Auntie LN
Your Lightning Node’s SUPER gossipy Aunt
Ben Schroth & Alex Lewin

Background
• Lightning nodes have a LOT to
talk about.
• Coordinating channels
opens/closes
• Advertising liquidity
• Operator chit chat

Problem
• Operators usually use Twitter/Telegram
• Impersonations
• Reputation is disconnected from the node
• Lightning Nodes go down…
• Gossip goes down with the node

Lightning Nodes NEED Messaging that is…
• Censorship Resistant
• Verifiable (signed messages)
• Available when a node (client) is offline
If ONLY there was a protocol like this…

Nostr – Censorship-resistant, Verifiable
messaging

Nostr
• Censorship Resistant
• Verifiable (signed messages)
• Allows multiple clients to be used

Goal

Auntie LN
Your Lightning Node’s SUPER gossipy Aunt

TODO: Lightning + Nostr
1. Create Nostr Profiles for our Lightning Node
2. Verify the Authenticity of N+LN Profiles
3. Follow other Lightning Nodes

Step 1 – Create a LN Nostr Profile
• Profile Announcement
• Kind 0
• Node Announcement
• Kind 80081

Step 2 – Verify Account Authenticity
Kind 80081
• Identity Pubkey
• Lightning Node
• Signature
• Sign(key= LNKeys,
message=npub)
• Network
• Mainnet vs. regtest

Step 3 – Follow our Peers
• Lookup Other lightning node
Announcements on Nostr
• Automatically follow our peers
• Creates Verified list of followers

Step 3 – Send messages to peers
• Lookup Other lightning node
Announcements on Nostr
• Automatically follow our peers

Demo

Summary
• Messages backed by signatures
• Available when a node (client) is offline
• Alternative Secure transport Layer for Lightning

What else?
What’s possible with another transport layer on Lightning?

Ideas
• Write a NIP
• Gossip over Nostr
• Nostr Gossip Sync
• It’s like RGS, except every note is signed
• Better relays, automatically drops redundant gossip
• Use badges to “deprecate” Nostr accounts
• Help improve bandwidth over gossip (Bolt-12 FUD)

Thanks!