Native iOS wrapper for NostrKey — Nostr key management and encrypted vault on your phone.
Current release: v1.1.0 · Bundled extension: v1.5.2 · Min iOS: 16.0 · License: MIT
NostrKey and Humanjava Enterprises Inc. do not have a cryptocurrency, token, or coin. Nor will there be one. If anyone suggests or sells a cryptocurrency associated with this project, they are acting fraudulently. Report scams.
This app runs the full NostrKey browser extension UI natively on iOS, with native platform integrations:
- NIP-07 key management — create, import, and manage multiple Nostr profiles
- NIP-44 / NIP-04 encryption — modern ChaCha20-Poly1305 and legacy DM support
- NIP-46 nsecBunker — remote signing, your private key never touches a browser
- NIP-49 encrypted export — ncryptsec key backup and restore
- Encrypted .md vault — zero-knowledge documents stored on relays (NIP-78)
- API key vault — encrypted secret storage with relay sync
- Master password — keys encrypted at rest with configurable auto-lock
- QR code scanner — scan npub/nsec/ncryptsec keys directly with the camera (AVFoundation)
- Lock screen QR code — share your npub QR code without unlocking the app (bottom sheet)
- Lock screen npub display — active profile's truncated npub shown on the lock screen with copy button
- Cross-app toggle — "Allow Nostr cross apps" placeholder for future App Groups integration
- Native clipboard — copy keys and npubs to the system clipboard
- Material-style toggle switches — native-feel settings controls throughout the app
- Dark theme — Monokai color scheme with safe-area insets for notches and home indicators
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ MainViewController │
│ │
│ ┌─────────────────┐ ┌──────────────────┐ │
│ │ backgroundWebView│ │ uiWebView │ │
│ │ (background.html)│ │ (sidepanel.html) │ │
│ │ │ │ │ │
│ │ Message routing │ │ User interface │ │
│ │ Key operations │ │ Profile mgmt │ │
│ │ Relay comms │ │ Vault access │ │
│ └────────┬─────────┘ └────────┬─────────┘ │
│ │ IOSBridge │ │
│ └──────────┬──────────┘ │
│ │ │
│ ┌───────────────────▼───────────────────┐ │
│ │ IOSBridge.swift │ │
│ │ • storageGet/Set/Remove/Clear │ │
│ │ • sendMessage / sendResponse │ │
│ │ • copyToClipboard │ │
│ │ • scanQR │ │
│ │ • navigateTo │ │
│ └───────────────────┬───────────────────┘ │
│ │ │
│ UserDefaults (JSON) │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘
The app uses a dual-WKWebView architecture: an invisible background WebView handles message routing and key operations (same as the browser extension's background page), while the visible UI WebView renders the interface. An IOSBridge class implementing WKScriptMessageHandler bridges JavaScript calls to native iOS APIs. A polyfill layer (ios-polyfill.js) maps Chrome extension APIs (chrome.storage, chrome.runtime) to bridge calls via webkit.messageHandlers.nostrkey.postMessage().
The polyfill also handles mobile-specific enhancements: renaming the NIP-07 toggle for cross-app context, populating the lock screen npub via direct storage reads with inline bech32 encoding, and wiring the QR bottom sheet with on-demand QR generation via a standalone qrcode.min.js bundle.
