diff --git a/geode/README.md b/geode/README.md
index 4c45f710fc..11732aaad9 100644
--- a/geode/README.md
+++ b/geode/README.md
@@ -3,8 +3,8 @@
 A standalone [Nostr](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips) relay for the JVM,
 built on Quartz's relay-server code (Ktor CIO). It speaks the core relay
 protocol plus NIP-11 (info doc), NIP-42 (AUTH), NIP-45 (COUNT), NIP-50
-(full-text search), NIP-77 (Negentropy sync), and NIP-86 (relay management),
-stores events in SQLite (or a filesystem backend), and can mirror upstream
+(full-text search), NIP-77 (Negentropy sync), NIP-86 (relay management) and
+NIP-FE (REQ/COUNT/EVENT over plain HTTP), stores events in SQLite (or a filesystem backend), and can mirror upstream
 relays strfry-router style.
 
 geode depends only on `:quartz` — no Android, no Compose. `amy serve` (the
@@ -97,8 +97,34 @@ geode --version
 
 Key sections: `[info]` (NIP-11 doc), `[network]` (bind + thread pools),
 `[database]` (SQLite path/tuning), `[options]` (AUTH / verify / search),
-`[authorization]` (allow/deny lists), `[[mirror]]` (upstream mirroring), and
-`[admin]` (NIP-86 management). See the example file for every knob.
+`[authorization]` (allow/deny lists), `[[mirror]]` (upstream mirroring),
+`[http]` (NIP-FE limits) and `[admin]` (NIP-86 management). See the example
+file for every knob.
+
+### Commands over HTTP (NIP-FE)
+
+Besides the websocket, geode answers one command per HTTP `POST` to the relay
+URL: the body is the frame you would send on the socket, and the answer is the
+socket's frames as NDJSON, streamed — no socket, no subscription left open:
+
+```bash
+curl -N --compressed -d '["REQ","q",{"kinds":[1],"limit":2}]' http://localhost:7447/
+# ["EVENT","q",{"id":"…","kind":1,…}]
+# ["EVENT","q",{"id":"…","kind":1,…}]
+# ["EOSE","q"]
+curl -d '["COUNT","c",{"kinds":[1]}]' http://localhost:7447/   # ["COUNT","c",{"count":2}]
+curl -d "[\"EVENT\",$(cat signed-event.json)]" http://localhost:7447/   # ["OK","<id>",true,""]
+```
+
+A body that does not end on `EOSE`/`CLOSED` (REQ), `COUNT`/`CLOSED` (COUNT) or
+`OK` (EVENT) was cut off. On an AUTH-gated relay the answer is `401` until the
+request carries a NIP-98 `Authorization: Nostr …` header whose `u` is the
+relay's http URL and whose `payload` is the body's sha256. NIP-86 admin calls
+share the URL, told apart by `Content-Type: application/nostr+json+rpc`.
+Streamed answers are gzipped for clients that send `Accept-Encoding: gzip`
+(`curl --compressed`), sync-flushed so events still arrive as they are found;
+`[http].gzip = false` turns it off. Quartz's `HttpRelayClient` does all of this
+for clients, over OkHttp via `OkHttpRelayTransport` or any `HttpRelayTransport`.
 
 ## Verbs
 
diff --git a/geode/config.example.toml b/geode/config.example.toml
index 4651105623..89f6a6c196 100644
--- a/geode/config.example.toml
+++ b/geode/config.example.toml
@@ -19,7 +19,8 @@ contact = "admin@example.com"
 # pubkey = "..."
 # Override the supported NIPs advertised on the NIP-11 endpoint. If
 # omitted, the relay advertises the NIPs it actually implements.
-# supported_nips = [1, 9, 11, 40, 42, 45, 50, 62]
+# Hex-named NIPs go in as strings.
+# supported_nips = [1, 9, 11, 40, 42, 45, 50, 62, "FE"]
 
 [network]
 host = "0.0.0.0"
@@ -165,6 +166,43 @@ require_auth = false
 # backfill_seconds = 3600
 # filter = '{"kinds":[0,1,3,7],"#t":["nostr"]}'
 
+[http]
+# NIP-FE: relay commands over HTTP. One REQ, COUNT or EVENT frame per
+# POST to the relay URL, exactly as it would go on the websocket,
+# answered as NDJSON (application/x-ndjson) in the socket's own frames and
+# streamed as it is found; nothing stays open afterwards. NIP-86 calls
+# share the URL, told apart by their application/nostr+json+rpc type.
+# NIP-98 `Authorization: Nostr ...` headers sign a request in, exactly as
+# NIP-42 AUTH would on the socket. On by default; turning it off also
+# drops "FE" from the default NIP-11 list.
+enabled = true
+# Every request is its own connection, so the websocket's
+# per-connection limits don't bound HTTP clients. These do: over the
+# per-client cap a request gets 429, over the global cap 503, both with
+# Retry-After. 0 = no limit.
+max_concurrent_requests = 256
+max_requests_per_client = 16
+# A body still arriving after this is dropped with 408, freeing its slot.
+body_timeout_seconds = 10
+# An answer still running after this ends on a CLOSED line.
+deadline_seconds = 30
+max_body_bytes = 524288
+# Gzip streamed answers for clients that send Accept-Encoding: gzip. Each
+# batch of lines is sync-flushed, so events still arrive as they are
+# found. Turn off if a proxy in front already compresses.
+gzip = true
+retry_after_seconds = 1
+# Other addresses this relay is reachable at: a NIP-98 token may name
+# any of them, as well as [info].relay_url.
+# alternate_urls = ["ws://youraddress.onion/"]
+# Behind a reverse proxy every request comes from the proxy's address.
+# List the proxies here and the per-client cap counts the address the
+# proxy writes in client_address_header instead (its last entry). The
+# header is ignored from anyone else. Also set `proxy_buffering off`
+# (nginx) or equivalent; the relay sends X-Accel-Buffering: no.
+# trusted_proxies = ["127.0.0.1"]
+# client_address_header = "X-Forwarded-For"
+
 [admin]
 # NIP-86 relay management API. When `pubkeys` is non-empty, the relay
 # accepts HTTP POST application/nostr+json+rpc on the same URL,
diff --git a/geode/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/KtorRelay.kt b/geode/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/KtorRelay.kt
index 0a1af895c1..4385521331 100644
--- a/geode/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/KtorRelay.kt
+++ b/geode/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/KtorRelay.kt
@@ -20,13 +20,16 @@
  */
 package com.vitorpamplona.geode
 
+import com.vitorpamplona.geode.server.HttpCommandSettings
 import com.vitorpamplona.geode.server.Nip11HttpRoute
 import com.vitorpamplona.geode.server.Nip86HttpRoute
+import com.vitorpamplona.geode.server.NipFEHttpRoute
 import com.vitorpamplona.geode.server.WebSocketSessionPump
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.commands.toClient.NoticeMessage
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.normalizer.toHttp
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.server.RelaySession
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip86RelayManagement.server.Nip86HttpHandler
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nipFERelayOverHttp.HttpRelayHandler
 import io.ktor.server.application.install
 import io.ktor.server.application.serverConfig
 import io.ktor.server.cio.CIO
@@ -34,6 +37,7 @@ import io.ktor.server.cio.CIOApplicationEngine
 import io.ktor.server.engine.connector
 import io.ktor.server.engine.embeddedServer
 import io.ktor.server.routing.get
+import io.ktor.server.routing.options
 import io.ktor.server.routing.post
 import io.ktor.server.routing.routing
 import io.ktor.server.websocket.WebSockets
@@ -77,6 +81,11 @@ class KtorRelay(
     val workerGroupSize: Int? = null,
     /** Ktor CIO call-handling thread count. `null` keeps Ktor's default. */
     val callGroupSize: Int? = null,
+    /**
+     * NIP-FE: relay commands POSTed to the relay's URL, beside NIP-86. On by default; null turns them
+     * off, every POST going to NIP-86 again (and the operator should then drop `FE` from NIP-11).
+     */
+    val httpCommands: HttpCommandSettings? = HttpCommandSettings(),
 ) {
     /**
      * NIP-86 HTTP adapter. Wraps the engine's [RelayEngine.nip86Server]
@@ -104,6 +113,20 @@ class KtorRelay(
 
     private val nip11Route = Nip11HttpRoute(liveJson = { relay.info.json })
 
+    /**
+     * NIP-FE. Each request runs on its own session of the same engine, so the websocket's policies
+     * and limits apply. A NIP-98 token must name `relay.url` read as http(s), or one of the
+     * configured alternate URLs (a .onion).
+     */
+    private val nipFERoute =
+        httpCommands?.let { settings ->
+            val origins = (listOf(relay.url) + settings.alternateUrls).map { it.toHttp() }
+            NipFEHttpRoute(
+                handler = HttpRelayHandler(relay.server, origins = { origins }, deadline = settings.deadline),
+                settings = settings,
+            )
+        }
+
     private var engine: CIOApplicationEngine? = null
     private var resolvedPort: Int = -1
 
