diff --git a/geode/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/Main.kt b/geode/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/Main.kt
index a731890e88..9290fef8e9 100644
--- a/geode/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/Main.kt
+++ b/geode/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/Main.kt
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.server.policies.VerifyAuthOnlyPo
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.server.policies.VerifyPolicy
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.store.IEventStore
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.store.sqlite.EventStore
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip77Negentropy.NegentropySettings
 import java.io.File
 
 /**
@@ -109,6 +110,12 @@ fun main(args: Array<String>) {
     }
 
     val stateFile = config.admin.state_file?.let { File(it) }
+    val negentropySettings =
+        NegentropySettings(
+            frameSizeLimit = config.negentropy.frame_size_limit,
+            maxSyncEvents = config.negentropy.max_sync_events,
+            maxSessionsPerConnection = config.negentropy.max_sessions_per_connection,
+        )
     val relay =
         Relay(
             advertisedUrl,
@@ -117,6 +124,7 @@ fun main(args: Array<String>) {
             policyBuilder,
             stateFile = stateFile,
             parallelVerify = parallelVerify,
+            negentropySettings = negentropySettings,
         )
     // Frame cap honors max_ws_frame_bytes when set; max_ws_message_bytes
     // is treated as the same cap (Ktor's WebSockets plugin only exposes
diff --git a/geode/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/Relay.kt b/geode/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/Relay.kt
index 6a8436103b..cccdb70909 100644
--- a/geode/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/Relay.kt
+++ b/geode/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/Relay.kt
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.server.policies.EmptyPolicy
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.store.IEventStore
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.store.sqlite.EventStore
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip11RelayInfo.Nip11RelayInformation
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip77Negentropy.NegentropySettings
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip86RelayManagement.server.BanListPolicy
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip86RelayManagement.server.BanStore
 import kotlinx.coroutines.SupervisorJob
@@ -84,6 +85,11 @@ class Relay(
      * `Main.kt` skips `VerifyPolicy` when this flag is on.
      */
     parallelVerify: Boolean = false,
+    /**
+     * NIP-77 server-side tuning (frame cap, snapshot cap,
+     * per-connection session cap). Defaults to strfry-parity values.
+     */
+    negentropySettings: NegentropySettings = NegentropySettings.Default,
 ) : AutoCloseable {
     private val stateStore: RelayStateStore? = stateFile?.let { RelayStateStore(it) }
 
@@ -168,8 +174,9 @@ class Relay(
                 val user = policyBuilder()
                 if (user === EmptyPolicy) BanListPolicy(banStore) else user + BanListPolicy(banStore)
             },
-            parentContext,
+            parentContext = parentContext,
             parallelVerify = parallelVerify,
+            negentropySettings = negentropySettings,
         )
 
     /**
diff --git a/geode/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/RelayHub.kt b/geode/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/RelayHub.kt
index 6a6866306e..12d97451a6 100644
--- a/geode/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/RelayHub.kt
+++ b/geode/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/RelayHub.kt
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.server.policies.EmptyPolicy
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.sockets.WebSocket
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.sockets.WebSocketListener
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.sockets.WebsocketBuilder
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip77Negentropy.NegentropySettings
 import java.util.concurrent.ConcurrentHashMap
 
 /**
@@ -50,6 +51,7 @@ import java.util.concurrent.ConcurrentHashMap
  */
 class RelayHub(
     private val defaultPolicy: () -> IRelayPolicy = { EmptyPolicy },
+    private val negentropySettings: NegentropySettings = NegentropySettings.Default,
 ) : WebsocketBuilder,
     AutoCloseable {
     private val relays = ConcurrentHashMap<NormalizedRelayUrl, Relay>()
@@ -60,7 +62,11 @@ class RelayHub(
     fun getOrCreate(url: NormalizedRelayUrl): Relay {
         check(!closed) { "RelayHub has been closed" }
         return relays.getOrPut(url) {
-            Relay(url = url, policyBuilder = defaultPolicy)
+            Relay(
+                url = url,
+                policyBuilder = defaultPolicy,
+                negentropySettings = negentropySettings,
+            )
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/geode/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/config/RelayConfig.kt b/geode/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/config/RelayConfig.kt
index 1f4ff44415..b8f162ffbe 100644
--- a/geode/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/config/RelayConfig.kt
+++ b/geode/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/config/RelayConfig.kt
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@ data class RelayConfig(
     val limits: LimitsSection = LimitsSection(),
     val authorization: AuthorizationSection = AuthorizationSection(),
     val admin: AdminSection = AdminSection(),
+    val negentropy: NegentropySection = NegentropySection(),
 ) {
     /**
      * Maps the `[info]` section into a [RelayInfo] used by the NIP-11
@@ -160,6 +161,34 @@ data class RelayConfig(
         val max_ws_frame_bytes: Int? = null,
     )
 
