Tides: A Nostr Messenger Extension For Chrome & Brave

A zap and NWC enabled Nostr messenger Browser extension for Chromium-based browsers like Brave (recommended), Chrome, or Edge.

Features 🚀

• Direct Messaging & Groups: P2P communication and group conversations
• Lightning Zaps: Send/receive Bitcoin tips with optional NWC wallet integration
• Media Support: Images, GIFs, videos (MP4, WebM, MOV, AVI, MKV), file uploads to Blossom
• Rich Previews: Nostr notes/profiles, YouTube, Twitter/X, Twitch, Amazon, media links
• Multiple Relays: Automatic fallback and retry logic
• Login Options: NIP-07 extensions (Alby, nos2x) or manual nsec
• Contact Management: Follow/unfollow with network-wide sync, NIP-51 mute lists
• Search & Navigation: Find contacts, groups, messages with context menus
• Modern UI: Dark mode, emoji picker, GIF search, QR codes
• Performance: Message caching, fast loading, robust error handling

Installation 🔧

1. Download and extract the latest release .zip file
2. Open your browser extensions page (brave://extensions, chrome://extensions, edge://extensions)
3. Enable "Developer mode" → Click "Load unpacked" → Select extracted folder
4. Enable "Add to taskbar" in extension details

Changelog 📝

v1.2.0 - Advanced Contact Management & NWC (Aug 2025)

New Features:

• Advanced contact management with network-wide sync
• NIP-51 mute lists for multi-client consistency
• Nostr Wallet Connect (NWC) for direct wallet zap payments
• Improved contact discovery and performance optimizations

Improvements:

• Enhanced unfollow functionality and removed message limits
• Better error handling, UI stability, and GIF service integration
• Network-level contact actions and proper NIP-51 implementation

For Developers 🛠️

git clone https://github.com/arbadacarbaYK/tides.git
cd tides
npm install
npm run build

Load the dist directory as an unpacked extension in your browser. You can find more info in Setup Instructions.

Project Structure

src/
├── background.js      # Service worker and background processes
├── popup.js          # Main UI logic
├── popup.html        # Extension popup interface
├── style.css         # Styling
├── shared.js         # Shared utilities and constants
├── userMetadata.js   # User profile handling
├── contact.js        # Contact management
├── messages.js       # Message handling and encryption
├── groupContact.js   # Group contact management
├── groupMessages.js  # Group message handling
├── services/         # External API integrations (Giphy, etc.)
├── sounds/          # Audio files for notifications
├── icons/           # Extension and UI icons
├── state/           # State management and persistence
└── lib/             # Third-party libraries

Tech Stack & NIPs

Built with: nostr-tools, WebSocket, Chrome Storage API, Web Notifications, Giphy API, WebLN, Blossom

Supported NIPs: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 07, 17, 19, 21, 25, 28, 40, 41, 42, 44, 47, 51, 57, 59, 65, 89, 92

NWC (Wallet Connect)

Tides supports zapping via Nostr Wallet Connect (NIP‑47):

• Connect your wallet in Settings → NWC and paste your NWC URI
• In any chat, use the zap button → choose “Pay with NWC” (or scan QR)
• We show clear success/error status without closing the modal prematurely
• Your custom message is included in the zap receipt (NIP‑57; for NWC zaps not yet shown on all apps)

NIPs and Kinds at a Glance

Feature	NIP	Kind(s)	What it means	Where Tides uses it
Direct Messages (encrypted)	NIP-04	4	Legacy encrypted DMs	Reading older DMs, fallback when peer doesn’t support NIP‑17
Chat Messages (DMs)	NIP-17	14	Unsigned chat messages; may be wrapped via NIP‑59	Preferred for DMs when available
Versioned Encryption	NIP-44	– (applies to payloads of 4/14)	Stronger encryption format	Decrypting/creating modern DMs
Gift Wrap & Seals	NIP-59	1059 (gift wrap), 13 (seal)	Wraps/ships kind‑14 privately	Receiving “secret” NIP‑17 messages
Zap Receipts	NIP-57	9734	Lightning zap receipt events	QR zaps and NWC zaps
Wallet Connect	NIP-47	–	Control wallet over Nostr	“Pay with NWC” buttons
Groups	–	40 (create), 41 (metadata/update/leave), 42 (messages)	Group lifecycle and chat	Group list and chat views
DM Relay List	NIP-17	10050	User’s preferred DM relays	Live DMs use your 10050; backfill may widen to peer’s 10050
Relay List (general)	NIP-65	10002	General relay preferences	Fallback when 10050 is missing
Contacts + Relay Hints	NIP-02/03	3	Follow list; sometimes includes relays	Contact discovery and hints

Key Development Areas

• Authentication: NIP-07/nsec login, secure storage, key validation
• Relays: Connection pooling, fallbacks, retry logic, health monitoring
• Messages: NIP-04/44 encryption, signatures, media support, group handling
• Contacts: Follow lists (NIP-02/03), mute lists (NIP-51), network sync
• Groups: Creation, management, metadata, caching
• Performance: Local caching, lazy loading, optimized connections, timeouts
• Error Handling: Global boundaries, graceful degradation, user-friendly messages

Privacy & Security 🔒

• E2E Encryption: NIP-04/44 encrypted messages, private keys never leave device
• P2P Communication: No central server, open source, no tracking
• Secure Features: Local storage encryption, minimal permissions, secure relay connections
• Privacy Controls: Network-wide contact sync, NIP-51 mute lists, optional NWC integration

Contributing 🤝

1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some AmazingFeature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/AmazingFeature)
5. Open a Pull Request

License 📄

Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 You can: Share, remix, adapt
Requirements: Attribution, non-commercial use only

Acknowledgments 🙏

Thanks to my dear weirdos of the Nostr and lightning community !

If you want to support my work send some 🧡 to LNURL1DP68GURN8GHJ7CN5D9CZUMNV9UH8WETVDSKKKMN0WAHZ7MRWW4EXCUP0X9UXGDEEXQ6XVVM9XUMXGDFCXY6NQS43TRV