@@ -164,12 +187,18 @@ class KtorRelay(
                                 get(path) {
                                     nip11Route.handle(call)
                                 }
-                                // NIP-86: POST application/nostr+json+rpc with a NIP-98
-                                // signed Authorization header → JSON-RPC dispatch.
-                                // Always mounted; an empty admin allow-list on the engine just means
-                                // every request fails the allow-list check (403).
+                                // Two POSTs share the relay URL, told apart by Content-Type:
+                                //  - NIP-86: application/nostr+json+rpc with a NIP-98 signed
+                                //    Authorization header → JSON-RPC dispatch. Always mounted; an
+                                //    empty admin allow-list just means every call fails it (403).
+                                //  - NIP-FE: anything else is one REQ/COUNT/EVENT frame, answered
+                                //    as NDJSON in the socket's own frames.
                                 post(path) {
-                                    nip86Route.handle(call)
+                                    val commands = nipFERoute
+                                    if (commands != null && commands.isCommand(call)) commands.handle(call) else nip86Route.handle(call)
+                                }
+                                nipFERoute?.let { route ->
+                                    options(path) { route.preflight(call) }
                                 }
                                 webSocket(path) {
                                     if (shuttingDown) {
diff --git a/geode/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/Main.kt b/geode/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/Main.kt
index 1ed17bbcdb..e4ddc8bdea 100644
--- a/geode/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/Main.kt
+++ b/geode/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/Main.kt
@@ -35,9 +35,7 @@ import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.normalizer.NormalizedRelayUrl
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.normalizer.displayUrl
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.normalizer.normalizeRelayUrl
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.server.policies.EmptyPolicy
-import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.server.policies.FullAuthPolicy
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.server.policies.IRelayPolicy
-import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.server.policies.OptionalAuthPolicy
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.server.policies.RejectFutureEventsPolicy
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.server.policies.VerifyAuthOnlyPolicy
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.server.policies.VerifyPolicy
@@ -356,6 +354,7 @@ private fun serve(args: Array<String>) {
             connectionGroupSize = config.network.connection_group_size,
             workerGroupSize = config.network.worker_group_size,
             callGroupSize = config.network.call_group_size,
+            httpCommands = config.http.toSettings(),
         ).start()
 
     // `[[mirror]]` upstreams: dial each configured relay and stream its
@@ -526,9 +525,9 @@ private fun composePolicy(
     val pieces = mutableListOf<IRelayPolicy>()
 
     if (requireAuth) {
-        pieces += FullAuthPolicy(advertisedUrl)
+        pieces += SignInPolicy(advertisedUrl)
     } else if (optionalAuth) {
-        pieces += OptionalAuthPolicy(advertisedUrl)
+        pieces += OptionalSignInPolicy(advertisedUrl)
     }
 
     config.options.reject_future_seconds?.let { secs ->
diff --git a/geode/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/RelayInfo.kt b/geode/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/RelayInfo.kt
index 4170fa14b4..92f294b519 100644
--- a/geode/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/RelayInfo.kt
+++ b/geode/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/RelayInfo.kt
@@ -62,9 +62,10 @@ data class RelayInfo(
          *  - 62 NIP-62 right to vanish
          *  - 77 NIP-77 negentropy reconciliation
          *  - 86 NIP-86 relay management API (when admin pubkeys configured)
+         *  - FE NIP-FE relay commands over HTTP (KtorRelay; `[http].enabled`)
          */
         val SUPPORTED_NIPS: List<String> =
-            listOf("1", "9", "11", "40", "42", "45", "50", "62", "77", "86")
+            listOf("1", "9", "11", "40", "42", "45", "50", "62", "77", "86", "FE")
 
         /** Pre-built default for `RelayEngine(url = ...)` — advertises the supported NIPs. */
         fun default(url: NormalizedRelayUrl): RelayInfo =
diff --git a/geode/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/SignInPolicies.kt b/geode/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/SignInPolicies.kt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..b246219bab
--- /dev/null
+++ b/geode/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/SignInPolicies.kt
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+/*
+ * 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.geode
+
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.core.HexKey
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.normalizer.NormalizedRelayUrl
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.server.policies.FullAuthPolicy
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.server.policies.OptionalAuthPolicy
+
+/**
+ * Geode's AUTH decides nothing past the NIP-42 proof, so a key a NIP-98 header proved on a NIP-FE
+ * command signs in just the same: the transport's proof is all the socket's would have been.
+ */
+internal class SignInPolicy(
+    relay: NormalizedRelayUrl,
+) : FullAuthPolicy(relay) {
+    override suspend fun authorizeTransport(pubkey: HexKey): String? = null
+}
+
+/** [SignInPolicy] for optional AUTH. */
+internal class OptionalSignInPolicy(
+    relay: NormalizedRelayUrl,
+) : OptionalAuthPolicy(relay) {
+    override suspend fun authorizeTransport(pubkey: HexKey): String? = null
+}
diff --git a/geode/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/config/StaticConfig.kt b/geode/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/config/StaticConfig.kt
index 8cfecb4e41..e12781ad13 100644
--- a/geode/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/config/StaticConfig.kt
+++ b/geode/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/config/StaticConfig.kt
@@ -21,12 +21,15 @@
 package com.vitorpamplona.geode.config
 
 import cc.ekblad.toml.decode
+import cc.ekblad.toml.model.TomlValue
 import cc.ekblad.toml.tomlMapper
 import com.vitorpamplona.geode.RelayInfo
+import com.vitorpamplona.geode.server.HttpCommandSettings
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.normalizer.NormalizedRelayUrl
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.normalizer.normalizeRelayUrl
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip11RelayInfo.Nip11RelayInformation
 import java.io.File
+import kotlin.time.Duration.Companion.seconds
 
 /**
  * Operator-facing **boot-time** configuration. Parsed once from a TOML
@@ -45,10 +48,14 @@ data class StaticConfig(
     val authorization: AuthorizationSection = AuthorizationSection(),
     val admin: AdminSection = AdminSection(),
     val negentropy: NegentropySection = NegentropySection(),
+    val http: HttpSection = HttpSection(),
     /** `[[mirror]]` entries — upstream relays this relay streams from. */
     val mirror: List<MirrorSection> = emptyList(),
 ) {
-    fun resolveInfo(fullTextSearch: Boolean = true): RelayInfo =
+    fun resolveInfo(
+        fullTextSearch: Boolean = true,
+        httpCommands: Boolean = http.enabled,
+    ): RelayInfo =
         RelayInfo(
             Nip11RelayInformation(
                 name = info.name ?: RelayInfo.NAME,
@@ -59,10 +66,10 @@ data class StaticConfig(
                 software = info.software ?: RelayInfo.SOFTWARE,
                 version = info.version ?: RelayInfo.VERSION,
                 supported_nips =
-                    info.supported_nips?.map(Int::toString)
+                    info.supported_nips
                         // An explicit [info] nips list is operator-authoritative;
-                        // the default list stays honest about search.
-                        ?: if (fullTextSearch) RelayInfo.SUPPORTED_NIPS else RelayInfo.SUPPORTED_NIPS - "50",
+                        // the default list stays honest about search and HTTP commands.
+                        ?: RelayInfo.SUPPORTED_NIPS.filter { (fullTextSearch || it != "50") && (httpCommands || it != "FE") },
                 privacy_policy = info.privacy_policy,
                 terms_of_service = info.terms_of_service,
                 relay_countries = info.relay_countries,
@@ -80,7 +87,8 @@ data class StaticConfig(
         val icon: String? = null,
         val software: String? = null,
         val version: String? = null,
-        val supported_nips: List<Int>? = null,
+        /** NIP numbers, and the hex-named NIPs as strings: `[1, 11, 42, "FE"]`. */
+        val supported_nips: List<String>? = null,
         val privacy_policy: String? = null,
         val terms_of_service: String? = null,
         val relay_countries: List<String>? = null,
@@ -223,6 +231,59 @@ data class StaticConfig(
         val live_index: Boolean = true,
     )
 
+    /**
+     * NIP-FE: relay commands over HTTP — one REQ, COUNT or EVENT frame POSTed to the relay's URL,
+     * answered as NDJSON in the socket's own frames. Each request is its own connection, so the
+     * concurrency caps here stand in for the websocket's per-connection limits.
+     */
+    data class HttpSection(
+        val enabled: Boolean = true,
+        /** Requests running at once across all clients; over it, 503. 0 = no limit. */
+        val max_concurrent_requests: Int = 256,
+        /** Requests one client address may run at once; over it, 429. 0 = no limit. */
+        val max_requests_per_client: Int = 16,
+        /** How long a request body may take to arrive before the request is dropped with 408. */
+        val body_timeout_seconds: Long = 10,
+        /** How long one answer may run before it ends on a `CLOSED` line. */
+        val deadline_seconds: Long = 30,
+        /** Largest request body read; larger is 413. */
+        val max_body_bytes: Int = 512 * 1024,
+        /** Gzip streamed answers when the client sends `Accept-Encoding: gzip`, flushed line by line. */
+        val gzip: Boolean = true,
+        /** `Retry-After` on the relay's own 429 and 503. */
+        val retry_after_seconds: Int = 1,
+        /**
+         * Other `ws(s)://` URLs this relay is reachable at (a `.onion` beside the clearnet name).
+         * A NIP-98 token's `u` may name any of them, read as http(s), or `[info].relay_url`.
+         */
+        val alternate_urls: List<String> = emptyList(),
+        /**
+         * Addresses of the reverse proxies in front of the relay. Only from these peers is
+         * [client_address_header] believed when counting a client's requests.
+         */
+        val trusted_proxies: List<String> = emptyList(),
+        val client_address_header: String = "X-Forwarded-For",
+    ) {
+        /** The transport settings, or null when commands over HTTP are off. */
+        fun toSettings(): HttpCommandSettings? =
+            if (!enabled) {
+                null
+            } else {
+                HttpCommandSettings(
+                    maxConcurrent = max_concurrent_requests,
+                    maxPerClient = max_requests_per_client,
+                    bodyTimeout = body_timeout_seconds.seconds,
+                    deadline = deadline_seconds.seconds,
+                    maxBodyBytes = max_body_bytes,
+                    compress = gzip,
+                    retryAfterSeconds = retry_after_seconds,
+                    alternateUrls = alternate_urls.map { it.normalizeRelayUrl() },
+                    trustedProxies = trusted_proxies.toSet(),
+                    clientAddressHeader = client_address_header,
+                )
+            }
+    }
+
     data class AuthorizationSection(
         val pubkey_whitelist: List<String> = emptyList(),
         val pubkey_blacklist: List<String> = emptyList(),
@@ -297,6 +358,12 @@ data class StaticConfig(
      * the store.
      */
     fun validate() {
+        require(http.max_concurrent_requests >= 0) { "[http].max_concurrent_requests must be >= 0 (0 = no limit), got ${http.max_concurrent_requests}" }
+        require(http.max_requests_per_client >= 0) { "[http].max_requests_per_client must be >= 0 (0 = no limit), got ${http.max_requests_per_client}" }
+        require(http.body_timeout_seconds > 0) { "[http].body_timeout_seconds must be > 0, got ${http.body_timeout_seconds}" }
+        require(http.deadline_seconds > 0) { "[http].deadline_seconds must be > 0, got ${http.deadline_seconds}" }
+        require(http.max_body_bytes > 0) { "[http].max_body_bytes must be > 0, got ${http.max_body_bytes}" }
+        require(http.retry_after_seconds >= 0) { "[http].retry_after_seconds must be >= 0, got ${http.retry_after_seconds}" }
         database.readers?.let {
             require(it >= 1) { "[database].readers must be >= 1 (got $it); a 0/negative pool can never answer a query" }
         }
@@ -308,7 +375,11 @@ data class StaticConfig(
     }
 