+    /**
+     * NIP-77 negentropy tuning. Defaults track strfry
+     * (`hoytech/strfry`) so a Geode relay accepts the same workload
+     * shape and exchanges the same NEG-MSG round-trip size as
+     * strfry — the de-facto reference implementation.
+     *
+     * - [frame_size_limit] mirrors strfry's hard-coded
+     *   `Negentropy ne(storage, 500'000)` in `RelayNegentropy.cpp`.
+     *   Hex-encoded that's ~1 MB on the wire per NEG-MSG; ensure
+     *   `[limits].max_ws_frame_bytes` (when set) is at least double
+     *   this or NEG-MSGs get truncated by the WS layer.
+     * - [max_sync_events] mirrors strfry's
+     *   `relay__negentropy__maxSyncEvents`. NEG-OPEN whose snapshot
+     *   exceeds this returns
+     *   `["NEG-ERR", "<subId>", "blocked: too many query results"]`.
+     * - [max_sessions_per_connection] caps concurrent NEG-OPEN
+     *   sessions held by a single connection. strfry shares its
+     *   200-cap with REQ subs via `relay__maxSubsPerConnection`;
+     *   Geode counts NEG independently for now (REQ has no cap yet).
+     *   Overflow returns NOTICE
+     *   `"too many concurrent NEG requests"` (matches strfry).
+     */
+    data class NegentropySection(
+        val frame_size_limit: Long = 500_000L,
+        val max_sync_events: Int = 1_000_000,
+        val max_sessions_per_connection: Int = 200,
+    )
+
     data class AuthorizationSection(
         val pubkey_whitelist: List<String> = emptyList(),
         val pubkey_blacklist: List<String> = emptyList(),
diff --git a/geode/src/test/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/Nip77NegentropyTest.kt b/geode/src/test/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/Nip77NegentropyTest.kt
index d399457b02..a205d8759d 100644
--- a/geode/src/test/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/Nip77NegentropyTest.kt
+++ b/geode/src/test/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/Nip77NegentropyTest.kt
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.core.Event
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.core.OptimizedJsonMapper
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.crypto.KeyPair
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.commands.toClient.Message
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.commands.toClient.NoticeMessage
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.filters.Filter
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.normalizer.NormalizedRelayUrl
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.normalizer.RelayUrlNormalizer
@@ -33,6 +34,7 @@ import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip10Notes.TextNoteEvent
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip77Negentropy.NegErrMessage
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip77Negentropy.NegMsgMessage
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip77Negentropy.NegentropySession
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip77Negentropy.NegentropySettings
 import kotlinx.coroutines.channels.Channel
 import kotlinx.coroutines.channels.Channel.Factory.UNLIMITED
 import kotlinx.coroutines.runBlocking
@@ -237,12 +239,82 @@ class Nip77NegentropyTest {
                 val response = client.nextMessage()
                 assertTrue(response is NegErrMessage, "expected NEG-ERR, got ${response::class.simpleName}")
                 assertEquals("ghost-sub", response.subId)
-                assertTrue(response.reason.contains("no negentropy session"))
+                // strfry-parity wording — clients in the wild string-match this.
+                assertEquals("closed: unknown subscription handle", response.reason)
             } finally {
                 client.close()
             }
         }
 
+    @Test
+    fun negOpenSnapshotOverflowReturnsStrFryNegErr() =
+        runBlocking {
+            // Tiny cap so the test is fast. Preload more events than the
+            // cap so NEG-OPEN must reject — strfry's parity behaviour for
+            // `relay__negentropy__maxSyncEvents`.
+            val capped = RelayHub(negentropySettings = NegentropySettings(maxSyncEvents = 5))
+            try {
+                val capUrl = RelayUrlNormalizer.normalize("ws://127.0.0.1:7771/")
+                val events = makeEvents(20)
+                capped.getOrCreate(capUrl).preload(events)
+
+                val client = WireClient(capped, capUrl)
+                try {
+                    val session =
+                        NegentropySession(
+                            subId = "neg-overflow",
+                            filter = Filter(kinds = listOf(1)),
+                            localEvents = emptyList(),
+                        )
+                    client.send(OptimizedJsonMapper.toJson(session.open()))
+
+                    val response = client.nextMessage()
+                    assertTrue(response is NegErrMessage, "expected NEG-ERR, got ${response::class.simpleName}")
+                    assertEquals("neg-overflow", response.subId)
+                    // strfry-parity wording.
+                    assertEquals("blocked: too many query results", response.reason)
+                } finally {
+                    client.close()
+                }
+            } finally {
+                capped.close()
+            }
+        }
+
+    @Test
+    fun negOpenPerConnectionCapEmitsNotice() =
+        runBlocking {
+            // Cap = 2, so the third NEG-OPEN on one connection should
+            // be rejected with a NOTICE (matching strfry's wording).
+            val capped = RelayHub(negentropySettings = NegentropySettings(maxSessionsPerConnection = 2))
+            try {
+                val capUrl = RelayUrlNormalizer.normalize("ws://127.0.0.1:7772/")
+                capped.getOrCreate(capUrl).preload(makeEvents(3))
+
+                val client = WireClient(capped, capUrl)
+                try {
+                    repeat(2) { i ->
+                        val s = NegentropySession("ok-$i", Filter(kinds = listOf(1)), localEvents = emptyList())
+                        client.send(OptimizedJsonMapper.toJson(s.open()))
+                        // Drain the NEG-MSG response so the next OPEN goes
+                        // through cleanly.
+                        client.nextMessage() as NegMsgMessage
+                    }
+
+                    // Third OPEN — should be rejected with a NOTICE.
+                    val third = NegentropySession("third", Filter(kinds = listOf(1)), localEvents = emptyList())
+                    client.send(OptimizedJsonMapper.toJson(third.open()))
+                    val response = client.nextMessage()
+                    assertTrue(response is NoticeMessage, "expected NOTICE, got ${response::class.simpleName}")
+                    assertEquals("too many concurrent NEG requests", response.message)
+                } finally {
+                    client.close()
+                }
+            } finally {
+                capped.close()
+            }
+        }
+
     @Test
     fun negOpenWithSameSubIdReplacesPriorSession() =
         runBlocking {
diff --git a/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip01Core/cache/interning/InterningEventStore.kt b/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip01Core/cache/interning/InterningEventStore.kt
index d224a17d9a..85fbc1c6fa 100644
--- a/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip01Core/cache/interning/InterningEventStore.kt
+++ b/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip01Core/cache/interning/InterningEventStore.kt
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.core.Event
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.filters.Filter
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.normalizer.NormalizedRelayUrl
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.store.IEventStore
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.store.IdAndTime
 
 /**
  * Decorator that canonicalises every [Event] returned by the inner
@@ -111,6 +112,11 @@ class InterningEventStore(
 
     override suspend fun count(filters: List<Filter>): Int = inner.count(filters)
 
