mirror of
https://github.com/permissionlesstech/bitchat.git
synced 2026-07-24 21:45:20 +00:00
55d51ba084
* DMs to unreachable peers route through store-and-forward; drop stale reachability gates
Field-found: sendPrivateMessage pre-judged reachability and marked the
message failed without ever calling the router, so the retained outbox,
courier deposits, and bridge drops never ran — a DM composed after a
peer's reachability window lapsed was dead on arrival while an identical
one sent a minute earlier delivered. Messages now always route; a live
path earns "sent", everything else stays "sending" until the router
reports carried/delivered or expires it as failed.
A sweep for sibling gates found and fixed:
- startPrivateChat refused offline non-mutual favorites ("mutual favorite
required for offline messaging") — store-and-forward only needs the
recipient's noise key, so the gate and its string are gone.
- markPrivateMessagesAsRead skipped the whole receipt pass for peers
without a stored Nostr key, starving mesh-connected non-favorites; the
router picks the transport now (sentReadReceipts dedups the parallel
PrivateChatManager path).
- DM/geoDM blocked notices and the unknown-group error posted to the
active public timeline; they now land in the thread they're about via
addLocalPrivateSystemMessage.
- Banned copy: literal "user" fallbacks in code become "anon" (the
default-nickname convention), and es/fr/it/pt translations of four keys
still saying usuario/utilisateur/utente/usuário now say person. Orphaned
keys removed (system.dm.unreachable, content.delivery.reason.unreachable,
system.chat.requires_favorite).
Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
* Deflake BLEServiceCoreTests: longTimeout for positive waits
CI flaked on duplicatePacket_isDeduped: the first message landed after the
5s wait expired on a loaded runner (the test's later count==1 assertions
passed, proving late delivery, not lost delivery). All four positive waits
in the file now use TestConstants.longTimeout, which exists for exactly
this — waitUntil returns as soon as the condition holds, so passing runs
never pay the longer ceiling.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
* Fix read-receipt test contamination; baseline Periphery noiseKey flake
Two CI failures, both environmental:
- markReadReceiptSent_returnsFalseOnSecondCall flaked because every test
ChatViewModel shared one per-process read-receipts scratch suite; the
lifecycle test persists the same "read-1" ID (a path the receipt-gate
removal now reaches), and test order decided who saw whose state. Each
instance now gets its own UUID-suffixed suite.
- Periphery intermittently misses the loadFromDisk read of
PrekeyBundleStore.StoredBundle.noiseKey and fails --strict with a false
"assign-only" finding (recurrence of a known flake). Its USR is
baselined; an in-source periphery:ignore can't work because strict mode
flags it as superfluous on runs where the indexer gets it right.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
---------
Co-authored-by: jack <jackjackbits@users.noreply.github.com>
Co-authored-by: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
bitchat
A decentralized peer-to-peer messaging app with dual transport architecture: local Bluetooth mesh networks for offline communication and internet-based Nostr protocol for global reach. No accounts, no phone numbers, no central servers. It's the side-groupchat.
License
This project is released into the public domain. See the LICENSE file for details.
Features
- Dual Transport Architecture: Bluetooth mesh for offline + Nostr protocol for internet-based messaging
- Location-Based Channels: Geographic chat rooms using geohash coordinates over global Nostr relays
- Intelligent Message Routing: Automatically chooses best transport (Bluetooth → Nostr fallback)
- Decentralized Mesh Network: Automatic peer discovery and multi-hop message relay over Bluetooth LE
- Privacy First: No accounts, no phone numbers, no persistent identifiers
- Private Message End-to-End Encryption: Noise Protocol for mesh, NIP-17 for Nostr
- IRC-Style Commands: Familiar
/slap,/msg,/whostyle interface - Universal App: Native support for iOS and macOS
- Emergency Wipe: Triple-tap to instantly clear all data
- Performance Optimizations: LZ4 message compression, adaptive battery modes, and optimized networking
Technical Architecture
BitChat uses a hybrid messaging architecture with two complementary transport layers:
Bluetooth Mesh Network (Offline)
- Local Communication: Direct peer-to-peer within Bluetooth range
- Multi-hop Relay: Messages route through nearby devices (max 7 hops)
- No Internet Required: Works completely offline in disaster scenarios
- Noise Protocol Encryption: End-to-end encryption with forward secrecy
- Binary Protocol: Compact packet format optimized for Bluetooth LE constraints
- Automatic Discovery: Peer discovery and connection management
- Adaptive Power: Battery-optimized duty cycling
Nostr Protocol (Internet)
- Global Reach: Connect with users worldwide via internet relays
- Location Channels: Geographic chat rooms using geohash coordinates
- 290+ Relay Network: Distributed across the globe for reliability
- NIP-17 Encryption: Gift-wrapped private messages for internet privacy
- Ephemeral Keys: Fresh cryptographic identity per geohash area
Channel Types
mesh #bluetooth
- Transport: Bluetooth Low Energy mesh network
- Scope: Local devices within multi-hop range
- Internet: Not required
- Use Case: Offline communication, protests, disasters, remote areas
Location Channels (block #dr5rsj7, neighborhood #dr5rs, country #dr)
- Transport: Nostr protocol over internet
- Scope: Geographic areas defined by geohash precision
block(7 chars): City block levelneighborhood(6 chars): District/neighborhoodcity(5 chars): City levelprovince(4 chars): State/provinceregion(2 chars): Country/large region
- Internet: Required (connects to Nostr relays)
- Use Case: Location-based community chat, local events, regional discussions
Direct Message Routing
Private messages use intelligent transport selection:
-
Bluetooth First (preferred when available)
- Direct connection with established Noise session
- Fastest and most private option
-
Nostr Fallback (when Bluetooth unavailable)
- Uses recipient's Nostr public key
- NIP-17 gift-wrapping for privacy
- Routes through global relay network
-
Smart Queuing (when neither available)
- Messages queued until transport becomes available
- Automatic delivery when connection established
For detailed protocol documentation, see the Technical Whitepaper.
Setup
Option 1: Using Xcode
cd bitchat
open bitchat.xcodeproj
To run on a device there're a few steps to prepare the code:
- Clone the local configs:
cp Configs/Local.xcconfig.example Configs/Local.xcconfig - Add your Developer Team ID into the newly created
Configs/Local.xcconfig- Bundle ID would be set to
chat.bitchat.<team_id>(unless you set to something else)
- Bundle ID would be set to
- Entitlements need to be updated manually (TODO: Automate):
- Search and replace
group.chat.bitchatwithgroup.<your_bundle_id>(e.g.group.chat.bitchat.ABC123)
- Search and replace
Option 2: Using just
brew install just
Want to try this on macos: just run will set it up and run from source.
Run just clean afterwards to restore things to original state for mobile app building and development.
Localization
- Base app resources live under
bitchat/Localization/Base.lproj/. Add new copy toLocalizable.stringsand plural rules toLocalizable.stringsdict. - Share extension strings are separate in
bitchatShareExtension/Localization/Base.lproj/Localizable.strings. - Prefer keys that describe intent (
app_info.features.offline.title) and reuse existing ones where possible. - Run
xcodebuild -project bitchat.xcodeproj -scheme "bitchat (macOS)" -configuration Debug CODE_SIGNING_ALLOWED=NO buildto compile-check any localization updates.