marmot-ts

TypeScript implementation of the Marmot protocol - bringing end-to-end encrypted group messaging to Nostr using MLS (Messaging Layer Security).

[!WARNING] This library is currently in Alpha and under heavy development. The API is subject to breaking changes without notice. It relies heavily on ts-mls for MLS cryptographic guarantees. Do not use in production yet.

This library provides the building blocks for creating secure, decentralized group chat applications on Nostr. It wraps ts-mls with Nostr-specific functionality, similar to how MDK wraps OpenMLS.

Features

• 🔐 End-to-end encrypted group messaging using MLS protocol
• 🌐 Decentralized - groups operate across Nostr relays
• 🔑 Key package management - handle identity, publishing, rotation, and invitations
• 📦 Storage-agnostic - bring your own GenericKeyValueStore backend (LocalForage, IndexedDB, SQLite, in-memory, etc.)
• 🔌 Network-agnostic - works with any Nostr client library
• 📱 Cross-platform - works in browsers and Node.js (v20+)

Installation

npm install @internet-privacy/marmot-ts
# or
pnpm add @internet-privacy/marmot-ts

Marmot Protocol Compliance

Currently, marmot-ts supports the following Marmot Improvement Proposals (MIPs):

Documentation

Comprehensive documentation is available in the documentation/ directory:

• Getting Started - A fast track to initializing the library.
• Architecture - High-level component overview and Nostr/MLS integration mapping.
• MarmotClient - Deep dive into the main entry point class, its sub-managers, and identity management.
• Bytes-First Storage - Explaining the storage-agnostic philosophy and group state hydration.
• Ingest Methods - Handling incoming messages and network input robustly.
• Examples - Concise snippets for group creation, invitations, sending messages, and more.

Quick Start Overview

To begin using the client, you need an EventSigner (e.g. from applesauce-core), a NostrNetworkInterface implementation, and two GenericKeyValueStore backends — one for serialized group state bytes and one for key package metadata.

import { MarmotClient } from "@internet-privacy/marmot-ts";
import localforage from "localforage";

const client = new MarmotClient({
  signer: yourNostrSigner,
  // Any GenericKeyValueStore<SerializedClientState>. A LocalForage instance
  // works directly because it already implements the getItem/setItem/keys API.
  groupStateStore: localforage.createInstance({ name: "marmot-groups" }),
  // Any GenericKeyValueStore<StoredKeyPackage> for key package metadata.
  keyPackageStore: localforage.createInstance({ name: "marmot-keypackages" }),
  // Your NostrNetworkInterface implementation (publish, request, subscription, getUserInboxRelays).
  network: yourNetworkInterface,
  // Optional: stable slot identifier for addressable (kind 30443) key packages.
  clientId: "my-app-desktop",
});

const group = await client.groups.create("My Secret Group", {
  description: "A private discussion",
  relays: ["wss://relay.example.com"],
  // Optional: add additional admins (the creator is always included automatically)
  adminPubkeys: ["<other-admin-pubkey-hex>"],
  // Optional: override MLS ciphersuite
  ciphersuite: "MLS_128_DHKEMX25519_AES128GCM_SHA256_Ed25519",
});

See Getting Started and Examples for full usage instructions.

Development

pnpm install   # Install dependencies
pnpm build     # Compile TypeScript
pnpm test      # Run tests (watch mode)
pnpm format    # Format code with Prettier