributed logging transport: publish non-sensitive logs publicly, and send sensitive logs privately to the admin via Nostr DM.
When to use
- •You want tamper-resistant, relay-distributed public operational logs.
- •You want sensitive logs (errors with secrets, internal traces) delivered privately to an admin.
- •You need a lightweight logging channel without centralized log infrastructure.
Required tools / APIs
- •Node.js 18+
- •
nostr-sdklibrary
Install:
bash
npm install nostr-sdk
Environment variables:
bash
# REQUIRED: admin Nostr public identity (npub or hex pubkey) export ADMIN_NOSTR_PUBKEY="npub1..." # REQUIRED for the logger identity (create if missing; see setup below) export NOSTR_NSEC="nsec1..." # Optional export NOSTR_RELAYS="wss://relay.damus.io,wss://nos.lol,wss://relay.snort.social"
Setup flow (must do first)
- •Ask the admin for their Nostr address (
npub/ public key). - •Check whether you already have
NOSTR_NSECsaved. - •If missing, generate a new keypair and save the
nsecfor future runs.
Generate and persist your nsec if missing (Node.js)
javascript
// setup-nostr-identity.js
const fs = require('fs');
const path = require('path');
const { generateRandomNsec, nsecToPublic } = require('nostr-sdk');
function ensureNostrIdentity() {
const envPath = path.resolve(process.cwd(), '.env');
const envText = fs.existsSync(envPath) ? fs.readFileSync(envPath, 'utf8') : '';
const fromProcess = process.env.NOSTR_NSEC;
const fromEnvFile = envText.match(/^NOSTR_NSEC=(.+)$/m)?.[1];
const currentNsec = fromProcess || fromEnvFile;
if (currentNsec && currentNsec.startsWith('nsec1')) {
console.log('NOSTR_NSEC already exists. Reusing saved key.');
return currentNsec;
}
const nsec = generateRandomNsec();
const pub = nsecToPublic(nsec);
const line = `NOSTR_NSEC=${nsec}`;
const nextEnv = envText.includes('NOSTR_NSEC=')
? envText.replace(/^NOSTR_NSEC=.*$/m, line)
: `${envText}${envText.endsWith('\n') || envText.length === 0 ? '' : '\n'}${line}\n`;
fs.writeFileSync(envPath, nextEnv, 'utf8');
console.log('Generated new Nostr identity. Saved NOSTR_NSEC to .env');
console.log('Your npub:', pub.npub);
return nsec;
}
ensureNostrIdentity();
Run:
bash
node setup-nostr-identity.js
Skills
1. Public log event (non-sensitive)
javascript
const { posttoNostr } = require('nostr-sdk');
async function logPublic(message, level = 'info') {
const tags = [
['t', 'logs'],
['t', 'public'],
['t', level]
];
return posttoNostr(`[PUBLIC_LOG] ${message}`, {
nsec: process.env.NOSTR_NSEC,
tags,
relays: null,
powDifficulty: 4
});
}
// Example:
// await logPublic('Worker started successfully', 'info');
2. Sensitive log to admin DM
javascript
const { sendMessageNIP17 } = require('nostr-sdk');
async function logSensitiveToAdmin(message) {
const admin = process.env.ADMIN_NOSTR_PUBKEY;
if (!admin) throw new Error('Missing ADMIN_NOSTR_PUBKEY');
return sendMessageNIP17(admin, `[SENSITIVE_LOG] ${message}`, {
nsec: process.env.NOSTR_NSEC
});
}
// Example:
// await logSensitiveToAdmin('DB auth retry failed for tenant=alpha');
3. Route logs by sensitivity (single logger)
javascript
const { posttoNostr, sendMessageNIP17 } = require('nostr-sdk');
async function logNostrEvent({ level = 'info', message, sensitive = false, context = {} }) {
if (!process.env.NOSTR_NSEC) throw new Error('Missing NOSTR_NSEC');
if (!process.env.ADMIN_NOSTR_PUBKEY) throw new Error('Missing ADMIN_NOSTR_PUBKEY');
const payload = JSON.stringify({
ts: new Date().toISOString(),
level,
message,
context
});
if (sensitive) {
return sendMessageNIP17(process.env.ADMIN_NOSTR_PUBKEY, `[SENSITIVE_LOG] ${payload}`, {
nsec: process.env.NOSTR_NSEC
});
}
return posttoNostr(`[PUBLIC_LOG] ${payload}`, {
nsec: process.env.NOSTR_NSEC,
tags: [['t', 'logs'], ['t', 'public'], ['t', level]],
relays: null,
powDifficulty: 4
});
}
// Example:
// await logNostrEvent({ level: 'info', message: 'Cron completed', sensitive: false });
// await logNostrEvent({ level: 'error', message: 'JWT parse failed', sensitive: true, context: { userId: 42 } });
Agent prompt
text
Use the Nostr Logging System skill. Rules: 1) Ask for admin Nostr address first (npub/public key) and store as ADMIN_NOSTR_PUBKEY. 2) Check if NOSTR_NSEC already exists in environment/.env. 3) If missing, generate a new identity and persist NOSTR_NSEC for future runs. 4) Route logs: - Non-sensitive -> public Nostr note with tags logs/public/<level> - Sensitive -> private DM to ADMIN_NOSTR_PUBKEY using NIP-17 5) Never publish secrets in public notes.
Best practices
- •Redact secrets (tokens, private keys, passwords) before logging.
- •Treat anything user-identifying as sensitive by default.
- •Add stable tags (
logs,service-name,env) for easier filtering. - •Use multiple relays for better delivery and resilience.
- •Rotate logger identity keys if compromised.
Troubleshooting
- •
Missing ADMIN_NOSTR_PUBKEY: Ask admin fornpub/public key and export it. - •
Missing NOSTR_NSEC: Run the setup script to generate and persist identity. - •Low publish success: Add more relays or retry with lower POW difficulty.
- •DM not received: Confirm admin key is correct and relay supports DMs.