     companion object {
-        private val mapper = tomlMapper { }
+        private val mapper =
+            tomlMapper {
+                // `supported_nips = [1, 11, "FE"]`: numbered NIPs are integers, hex-named ones strings.
+                decoder { it: TomlValue.Integer -> it.value.toString() }
+            }
 
         fun fromToml(toml: String): StaticConfig = mapper.decode<StaticConfig>(toml)
 
diff --git a/geode/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/server/BoundedBody.kt b/geode/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/server/BoundedBody.kt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..571c6312b2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/geode/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/server/BoundedBody.kt
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+/*
+ * 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.geode.server
+
+import io.ktor.http.HttpHeaders
+import io.ktor.server.application.ApplicationCall
+import io.ktor.server.request.receiveChannel
+import io.ktor.utils.io.readAvailable
+
+/**
+ * Reads the request body up to [cap] bytes. Returns null when it is larger — by its declared
+ * `Content-Length` or by what actually arrives — without reading past the cap; the caller answers 413.
+ * The buffer is sized to the declared length, or grows from a small start, so a 50-byte command does
+ * not cost a cap-sized allocation.
+ */
+internal suspend fun readBoundedBody(
+    call: ApplicationCall,
+    cap: Int,
+): ByteArray? {
+    val declared = call.request.headers[HttpHeaders.ContentLength]?.toLongOrNull()
+    if (declared != null && declared > cap) return null
+    val ch = call.receiveChannel()
+    // One byte past the declared length, so a body longer than it claimed is still caught at the cap.
+    var buf = ByteArray(if (declared != null) declared.toInt() + 1 else minOf(cap + 1, INITIAL_BODY_BUFFER))
+    var pos = 0
+    while (pos <= cap) {
+        if (pos == buf.size) buf = buf.copyOf(minOf(cap + 1, buf.size * 2))
+        val read = ch.readAvailable(buf, pos, buf.size - pos)
+        if (read <= 0) break
+        pos += read
+    }
+    if (pos > cap) return null
+    return if (pos == buf.size) buf else buf.copyOf(pos)
+}
+
+private const val INITIAL_BODY_BUFFER = 4 * 1024
diff --git a/geode/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/server/GzipLines.kt b/geode/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/server/GzipLines.kt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..f1b50e171a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/geode/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/server/GzipLines.kt
@@ -0,0 +1,88 @@
+/*
+ * 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.geode.server
+
+import io.ktor.utils.io.ByteWriteChannel
+import io.ktor.utils.io.writeFully
+import java.io.ByteArrayOutputStream
+import java.util.zip.Deflater
+import java.util.zip.GZIPOutputStream
+
+/**
+ * A gzip body written line by line onto [out], for NIP-FE's streamed answers. Every [flush] is a
+ * gzip sync flush: the deflater gives up everything it holds, byte-aligned, so the client can
+ * inflate every line written so far. Without it the compressor sits on the first lines until its
+ * window fills, and streaming delivers nothing until the answer is nearly done.
+ */
+internal class GzipLines(
+    private val out: ByteWriteChannel,
+) {
+    private val compressed = Pending()
+
+    // Level 1: on Nostr events it compresses to ~42% of raw against ~39% at the JDK's default 6, for
+    // about 2.5x less CPU; ids, keys and signatures are hex and barely compress at any level.
+    private val gzip =
+        object : GZIPOutputStream(compressed, BUFFER, true) {
+            init {
+                def.setLevel(Deflater.BEST_SPEED)
+            }
+        }
+
+    /** Compresses [line] and its newline. Moves compressed bytes to the socket once enough piled up, so a long burst still meets backpressure. */
+    suspend fun line(line: String) {
+        gzip.write(line.encodeToByteArray())
+        gzip.write(NEWLINE)
+        if (compressed.size() >= BUFFER) drain()
+    }
+
+    /** A sync flush, then everything onto the socket. */
+    suspend fun flush() {
+        gzip.flush()
+        drain()
+        out.flush()
+    }
+
+    /** Writes the gzip trailer; the body is complete after this. */
+    suspend fun finish() {
+        gzip.finish()
+        drain()
+        out.flush()
+    }
+
+    /** Frees the deflater, finished or not. */
+    fun close() = gzip.close()
+
+    private suspend fun drain() {
+        if (compressed.size() == 0) return
+        compressed.writeTo(out)
+        compressed.reset()
+    }
+
+    /** The compressed bytes not yet on the socket, written from its own array rather than a copy. */
+    private class Pending : ByteArrayOutputStream(BUFFER) {
+        suspend fun writeTo(out: ByteWriteChannel) = out.writeFully(buf, 0, count)
+    }
+
+    companion object {
+        private const val BUFFER = 16 * 1024
+        private val NEWLINE = byteArrayOf('\n'.code.toByte())
+    }
+}
diff --git a/geode/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/server/HttpAdmission.kt b/geode/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/server/HttpAdmission.kt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..939d3ab22d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/geode/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/server/HttpAdmission.kt
@@ -0,0 +1,89 @@
+/*
+ * 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.geode.server
+
+import java.util.concurrent.ConcurrentHashMap
+import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicInteger
+
+/**
+ * How many NIP-FE requests run at once, per client and in all. Each HTTP request is its own
+ * connection, so the per-connection limits the websocket leans on (open subscriptions, one search at
+ * a time) bound nothing here; this does. A request over its client's share is that client's to
+ * slow down (429); one over the relay's is everyone's (503).
+ */
+internal class HttpAdmission(
+    /** Requests running at once across all clients; 0 is no limit. */
+    private val maxConcurrent: Int,
+    /** Requests one client may run at once; 0 is no limit. */
+    private val maxPerClient: Int,
+) {
+    enum class Verdict { ADMITTED, CLIENT_BUSY, RELAY_BUSY }
+
+    private val running = AtomicInteger()
+    private val perClient = ConcurrentHashMap<String, Int>()
+
+    /** Number of requests running now. */
+    val inFlight: Int get() = running.get()
+
+    /** Runs [block] if [client] and the relay have room; otherwise says which of them had none. */
+    suspend fun admit(
+        client: String,
+        block: suspend () -> Unit,
+    ): Verdict {
+        val verdict = enter(client)
+        if (verdict != Verdict.ADMITTED) return verdict
+        try {
+            block()
+        } finally {
+            leave(client)
+        }
+        return verdict
+    }
+
+    private fun enter(client: String): Verdict {
+        var clientFull = false
+        perClient.compute(client) { _, n ->
+            val now = n ?: 0
+            if (maxPerClient in 1..now) {
+                clientFull = true
+                n
+            } else {
+                now + 1
+            }
+        }
+        if (clientFull) return Verdict.CLIENT_BUSY
+        if (running.incrementAndGet().let { maxConcurrent in 1 until it }) {
+            running.decrementAndGet()
+            release(client)
+            return Verdict.RELAY_BUSY
+        }
+        return Verdict.ADMITTED
+    }
+
+    private fun leave(client: String) {
+        running.decrementAndGet()
+        release(client)
+    }
+
+    private fun release(client: String) {
+        perClient.computeIfPresent(client) { _, n -> if (n <= 1) null else n - 1 }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/geode/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/server/HttpCommandSettings.kt b/geode/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/server/HttpCommandSettings.kt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..9d4e75d2d4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/geode/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/server/HttpCommandSettings.kt
@@ -0,0 +1,58 @@
+/*
+ * 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.geode.server
+
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.normalizer.NormalizedRelayUrl
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nipFERelayOverHttp.HttpRelayHandler
+import kotlin.time.Duration
+import kotlin.time.Duration.Companion.seconds
+
+/**
+ * NIP-FE (relay commands over HTTP) as [com.vitorpamplona.geode.KtorRelay] serves it: a `POST` to
+ * the relay's URL carrying one REQ, COUNT or EVENT frame. The engine's policies and limits apply as
+ * they do on the websocket; these bound what the websocket's per-connection limits cannot, since
+ * every request is its own connection.
+ */
+data class HttpCommandSettings(
+    /** Requests running at once across all clients before the rest get 503; 0 is no limit. */
+    val maxConcurrent: Int = 256,
+    /** Requests one client address may run at once before its next gets 429; 0 is no limit. */
+    val maxPerClient: Int = 16,
+    /** How long the body may take to arrive; past it, 408. It holds an admission slot meanwhile. */
+    val bodyTimeout: Duration = 10.seconds,
+    /** How long one answer may run, first byte to last. */
+    val deadline: Duration = HttpRelayHandler.DEFAULT_DEADLINE,
+    /** The largest body read; the engine's own message limit, when it has one and it is smaller, wins. */
+    val maxBodyBytes: Int = 512 * 1024,
+    /** Gzip streamed answers for clients that accept it, sync-flushed so lines still arrive as found. */
+    val compress: Boolean = true,
+    /** The `Retry-After` sent with a 429 or 503 the relay decides itself. */
+    val retryAfterSeconds: Int = 1,
+    /** Other URLs this relay answers at (its .onion); a NIP-98 `u` may name any of them. */
+    val alternateUrls: List<NormalizedRelayUrl> = emptyList(),
+    /**
+     * Peers whose [clientAddressHeader] is believed: the reverse proxies in front of the relay. A
+     * request from anyone else is counted under its own address, whatever the header says.
+     */
+    val trustedProxies: Set<String> = emptySet(),
+    /** Where a trusted proxy writes the client's address; its last entry is the one the proxy saw. */
+    val clientAddressHeader: String = "X-Forwarded-For",
+)
diff --git a/geode/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/server/Nip86HttpRoute.kt b/geode/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/server/Nip86HttpRoute.kt
index 5c3e49d800..13dd281efb 100644
--- a/geode/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/server/Nip86HttpRoute.kt
+++ b/geode/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/server/Nip86HttpRoute.kt
@@ -26,9 +26,7 @@ import io.ktor.http.HttpHeaders
 import io.ktor.http.HttpStatusCode
 import io.ktor.server.application.ApplicationCall
 import io.ktor.server.request.header
-import io.ktor.server.request.receiveChannel
 import io.ktor.server.response.respondText
-import io.ktor.utils.io.readAvailable
 
