126 lines
4.0 KiB
Plaintext
126 lines
4.0 KiB
Plaintext
Metadata-Version: 2.4
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Name: nostr-keygen
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Version: 0.1.0
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Summary: Terminal tool to generate nostr npub/nsec from file entropy
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Author-email: Your Name <you@example.com>
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Requires-Python: >=3.8
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Description-Content-Type: text/markdown
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Requires-Dist: ecdsa
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Requires-Dist: bech32
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# nostr-keygen
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A tiny command‑line utility written in Python that generates an Nostr **npub** (public key) and **nsec** (private key) pair from a single file that you drop into the terminal.
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> **NOTE:** The instructions below work on **macOS** and **Linux**. If you’re on Windows you’ll need a compatible terminal (e.g. WSL, Git‑Bash, or PowerShell with Python).
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---
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## 🚀 Run
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```bash
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# Drop any file into the terminal prompt!
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# macOS (most terminals) and many Linux terminals allow drag‑and‑drop.
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nostr-keygen <filepath>
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```
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> The terminal prompt you see (``$`` on macOS, ``username@host:~$`` on Linux) accepts drag‑and‑drop of any file. The script will read that file path and produce key strings.
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---
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### 📄 Quick test
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```bash
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# Create a tiny dummy file
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printf "random entropy" > /tmp/dummy.bin
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# Run the program
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nostr-keygen /tmp/dummy.bin
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```
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You should see two lines outputted: an `nsec` string and an `npub` string.
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## 🛠️ Installation
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### 1️⃣ Install Python
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- **macOS**: Use Homebrew
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```bash
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brew install python@3.12
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```
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(If you already have Python, skip this step.)
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- **Linux (Ubuntu / Debian‑based)**:
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```bash
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sudo apt-get update
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sudo apt-get install python3 python3-venv
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```
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(Other distros may use `yum`, `dnf`, or your package manager of choice.)
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- **Linux (Arch)**:
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```bash
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sudo pacman -S python
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```
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> **Tip** – On macOS the `python3` binary is typically symlinked to `python`, but on many Linux systems you’ll need `python3` explicitly.
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### 2️⃣ Clone the repo
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```bash
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git clone https://github.com/your‑github‑handle/nostr-keygen.git
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cd nostr-keygen
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```
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### 3️⃣ Create a virtual‑environment (recommended)
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```bash
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python3 -m venv .venv # create a venv in the repo directory
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source .venv/bin/activate # activate it (both on macOS and Linux)
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```
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> The virtual‑environment isolates third‑party libraries (`ecdsa`, `bech32`, etc.) from the system‑wide Python installation, ensuring that installing or updating them won’t accidentally break other projects. It also guarantees that anyone who checks out the repo can recreate the exact same runtime environment.
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### 4️⃣ Install the tool in editable mode (development) or normally
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- **Editable (work on the code as you edit it)**
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```bash
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pip install -e .
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```
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- **Normal installation**
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```bash
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pip install .
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```
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Both forms install the console‑script `nostr‑keygen` into `./.venv/bin`.
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## 🚫 Key‑string safety
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> Keep your `nsec` secret in a secure, offline location. Anyone with that string can sign Nostr events or spend Nostr‑based funds.
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## 🔧 How the code works (quick dive)
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```python
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# main.py
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import argparse, hashlib
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from ecdsa import SigningKey, SECP256k1
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from bech32 import bech32_encode, convertbits
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NSEC_PREFIX, NPUB_PREFIX = "nsec", "npub"
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def _to_bech32(data: bytes, hrp: str) -> str:
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five_bits = convertbits(list(data), 8, 5, True)
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return bech32_encode(hrp, five_bits)
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# … (rest unchanged) …
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```
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### Why the key‑gen algorithm matters
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1. **Read file in binary** – We need raw entropy; reading as text would truncate or encode the file in an unexpected way. Binary mode is the most faithful representation of the file’s content.
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2. **SHA‑256 hash** – Provides a *deterministic* 32‑byte seed from any file. Different inputs yield different seeds, and the same input always yields the same seed.
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3. **Create a secp256k1 signing key** – The curve used by Nostr (and Bitcoin) for ECDSA. The secret key is derived directly from the seed bytes.
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4. **Bech32 encoding** – Nostr keys are human‑readable Bech32 strings prefixed with `nsec` or `npub`. `_to_bech32` converts 8‑bit byte streams to 5‑bit groups and encodes them.
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