Cypherpunk Quotes Bot

An automated Nostr bot that posts inspirational quotes from cypherpunks, cryptographers, hackers, and digital rights activists. Follow this bot on Nostr to receive a steady stream of thought-provoking wisdom in your feed.

Features

• Curated Quotes from legendary figures in cryptography and digital rights
• Automated Posting via GitHub Actions (configurable intervals)
• Web Dashboard for browsing, searching, and manually posting quotes
• Smart Rotation - avoids repeating recent quotes
• Multi-Relay Publishing for maximum reach
• Clean Attribution with source and year when available

Featured Voices

The quote database includes wisdom from:

Cryptographers	Cypherpunks	Activists
Satoshi Nakamoto	Tim May	Edward Snowden
Hal Finney	Eric Hughes	Julian Assange
David Chaum	Nick Szabo	Aaron Swartz
Whitfield Diffie	Wei Dai	Jacob Appelbaum
Ralph Merkle	Adam Back	Ross Ulbricht
Bruce Schneier	fiatjaf	Cody Wilson
Philip Zimmermann	John Perry Barlow	Richard Stallman

Quick Start

Option 1: Automated Bot (GitHub Actions)

1. Fork this repository

2. Generate a Nostr keypair for your bot:

   npx tsx bot/index.ts

   This will generate a keypair if none exists. Save the nsec securely!

3. Add the secret to your repository:

   • Go to Settings → Secrets and variables → Actions
   • Add a new secret named NOSTR_PRIVATE_KEY
   • Paste your bot's private key (hex or nsec format)

4. Enable the workflow:

   • Go to Actions → Post Quote to Nostr
   • Enable the workflow

The bot will automatically post every 4 hours. You can also trigger posts manually from the Actions tab.

Option 2: Self-Hosted Bot

Run the bot on your own server:

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Set environment variables
export NOSTR_PRIVATE_KEY="your-nsec-or-hex-key"
export STATE_FILE="./bot-state.json"

# Run the bot
npx tsx bot/index.ts

Set up a cron job to run at your desired interval:

# Every 4 hours
0 */4 * * * cd /path/to/bot && npx tsx bot/index.ts >> bot.log 2>&1

Project Structure

├── src/
│   ├── data/
│   │   └── quotes.json       # The quote database
│   ├── lib/
│   │   ├── quotes.ts         # Quote utilities
│   │   └── botService.ts     # Bot state management
│   ├── hooks/
│   │   └── usePostQuote.ts   # React hook for posting
│   └── pages/
│       └── Index.tsx         # Web dashboard
├── bot/
│   └── index.ts              # Standalone bot script
└── .github/workflows/
    └── post-quote.yml        # GitHub Actions workflow

Quote Database Schema

Quotes are stored in src/data/quotes.json:

{
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "lastUpdated": "2025-01-01T00:00:00Z",
  "quotes": [
    {
      "id": "unique-identifier",
      "text": "The quote text itself",
      "author": "Author Name",
      "source": "Where it was said/written (optional)",
      "year": 2009,
      "tags": ["bitcoin", "privacy", "freedom"]
    }
  ]
}

Adding New Quotes

1. Open src/data/quotes.json
2. Add a new entry to the quotes array
3. Ensure the id is unique (format: author-slug-001)
4. Include at least: id, text, author, tags
5. Update lastUpdated timestamp

Configuration

Bot Configuration

Edit src/lib/botService.ts to customize:

export const DEFAULT_BOT_CONFIG: BotConfig = {
  relays: [
    'wss://relay.damus.io',
    'wss://relay.nostr.band',
    'wss://nos.lol',
    'wss://relay.primal.net',
    'wss://relay.ditto.pub',
  ],
  intervalHours: 4,
  hashtags: ['cypherpunk', 'bitcoin', 'privacy', 'freedom'],
};

GitHub Actions Schedule

Edit .github/workflows/post-quote.yml:

on:
  schedule:
    # Default: Every 4 hours
    - cron: '0 */4 * * *'
    
    # Every 6 hours
    # - cron: '0 */6 * * *'
    
    # Twice daily (9am and 9pm UTC)
    # - cron: '0 9,21 * * *'

Environment Variables

Variable	Description	Required
NOSTR_PRIVATE_KEY	Bot's private key (hex or nsec)	Yes
RELAYS	Comma-separated relay URLs	No
STATE_FILE	Path to state file	No

Example Post Format

"Privacy is necessary for an open society in the electronic age."

— Eric Hughes (A Cypherpunk's Manifesto, 1993)

#cypherpunk #bitcoin #privacy #freedom #manifesto

Development

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Run development server
npm run dev

# Type check
npm run test

# Build for production
npm run build

License

MIT License - Feel free to fork and create your own quote bot!

Credits

• Built with MKStack (React + Nostr)
• Quote sources: Various public domain documents, interviews, and writings
• Inspired by the cypherpunk movement and the ongoing fight for digital freedom

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"Cypherpunks write code." — Eric Hughes