Hi everyone! I’d like to share PsstPsst, a messaging app I’ve been working on over the past three months through vibe coding.

https://psstpsst.chat

It’s intended for staying in touch with friends and family, and supports iOS, Android, macOS, Linux, and Windows. Releases are currently available for all platforms except iOS.

I haven’t had a chance to test the Linux and Windows builds myself yet. If you try either and run into any problems, I’d really appreciate hearing about them.

PsstPsst is built on NIP-17 with NIP-4e, which separates encryption keys from identity keys. This means it isn’t compatible with most existing Nostr clients.

You don’t need to think of it as a Nostr DM app, though. I’ve tried to keep Nostr terminology out of the app and make it approachable on its own. My hope is that people can generate a fresh key and use it with their friends and family.

Why NIP-4e?

With a separate encryption key, the app doesn’t need to repeatedly request encryption and decryption operations from your identity key. This makes it possible to use the app with a bunker remote signer.

Encryption keys can be rotated periodically, so a leaked key won’t expose your entire message history.

A few things I’d like to add over time:

- Small group chats, likely limited to 10 people or fewer. NIP-17 isn’t well suited to large groups, and small circles feel like a good fit for the app’s focus.
- Voice and video calls.
- A built-in browser for napps.
- Communication without an internet connection, using FIPS.

There’s still plenty to improve, but I hope some of you might find it useful. If you feel like giving it a try, I’d be grateful for any feedback or bug reports. Thanks for taking a look!