 /**
  * Ktor adapter for the canonical NIP-86 HTTP flow encapsulated by
@@ -55,7 +53,12 @@ internal class Nip86HttpRoute(
     private val handler: Nip86HttpHandler,
 ) {
     suspend fun handle(call: ApplicationCall) {
-        val body = readBoundedBody(call, handler.maxBodyBytes) ?: return // 413 already sent
+        val body =
+            readBoundedBody(call, handler.maxBodyBytes) ?: return call.respondText(
+                "request body exceeds ${handler.maxBodyBytes}-byte cap",
+                ContentType.Text.Plain,
+                HttpStatusCode.PayloadTooLarge,
+            )
         val authHeader = call.request.header(HttpHeaders.Authorization)
 
         when (val r = handler.handle(authHeader, body)) {
@@ -111,43 +114,6 @@ internal class Nip86HttpRoute(
         }
     }
 
-    /**
-     * Bounded read using [cap]. Returns null after sending a 413 if
-     * the request body exceeds the cap — either the declared
-     * `Content-Length` or what we actually pull off the wire.
-     */
-    private suspend fun readBoundedBody(
-        call: ApplicationCall,
-        cap: Int,
-    ): ByteArray? {
-        val declared = call.request.headers[HttpHeaders.ContentLength]?.toLongOrNull()
-        if (declared != null && declared > cap) {
-            call.respondText(
-                "request body exceeds $cap-byte cap",
-                ContentType.Text.Plain,
-                HttpStatusCode.PayloadTooLarge,
-            )
-            return null
-        }
-        val ch = call.receiveChannel()
-        val buf = ByteArray(cap + 1)
-        var pos = 0
-        while (pos <= cap) {
-            val read = ch.readAvailable(buf, pos, buf.size - pos)
-            if (read <= 0) break
-            pos += read
-        }
-        if (pos > cap) {
-            call.respondText(
-                "request body exceeds $cap-byte cap",
-                ContentType.Text.Plain,
-                HttpStatusCode.PayloadTooLarge,
-            )
-            return null
-        }
-        return buf.copyOfRange(0, pos)
-    }
-
     /**
      * Single-line stderr audit. Operators grep on "nip86" / pubkey /
      * method without needing a logging framework. Best-effort — a
diff --git a/geode/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/server/NipFEHttpRoute.kt b/geode/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/server/NipFEHttpRoute.kt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..57aeefbfa4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/geode/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/server/NipFEHttpRoute.kt
@@ -0,0 +1,231 @@
+/*
+ * 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.geode.server
+
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.commands.toClient.MachineReadablePrefix
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip86RelayManagement.server.Nip86HttpHandler
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nipFERelayOverHttp.HttpRelayHandler
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nipFERelayOverHttp.HttpRelayLines
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nipFERelayOverHttp.HttpRelayRequest
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nipFERelayOverHttp.HttpRelayResponse
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nipFERelayOverHttp.HttpRelayStatus
+import io.ktor.http.ContentType
+import io.ktor.http.HttpHeaders
+import io.ktor.http.HttpStatusCode
+import io.ktor.server.application.ApplicationCall
+import io.ktor.server.request.header
+import io.ktor.server.response.header
+import io.ktor.server.response.respond
+import io.ktor.server.response.respondBytesWriter
+import io.ktor.server.response.respondText
+import io.ktor.utils.io.writeStringUtf8
+import kotlinx.coroutines.TimeoutCancellationException
+import kotlinx.coroutines.withTimeout
+
+/**
+ * NIP-FE over Ktor: the host half of [HttpRelayHandler], on POSTs to the relay's URL that are not
+ * NIP-86 calls (see [isCommand]). It admits the request, reads the body up to
+ * the cap, and writes the handler's answer as `application/x-ndjson` — one refusal line with its
+ * status, or a 200 streamed and flushed frame by frame — with the headers the status calls for
+ * (`WWW-Authenticate` on 401, `Retry-After` on 429 and 503) and the CORS and no-buffering headers
+ * every answer carries.
+ */
+internal class NipFEHttpRoute(
+    private val handler: HttpRelayHandler,
+    private val settings: HttpCommandSettings,
+) {
+    private val admission = HttpAdmission(settings.maxConcurrent, settings.maxPerClient)
+
+    private val bodyCap: Int = minOf(settings.maxBodyBytes.toLong(), handler.maxBodyBytes ?: Long.MAX_VALUE).toInt()
+
+    /** Requests being answered right now. */
+    val inFlight: Int get() = admission.inFlight
+
+    /** A CORS preflight: any origin may POST with a NIP-98 `Authorization`; no cookies are involved. */
+    suspend fun preflight(call: ApplicationCall) {
+        call.response.header(HttpHeaders.AccessControlAllowOrigin, "*")
+        call.response.header(HttpHeaders.AccessControlAllowMethods, "POST, OPTIONS")
+        call.response.header(HttpHeaders.AccessControlAllowHeaders, "Authorization, Content-Type")
+        call.response.header(HttpHeaders.AccessControlMaxAge, PREFLIGHT_MAX_AGE_SECONDS.toString())
+        call.respond(HttpStatusCode.NoContent)
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Whether a POST to the relay's URL is a NIP-FE command: anything but NIP-86's
+     * `application/nostr+json+rpc`, since commands need no `Content-Type` at all.
+     */
+    fun isCommand(call: ApplicationCall): Boolean {
+        // Compared as text: parsing it would throw on a malformed header, and a command needs none.
+        val type = call.request.header(HttpHeaders.ContentType) ?: return true
+        return !type.substringBefore(';').trim().equals(Nip86HttpHandler.CONTENT_TYPE, ignoreCase = true)
+    }
+
+    /** Answers the command in the body. Admission runs first, so a refused request spends no NIP-98 token. */
+    suspend fun handle(call: ApplicationCall) {
+        call.response.header(HttpHeaders.AccessControlAllowOrigin, "*")
+        call.response.header(HttpHeaders.AccessControlExposeHeaders, "${HttpHeaders.WWWAuthenticate}, ${HttpHeaders.RetryAfter}")
+        call.response.header(HttpHeaders.CacheControl, "no-store")
+        // nginx and friends buffer responses by default, which holds back the lines streaming delivers.
+        call.response.header(ACCEL_BUFFERING, "no")
+
+        val verdict =
+            admission.admit(clientOf(call)) {
+                // Bounded in time too: a body trickled in forever would hold this admission slot forever.
+                val body =
+                    try {
+                        withTimeout(settings.bodyTimeout) { readBoundedBody(call, bodyCap) }
+                    } catch (_: TimeoutCancellationException) {
+                        call.response.header(HttpHeaders.Connection, "close")
+                        return@admit respondLine(
+                            call,
+                            REQUEST_TIMEOUT,
+                            HttpRelayHandler.notice(MachineReadablePrefix.INVALID.format("the body did not arrive within ${settings.bodyTimeout}")),
+                        )
+                    } ?: return@admit respondLine(
+                        call,
+                        HttpRelayStatus.PAYLOAD_TOO_LARGE,
+                        HttpRelayHandler.notice(MachineReadablePrefix.INVALID.format("the command exceeds $bodyCap bytes")),
+                    )
+                handler.handle(HttpRelayRequest(call.request.header(HttpHeaders.Authorization), body), Answer(call))
+            }
+        when (verdict) {
+            HttpAdmission.Verdict.ADMITTED -> {}
+
+            HttpAdmission.Verdict.CLIENT_BUSY -> {
+                respondLine(
+                    call,
+                    HttpRelayStatus.TOO_MANY_REQUESTS,
+                    HttpRelayHandler.notice(MachineReadablePrefix.RATE_LIMITED.format("over ${settings.maxPerClient} requests at once from this client")),
+                )
+            }
+
+            HttpAdmission.Verdict.RELAY_BUSY -> {
+                respondLine(
+                    call,
+                    HttpRelayStatus.UNAVAILABLE,
+                    HttpRelayHandler.notice(MachineReadablePrefix.RATE_LIMITED.format("the relay is at capacity")),
+                )
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Who the request counts against: the peer's address, or, when the peer is a trusted proxy, the
+     * last address in its [HttpCommandSettings.clientAddressHeader] — the one that proxy saw. Earlier
+     * entries are whatever the client claimed and are never believed.
+     */
+    private fun clientOf(call: ApplicationCall): String {