+    override suspend fun snapshotIdsForNegentropy(
+        filters: List<Filter>,
+        maxEntries: Int?,
+    ): List<IdAndTime> = inner.snapshotIdsForNegentropy(filters, maxEntries)
+
     override suspend fun delete(filter: Filter) = inner.delete(filter)
 
     override suspend fun delete(filters: List<Filter>) = inner.delete(filters)
diff --git a/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip01Core/relay/server/LiveEventStore.kt b/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip01Core/relay/server/LiveEventStore.kt
index 912c1e4d04..6264fc7a82 100644
--- a/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip01Core/relay/server/LiveEventStore.kt
+++ b/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip01Core/relay/server/LiveEventStore.kt
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ package com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.server
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.core.Event
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.filters.Filter
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.store.IEventStore
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.store.IdAndTime
 import kotlinx.coroutines.CompletableDeferred
 import kotlinx.coroutines.channels.BufferOverflow
 import kotlinx.coroutines.flow.MutableSharedFlow
@@ -161,4 +162,19 @@ class LiveEventStore(
         }
         return merged
     }
+
+    /**
+     * Lightweight snapshot for NIP-77 negentropy. Returns
+     * `(created_at, id)` pairs only — no Event materialisation —
+     * matching strfry's `MemoryView` footprint of ~40 B/entry.
+     *
+     * If [maxEntries] is non-null, the underlying store may return
+     * up to `maxEntries + 1` entries; the +1 sentinel lets the
+     * caller distinguish "exactly at cap" from "exceeds cap" without
+     * scanning past the cap.
+     */
+    suspend fun snapshotIdsForNegentropy(
+        filters: List<Filter>,
+        maxEntries: Int? = null,
+    ): List<IdAndTime> = store.snapshotIdsForNegentropy(filters, maxEntries)
 }
diff --git a/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip01Core/relay/server/NegSessionRegistry.kt b/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip01Core/relay/server/NegSessionRegistry.kt
index f85b723d0c..628895fc3d 100644
--- a/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip01Core/relay/server/NegSessionRegistry.kt
+++ b/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip01Core/relay/server/NegSessionRegistry.kt
@@ -21,12 +21,14 @@
 package com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.server
 
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.commands.toClient.Message
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.commands.toClient.NoticeMessage
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.commands.toRelay.ReqCmd
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip77Negentropy.NegCloseCmd
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip77Negentropy.NegErrMessage
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip77Negentropy.NegMsgCmd
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip77Negentropy.NegOpenCmd
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip77Negentropy.NegentropyServerSession
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip77Negentropy.NegentropySettings
 
 /**
  * Per-connection NIP-77 negentropy state and dispatch.
@@ -39,21 +41,37 @@ import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip77Negentropy.NegentropyServerSession
  * Plain [HashMap] is sufficient because the registry is mutated only
  * from [RelaySession.receive] — that path is single-threaded per the
  * WebSocket handler contract.
+ *
+ * Defaults match strfry (`hoytech/strfry`) so a Geode relay reconciles
+ * with the same round-trip shape and the same operator-visible
+ * protections — see [NegentropySettings].
  */
 class NegSessionRegistry(
     private val store: LiveEventStore,
     private val send: (Message) -> Unit,
+    private val settings: NegentropySettings = NegentropySettings.Default,
 ) {
     private val sessions = HashMap<String, NegentropyServerSession>()
 
     /**
-     * Open a reconciliation session. The relay snapshots its matching
-     * events at this instant — concurrent inserts during the sync are
-     * not surfaced; clients re-open if they want fresh state.
+     * Open a reconciliation session. The relay snapshots the matching
+     * `(created_at, id)` pairs at this instant — concurrent inserts
+     * during the sync are not surfaced; clients re-open if they want
+     * fresh state.
      *
      * Access control reuses the REQ policy hook: a relay that requires
      * AUTH or has kind/pubkey allow-deny lists applies the same rules
      * to NEG-OPEN as it does to subscription REQs.
+     *
+     * Two strfry-parity protections fire here:
+     *  - **Per-connection session cap.** If an OPEN would push the
+     *    map past [NegentropySettings.maxSessionsPerConnection], we
+     *    send a NOTICE (matching strfry's
+     *    `"too many concurrent NEG requests"`) and drop the OPEN.
+     *  - **Snapshot size cap.** The store is asked for at most
+     *    `maxSyncEvents + 1` entries; if the +1 sentinel comes back,
+     *    the corpus exceeds the cap and we send NEG-ERR
+     *    `"blocked: too many query results"` (matching strfry).
      */
     suspend fun open(
         cmd: NegOpenCmd,
@@ -66,20 +84,43 @@ class NegSessionRegistry(
         }
         val filters = (gate as PolicyResult.Accepted).cmd.filters
 
+        // Per-connection cap. Only fires when this is a NEW subId —
+        // a same-subId re-open replaces the prior session 1-for-1.
+        val isReopen = sessions.containsKey(cmd.subId)
+        if (!isReopen && sessions.size >= settings.maxSessionsPerConnection) {
+            send(NoticeMessage("too many concurrent NEG requests"))
+            return
+        }
+
         // NIP-77: same-subId OPEN replaces any prior session.
         sessions.remove(cmd.subId)
 
-        val events = store.snapshotQuery(filters)
-        val session = NegentropyServerSession(cmd.subId, events)
+        val cap = settings.maxSyncEvents
+        val entries = store.snapshotIdsForNegentropy(filters, maxEntries = cap)
+        if (entries.size > cap) {
+            send(NegErrMessage(cmd.subId, "blocked: too many query results"))
+            return
+        }
+
+        val session =
+            NegentropyServerSession(
+                subId = cmd.subId,
+                localEntries = entries,
+                frameSizeLimit = settings.frameSizeLimit,
+            )
         sessions[cmd.subId] = session
 
         runMessage(cmd.subId, session) { it.processMessage(cmd.initialMessage) }
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Process a follow-up NEG-MSG. strfry-parity wording for the
+     * unknown-subId case: `"closed: unknown subscription handle"`.
+     */
     fun msg(cmd: NegMsgCmd) {
         val session = sessions[cmd.subId]
         if (session == null) {
-            send(NegErrMessage(cmd.subId, "error: no negentropy session for ${cmd.subId}"))
+            send(NegErrMessage(cmd.subId, "closed: unknown subscription handle"))
             return
         }
         runMessage(cmd.subId, session) { it.processMessage(cmd.message) }
@@ -99,6 +140,9 @@ class NegSessionRegistry(
         sessions.clear()
     }
 
