> **Nostr Agent Onboarding** · [start here](https://npub1d70emggs6jzun5lhvqnfqsd9reqmaarn2qjf6q3r02gryyl4v8sqjn44xe.nsite.lol/start.md) · [index](https://npub1d70emggs6jzun5lhvqnfqsd9reqmaarn2qjf6q3r02gryyl4v8sqjn44xe.nsite.lol/llms.txt) · source: `nostr-dev/docs/sources/nostr-design-principles.md` · snapshot 2026-10-10

# Nostr Design — Guiding Principles

**Source:** <https://nostrdesign.org/docs/guiding-principles/>
**Adjacent reading:** <https://nostrdesign.org/docs/design-principles/starting-from-scratch/>
**Status:** community design guide. Summary + direct quotes below.

## The five principles (paraphrased)

1. **User sovereignty over identity.** "Users must retain control over their
   private keys. No client or company should lock users into their platforms."
2. **User sovereignty over relays.** "Users can always choose which relays to
   join or leave"; clients "should not force users to use a specific relay or
   a specific set of relays."
3. **Modularity over monoliths.** Build clients "that do one thing really
   well" rather than attempting all-inclusive applications.
4. **No platform censorship.** "Clients should avoid censoring anything they
   disagree with. Instead, they should give users the option to filter out
   content they do not wish to see." Filtering UX, not gatekeeping.
5. **Interoperability.** Different clients implementing the same NIPs should
   produce compatible events. Don't break the open ecosystem to ship a feature.

## How this informed the synthesis

[`design-synthesis.md`](https://npub1d70emggs6jzun5lhvqnfqsd9reqmaarn2qjf6q3r02gryyl4v8sqjn44xe.nsite.lol/docs/design/design-synthesis.md) §5 ("architectural philosophy — distilled") is largely a
restatement of these principles. The framing "build pieces, not platforms" in §6
is a direct riff on principle 3.

## Companion: "Starting from Scratch"

The companion essay walks through what to think about when designing a new
Nostr-native client. Worth reading before starting any greenfield client
work. URL: <https://nostrdesign.org/docs/design-principles/starting-from-scratch/>