Nostr Bi-weekly Review ( 15-30 April 2026)
GM, Nostriches!
The Nostr Review is a biweekly newsletter focused on protocol updates, exciting programs, the long-form content ecosystem, and key events happening in the Nostr-verse. If you’re interested, join me in covering updates from the Nostr ecosystem!
Quick review:
In the past two weeks, daily active pubkeys increased to 300,302. New user growth increased, while profiles with bios decreased by about 25.88%. Events totaled 6.1 million and zap volume increased to 14.3 million sats. Additionally, 9 pull requests were submitted to the Nostr protocol, with 1 merged. A total of 106 Nostr projects were tracked, with 15 releasing product updates. During this period, 4 notable event took place, and 2 significant events are upcoming.
Nostr Statistics
Based on user activity, the total daily active pubkeys reached 300,302, reflecting an increase of 25.97% compared to the previous period’s 238,389. The highest daily activity was recorded on April 25th, 2026, with 23,541 active users, representing a 12.58% increase compared to the previous record of 20,910.
The number of new users overall showed mixed trends from the last period. In particular, the number of profiles with bios fell to 635,790, marking a decrease of about 25.88% compared to the previous record of 857,746. However, the number of new profiles with contact lists rose to 160,552, a 4.23% increase from 154,032. Meanwhile, pubkeys writing events decreased to 107,681 within this period, representing a 31.09% drop from the previous 156,255.
In terms of content publishing, approximately 6,132,804 total events were published during this period, representing an increase of about 16.38% compared to the 5,269,760 from the previous cycle. Among them, Reposts reached a total of 307,447 within this period, marking a 7.29% decrease compared to the previous 331,632. For zap activity, the total zap amount is about 14.3 million, showing an increase of over 21.19% compared to the previous period.
Data source: https://npub.world/stats , https://stats.andotherstuff.org/
NIPs
NIP-29: Define Explicit Role Permissions and Access Schema on Kind 39003 #2316
1amKhush
This PR is scoped to NIP-29 and centralizes role semantics on kind 39003. It was motivated by a related issue in the coracle/flotilla project.
Key Changes
Authorization Model Clarification
- Permissions now derive from role-permission, not role names or ordering.
- Role names and role-order are explicitly non-authoritative for moderation capability.
NIP-67: EOSE Completeness Hint #2317
mattn
The Problem
The EOSE message in NIP-01 marks the boundary between stored and real-time events for a subscription, but does not tell the client whether every stored matching event was delivered or whether the relay stopped partway due to an internal limit. github
This creates three concrete failure scenarios:
- Silent data loss - A client requests 500 events, but the relay has an internal cap of 300. It returns 300, the client sees 300 < 500 and assumes the result is complete, silently missing the remaining matching events.
- Wasted round trips - Any subscription that exhausts the relay’s cap forces an extra REQ just to confirm there’s nothing left, even when the filter would have matched exactly that many events. This costs both client and relay unnecessary latency and bandwidth.
- Boundary tie ambiguity - Multiple events can share the same created_at timestamp at the boundary of a batch. Paginating with until = oldest_created_at risks either skipping or double-fetching events depending on the relay’s comparison semantics.
The key design decisions:
- Only a positive “done” signal is defined — omitting the hint means there is more data.
- Backward compatible in both directions: legacy relays omit it, legacy clients ignore trailing array elements.
- Relays advertise support via NIP-11 supported_nips.
NIP-AB: Device Pairing #2328 tlongwell-block
- This PR proposes a new NIP for securely transferring a Nostr private key from one device to another without pasting nsec strings around or requiring the source device to stay online. The UX mirrors Bluetooth numeric pairing: scan a QR code on the new device, confirm a short code matches on both screens, done. The author acknowledges prior art in @1l0’s NIP-4B draft (#1768) but says this draft makes different tradeoffs: QR bootstrap, ephemeral ECDH, and a short confirmation code (SAS — Short Authentication String) displayed on both screens before the key is transmitted.
NIP-G6: OpenWyrd Capability-URL Inline Rendering #2329
DeltaClimbs
Background
This is a successor to the withdrawn NIP-C6 (PR #2327), which was closed after two review objections. This new draft was specifically designed to address both of those objections before submission.
What It Proposes
NIP-G6 defines a rendering contract for Nostr clients to:
- Detect OpenWyrd MOP capability URLs in kind:1 event content (or NIP-17 inner sealed events)
- Fetch the encrypted envelope from the host server
- Decrypt it client-side using the key embedded in the URL fragment
- Render the plaintext inline in the feed - replacing the standard OpenGraph card
The key design principle: zero sender burden. Senders paste URLs exactly as they do today. No new tags, no signer changes, no wire-format additions. All logic sits entirely on the rendering client.