+        val peer = call.request.local.remoteAddress
+        if (peer !in settings.trustedProxies) return peer
+        return call.request
+            .header(settings.clientAddressHeader)
+            ?.substringAfterLast(',')
+            ?.trim()
+            ?.ifEmpty { null } ?: peer
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Whether `Accept-Encoding` takes gzip: listed by name or as `*`, without `q=0`. A one-line
+     * answer is never compressed; only a streamed one is worth it.
+     */
+    private fun acceptsGzip(call: ApplicationCall): Boolean =
+        call.request
+            .header(HttpHeaders.AcceptEncoding)
+            .orEmpty()
+            .split(',')
+            .any { entry ->
+                val parts = entry.split(';').map { it.trim() }
+                val coding = parts.first().lowercase()
+                val q =
+                    parts
+                        .drop(1)
+                        .firstOrNull { it.startsWith("q=") }
+                        ?.removePrefix("q=")
+                        ?.toDoubleOrNull() ?: 1.0
+                (coding == "gzip" || coding == "*") && q > 0.0
+            }
+
+    /** A one-line answer: a refusal, or a command answered at once. */
+    private suspend fun respondLine(
+        call: ApplicationCall,
+        status: Int,
+        frame: String,
+    ) {
+        when (status) {
+            HttpRelayStatus.UNAUTHORIZED -> call.response.header(HttpHeaders.WWWAuthenticate, WWW_AUTHENTICATE)
+            HttpRelayStatus.TOO_MANY_REQUESTS, HttpRelayStatus.UNAVAILABLE -> call.response.header(HttpHeaders.RetryAfter, settings.retryAfterSeconds.toString())
+        }
+        call.respondText(frame + "\n", NDJSON, HttpStatusCode.fromValue(status))
+    }
+
+    private inner class Answer(
+        private val call: ApplicationCall,
+    ) : HttpRelayResponse {
+        override suspend fun single(
+            status: Int,
+            frame: String,
+        ) = respondLine(call, status, frame)
+
+        /**
+         * Chunked: each flush puts what the handler wrote on the wire, and a full socket suspends the
+         * writer. Gzipped when the client takes it and the relay allows it, sync-flushed at every
+         * flush so the lines still arrive as they are found.
+         */
+        override suspend fun stream(lines: suspend HttpRelayLines.() -> Unit) {
+            val gzip = settings.compress && acceptsGzip(call)
+            call.response.header(HttpHeaders.Vary, HttpHeaders.AcceptEncoding)
+            if (gzip) call.response.header(HttpHeaders.ContentEncoding, "gzip")
+            call.respondBytesWriter(NDJSON, HttpStatusCode.OK) {
+                val out = this
+                if (gzip) {
+                    val body = GzipLines(out)
+                    try {
+                        object : HttpRelayLines {
+                            override suspend fun line(frame: String) = body.line(frame)
+
+                            override suspend fun flush() = body.flush()
+                        }.lines()
+                        body.finish()
+                    } finally {
+                        body.close()
+                    }
+                } else {
+                    object : HttpRelayLines {
+                        override suspend fun line(frame: String) {
+                            out.writeStringUtf8(frame)
+                            out.writeStringUtf8("\n")
+                        }
+
+                        override suspend fun flush() = out.flush()
+                    }.lines()
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    companion object {
+        val NDJSON = ContentType("application", "x-ndjson")
+        const val REQUEST_TIMEOUT = 408
+        const val WWW_AUTHENTICATE = "Nostr"
+        const val ACCEL_BUFFERING = "X-Accel-Buffering"
+        const val PREFLIGHT_MAX_AGE_SECONDS = 86_400
+    }
+}
diff --git a/geode/src/test/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/NipFEHttpTest.kt b/geode/src/test/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/NipFEHttpTest.kt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..fa1f25b872
--- /dev/null
+++ b/geode/src/test/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/NipFEHttpTest.kt
@@ -0,0 +1,482 @@
+/*
+ * 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.geode
+
+import com.vitorpamplona.geode.server.HttpCommandSettings
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.core.Event
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.crypto.KeyPair
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.commands.toClient.CountMessage
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.commands.toClient.EoseMessage
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.commands.toClient.OkMessage
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.commands.toRelay.ReqCmd
+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.relay.normalizer.toHttp
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.server.policies.EmptyPolicy
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.server.policies.IRelayPolicy
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.server.policies.PassThroughPolicy
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.server.policies.PolicyResult
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.server.policies.VerifyPolicy
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.signers.NostrSignerInternal
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.store.IEventStore
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.store.RawEvent
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.store.sqlite.EventStore
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip10Notes.TextNoteEvent
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip98HttpAuth.HTTPAuthorizationEvent
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nipFERelayOverHttp.HttpRelayClient
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nipFERelayOverHttp.OkHttpRelayTransport
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.utils.TimeUtils
+import kotlinx.coroutines.CompletableDeferred
+import kotlinx.coroutines.Dispatchers
+import kotlinx.coroutines.async
+import kotlinx.coroutines.runBlocking
+import kotlinx.coroutines.withTimeout
+import okhttp3.MediaType.Companion.toMediaType
+import okhttp3.OkHttpClient
+import okhttp3.Request
+import okhttp3.RequestBody.Companion.toRequestBody
+import okhttp3.Response
+import okio.GzipSource
+import okio.buffer
+import java.net.ServerSocket
+import java.net.Socket
+import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit
+import kotlin.test.AfterTest
+import kotlin.test.Test
+import kotlin.test.assertEquals
+import kotlin.test.assertFalse
+import kotlin.test.assertIs
+import kotlin.test.assertTrue
+import kotlin.time.Duration
+import kotlin.time.Duration.Companion.milliseconds
+import kotlin.time.Duration.Companion.seconds
+
+/**
+ * NIP-FE end to end: quartz's [HttpRelayClient] and raw OkHttp requests against a real [KtorRelay],
+ * covering the answer shape, the status table, the headers each status carries, NIP-98 sign-in
+ * on an AUTH-gated relay, and sharing the relay URL with NIP-86.
+ */
+class NipFEHttpTest {
+    private val http = OkHttpClient.Builder().build()
+    private val alice = NostrSignerInternal(KeyPair())
+    private val running = mutableListOf<Pair<KtorRelay, RelayEngine>>()
+
+    @AfterTest
+    fun teardown() {
+        running.forEach { (server, relay) ->
+            server.stop(0, 1_000)
+            relay.close()
+        }
+    }
+
+    /** A relay whose advertised URL is the one it listens on, so a NIP-98 `u` names a reachable endpoint. */
+    private fun start(
+        path: String = "/",
+        settings: HttpCommandSettings? = HttpCommandSettings(),
+        policy: ((NormalizedRelayUrl) -> IRelayPolicy)? = null,
+        store: (IEventStore) -> IEventStore = { it },
+    ): NormalizedRelayUrl {
+        val port = ServerSocket(0).use { it.localPort }
+        val url = "ws://127.0.0.1:$port$path".normalizeRelayUrl()
+        val events = store(EventStore(dbName = null, relay = url, indexStrategy = RelayIndexingStrategy))
+        val relay = RelayEngine(url, events, policyBuilder = { policy?.invoke(url) ?: EmptyPolicy })
+        val server = KtorRelay(relay, host = "127.0.0.1", port = port, path = path, httpCommands = settings).start()
+        running += server to relay
+        return url
+    }
+
+    private fun client(signer: NostrSignerInternal? = null) = HttpRelayClient(OkHttpRelayTransport { http }, signer)
+
+    private suspend fun note(text: String): Event = alice.sign(TextNoteEvent.build(text))
+
+    private fun post(
+        url: String,
+        body: String,