All NIP support is provided by the bundled extension code (v1.5.2):
| NIP | Feature | Status |
|---|---|---|
| NIP-01 | Basic protocol | Supported |
| NIP-04 | Encrypted DMs v1 | Supported (deprecated) |
| NIP-07 | Browser extension API | Supported (via polyfill) |
| NIP-19 | Bech32 encoding | Supported |
| NIP-44 | Encrypted messaging v2 | Supported |
| NIP-46 | Nostr Connect (bunker) | Supported |
| NIP-49 | Encrypted key export | Supported |
| NIP-78 | App-specific data (vault) | Supported |
- Full NostrKey extension UI (profiles, vault, settings, security)
- All NIP support listed above (via bundled extension code)
- QR code scanning for key import (AVFoundation)
- Lock screen QR code sharing (bottom sheet with on-demand generation)
- Lock screen npub display with copy-to-clipboard
- Native clipboard integration
- UserDefaults storage (persistent, private)
- Dark theme with safe-area insets
- Material-style toggle switches in Settings
- HTTPS-only for relay connections
- App Store listing
- App Groups cross-app signing (iOS app ↔ Safari extension)
- Biometric unlock (Face ID / Touch ID)
- Deep link handling (
nostr:URIs) - Push notifications for signing requests
- iOS 16.0+
- Camera permission (optional, for QR scanning)
| Build property | Value |
|---|---|
| Deployment target | iOS 16.0 |
| Swift | 5.9 |
| Xcode | 15.0+ |
Coming soon — submission in progress.
- Clone this repo
- Generate Xcode project:
xcodegen generate - Open
NostrKey.xcodeprojin Xcode - Select your team for code signing
- Build and run on your device
- Xcode 15.0+
- xcodegen:
brew install xcodegen
# Generate Xcode project from project.yml
xcodegen generate
# Build for simulator
xcodebuild -project NostrKey.xcodeproj -scheme NostrKey \
-destination 'platform=iOS Simulator,name=iPhone 17 Pro,OS=latest' \
-configuration Debug build
# Or open in Xcode
open NostrKey.xcodeprojIn debug builds, WebView inspection is enabled. Connect Safari on macOS:
- Open Safari → Develop menu → [Your Device/Simulator]
- Select the WebView to inspect (background or UI)
nostrkey.app.ios.src/
├── project.yml # xcodegen spec → generates .xcodeproj
├── NostrKey/
│ ├── Info.plist
│ ├── App/
│ │ ├── AppDelegate.swift # UIKit entry point
│ │ └── SceneDelegate.swift # Window setup
│ ├── Controllers/
│ │ ├── MainViewController.swift # Dual WKWebView container
│ │ └── QRScannerViewController.swift # AVFoundation QR scanner
│ ├── Bridge/
│ │ └── IOSBridge.swift # WKScriptMessageHandler bridge
│ ├── Assets.xcassets/ # App icon + accent color
│ └── Web/ # Extension web assets (v1.5.2)
│ ├── ios-polyfill.js # Browser API → iOS bridge adapter
│ ├── ios-mobile.css # Mobile theming (Monokai)
│ ├── qrcode.min.js # Standalone QR code generator (IIFE bundle)
│ ├── background.html # Background page
│ ├── sidepanel.html # Main UI (lock screen, QR bottom sheet)
│ └── ... # Sub-pages, JS bundles, images
└── screenshots/
This app does not collect any user data or transmit any data over a network connection except to Nostr relays you explicitly configure. All private key data is stored locally in UserDefaults and never leaves the device. Camera access is only used for QR code scanning and is not required.
| Platform | Repo | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Browser | nostrkey.browser.plugin.src | Chrome + Safari extension (the source of all UI/JS) |
| Android | nostrkey.app.android.src | Native Android app (dual-WebView + AndroidBridge) |
| iOS | nostrkey.app.ios.src | Native iOS app (dual-WKWebView + IOSBridge) — this repo |
Both mobile apps bundle the browser extension's HTML/JS/CSS assets and run them inside WebViews. A platform-specific polyfill layer translates Chrome extension APIs (chrome.storage.local, chrome.runtime.sendMessage) into native equivalents. The apps are independent of the Safari extension companion app found in nostrkey.browser.plugin.src/apple/.
Key differences from the browser extension:
- Storage uses iOS UserDefaults instead of
chrome.storage - QR code scanning via AVFoundation (not available in browser)
- No
window.nostrinjection (not a browser extension context) - No cross-device sync (no iCloud storage.sync equivalent yet)
MIT — see LICENSE