Source: https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/pulls
Notable Projects
What’s New:
- Launched interactive DM Gifts.
- Introduced Blossom server management.
- Added NIP-22 comment support for articles and videos.
- Optimised relay sharing links with direct content parameters.
- Simplified relay invitation UI to “Share”.
- Unified feed settings by moving nested replies configuration.
- Added relay sharing capability within the Orbits view.
- Added automatic state reset for paid note progress.
- General bug fixes and performance enhancements.
- Nowhere is a decentralized web publishing system where an entire website is encoded directly into a URL fragment, meaning the site exists within the link itself rather than being stored on a server. It enables users to create and publish content instantly using tools like events, fundraisers, stores, petitions, messages, drops, art, and forums without needing accounts or platform approval. Interactions such as orders and messages are routed through Nostr relays using ephemeral keys, ensuring privacy and censorship resistance.
- Iris Audio is a Hashtree-backed audio catalog application and reference implementation for building large decentralized media databases within the Nostr ecosystem.
Nostr WoT Extension - New Tool Leon Acosta
- Nostr WoT Extension is a browser extension for Nostr that manages identity, signs events, sends zaps, and visualizes trust relationships (Web of Trust) directly inside the browser without needing to switch apps.
Clave - v0.1.0-build18 (Build 18 - Bunker-first UX + dev menu) - New Tool
- Clave is an iOS NIP-46 remote signer used to securely sign Nostr events via the bunker protocol without exposing private keys to client apps. This release improves the onboarding UX by making bunker-first flow the default, hides nostrconnect UI for reliability, adds a developer menu with logging and diagnostic tools, and includes build and stability improvements while keeping the signing (bunker) flow unchanged. This was the latest, and there was another release of v0.1.0-build13 last week.
- Nostria is a decentralized social app built on the Nostr protocol, focused on human connections and a cleaner social experience without algorithmic noise. This release adds a wallet setting to display sats in USD and introduces an option to enable or disable promotional cards in the feed, improving user customization and control over the interface. This was the latest, and there were also a few more releases last week.
Comet - alpha-9aab0d3 Christian Chiarulli
- Comet is a local-first notes app built with Tauri, React, TypeScript, and Rust, designed for offline-first editing with structured sync capabilities. This release focuses on internal architecture improvements, including refactoring event handling into imperative flows, consolidating Tauri sync listeners, reorganizing shared modules for better code separation, tightening lint rules, and preventing unsafe cross-feature imports to improve maintainability and stability.
Hostr - v0.1.0 Paco
- Hostr is a peer-to-peer rental accommodation platform built using Nostr-based decentralized technologies, allowing property listings and bookings without relying on centralized intermediaries. The v0.1.0 release introduces the initial production setup with escrow infrastructure, blockchain/RPC integrations for RSK, deployment and CI improvements, production Docker build fixes, network and DNS reliability updates, and operational refinements for the escrow and hosted environment, establishing the first stable foundation of the system.
- Nymchat is a lightweight ephemeral chat client built on the Nostr protocol, also bridged with Bitchat for anonymous, temporary messaging. This release is a security-focused hotfix that patches a stored XSS vulnerability, adds jitter to kind 0 created_at timestamps for better privacy behavior, and improves safety by validating JSON structure of events received from relays.
- WaveFunc Radio is a Nostr-based internet radio directory and player with full-text search, allowing users to discover and stream radio stations in a decentralized way. This release improves streaming stability and UI responsiveness, adds toast notifications for playback failures, fixes mixed-content issues by upgrading HTTP to HTTPS, refines search behavior and indexing for better performance, and enhances error handling in admin and station search operations.
- Mostro Mobile Client is a secure mobile app for the Mostro peer-to-peer Bitcoin trading platform, providing order book, chat, and trading features on top of the Mostro network. This release adds filtering of offers by maker account age in the order book, introduces in-app notifications for chat messages received outside the chat screen, adds configurable trade history retention settings, and improves background P2P chat notifications, along with fixes for order cancellation UI issues and incorrect role display in canceled orders.
- Wisp is a minimal and high-performance Android client for the Nostr protocol focused on speed and usability. This release adds a QR scan tab to the drawer QR sheet for easier interactions and includes a compatibility fix to support 16 KB page size on Android 15+, improving stability on newer devices. This was the latest release and there was also the release of v1.0.0 last week.
Hashtree-cc - New Developer Tool
- Hashtree-cc is a standalone workspace for the hashtree.cc application and its local TypeScript packages, built on top of Hashtree, providing a structured development environment for maintaining and extending the system within the Nostr ecosystem.
- Mostro Core is a developer library (Rust SDK) that provides peer-to-peer building blocks for decentralized applications and serves as the foundation for the Mostro daemon. This release adds improvements to key handling by splitting identity and trade keys in wrap/unwrap flows, enforces stricter validation and formatting for rumor kinds, updates NIP-59 related logic, and includes documentation updates reflecting the new transport and key separation design. This was the latest release. But there were also the releases of v0.9.1 and v0.9.0 last week.
