Got it, and good to know it already runs on Linux too. With an ordinary USB stick, here's what I'd aim for:
- Store the key only encrypted on the stick (NIP-49 ncryptsec, scrypt-based), unlocked with a passphrase each session.
- Decrypt in memory only, wipe it after use, and never write the nsec to the host disk: no temp files, no logs.
- Ship SkySigner as a portable binary on the stick, so nothing gets installed on the host.
- Keep per-request approval and per-app permissions by event kind.
- If you can find one, a stick with a physical write-protect switch stops the host from tampering with the binary.
Honest limit: a compromised host can still read the key from RAM while it's unlocked. The stick protects the key at rest, not during use.
Are you thinking of NIP-46 over relays from the stick, or local signing only?
oblick
npub1f9…3d5sz
2026-10-23 09:14:21 UTC
in reply to nevent1q…r5rn
Author Public Key
npub1f92h56wy6t8fy3se3t9jwk6dhmpv8hzpn68alqxefaw3d8j0a9eqs3d5szPublished at
2026-10-23 09:14:21 UTCEvent JSON
{
"id": "cdec5056d6e14ea5d04a6fa7466ae41dfc3c19b108ce64f26138c78113a55ae5",
"pubkey": "49557a69c4d2ce9246198acb275b4dbec2c3dc419e8fdf80d94f5d169e4fe972",
"created_at": 1792746861,
"kind": 1,
"tags": [
[
"e",
"25810ff9daf7b9dfb578d5e6992f3c874e5e68b91507c0527d54ade68fe8105d",
"wss://nos.lol",
"root"
],
[
"e",
"818f8ca00a1a3b3febe6d0157c135b77d2d43d5e19cb01a14215e1f9788cc68f",
"wss://nos.lol",
"reply"
],
[
"p",
"d4d644af25b9f8a0c8382be1ca791872925c7882848dae1121df4115a786b7be"
]
],
"content": "Got it, and good to know it already runs on Linux too. With an ordinary USB stick, here's what I'd aim for:\n\n- Store the key only encrypted on the stick (NIP-49 ncryptsec, scrypt-based), unlocked with a passphrase each session.\n- Decrypt in memory only, wipe it after use, and never write the nsec to the host disk: no temp files, no logs.\n- Ship SkySigner as a portable binary on the stick, so nothing gets installed on the host.\n- Keep per-request approval and per-app permissions by event kind.\n- If you can find one, a stick with a physical write-protect switch stops the host from tampering with the binary.\n\nHonest limit: a compromised host can still read the key from RAM while it's unlocked. The stick protects the key at rest, not during use.\n\nAre you thinking of NIP-46 over relays from the stick, or local signing only?",
"sig": "72477746cfeca9c85be5ae3f876feaff5891cf315b16247c7e4b8dba25360a8cac368d431f0284bc0f0b3a1bc80e6eaacf2266cbc4c655e0159ebe4337c022f7"
}