+    /** Test/diagnostic accessor. */
+    val activeSessionCount: Int get() = sessions.size
+
     private inline fun runMessage(
         subId: String,
         session: NegentropyServerSession,
@@ -107,9 +151,11 @@ class NegSessionRegistry(
         try {
             val response = block(session)
             if (response != null) send(response)
-        } catch (e: Exception) {
+        } catch (_: Exception) {
+            // strfry sends `PROTOCOL-ERROR` on library reconcile()
+            // parse failure and tears the session down.
             sessions.remove(subId)
-            send(NegErrMessage(subId, "error: ${e.message ?: e::class.simpleName}"))
+            send(NegErrMessage(subId, "PROTOCOL-ERROR"))
         }
     }
 }
diff --git a/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip01Core/relay/server/NostrServer.kt b/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip01Core/relay/server/NostrServer.kt
index 0ec8e602be..422d4b1ee2 100644
--- a/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip01Core/relay/server/NostrServer.kt
+++ b/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip01Core/relay/server/NostrServer.kt
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ package com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.server
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.crypto.verify
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.server.policies.VerifyPolicy
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.store.IEventStore
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip77Negentropy.NegentropySettings
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.utils.cache.LargeCache
 import kotlinx.coroutines.CoroutineScope
 import kotlinx.coroutines.SupervisorJob
@@ -43,12 +44,16 @@ import kotlin.coroutines.CoroutineContext
  *   coroutine inside [VerifyPolicy]. Callers that flip this on should
  *   *omit* `VerifyPolicy` from their [policyBuilder] chain to avoid
  *   double-verifying.
+ * @param negentropySettings NIP-77 server-side tuning (frame cap,
+ *   snapshot cap, per-connection session cap). Defaults to strfry-
+ *   parity values; see [NegentropySettings].
  */
 class NostrServer(
     private val store: IEventStore,
     private val policyBuilder: () -> IRelayPolicy = { VerifyPolicy },
     private val parentContext: CoroutineContext = SupervisorJob(),
     parallelVerify: Boolean = false,
+    private val negentropySettings: NegentropySettings = NegentropySettings.Default,
 ) : AutoCloseable {
     /** Scope for all subscriptions. */
     private val scope = CoroutineScope(parentContext + SupervisorJob())
@@ -87,6 +92,7 @@ class NostrServer(
             onClose = { session ->
                 connections.remove(session.hashCode())
             },
+            negentropySettings = negentropySettings,
         ).also { session ->
             connections.put(session.hashCode(), session)
         }
diff --git a/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip01Core/relay/server/RelaySession.kt b/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip01Core/relay/server/RelaySession.kt
index c1698492a3..7a4d2d973d 100644
--- a/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip01Core/relay/server/RelaySession.kt
+++ b/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip01Core/relay/server/RelaySession.kt
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.store.IEventStore
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip77Negentropy.NegCloseCmd
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip77Negentropy.NegMsgCmd
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip77Negentropy.NegOpenCmd
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip77Negentropy.NegentropySettings
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.utils.Log
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.utils.cache.LargeCache
 import kotlinx.coroutines.CancellationException
@@ -56,11 +57,12 @@ class RelaySession(
     private val scope: CoroutineScope,
     private val onSend: (String) -> Unit,
     private val onClose: (RelaySession) -> Unit,
+    negentropySettings: NegentropySettings = NegentropySettings.Default,
 ) : AutoCloseable {
     private val subscriptions = LargeCache<String, Job>()
 
     /** NIP-77 negentropy state for this connection. */
-    private val negentropy = NegSessionRegistry(store, ::send)
+    private val negentropy = NegSessionRegistry(store, ::send, negentropySettings)
 
     private fun addSubscription(
         subId: String,
diff --git a/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip01Core/store/IEventStore.kt b/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip01Core/store/IEventStore.kt
index 8984e2fc5c..3300185a43 100644
--- a/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip01Core/store/IEventStore.kt
+++ b/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip01Core/store/IEventStore.kt
@@ -95,6 +95,38 @@ interface IEventStore : AutoCloseable {
 
     suspend fun count(filters: List<Filter>): Int
 
+    /**
+     * NIP-77 negentropy snapshot. Returns `(created_at, id)` pairs
+     * for every event matching [filters], with no content/tags/sig
+     * decode. Used by the server-side reconciliation path to build a
+     * `StorageVector` without materialising full [Event] objects —
+     * ~40 B/entry instead of ~1 KB/entry. Order is unspecified;
+     * negentropy's `seal()` re-sorts.
+     *
+     * If [maxEntries] is non-null, the implementation may return up
+     * to `maxEntries + 1` entries; the caller compares the result
+     * size to detect overflow (matching strfry's `maxSyncEvents`
+     * guard). The +1 sentinel lets the caller distinguish "exactly
+     * capped" from "too many to fit".
+     *
+     * Default implementation falls back to the full-decode path so
+     * non-SQLite stores stay correct; SQLite overrides with a direct
+     * `SELECT id, created_at` against the `query_by_created_at_id`
+     * index. Honors the same filter semantics as [query] including
+     * any `limit`.
+     */
+    suspend fun snapshotIdsForNegentropy(
+        filters: List<Filter>,
+        maxEntries: Int? = null,
+    ): List<IdAndTime> {
+        val all = query<Event>(filters).map { IdAndTime(it.createdAt, it.id) }
+        return if (maxEntries != null && all.size > maxEntries + 1) {
+            all.subList(0, maxEntries + 1)
+        } else {
+            all
+        }
+    }
+
     suspend fun delete(filter: Filter)
 