- Grain is a comprehensive Nostr solution that functions as both a powerful relay and a Go developer library for building Nostr applications. This release is a major architectural overhaul that replaces MongoDB with a fully embedded nostrdb storage engine, moves to a single self-contained binary with built-in dashboard assets, introduces real physical event deletion with NIP-09 support, enforces proactive NIP-42 authentication, rebuilds mutelist handling using NIP-65 outbox relays, and significantly improves performance through caching, concurrency, and progressive rendering while also adding CI reliability, Windows fixes, and a developer-preview Go client library. This was the latest, and there were the releases of v0.5.0-rc7 and v0.5.0-rc6 last week.
Long-Form Content Eco
In the past two weeks, approximately 18,783 kind 30023 events have been tracked (long-form articles), with over 55% being Bitcoin related articles and 45% related to Nostr and other topics across the Nostr Ecosystem.
The Evolution of Decentralized Networks The core discussion around decentralized technologies continues to evolve, grounded in the reality that public opinion matters when shaping the future of money and autonomy. As global dynamics shift, the community is moving definitively toward resilient, user-driven models designed for secure, private communication. Looking ahead, the broader outlook remains focused on the signal: addressing existential technical questions like Bitcoin vs. Quantum computers, while leveraging this technology to build sustainable, privacy-centric infrastructures that prioritize true personal freedom over centralized oversight.
Nostr Expansion and Developer Focus As the ecosystem grows, the focus has broadened to include practical tools and developer-driven progress. Continuous ecosystem updates highlight the rigorous software development and Devs building in Bitcoin, working seamlessly alongside dedicated OS devs to fortify the underlying architecture of these networks. For newcomers, comprehensive Nostr walkthroughs are providing crucial, foundational guidance. This hands-on approach lowers the barrier to entry, ensuring that users truly understand the underlying protocols and can navigate these evolving spaces safely.
Cultural Shifts, Economics, and Advocacy To support this shift, the infrastructure is evolving far beyond simple financial transactions to challenge legacy systems and amplify diverse voices. Critical economic discourse is taking center stage, often grounded in profound explorations like book reviews of writings from Murray Rothbard. The network also champions global freedoms through active Human rights advocacy in digital assets, while continuing to foster a vibrant, uncensored environment that welcomes other religious, motivational, life, and fictional stories topics. Creators and advocates are harnessing these decentralized networks to blend digital sovereignty with deep philosophical alignment.
Conclusion: A Blueprint for the Future Ultimately, the convergence of these tools bridges deep philosophical ideals with practical reality. The financial sovereignty of Bitcoin, fortified by forward-thinking development, and the open communication of Nostr provide a tangible framework for a new digital era. Through dedicated developer efforts, foundational economic education, and the protection of profound cultural expressions, the ecosystem proves that decentralized tech is no longer just about code. It is about empowering individuals, securing human rights, and building a resilient, multifaceted reality. Thank you,
and others, for your work. Enriching Nostr’s long-form content ecosystem is crucial.
Nostriches Global Meet Ups
Recently, five (4) Notable Nostr and Bitcoin events have been hosted.
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Nostr: Introducing Renaud Lifchiz: Took place on Wednesday, April 15, 2026 at Chez Ginette, 101 Rue Caulaincourt, 75018 Paris, France Organised by @cluborange
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Brisbane BitDevs March - NOSTR - Took place on Sunday, April 19, 2026 at The Dalgety Public House, 6a/110 MacQuarie St, Teneriffe QLD 4005, Brisbane, Australia
- Nostr Atlanta #12 - Lunch & Learn - Spaces Workshop - Took place on Wednesday, April 22, 2026 at ATL BitLab, 684 John Wesley Dobbs Ave NE UNIT A1, Atlanta, GA 30312, United States
- NosVegas 2026 - Tuesday, April 28, 2026 - Took place at We All Scream Night Club, 517 Fremont St, Las Vegas, NV 89101, United States organised by
Here are the upcoming Nostr and Bitcoin events that you might want to check out:
- Digital Freedom with Nostr & Bitcoin - Takes place on Sunday, May 03, 2026 at Jives Coffee Lounge, 16 Colbrunn Ct, Colorado Springs, CO, United States
- Nostr Nights #2 @ Bitcoin Park Nashville - Takes place on Monday, May 11, 2026 at Bitcoin Park, 1910, 21st Avenue South, Nashville, Davidson County, Middle Tennessee, Tennessee, 37212, United States
Thanks for reading! If there’s anything I missed, feel free to reach out and help improve the completeness and accuracy of my coverage.
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