+        authorization: String? = null,
+        contentType: String = "text/plain",
+    ): Response =
+        http
+            .newCall(
+                Request
+                    .Builder()
+                    .url(url)
+                    .post(body.toRequestBody(contentType.toMediaType()))
+                    .apply { authorization?.let { header("Authorization", it) } }
+                    .build(),
+            ).execute()
+
+    private fun Response.lines() = body.string().lines().filter { it.isNotEmpty() }
+
+    @Test
+    fun aReqStreamsWhatWasPublishedAndEndsOnEose() =
+        runBlocking {
+            val relay = start()
+            val notes = listOf(note("one"), note("two"), note("three"))
+            notes.forEach { assertTrue(assertIs<OkMessage>(client().publish(relay, it).last).success) }
+
+            val got = mutableListOf<Event>()
+            val answer = client().req(relay, listOf(Filter(kinds = listOf(TextNoteEvent.KIND))), onEvent = got::add)
+            assertEquals(200, answer.status)
+            assertTrue(answer.complete)
+            assertIs<EoseMessage>(answer.last)
+            assertEquals(notes.map { it.id }.toSet(), got.map { it.id }.toSet())
+        }
+
+    @Test
+    fun theWireIsNdjsonInTheSocketsOwnFrames() =
+        runBlocking {
+            val relay = start()
+            val n = note("hello")
+            client().publish(relay, n)
+            post(relay.toHttp(), """["REQ","q",{"ids":["${n.id}"]}]""").use { response ->
+                assertEquals(200, response.code)
+                assertTrue(response.header("Content-Type")!!.startsWith("application/x-ndjson"))
+                assertEquals("no", response.header("X-Accel-Buffering"))
+                assertEquals("*", response.header("Access-Control-Allow-Origin"))
+                val lines = response.lines()
+                assertEquals(listOf("""["EVENT","q",${n.toJson()}]""", """["EOSE","q"]"""), lines)
+            }
+        }
+
+    @Test
+    fun aCountIsOneCountLine() =
+        runBlocking {
+            val relay = start()
+            client().publish(relay, note("a"))
+            client().publish(relay, note("b"))
+            val answer = client().count(relay, listOf(Filter(kinds = listOf(TextNoteEvent.KIND))))
+            assertTrue(answer.complete)
+            assertEquals(2, assertIs<CountMessage>(answer.last).result.count)
+        }
+
+    @Test
+    fun aDuplicateIs200AndAForgeryIs400() =
+        runBlocking {
+            val relay = start(policy = { VerifyPolicy })
+            val n = note("once")
+            assertEquals(200, client().publish(relay, n).status)
+            assertEquals(200, client().publish(relay, n).status)
+
+            val forged = n.toJson().replace("\"once\"", "\"twice\"")
+            post(relay.toHttp(), """["EVENT",$forged]""").use { response ->
+                assertEquals(400, response.code)
+                val line = response.lines().single()
+                assertTrue(line.startsWith("""["OK","${n.id}",false,"invalid:"""), line)
+            }
+        }
+
+    @Test
+    fun aBodyThatIsNotACommandIs400AndOneOverTheCapIs413() {
+        val relay = start(settings = HttpCommandSettings(maxBodyBytes = 64))
+        for (body in listOf("hello", """{"kinds":[1]}""", """["CLOSE","q"]""")) {
+            post(relay.toHttp(), body).use { response ->
+                assertEquals(400, response.code, body)
+                assertTrue(response.lines().single().startsWith("""["NOTICE","invalid:"""))
+            }
+        }
+        post(relay.toHttp(), """["REQ","q",{"authors":["${"a".repeat(64)}"]}]""").use { response ->
+            assertEquals(413, response.code)
+            assertTrue(response.lines().single().startsWith("""["NOTICE","invalid:"""))
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun aRateLimitedRefusalIs429WithRetryAfter() {
+        val relay =
+            start(
+                settings = HttpCommandSettings(retryAfterSeconds = 7),
+                policy = {
+                    object : PassThroughPolicy() {
+                        override fun accept(cmd: ReqCmd): PolicyResult<ReqCmd> = PolicyResult.Rejected("rate-limited: slow down")
+                    }
+                },
+            )
+        post(relay.toHttp(), """["REQ","q",{}]""").use { response ->
+            assertEquals(429, response.code)
+            assertEquals("7", response.header("Retry-After"))
+            assertEquals("""["CLOSED","q","rate-limited: slow down"]""", response.lines().single())
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun aPreflightLetsAnyOriginPostWithAuthorization() {
+        val relay = start()
+        val preflight =
+            Request
+                .Builder()
+                .url(relay.toHttp())
+                .method("OPTIONS", null)
+                .header("Origin", "https://app.example")
+                .header("Access-Control-Request-Method", "POST")
+                .header("Access-Control-Request-Headers", "authorization")
+                .build()
+        http.newCall(preflight).execute().use { response ->
+            assertEquals(204, response.code)
+            assertEquals("*", response.header("Access-Control-Allow-Origin"))
+            assertTrue(response.header("Access-Control-Allow-Methods")!!.contains("POST"))
+            assertTrue(response.header("Access-Control-Allow-Headers")!!.contains("Authorization"))
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun anAuthGatedRelayAnswers401UntilANip98TokenSignsTheRequestIn() =
+        runBlocking {
+            val relay = start(policy = ::SignInPolicy)
+            post(relay.toHttp(), """["REQ","q",{}]""").use { response ->
+                assertEquals(401, response.code)
+                assertEquals("Nostr", response.header("WWW-Authenticate"))
+                assertTrue(response.lines().single().startsWith("""["CLOSED","q","auth-required:"""))
+            }
+
+            val unsigned = client().req(relay, listOf(Filter(kinds = listOf(1)))) {}
+            assertEquals(401, unsigned.status)
+            assertTrue(unsigned.complete)
+
+            val n = note("signed in")
+            val published = client(alice).publish(relay, n)
+            assertEquals(200, published.status)
+            assertTrue(assertIs<OkMessage>(published.last).success)
+
+            val got = mutableListOf<Event>()
+            val read = HttpRelayClient(OkHttpRelayTransport { http }, alice, signFirst = true).req(relay, listOf(Filter(ids = listOf(n.id))), onEvent = got::add)
+            assertEquals(200, read.status)
+            assertTrue(read.complete)
+            assertEquals(listOf(n.id), got.map { it.id })
+        }
+
+    @Test
+    fun aTokenForAnotherBodyDoesNotSignIn() =
+        runBlocking {
+            val relay = start(policy = ::SignInPolicy)
+            val url = relay.toHttp()
+            val signed = """["REQ","q",{"kinds":[1]}]"""
+            val token = alice.sign(HTTPAuthorizationEvent.build(url, "POST", signed.encodeToByteArray())).toAuthToken()
+            post(url, """["REQ","q",{"kinds":[0]}]""", token).use { response ->
+                assertEquals(401, response.code)
+                assertTrue(response.lines().single().contains("payload"))
+            }
+            post(url, signed, token).use { assertEquals(200, it.code) }
+            post(url, signed, token).use { assertEquals(200, it.code, "good again for the same body within its window") }
+        }
+
+    @Test
+    fun aTokenSignedAtTheOnionAddressVerifies() =
+        runBlocking {
+            val onion = "ws://2gzyxa5ihm7nsggfxnu52rck2vv4rvmdlkiu3zzui5du4xyclen53wid.onion/".normalizeRelayUrl()
+            val relay = start(policy = ::SignInPolicy, settings = HttpCommandSettings(alternateUrls = listOf(onion)))
+            val body = """["REQ","q",{"kinds":[1]}]"""
+            val token = alice.sign(HTTPAuthorizationEvent.build(onion.toHttp(), "POST", body.encodeToByteArray())).toAuthToken()
+            post(relay.toHttp(), body, token).use { assertEquals(200, it.code) }
+        }
+
+    @Test
+    fun commandsGoToTheRelayUrlPathIncluded() =
+        runBlocking {
+            val relay = start(path = "/nostr")
+            assertTrue(relay.toHttp().trimEnd('/').endsWith("/nostr"))
+            assertTrue(client().req(relay, listOf(Filter(kinds = listOf(1)))) {}.complete)
+            post(relay.toHttp().replace("/nostr", ""), """["REQ","q",{}]""").use { assertEquals(404, it.code) }
+        }
+
+    @Test
+    fun nip86CallsKeepTheRelayUrlByTheirContentType() {
+        val relay = start()
+        post(relay.toHttp(), """{"method":"supportedmethods","params":[]}""", contentType = "application/nostr+json+rpc").use { response ->
+            assertEquals(401, response.code, "NIP-86 asks for its own NIP-98 token")