     suspend fun delete(filters: List<Filter>)
diff --git a/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip01Core/store/IdAndTime.kt b/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip01Core/store/IdAndTime.kt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..0533dffd99
--- /dev/null
+++ b/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip01Core/store/IdAndTime.kt
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2025 Vitor Pamplona
+ *
+ * Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of
+ * this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in
+ * the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use,
+ * copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the
+ * Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so,
+ * subject to the following conditions:
+ *
+ * The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
+ * copies or substantial portions of the Software.
+ *
+ * THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
+ * IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS
+ * FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR
+ * COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN
+ * AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION
+ * WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
+ */
+package com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.store
+
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.core.HexKey
+
+/**
+ * Lightweight projection of an event used by NIP-77 negentropy: just
+ * the two fields the reconciliation library indexes — `created_at`
+ * and the 32-byte event id.
+ *
+ * Returned by [IEventStore.snapshotIdsForNegentropy] so the relay can
+ * build a [com.vitorpamplona.negentropy.storage.StorageVector] without
+ * materialising full [com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.core.Event]
+ * objects (content, tags, sig). For a 1 M-event snapshot this drops
+ * peak heap from ~1 GB to ~40 MB — strfry's `MemoryView` parity.
+ */
+data class IdAndTime(
+    val createdAt: Long,
+    val id: HexKey,
+)
diff --git a/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip01Core/store/ObservableEventStore.kt b/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip01Core/store/ObservableEventStore.kt
index cb18c13a96..b11d1b27e4 100644
--- a/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip01Core/store/ObservableEventStore.kt
+++ b/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip01Core/store/ObservableEventStore.kt
@@ -189,6 +189,11 @@ class ObservableEventStore(
 
     override suspend fun count(filters: List<Filter>): Int = inner.count(filters)
 
+    override suspend fun snapshotIdsForNegentropy(
+        filters: List<Filter>,
+        maxEntries: Int?,
+    ): List<IdAndTime> = inner.snapshotIdsForNegentropy(filters, maxEntries)
+
     override suspend fun delete(filter: Filter) {
         inner.delete(filter)
         _changes.emit(StoreChange.DeleteByFilter(listOf(filter)))
diff --git a/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip01Core/store/sqlite/EventStore.kt b/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip01Core/store/sqlite/EventStore.kt
index 097c5672ac..faad3204d3 100644
--- a/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip01Core/store/sqlite/EventStore.kt
+++ b/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip01Core/store/sqlite/EventStore.kt
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.filters.Filter
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.normalizer.NormalizedRelayUrl
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.normalizer.normalizeRelayUrl
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.store.IEventStore
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.store.IdAndTime
 
 /**
  * SQLite-backed [IEventStore] with default DB-file name and relay
@@ -63,6 +64,11 @@ class EventStore(
 
     override suspend fun count(filters: List<Filter>) = store.count(filters)
 
+    override suspend fun snapshotIdsForNegentropy(
+        filters: List<Filter>,
+        maxEntries: Int?,
+    ): List<IdAndTime> = store.snapshotIdsForNegentropy(filters, maxEntries)
+
     override suspend fun delete(filter: Filter) {
         store.delete(filter)
     }
diff --git a/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip01Core/store/sqlite/QueryBuilder.kt b/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip01Core/store/sqlite/QueryBuilder.kt
index 6a3412e522..46fa1579a4 100644
--- a/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip01Core/store/sqlite/QueryBuilder.kt
+++ b/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip01Core/store/sqlite/QueryBuilder.kt
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.core.Kind
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.core.OptimizedJsonMapper
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.core.isAddressable
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.filters.Filter
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.store.IdAndTime
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.store.sqlite.sql.where
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.utils.EventFactory
 
