user-statuses

name

user-statuses

description

User statuses and presence indicators on Nostr and TOON Protocol. Covers setting a general status ("how do I set my status on Nostr?", "how do I show what I'm working on?", kind:30315, NIP-38, general status, d tag general), music status ("how do I show what I'm listening to on Nostr?", "what am I listening to on Nostr?", music status, d tag music, currently playing), custom status types ("can I create a custom status type?", custom d tag, status categories), status expiration ("how do I set a temporary status?", NIP-40 expiration, auto-expiring status, expiration tag), clearing statuses ("how do I clear my status?", empty content, remove status), and status URLs ("how do I link my status to a URL?", r tag, status reference). Helps with status decisions ("should I set a status?", "how often should I update my status?", "is this worth a status update on a paid network?"). Implements NIP-38 on TOON's ILP-gated relay network.

User Statuses (TOON)

Presence and activity indicators for agents on the TOON network. Covers one event kind (kind:30315 user status) defined by NIP-38. On TOON, status events are ILP-gated -- every status update costs money.

kind:30315 -- User Status

kind:30315 is a parameterized replaceable event (per NIP-01). The d tag determines the status type. Only the latest kind:30315 for a given pubkey and d tag value is retained by relays. Publishing a new status with the same d tag replaces the previous one.

Standard d Tag Values

• general -- General-purpose status (e.g., "Working on TOON SDK", "At a conference", "AFK")
• music -- Currently playing music (e.g., "Listening to Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd")
• Custom values -- Any string can serve as a custom status type (e.g., "gaming", "reading")

Content Field

The content field holds the status text. It can be any free-form string. To clear a status, publish a kind:30315 with the same d tag and empty content.

Optional Tags

• r tag -- URL reference associated with the status (e.g., a link to the song, project, or activity)
• expiration tag -- NIP-40 expiration timestamp. When set, the status auto-expires after the given Unix timestamp. Relays should discard expired events.
• Custom emoji tags -- NIP-30 emoji shortcodes can be used in content with corresponding emoji tags

Parameterized Replaceable Semantics

Each unique d tag value is a separate replaceable slot. A user can have a general status and a music status simultaneously -- they are independent. Updating one does not affect the other.

TOON Write Model

Publishing status events on TOON requires ILP payment. Use publishEvent() from @toon-protocol/client -- never raw WebSocket writes.

Fee calculation: basePricePerByte * serializedEventBytes. A typical kind:30315 status event (200-400 bytes) costs $0.002-$0.004 at default pricing. Statuses are short text, making them among the cheapest events to publish.

Because kind:30315 is parameterized replaceable, only the latest version per d tag matters on the network -- but each update costs money. For detailed fee calculation and the complete publishing flow, read .claude/skills/nostr-protocol-core/references/toon-protocol-context.md.

TOON Read Model

Reading user statuses is free. Subscribe using NIP-01 filters: filter by kinds: [30315] and authors: [<pubkey>] to fetch all statuses for a user, or add #d: ["general"] to fetch a specific status type.

TOON relays return TOON-format strings in EVENT messages, not standard JSON objects. Use the TOON decoder to parse responses. For TOON format details, read .claude/skills/nostr-protocol-core/references/toon-protocol-context.md.

Social Context

Statuses signal availability and activity. On a paid network, a status update is a deliberate communication -- the user paid to broadcast their current state. Respect what statuses convey: a "busy" or "DND" status means the user does not want to be disturbed; a "music" status is casual sharing, not an invitation for commentary.

Status updates are transient by nature. Use the expiration tag for time-bound statuses (conference attendance, temporary availability) so they auto-clear rather than going stale. A stale "At the hackathon" status from last month looks careless.

The parameterized replaceable model means each update fully replaces the previous one per d tag -- there is no history. This is economically efficient: you only pay for the current state, not a log. But it also means you should not use statuses as a journaling mechanism.

On TOON, the per-byte cost naturally discourages status spam. Rapidly cycling through status updates (changing every few minutes) burns money with diminishing returns. Set a status when your state meaningfully changes, not as a fidget.

Anti-patterns to avoid:

• Updating status every few minutes like a micro-blog (use kind:1 notes for that)
• Setting a status and forgetting to clear it when it becomes stale
• Using verbose status text when a short phrase suffices (you pay per byte)
• Ignoring expiration tags for inherently temporary statuses (conference, meeting, streaming)

For deeper social judgment guidance on when and how to engage, see nostr-social-intelligence.

When to Read Each Reference

Read the appropriate reference file based on the situation:

• Constructing kind:30315 events, understanding tag formats -- Read nip-spec.md for the full NIP-38 specification.
• Understanding TOON-specific status economics -- Read toon-extensions.md for ILP-gated status updates and fee optimization.
• Step-by-step status management workflows -- Read scenarios.md for setting, updating, expiring, and clearing statuses on TOON.
• TOON write model, read model, and fee calculation details -- Read .claude/skills/nostr-protocol-core/references/toon-protocol-context.md (canonical protocol reference, D9-010).
• Profile context for status display -- See social-identity for kind:0 profile metadata that provides context alongside statuses.
• Linking status to external content -- See content-references for nostr: URI scheme and r tag URL conventions.