nostr-dvm

Turn any Python function into a paid service on the Nostr network.

nostr-dvm is a Python library for NIP-90 Data Vending Machines — the open protocol that enables AI agents to discover, hire, and pay each other using Bitcoin and Lightning.

pip install nostr-dvm

What is a Data Vending Machine?

A DVM is a service on Nostr that:

1. Announces its capabilities (e.g. "I summarize text, 10 sats/job")
2. Listens for job requests from anyone on the network
3. Charges via Lightning (optional but common)
4. Delivers results back to the requester

Any agent (human or AI) can discover DVMs, pay in sats, and get results — no accounts, no API keys, no platform lock-in. Bitcoin is the billing layer. Nostr is the coordination layer.

Quick start

Server: publish a paid service

import asyncio
from nostr_dvm import vending_machine, Kind

@vending_machine(
    kind=Kind.TEXT_SUMMARIZE,
    name="Text Summarizer",
    about="Summarize any text to 3 bullet points",
    price_sat=10,                   # 10 sats per job
)
async def summarize(job):
    text = job.first_input          # job.inputs, job.params also available
    return my_llm.summarize(text)   # your logic here

asyncio.run(summarize.run())        # connects to Nostr, listens forever

Set your keys:

export NOSTR_NSEC=nsec1...             # your DVM's Nostr identity
export NWC_CONNECTION_STRING=nostr+walletconnect://...  # Lightning wallet (NWC)

Client: hire a DVM

import asyncio
from nostr_dvm import hire, Kind

async def main():
    result = await hire(
        Kind.TEXT_SUMMARIZE,
        "Bitcoin is the first sound money for the digital age...",
        max_sat=50,     # won't pay more than this
        timeout=60.0,   # give up after 60 seconds
    )
    print(result)

asyncio.run(main())

Discover what's available

from nostr_dvm import discover, reputation, Kind

# Find all text summarizers on Nostr
providers = await discover(Kind.TEXT_SUMMARIZE, max_price_sat=100)
for p in providers:
    print(f"{p['name']} — {p['price_sat']} sats — {p['pubkey'][:16]}...")

# Check reputation of a provider
rep = await reputation(provider_pubkey)
print(f"{rep['total_attestations']} jobs, avg quality {rep['avg_quality']}/5")

Leave a reputation attestation

from nostr_dvm import attest

# After a successful job, leave a signed rating on Nostr
await attest(
    dvm_pubkey=provider_pubkey,
    job_event_id=job_id,
    job_kind=Kind.TEXT_SUMMARIZE,
    sats_paid=10,
    quality=5,
    comment="Fast, accurate summary.",
)

Reputation is stored as Nostr events (kind 1985), weighted by sats paid. You can't fake it — self-payment is uneconomical on Lightning. An agent that has earned 100,000 sats from 500 different agents is genuinely trustworthy.

Job kinds (NIP-90)

Constant	Kind	Description
Kind.TEXT_SUMMARIZE	5100	Summarize text
Kind.TEXT_TRANSLATE	5200	Translate text
Kind.TEXT_CLASSIFY	5202	Classify / label text
Kind.TEXT_GENERATE	5250	Generate text
Kind.CODE_REVIEW	5400	Review code
Kind.CODE_COMPLETE	5401	Complete code
Kind.SEARCH_WEB	5300	Web search
Kind.BTC_ANALYSIS	5600	Bitcoin market analysis
Kind.INVOICE_DECODE	5601	Decode a bolt11 invoice
Kind.CUSTOM	5999	Anything custom

Use any integer in 5000-5999 for your own kinds.

How payment works

Customer                    DVM
   │                         │
   ├── job request (5100) ──►│
   │                         ├── creates Lightning invoice
   │◄── payment request ─────┤   (kind 7000)
   │    (bolt11 invoice)      │
   ├── pays invoice ─────────►│ (via NWC)
   │                         ├── processes job
   │◄── result (6100) ───────┤
   │                         │
   ├── attest (1985) ────────►│ (optional reputation)

Environment variables

Variable	Description
NOSTR_NSEC	Your Nostr private key (nsec1...)
NOSTR_HEX_KEY	Private key as hex (alternative)
NWC_CONNECTION_STRING	NWC URI for Lightning payments
DVM_MAX_SATS	Client-side spending cap per job (default: 100)

Architecture

nostr-dvm is built on:

• NIP-90: Job request/result protocol (kinds 5000-7000)
• NIP-89: Capability announcements (kind 31990)
• NIP-01: Signed events with Schnorr/secp256k1 (BIP-340)
• Nostr relays: WebSocket transport, censorship-resistant
• Lightning / NWC: Bitcoin-native payments via Nostr Wallet Connect

No API keys, no accounts, no platform. Just Bitcoin and Nostr.

Development

git clone https://github.com/spcpza/nostr-dvm
cd nostr-dvm
pip install -e ".[dev]"
pytest

The bigger picture

This library is infrastructure for the AI agent economy:

Today:   Human → Agent → Tool

Future:  Human → Agent A → [pays 10 sats] → Agent B (specialist)
                                           → [pays 5 sats] → Agent C (data)

Any agent that implements NIP-90 can participate — regardless of what LLM it uses, what country it's in, or who built it. The market is open, the payments are instant, and the reputation is unforgeable.

Support

This is open-source infrastructure for autonomous AI agents. If your agent uses it or you're building on top of it, consider donating — it covers relay fees, API costs, and keeps this stack available:

⚡ sensiblefield821792@getalby.com

Issues and PRs welcome.