@@ -172,6 +173,222 @@ class QueryBuilder(
         }
     }
 
+    // -----------------------------------------------------------------
+    // NIP-77 negentropy snapshot path
+    //
+    // Projects only (id, created_at) — no content/tags/sig decode —
+    // so the relay can build a StorageVector without materialising
+    // full Event objects. ~40 B/entry instead of ~1 KB/entry.
+    // No ORDER BY: negentropy's seal() re-sorts. No limit injection:
+    // the per-session cap is enforced upstream as a count check.
+    // -----------------------------------------------------------------
+    fun snapshotIdsForNegentropy(
+        filters: List<Filter>,
+        db: SQLiteConnection,
+        maxEntries: Int? = null,
+    ): List<IdAndTime> {
+        val inner =
+            if (filters.size == 1) {
+                toSnapshotIdsSql(filters.first(), hasher(db))
+            } else {
+                toSnapshotIdsSql(filters, hasher(db))
+            }
+        // Safety cap: wrap with `LIMIT maxEntries + 1` so we can
+        // detect overflow without scanning beyond the cap. The +1
+        // sentinel lets the caller distinguish "exactly capped" from
+        // "too many to fit". Matches strfry's `maxSyncEvents` guard.
+        val query =
+            if (maxEntries != null) {
+                QuerySpec(
+                    "SELECT id, created_at FROM (${inner.sql}) LIMIT ${maxEntries + 1}",
+                    inner.args,
+                )
+            } else {
+                inner
+            }
+        return db.runIdAndTimeQuery(query)
+    }
+
+    private fun toSnapshotIdsSql(
+        filter: Filter,
+        hasher: TagNameValueHasher,
+    ): QuerySpec {
+        val newFilter = filter.toFilterWithDTags()
+
+        // Simple path — no tag joins, no FTS — collapses to a single
+        // SELECT against event_headers.
+        if (newFilter.isSimpleQuery()) {
+            return makeSimpleIdsQuery(
+                ids = newFilter.ids,
+                authors = newFilter.authors,
+                kinds = newFilter.kinds,
+                dTags = newFilter.dTags,
+                since = newFilter.since,
+                until = newFilter.until,
+                limit = newFilter.limit,
+            )
+        }
+
+        // Search path — FTS join. Project id+created_at off
+        // event_headers via the FTS row_id linkage.
+        if (newFilter.isSimpleSearch()) {
+            return makeSimpleIdsSearch(
+                search = newFilter.search!!,
+                ids = newFilter.ids,
+                authors = newFilter.authors,
+                kinds = newFilter.kinds,
+                dTags = newFilter.dTags,
+                since = newFilter.since,
+                until = newFilter.until,
+                limit = newFilter.limit,
+            )
+        }
+
+        // Tag-join path — reuse the existing row_id subquery and
+        // join back to event_headers for the projection.
+        val rowIdSubquery = prepareRowIDSubQueries(filter, hasher)
+        return if (rowIdSubquery == null) {
+            QuerySpec("SELECT id, created_at FROM event_headers")
+        } else {
+            QuerySpec(
+                """
+                SELECT event_headers.id, event_headers.created_at FROM event_headers
+                INNER JOIN (
+                    ${rowIdSubquery.sql}
+                ) AS filtered
+                ON event_headers.row_id = filtered.row_id
+                """.trimIndent(),
+                rowIdSubquery.args,
+            )
+        }
+    }
+
+    private fun toSnapshotIdsSql(
+        filters: List<Filter>,
+        hasher: TagNameValueHasher,
+    ): QuerySpec {
+        val rowIdSubqueries = unionSubqueriesIfNeeded(filters, hasher)
+        return if (rowIdSubqueries == null) {
+            QuerySpec("SELECT id, created_at FROM event_headers")
+        } else {
+            QuerySpec(
+                """
+                SELECT DISTINCT event_headers.id, event_headers.created_at FROM event_headers
+                INNER JOIN (
+                    ${rowIdSubqueries.sql}
+                ) AS filtered
+                ON event_headers.row_id = filtered.row_id
+                """.trimIndent(),
+                rowIdSubqueries.args,
+            )
+        }
+    }
+
+    private fun makeSimpleIdsQuery(
+        ids: List<HexKey>? = null,
+        authors: List<HexKey>? = null,
+        kinds: List<Kind>? = null,
+        dTags: List<String>? = null,
+        since: Long? = null,
+        until: Long? = null,
+        limit: Int? = null,
+    ): QuerySpec {
+        val clause =
+            where {
+                ids?.let { equalsOrIn("id", it) }
+                kinds?.let { equalsOrIn("kind", it) }
+                authors?.let { equalsOrIn("pubkey", it) }
+                dTags?.let { equalsOrIn("d_tag", it) }
+                since?.let { greaterThanOrEquals("created_at", it) }
+                until?.let { lessThanOrEquals("created_at", it) }
+                if (dTags != null && kinds != null) {
+                    if (kinds.all { it.isAddressable() }) {
+                        raw("(kind >= 30000 AND kind < 40000)")
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+
+        val sql =
+            buildString {
+                append("SELECT id, created_at FROM event_headers")
+                if (clause.conditions.isNotEmpty()) {
+                    append("\nWHERE ")
+                    append(clause.conditions)
+                }
+                // Negentropy honors filter `limit` like REQ does
+                // (matches strfry's NostrFilterGroup behaviour).
+                // ORDER BY is required for LIMIT to be meaningful.
+                if (limit != null) {
+                    append("\nORDER BY created_at DESC")
+                    if (indexStrategy.useAndIndexIdOnOrderBy) {
+                        append(", id ASC")
+                    }
+                    append("\nLIMIT ")
+                    append(limit)
+                }
+            }
+
+        return QuerySpec(sql, clause.args)
+    }
+
+    private fun makeSimpleIdsSearch(
+        search: String,
+        ids: List<HexKey>? = null,
+        authors: List<HexKey>? = null,
+        kinds: List<Kind>? = null,
+        dTags: List<String>? = null,
+        since: Long? = null,
+        until: Long? = null,
+        limit: Int? = null,
+    ): QuerySpec {
+        val clause =
+            where {
+                ids?.let { equalsOrIn("event_headers.id", it) }
+                match(fts.tableName, search)
+                kinds?.let { equalsOrIn("event_headers.kind", it) }
+                authors?.let { equalsOrIn("event_headers.pubkey", it) }
+                dTags?.let { equalsOrIn("event_headers.d_tag", it) }
+                since?.let { greaterThanOrEquals("event_headers.created_at", it) }
+                until?.let { lessThanOrEquals("event_headers.created_at", it) }
+                if (dTags != null && kinds != null) {
+                    if (kinds.all { it.isAddressable() }) {
+                        raw("(event_headers.kind >= 30000 AND kind < 40000)")
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+
+        val sql =
+            buildString {
+                append("SELECT event_headers.id, event_headers.created_at FROM event_headers")
+                append("\nINNER JOIN ${fts.tableName} ON event_headers.row_id = ${fts.tableName}.${fts.eventHeaderRowIdName}")
+                if (clause.conditions.isNotEmpty()) {
+                    append("\nWHERE ${clause.conditions}")
+                }
+                if (limit != null) {
+                    append("\nORDER BY event_headers.created_at DESC")
+                    if (indexStrategy.useAndIndexIdOnOrderBy) {
+                        append(", event_headers.id ASC")
+                    }
+                    append("\nLIMIT ")
+                    append(limit)
+                }
+            }
+
+        return QuerySpec(sql, clause.args)
+    }
+
+    private fun SQLiteConnection.runIdAndTimeQuery(query: QuerySpec): List<IdAndTime> =
+        prepare(query.sql).use { stmt ->
+            query.args.forEachIndexed { index, arg ->
+                stmt.bindText(index + 1, arg)
+            }
+            val results = ArrayList<IdAndTime>()
+            while (stmt.step()) {
+                results.add(IdAndTime(stmt.getLong(1), stmt.getText(0)))
+            }
+            results
+        }
+
     private fun makeEverythingQuery() = "SELECT id, pubkey, created_at, kind, tags, content, sig FROM event_headers ORDER BY created_at DESC${if (indexStrategy.useAndIndexIdOnOrderBy) ", id ASC" else ""}"
 
     private fun makeQueryIn(rowIdQuery: String) =
diff --git a/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip01Core/store/sqlite/SQLiteEventStore.kt b/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip01Core/store/sqlite/SQLiteEventStore.kt
index 78b29bffdc..ddd98ef7b1 100644
--- a/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip01Core/store/sqlite/SQLiteEventStore.kt
+++ b/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip01Core/store/sqlite/SQLiteEventStore.kt
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.core.isEphemeral
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.filters.Filter
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.normalizer.NormalizedRelayUrl
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.store.IEventStore
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.store.IdAndTime
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip40Expiration.isExpired
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.utils.EventFactory
 