+            assertFalse(response.header("Content-Type")!!.startsWith("application/x-ndjson"))
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun turnedOffEveryPostIsNip86Again() {
+        val relay = start(settings = null)
+        post(relay.toHttp(), """["REQ","q",{}]""").use { response ->
+            assertFalse(response.header("Content-Type")!!.startsWith("application/x-ndjson"))
+            assertEquals(401, response.code)
+        }
+    }
+
+    /** Answers a filter naming [HELD_KIND] with what is stored, then holds its EOSE until [release]. */
+    private fun holdingEose(release: CompletableDeferred<Unit>): (IEventStore) -> IEventStore =
+        { real ->
+            object : IEventStore by real {
+                override suspend fun rawQuery(
+                    filters: List<Filter>,
+                    onEach: (RawEvent) -> Unit,
+                ) {
+                    real.rawQuery(filters, onEach)
+                    if (filters.any { it.kinds?.contains(HELD_KIND) == true }) release.await()
+                }
+            }
+        }
+
+    @Test
+    fun aGzippedAnswerStillArrivesLineByLine() =
+        runBlocking {
+            val release = CompletableDeferred<Unit>()
+            val relay = start(store = holdingEose(release))
+            val held = alice.sign<Event>(TimeUtils.now(), HELD_KIND, emptyArray(), "held")
+            client().publish(relay, held)
+
+            // Asking for gzip by hand turns off OkHttp's own inflating, so the body is read as sent.
+            val patient = http.newBuilder().readTimeout(10, TimeUnit.SECONDS).build()
+            val request =
+                Request
+                    .Builder()
+                    .url(relay.toHttp())
+                    .post("""["REQ","q",{"kinds":[$HELD_KIND]}]""".toRequestBody("text/plain".toMediaType()))
+                    .header("Accept-Encoding", "gzip")
+                    .build()
+            patient.newCall(request).execute().use { response ->
+                assertEquals("gzip", response.header("Content-Encoding"))
+                val lines = GzipSource(response.body.source()).buffer()
+                // The store has not answered EOSE: this line can only be here if the gzip was flushed.
+                assertEquals("""["EVENT","q",${held.toJson()}]""", lines.readUtf8Line())
+                assertFalse(release.isCompleted)
+                release.complete(Unit)
+                assertEquals("""["EOSE","q"]""", lines.readUtf8Line())
+                assertEquals(null, lines.readUtf8Line())
+            }
+        }
+
+    @Test
+    fun theClientReadsAGzippedAnswerAsItStreams() =
+        runBlocking {
+            val release = CompletableDeferred<Unit>()
+            val relay = start(store = holdingEose(release))
+            val held = alice.sign<Event>(TimeUtils.now(), HELD_KIND, emptyArray(), "held")
+            client().publish(relay, held)
+
+            val first = CompletableDeferred<Event>()
+            val answer = async(Dispatchers.IO) { client().req(relay, listOf(Filter(kinds = listOf(HELD_KIND))), onEvent = { first.complete(it) }) }
+            assertEquals(held.id, withTimeout(10.seconds) { first.await() }.id, "the event arrives before EOSE is written")
+            release.complete(Unit)
+            assertTrue(answer.await().complete)
+        }
+
+    @Test
+    fun withoutGzipOrWithItOffTheBodyIsPlain() {
+        for ((settings, accept) in listOf(HttpCommandSettings() to "identity", HttpCommandSettings(compress = false) to "gzip")) {
+            val relay = start(settings = settings)
+            val request =
+                Request
+                    .Builder()
+                    .url(relay.toHttp())
+                    .post("""["REQ","q",{"kinds":[1]}]""".toRequestBody("text/plain".toMediaType()))
+                    .header("Accept-Encoding", accept)
+                    .build()
+            http.newCall(request).execute().use { response ->
+                assertEquals(null, response.header("Content-Encoding"), accept)
+                assertEquals(listOf("""["EOSE","q"]"""), response.lines())
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    /** Writes [request] on a plain socket to the relay at [relay] and returns the status line of the answer. */
+    private fun rawStatus(
+        relay: NormalizedRelayUrl,
+        request: String,
+    ): String =
+        Socket(
+            "127.0.0.1",
+            relay
+                .toHttp()
+                .substringAfterLast(':')
+                .trimEnd('/')
+                .toInt(),
+        ).use { socket ->
+            socket.soTimeout = 10_000
+            socket.getOutputStream().write(request.encodeToByteArray())
+            socket.getOutputStream().flush()
+            socket.getInputStream().bufferedReader().readLine()
+        }
+
+    private fun chunked(body: String) = "${body.length.toString(16)}\r\n$body\r\n0\r\n\r\n"
+
+    @Test
+    fun aMalformedContentTypeIsStillACommand() {
+        val relay = start()
+        val body = """["REQ","q",{"kinds":[1]}]"""
+        val status = rawStatus(relay, "POST / HTTP/1.1\r\nHost: x\r\nContent-Type: garbage\r\nContent-Length: ${body.length}\r\nConnection: close\r\n\r\n$body")
+        assertEquals("HTTP/1.1 200 OK", status)
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun aBodyThatNeverFinishesIsDroppedAndFreesItsSlot() {
+        val relay = start(settings = HttpCommandSettings(maxPerClient = 1, bodyTimeout = 500.milliseconds))
+        val port =
+            relay
+                .toHttp()
+                .substringAfterLast(':')
+                .trimEnd('/')
+                .toInt()
+        Socket("127.0.0.1", port).use { slow ->
+            slow.soTimeout = 10_000
+            slow.getOutputStream().write("POST / HTTP/1.1\r\nHost: x\r\nContent-Length: 100\r\n\r\n[\"REQ\"".encodeToByteArray())
+            slow.getOutputStream().flush()
+            assertEquals("HTTP/1.1 408 Request Timeout", slow.getInputStream().bufferedReader().readLine())
+        }
+        val body = """["REQ","q",{"kinds":[1]}]"""
+        assertEquals("HTTP/1.1 200 OK", rawStatus(relay, "POST / HTTP/1.1\r\nHost: x\r\nContent-Length: ${body.length}\r\nConnection: close\r\n\r\n$body"))
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun aChunkedBodyGrowsItsBufferAndStopsAtTheCap() {
+        val relay = start(settings = HttpCommandSettings(maxBodyBytes = 20_000))
+        // No Content-Length: the buffer starts small and grows past it.
+        val big = """["REQ","q",{"search":"${"x".repeat(10_000)}"}]"""
+        val head = "POST / HTTP/1.1\r\nHost: x\r\nTransfer-Encoding: chunked\r\nConnection: close\r\n\r\n"
+        assertEquals("HTTP/1.1 200 OK", rawStatus(relay, head + chunked(big)))
+        val over = """["REQ","q",{"search":"${"x".repeat(30_000)}"}]"""
+        assertEquals("HTTP/1.1 413 Payload Too Large", rawStatus(relay, head + chunked(over)))
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun nip11AdvertisesFE() {
+        val relay = start()
+        val request =
+            Request
+                .Builder()
+                .url(relay.url.replace("ws://", "http://"))
+                .header("Accept", "application/nostr+json")
+                .build()
+        http.newCall(request).execute().use { response ->
+            assertTrue(response.body.string().contains("\"FE\""))
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun noFirstFrameWithinTheDeadlineIs503WithRetryAfter() =
+        runBlocking {
+            val relay = start(settings = HttpCommandSettings(deadline = Duration.ZERO, retryAfterSeconds = 3))
+            val answer = client().req(relay, listOf(Filter(kinds = listOf(1)))) {}
+            assertEquals(503, answer.status)
+            assertEquals("3", answer.retryAfter)
+            assertTrue(answer.complete)
+            assertFalse(answer.last is EoseMessage)
+        }
+
+    private companion object {
+        /** A regular kind (stored), not a text note, so no other test reads it. */
+        const val HELD_KIND = 7_777
+    }
+}
diff --git a/geode/src/test/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/config/StaticConfigTest.kt b/geode/src/test/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/config/StaticConfigTest.kt
index 2ba0823441..a9469e37aa 100644
--- a/geode/src/test/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/config/StaticConfigTest.kt
+++ b/geode/src/test/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/config/StaticConfigTest.kt
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ import kotlin.test.assertEquals
 import kotlin.test.assertFailsWith
 import kotlin.test.assertNotNull
 import kotlin.test.assertTrue
+import kotlin.time.Duration.Companion.seconds
 
