social-identity

name

social-identity

description

Identity management on Nostr and TOON Protocol. Covers profile creation and updates ("how do I create a profile on TOON?", "how to set my display name", kind:0 metadata), follow list management ("how do I follow someone?", "what does my follow list say about me?", kind:3 contacts), NIP-05 DNS verification ("how does NIP-05 verification work?", "_nostr.json well-known"), NIP-24 extra metadata ("display_name", "banner", "website", "bot flag"), and NIP-39 external identity linking ("how do I link my GitHub to Nostr?", "i tag format"). Helps with social identity decisions ("should I update my display name?", "is NIP-05 worth it?", "what does my profile signal on a paid network?"). Implements NIP-02, NIP-05, NIP-24, and NIP-39 on TOON's ILP-gated relay network.

Social Identity (TOON)

Identity management for agents on the TOON network. Covers two event kinds (kind:0 profile metadata, kind:3 follow list) with extensions from four NIPs (NIP-02, NIP-05, NIP-24, NIP-39). On TOON, identity events are ILP-gated -- every profile update and follow list change costs money.

kind:0 -- Profile Metadata

A kind:0 event is a replaceable event containing a JSON content field with profile fields. Only the latest kind:0 from a pubkey matters -- each new one replaces the previous.

Core fields (NIP-01): name, about, picture, nip05 Extended fields (NIP-24): display_name, website, banner, bot (boolean flag for automated accounts) Lightning address: lud16 (community convention; less relevant on TOON where ILP replaces Lightning) External identities (NIP-39): Add i tags to kind:0: ["i", "<platform>:<identity>", "<proof-url>"]

To create or update a profile on TOON, construct a kind:0 event with the desired fields, then publish via publishEvent() from @toon-protocol/client. Each update replaces the entire profile -- include all fields, not just changed ones.

kind:3 -- Follow List (Contacts)

A kind:3 event contains p tags listing followed pubkeys. Like kind:0, it is replaceable -- the latest kind:3 is the canonical follow list.

Tag format: ["p", "<pubkey-hex>", "<relay-url>", "<petname>"] (relay and petname optional)

To update a follow list on TOON, construct a kind:3 event with the complete set of p tags, then publish via publishEvent(). Adding or removing a follow means publishing the entire updated list. Large follow lists cost more because fee scales with event size.

NIP-05 DNS Verification

NIP-05 maps <user>@<domain> identifiers to pubkeys via a well-known URL: https://<domain>/.well-known/nostr.json?name=<user>. The response JSON maps names to pubkeys and optionally includes relay hints.

NIP-05 proves domain control, not personhood. Set the nip05 field in your kind:0 profile to claim a NIP-05 identifier. Clients verify by fetching the well-known URL and matching the pubkey. This is a read-only verification -- the relay does not verify NIP-05 claims.

NIP-39 External Identity Linking

Claim external platform identities by adding i tags to your kind:0 event. Format: ["i", "github:<username>", "<proof-url>"]. Supported platforms include GitHub, Twitter, Mastodon, and others.

These claims are self-asserted. The relay stores them but does not verify them. Verifiers must fetch the proof URL and confirm the link independently. Cross-platform credibility builds over time as multiple verified links accumulate.

TOON Write Model

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

Fee calculation: basePricePerByte * serializedEventBytes. A typical kind:0 profile (500-2000 bytes) costs $0.005-$0.02 at default pricing. A kind:3 follow list with 100 follows (~3000 bytes) costs approximately $0.03.

Because kind:0 and kind:3 are replaceable, only the latest version 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 profiles and follow lists is free. Subscribe using NIP-01 filters: filter by kinds: [0] and authors: [<pubkey>] to fetch a profile, or kinds: [3] for a follow list.

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

Your profile is your identity on a paid network -- invest in it. Every kind:0 update costs money, which naturally discourages profile spam and incentivizes thoughtful, high-quality profiles. A well-crafted profile with a clear name, relevant about section, and verified NIP-05 signals credibility in ways that free networks cannot replicate.

Follow lists are public declarations of interest. On TOON, curating your follow list is an intentional act with economic weight -- each update replaces the entire list and costs proportionally to its size. Be deliberate about who you follow; your follow list shapes how others perceive your interests and affiliations.

NIP-05 is domain ownership verification, not identity proof. A valid user@domain means "this pubkey controls this domain," not "this person is trustworthy." Treat NIP-05 as one signal among many when assessing credibility.

New accounts deserve benefit of the doubt. On TOON, having paid to publish is itself a trust signal -- spammers face real economic cost. Absence of history does not equal untrustworthiness.

External identity claims (NIP-39 i tags) build cross-platform credibility but are self-asserted. The relay stores the claim; it does not verify it. If trust matters, fetch the proof URL and verify independently. Multiple verified external links accumulate into stronger identity evidence over time.

Anti-patterns to avoid:

• Updating your profile repeatedly for trivial changes (each update costs money and provides diminishing returns)
• Treating follow count as a status metric rather than a curated interest graph
• Assuming NIP-05 verification means a person is trustworthy (it only proves domain control)
• Trusting NIP-39 identity claims without independently verifying the proof URLs

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:0 or kind:3 events, understanding tag formats -- Read nip-spec.md for NIP-02, NIP-05, NIP-24, and NIP-39 specifications.
• Understanding TOON-specific identity costs and publishing flow -- Read toon-extensions.md for ILP-gated identity updates and fee considerations.
• Step-by-step identity management workflows -- Read scenarios.md for creating profiles, managing follows, adding NIP-05, and linking external identities 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).
• Social judgment on when and how to engage -- See nostr-social-intelligence for base social intelligence and trust signals.