@@ -315,6 +316,11 @@ class SQLiteEventStore(
 
     suspend fun count(filters: List<Filter>): Int = pool.useReader { queryBuilder.count(filters, it) }
 
+    suspend fun snapshotIdsForNegentropy(
+        filters: List<Filter>,
+        maxEntries: Int? = null,
+    ): List<IdAndTime> = pool.useReader { queryBuilder.snapshotIdsForNegentropy(filters, it, maxEntries) }
+
     suspend fun delete(filter: Filter) = pool.useWriter { queryBuilder.delete(filter, it) }
 
     suspend fun delete(filters: List<Filter>) = pool.useWriter { queryBuilder.delete(filters, it) }
diff --git a/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip77Negentropy/NegentropyServerSession.kt b/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip77Negentropy/NegentropyServerSession.kt
index 4fe221d002..62cbb65634 100644
--- a/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip77Negentropy/NegentropyServerSession.kt
+++ b/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip77Negentropy/NegentropyServerSession.kt
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ package com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip77Negentropy
 import com.vitorpamplona.negentropy.Negentropy
 import com.vitorpamplona.negentropy.storage.StorageVector
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.core.Event
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.store.IdAndTime
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.utils.Hex
 
 /**
@@ -31,28 +32,65 @@ import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.utils.Hex
  * Used when acting as a relay (or relay-relay sync) to respond to
  * incoming NEG-OPEN and NEG-MSG from a client.
  *
+ * The constructor takes [IdAndTime] entries (just `created_at` and the
+ * 32-byte event id) to keep the per-session footprint at ~40 B/entry —
+ * matching strfry's `MemoryView` path. A [List]<Event> overload is
+ * kept for callers (and tests) that already hold full events.
+ *
  * Usage:
- * 1. On NEG-OPEN: create a [NegentropyServerSession] with the matching local events
+ * 1. On NEG-OPEN: create a [NegentropyServerSession] with the matching local entries
  * 2. Call [processMessage] with the initial hex message from NEG-OPEN
  * 3. Send back the resulting [NegMsgMessage]
  * 4. On subsequent NEG-MSG: call [processMessage] again and send the response
+ *
+ * @param frameSizeLimit max bytes per NEG-MSG response (raw payload,
+ *   before hex). Default `500_000` matches strfry's hard-coded
+ *   `Negentropy ne(storage, 500'000)` so a single round-trip carries
+ *   the same payload as strfry's reconciliation.
  */
 class NegentropyServerSession(
     val subId: String,
-    localEvents: List<Event>,
-    frameSizeLimit: Long = 0,
+    localEntries: List<IdAndTime>,
+    frameSizeLimit: Long = DEFAULT_FRAME_SIZE_LIMIT,
 ) {
     private val storage = StorageVector()
     private val negentropy: Negentropy
 
     init {
-        for (event in localEvents) {
-            storage.insert(event.createdAt, event.id)
+        for (entry in localEntries) {
+            storage.insert(entry.createdAt, entry.id)
         }
         storage.seal()
         negentropy = Negentropy(storage, frameSizeLimit)
     }
 
