Nostr Write icon

Nostr Write

Consume Nostr API
Join our community

Actions4

  • Event(advanced) Actions
  • Raw Json Event(advanced) Actions
  • Encrypted Direct Message(nip-04) Actions
  • BasicNote Actions

Overview

This node enables sending encrypted direct messages using the Nostr protocol's NIP-04 specification. It allows users to create and send encrypted events (kind 4) between peers by encrypting content with the recipient’s public key. This is useful for scenarios where simple peer-to-peer encrypted communication is needed, such as sending private notes or messages on decentralized networks that support Nostr.

Practical examples include:

  • Sending a private message to another user identified by their public key.
  • Encrypting sensitive information before broadcasting it over Nostr relays.
  • Integrating encrypted messaging into workflows that use Nostr events.

Note: The node includes a notice that NIP-04 encryption is not state-of-the-art and leaks metadata, so it should be used only if revealing sender and receiver info is acceptable.

Properties

Name Meaning
Content The text content of the message to send.
SendTo Recipient's public key in hex or npub format to whom the encrypted message will be sent.
Custom Relay Comma-separated list of WebSocket relay URLs to which the event will be sent. Defaults to common public relays.
NIP-04 does not go anywhere near what is considered the state-of-the-art... Notice about the limitations and metadata leakage of NIP-04 encryption.

Output

The node outputs an array of objects, each containing:

  • event: The full event object that was created and sent. For NIP-04, this is an event of kind 4 with encrypted content and tags including the recipient’s public key.
  • sendResults: An array of results from sending the event to each specified relay, indicating success or failure per relay connection.

No binary data output is produced by this node.

Dependencies

  • Requires an API secret key credential (a private key) to sign and encrypt events.
  • Uses the nostr-tools library for encryption and event finalization.
  • Uses WebSocket connections to communicate with Nostr relays.
  • Default relay URLs are provided but can be customized via input property.

Troubleshooting

  • Invalid secret key error: If the provided secret key is missing or malformed, the node throws an error. Ensure the secret key is correctly configured and formatted.
  • Invalid tags error: When sending generic events with tags, the tags must be a valid JSON array. Invalid JSON or non-array values cause errors.
  • Relay connection issues: If relays are unreachable or reject the event, sending may fail. Verify relay URLs and network connectivity.
  • JSON parse failures: For raw JSON event input, invalid JSON strings cause parsing errors.
  • Metadata leakage warning: Users should be aware that NIP-04 leaks sender and receiver metadata; do not use for highly sensitive communications.

Links and References

Discussion