NIP-61: NutZaps — The Cashu-Powered Tip on Nostr

We are done watching governments and corporations turn the internet into a surveillance panopticon. Your data is your sovereignty. Your keys are your freedom. Break the Digital Cage.

The Problem: Lightning Tips Require Running a Node

Nostr users love zaps — sending Bitcoin via Lightning to reward good content. But traditional zaps require:

A Lightning node (or custodial wallet)
Invoice generation
Payment settlement on-chain

This creates friction, custodial risk, and excludes those who can't run a node.

The Solution: NIP-61 NutZaps

NIP-61 defines NutZaps — tips paid via Cashu ecash tokens, not Lightning. No invoices. No channels. Just a signed token that the recipient can redeem at a Cashu mint.

How It Works

Alice wants to tip Bob 21 satoshis.
Alice fetches Bob's kind:10019 (mint recommendation event) to see which mints Bob trusts.
Alice mints a P2PK-locked Cashu token for 21 sat to Bob's pubkey at that mint.
Alice publishes a kind:9321 event (NutZap) containing the token proofs, tagging Bob.
Bob sees the kind:9321, redeems the token at the mint, and gains 21 sat in his Cashu wallet.

No Lightning. No invoices. No node required.

The Events

kind:10019 — Mint Recommendation

{
  "kind": 10019,
  "pubkey": "<bob's npub>",
  "tags": [
    ["mint", "https://cashu.example.com", "btc", "sat"]
  ],
  "content": ""
}

kind:9321 — NutZap

{
  "kind": 9321,
  "pubkey": "<alice's npub>",
  "tags": [
    ["p", "<bob's npub>"],
    ["proof", "<base64-proof>"]
  ],
  "content": "<number-of-sats>"
}

Your Nostr pubkey is your Cashu identity — same key, same sovereignty.

Why NutZaps Are Revolutionary

No custodial risk — You hold the token until redemption.
No KYC — Cashu mints don't require identity.
Instant settlement — Token redeemed in seconds.
Works offline — Token can be passed via QR code, NFC, or even paper.
Censorship-resistant — No payment channel to block.

The Ecosystem: NDK-Wallet and Cashu Cache

NDK-wallet implements NutZap sending and receiving:

import { NDKWallet } from '@nostr-dev-kit/ndk-wallet'
import NDK from '@nostr-dev-kit/ndk'

const ndk = new NDK({ relayList: ['wss://relay.damus.io'] })
const wallet = new NDKWallet(ndk)

// Send a NutZap
await wallet.sendNutzap(recipientPubkey, 21, 'sat')

// Receive NutZaps — wallet auto-scans kind:9321 events
const nuts = await wallet.getReceivedNutzaps()

Cashu Cache runs on any relay, making it easy for users to find trusted mints.

Link to NIP-60 (Portable Wallets)

NIP-60 makes your Cashu wallet portable — stored on relays, synced across devices. NIP-61 makes it spendable via Nostr tips. Together they give you:

A wallet that follows you (NIP-60)
A way to receive tips without Lightning (NIP-61)
No server, no node, no KYC

This is the foundation of a peer-to-peer ecash economy on Nostr.

🔥 Built by 0xPrivacy.online — "Break the Digital Cage"

NIP-61 NutZaps — The Cashu-Powered Tip on Nostr