+    companion object {
+        /**
+         * strfry parity: `Negentropy ne(storage, 500'000)` in
+         * `RelayNegentropy.cpp`. Hex-encoded that's ~1 MB on the wire
+         * per NEG-MSG, the de-facto sync round-trip size.
+         */
+        const val DEFAULT_FRAME_SIZE_LIMIT: Long = 500_000L
+
+        /**
+         * Convenience for callers that hold full [Event] objects
+         * (mostly tests + relay-relay sync paths). Production server
+         * code should call the [IdAndTime] constructor directly via
+         * `IEventStore.snapshotIdsForNegentropy` to avoid the full
+         * Event materialisation that this projection collapses.
+         */
+        fun fromEvents(
+            subId: String,
+            localEvents: List<Event>,
+            frameSizeLimit: Long = DEFAULT_FRAME_SIZE_LIMIT,
+        ): NegentropyServerSession =
+            NegentropyServerSession(
+                subId = subId,
+                localEntries = localEvents.map { IdAndTime(it.createdAt, it.id) },
+                frameSizeLimit = frameSizeLimit,
+            )
+    }
+
     fun processMessage(hexMessage: String): NegMsgMessage? {
         val msgBytes = Hex.decode(hexMessage)
         val result = negentropy.reconcile(msgBytes)
diff --git a/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip77Negentropy/NegentropySettings.kt b/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip77Negentropy/NegentropySettings.kt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..896ec7c472
--- /dev/null
+++ b/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip77Negentropy/NegentropySettings.kt
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2025 Vitor Pamplona
+ *
+ * Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of
+ * this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in
+ * the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use,
+ * copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the
+ * Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so,
+ * subject to the following conditions:
+ *
+ * The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
+ * copies or substantial portions of the Software.
+ *
+ * THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
+ * IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS
+ * FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR
+ * COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN
+ * AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION
+ * WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
+ */
+package com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip77Negentropy
+
+/**
+ * Server-side NIP-77 tuning. Defaults track strfry
+ * (`hoytech/strfry`) so a Quartz-based relay accepts the same
+ * workload shape and exchanges the same NEG-MSG round-trip size.
+ *
+ * @param frameSizeLimit Max bytes per NEG-MSG response payload
+ *   (raw, before hex). 500_000 matches strfry's hard-coded
+ *   `Negentropy ne(storage, 500'000)` in `RelayNegentropy.cpp`.
+ *   The `kmp-negentropy` library enforces `>= 4096` (or `0` for
+ *   unlimited).
+ * @param maxSyncEvents Hard cap on the snapshot size for a single
+ *   NEG-OPEN. Mirrors strfry's `relay__negentropy__maxSyncEvents`.
+ *   Overflow returns NEG-ERR `"blocked: too many query results"`.
+ * @param maxSessionsPerConnection Cap on concurrent NEG sessions
+ *   held by one connection. strfry shares 200 with REQ subs; we
+ *   count NEG independently. Overflow sends NOTICE
+ *   `"too many concurrent NEG requests"`.
+ */
+data class NegentropySettings(
+    val frameSizeLimit: Long = NegentropyServerSession.DEFAULT_FRAME_SIZE_LIMIT,
+    val maxSyncEvents: Int = 1_000_000,
+    val maxSessionsPerConnection: Int = 200,
+) {
+    companion object {
+        /** strfry-equivalent defaults. */
+        val Default = NegentropySettings()
+    }
+}
diff --git a/quartz/src/commonTest/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip01Core/store/sqlite/SnapshotIdsForNegentropyTest.kt b/quartz/src/commonTest/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip01Core/store/sqlite/SnapshotIdsForNegentropyTest.kt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..d2cb5e134b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/quartz/src/commonTest/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip01Core/store/sqlite/SnapshotIdsForNegentropyTest.kt
@@ -0,0 +1,103 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2025 Vitor Pamplona
+ *
+ * Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of
+ * this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in
+ * the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use,
+ * copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the
+ * Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so,
+ * subject to the following conditions:
+ *
+ * The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
+ * copies or substantial portions of the Software.
+ *
+ * THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
+ * IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS
+ * FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR
+ * COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN
+ * AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION
+ * WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
+ */
+package com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.store.sqlite
+
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.filters.Filter
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.signers.NostrSignerSync
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip10Notes.TextNoteEvent
+import kotlin.test.Test
+import kotlin.test.assertEquals
+import kotlin.test.assertTrue
+
+/**
+ * Verifies the NIP-77 negentropy id-and-time projection against the
+ * full-event query path. Goal: same result set, ~25× lighter
+ * footprint per row. Run across every indexing strategy via
+ * [BaseDBTest.forEachDB] so plan changes don't silently break the
+ * snapshot path.
+ */
+class SnapshotIdsForNegentropyTest : BaseDBTest() {
+    private val signer = NostrSignerSync()
+
+    private fun makeEvents(count: Int) =
+        List(count) { i ->
+            signer.sign(TextNoteEvent.build("event-$i", createdAt = 1_700_000_000L + i))
+        }
+
+    @Test
+    fun matchesFullQueryForSimpleKindFilter() =
+        forEachDB { db ->
+            val events = makeEvents(50)
+            for (e in events) db.insert(e)
+
+            val filter = Filter(kinds = listOf(1))
+            val full = db.query<com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.core.Event>(filter)
+            val ids = db.snapshotIdsForNegentropy(listOf(filter))
+
+            assertEquals(full.size, ids.size, "snapshot must cover the same row set")
+            assertEquals(
+                full.map { it.id }.toSet(),
+                ids.map { it.id }.toSet(),
+                "snapshot ids must match the full-query ids",
+            )
+            // Every (createdAt, id) pair must round-trip.
+            val byId = full.associate { it.id to it.createdAt }
+            for (entry in ids) {
+                assertEquals(byId[entry.id], entry.createdAt, "createdAt mismatch for ${entry.id}")
+            }
+        }
+
+    @Test
+    fun honorsSinceUntilLimit() =
+        forEachDB { db ->
+            val events = makeEvents(20) // createdAt 1_700_000_000..1_700_000_019
+            for (e in events) db.insert(e)
+
+            // since/until window: [+5, +14] inclusive
+            val filter =
+                Filter(
+                    kinds = listOf(1),
+                    since = 1_700_000_005L,
+                    until = 1_700_000_014L,
+                )
+            val ids = db.snapshotIdsForNegentropy(listOf(filter))
+            assertEquals(10, ids.size, "since/until window should yield 10 rows")
+        }
+
+    @Test
+    fun maxEntriesPlusOneSentinelMarksOverflow() =
+        forEachDB { db ->
+            val events = makeEvents(30)
+            for (e in events) db.insert(e)
+
+            val filter = Filter(kinds = listOf(1))
+            // cap = 10; we have 30 rows, so the result must be 11
+            // (cap + 1 sentinel) — matches strfry's `maxSyncEvents`
+            // overflow-detection idiom.
+            val capped = db.snapshotIdsForNegentropy(listOf(filter), maxEntries = 10)
+            assertEquals(11, capped.size)
+            assertTrue(capped.size > 10, "caller relies on size > cap as overflow signal")
+
+            // cap >= total: returns the whole set unchanged.
+            val whole = db.snapshotIdsForNegentropy(listOf(filter), maxEntries = 100)
+            assertEquals(30, whole.size)
+        }
+}
diff --git a/quartz/src/commonTest/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip77Negentropy/NegentropySessionTest.kt b/quartz/src/commonTest/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip77Negentropy/NegentropySessionTest.kt
index 655956239d..3c849e0d27 100644
--- a/quartz/src/commonTest/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip77Negentropy/NegentropySessionTest.kt
+++ b/quartz/src/commonTest/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nip77Negentropy/NegentropySessionTest.kt
@@ -285,7 +285,7 @@ class NegentropySessionTest {
         val openCmd = clientSession.open()
 
         // Server processes via NegentropyServerSession
-        val serverSession = NegentropyServerSession("sub1", serverEvents)
+        val serverSession = NegentropyServerSession.fromEvents("sub1", serverEvents)
         val response = serverSession.processMessage(openCmd.initialMessage)
 
         assertNotNull(response)