 class StaticConfigTest {
     @Test
@@ -219,7 +220,7 @@ class StaticConfigTest {
 
         assertEquals("wss://relay.example.com/", c.info.relay_url)
         assertEquals("Example", c.info.name)
-        assertEquals(listOf(1, 9, 11, 42), c.info.supported_nips)
+        assertEquals(listOf("1", "9", "11", "42"), c.info.supported_nips)
 
         assertEquals("127.0.0.1", c.network.host)
         assertEquals(9988, c.network.port)
@@ -249,6 +250,56 @@ class StaticConfigTest {
         assertEquals(listOf("1", "11", "42"), info.document.supported_nips)
     }
 
+    @Test
+    fun supportedNipsTakeHexNamedNipsAsStrings() {
+        val c =
+            StaticConfig.fromToml(
+                """
+                [info]
+                supported_nips = [1, 11, "FE"]
+                """.trimIndent(),
+            )
+        assertEquals(listOf("1", "11", "FE"), c.resolveInfo().document.supported_nips)
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun httpCommandsAreOnByDefaultAndAdvertised() {
+        val c = StaticConfig.fromToml("")
+        assertTrue(c.http.enabled)
+        assertNotNull(c.http.toSettings())
+        assertTrue("FE" in c.resolveInfo().document.supported_nips!!)
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun httpSectionParsesAndTurningItOffDropsFE() {
+        val c =
+            StaticConfig.fromToml(
+                """
+                [http]
+                enabled = false
+                max_concurrent_requests = 10
+                max_requests_per_client = 2
+                deadline_seconds = 5
+                alternate_urls = ["ws://2gzyxa5ihm7nsggfxnu52rck2vv4rvmdlkiu3zzui5du4xyclen53wid.onion/"]
+                trusted_proxies = ["127.0.0.1"]
+                """.trimIndent(),
+            )
+        assertEquals(10, c.http.max_concurrent_requests)
+        assertEquals(2, c.http.max_requests_per_client)
+        assertEquals(listOf("127.0.0.1"), c.http.trusted_proxies)
+        assertEquals(null, c.http.toSettings())
+        assertTrue("FE" !in c.resolveInfo().document.supported_nips!!)
+        val on = c.copy(http = c.http.copy(enabled = true)).http.toSettings()!!
+        assertEquals(5.seconds, on.deadline)
+        assertEquals(1, on.alternateUrls.size)
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun httpLimitsMustBeSane() {
+        assertFailsWith<IllegalArgumentException> { StaticConfig.fromToml("[http]\ndeadline_seconds = 0").validate() }
+        assertFailsWith<IllegalArgumentException> { StaticConfig.fromToml("[http]\nmax_requests_per_client = -1").validate() }
+    }
+
     @Test
     fun loadsTheBundledExampleConfigCleanly() {
         // The example file lives at the module root so operators have a
diff --git a/geode/src/test/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/server/HttpAdmissionTest.kt b/geode/src/test/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/server/HttpAdmissionTest.kt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..ed2cbb77af
--- /dev/null
+++ b/geode/src/test/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/geode/server/HttpAdmissionTest.kt
@@ -0,0 +1,71 @@
+/*
+ * 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.geode.server
+
+import kotlinx.coroutines.CompletableDeferred
+import kotlinx.coroutines.async
+import kotlinx.coroutines.runBlocking
+import kotlinx.coroutines.yield
+import kotlin.test.Test
+import kotlin.test.assertEquals
+
+class HttpAdmissionTest {
+    @Test
+    fun aClientOverItsShareIsBusyAndARelayOverItsCapIsTooWhileOthersStillRun() =
+        runBlocking {
+            val admission = HttpAdmission(maxConcurrent = 2, maxPerClient = 1)
+            val release = CompletableDeferred<Unit>()
+            val a = async { admission.admit("a") { release.await() } }
+            val b = async { admission.admit("b") { release.await() } }
+            while (admission.inFlight < 2) yield()
+
+            assertEquals(HttpAdmission.Verdict.CLIENT_BUSY, admission.admit("a") {})
+            assertEquals(HttpAdmission.Verdict.RELAY_BUSY, admission.admit("c") {})
+
+            release.complete(Unit)
+            assertEquals(HttpAdmission.Verdict.ADMITTED, a.await())
+            assertEquals(HttpAdmission.Verdict.ADMITTED, b.await())
+            assertEquals(0, admission.inFlight)
+            assertEquals(HttpAdmission.Verdict.ADMITTED, admission.admit("a") {})
+            assertEquals(HttpAdmission.Verdict.ADMITTED, admission.admit("c") {})
+        }
+
+    @Test
+    fun zeroIsNoLimit() =
+        runBlocking {
+            val admission = HttpAdmission(maxConcurrent = 0, maxPerClient = 0)
+            val release = CompletableDeferred<Unit>()
+            val held = List(50) { async { admission.admit("a") { release.await() } } }
+            while (admission.inFlight < 50) yield()
+            assertEquals(HttpAdmission.Verdict.ADMITTED, admission.admit("a") {})
+            release.complete(Unit)
+            held.forEach { assertEquals(HttpAdmission.Verdict.ADMITTED, it.await()) }
+        }
+
+    @Test
+    fun aFailingRequestStillLeaves() =
+        runBlocking {
+            val admission = HttpAdmission(maxConcurrent = 1, maxPerClient = 1)
+            runCatching { admission.admit("a") { error("boom") } }
+            assertEquals(0, admission.inFlight)
+            assertEquals(HttpAdmission.Verdict.ADMITTED, admission.admit("a") {})
+        }
+}
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 df77566329..adc9b47ec2 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
@@ -189,10 +189,25 @@ class RelaySession(
     }
 
     /**
-     * Dispatches an already-parsed command, for a transport that parsed and
-     * sized it itself (NIP-FE's HTTP bodies). [IRelayPolicy.acceptMessage]
-     * is not run here — it judges wire text — so such a caller applies the
-     * message-length limit before calling.
+     * [receive] for a transport that already parsed [parsed] out of [command]
+     * (NIP-FE's HTTP bodies): [IRelayPolicy.acceptMessage] still judges the
+     * wire text, as it would on the socket, but the frame is not parsed twice.
+     */
+    suspend fun receive(
+        command: String,
+        parsed: Command,
+    ) {
+        policy.acceptMessage(command)?.let { reason ->
+            send(NoticeMessage(reason))
+            return
+        }
+        receive(parsed)
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Dispatches an already-parsed command. [IRelayPolicy.acceptMessage] is
+     * not run here — it judges wire text — so a caller that has the text
+     * uses the overload that takes both.
      */
     suspend fun receive(cmd: Command) {
         if (!cmd.isValid()) {
diff --git a/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nipFERelayOverHttp/HttpRelayAnswer.kt b/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nipFERelayOverHttp/HttpRelayAnswer.kt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..98b04bfd88
--- /dev/null
+++ b/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nipFERelayOverHttp/HttpRelayAnswer.kt
@@ -0,0 +1,84 @@
+/*
+ * 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.nipFERelayOverHttp
+
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.core.OptimizedJsonMapper
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.commands.toClient.Message
+
+/**
+ * A NIP-FE answer as the client got it. [complete] is false when the body stopped before the frame
+ * that ends the command's answer: what came is a prefix, and a REQ's prefix looks exactly like a
+ * short result, so a caller MUST NOT read an incomplete answer as the whole one.
+ */
+class HttpRelayAnswer(
+    val status: Int,
+    /** The frame the answer ended on (EOSE, CLOSED, COUNT, OK, NOTICE), or the last one read when cut off. */
+    val last: Message?,
+    /** Whether the answer reached its end, rather than being cut off. */
+    val complete: Boolean,
+    /** The `Retry-After` the relay sent with a 429 or 503. */
+    val retryAfter: String? = null,
+)
+
+/**
+ * NIP-FE, client side: reads an answer one line at a time as it arrives and keeps track of whether
+ * it ended where [command]'s answer ends. A 200 streams up to that frame; any other status is one
+ * refusal line, which is the whole answer whatever frame it is.
+ */
+class HttpRelayAnswerReader(
+    val command: HttpRelayCommand,
+    val status: Int,
+) {
+    var last: Message? = null
+        private set
+
+    private var lines = 0
+    private var ended = false
+    private var broken = false
+
+    /**
+     * The frame on [line], or null for a blank line. A line that does not parse, or anything after
+     * the answer ended, marks the answer incomplete: the body is not what this NIP says it is.
+     */
+    fun read(line: String): Message? {
+        if (line.isBlank()) return null
+        if (ended || broken) {
+            broken = true
+            return null
+        }
+        val message =
+            try {
+                OptimizedJsonMapper.fromJsonToMessage(line)
+            } catch (_: Exception) {
+                broken = true
+                return null
+            }
+        lines++
+        last = message
+        ended = status != HttpRelayStatus.OK || command.ends(message)
+        return message
+    }
+
+    /** Whether the body read so far is a whole answer. Asked once the body ends. */
+    val complete: Boolean get() = ended && !broken && (status == HttpRelayStatus.OK || lines == 1)
+
+    fun answer(retryAfter: String? = null) = HttpRelayAnswer(status, last, complete, retryAfter)
+}
diff --git a/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nipFERelayOverHttp/HttpRelayClient.kt b/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nipFERelayOverHttp/HttpRelayClient.kt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..af7eb13305
--- /dev/null
+++ b/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nipFERelayOverHttp/HttpRelayClient.kt
@@ -0,0 +1,127 @@
+/*
+ * 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.nipFERelayOverHttp
+
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.core.Event
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.client.single.newSubId
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.commands.toClient.EventMessage
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.commands.toClient.Message
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.commands.toRelay.Command
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.commands.toRelay.CountCmd
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.commands.toRelay.EventCmd
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.commands.toRelay.ReqCmd
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.filters.Filter
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.normalizer.NormalizedRelayUrl
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.normalizer.toHttp
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.signers.NostrSigner
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip98HttpAuth.HTTPAuthorizationEvent
+
+/**
+ * NIP-FE client: one relay command per request, POSTed to the relay's URL as the frame the
+ * websocket would carry, its answer read line by line as the relay writes it, in the socket's own
+ * frames. Nothing stays open after a call returns. [transport] carries the bytes (OkHttp on
+ * JVM/Android: `OkHttpRelayTransport`), as a websocket builder does for the NostrClient.
+ *
+ * With a [signer], a request the relay refuses with 401 goes once more carrying a NIP-98 token for
+ * its exact body, as a websocket client answers a NIP-42 challenge; without one, the 401 is the
+ * answer. [signFirst] sends the token with the first try instead, saving the round trip against a
+ * relay known to want it.
+ */
+class HttpRelayClient(
+    private val transport: HttpRelayTransport,
+    private val signer: NostrSigner? = null,
+    private val signFirst: Boolean = false,
+) {
+    /** Stored events matching [filters], each to [onEvent] as it arrives. Complete only if it ended on EOSE or CLOSED. */
+    suspend fun req(
+        relay: NormalizedRelayUrl,
+        filters: List<Filter>,
+        subId: String = newSubId(),
+        onEvent: (Event) -> Unit,
+    ): HttpRelayAnswer =
+        send(relay, ReqCmd(subId, filters)) {
+            if (it is EventMessage) onEvent(it.event)
+        }
+
+    /** NIP-45: [HttpRelayAnswer.last] is the COUNT, or the refusal. */
+    suspend fun count(
+        relay: NormalizedRelayUrl,
+        filters: List<Filter>,
+        queryId: String = newSubId(),
+    ): HttpRelayAnswer = send(relay, CountCmd(queryId, filters))
+
+    /** Publishes [event]: [HttpRelayAnswer.last] is its OK, or the refusal. */
+    suspend fun publish(
+        relay: NormalizedRelayUrl,
+        event: Event,
+    ): HttpRelayAnswer = send(relay, EventCmd(event))
+
+    /** Posts [cmd] (a REQ, COUNT or EVENT) to [relay], handing every frame to [onMessage] as it is read. */
+    suspend fun send(
+        relay: NormalizedRelayUrl,
+        cmd: Command,
+        onMessage: (Message) -> Unit = {},
+    ): HttpRelayAnswer {
+        val command = requireNotNull(HttpRelayCommand.of(cmd)) { "NIP-FE carries REQ, COUNT and EVENT, not ${cmd.label()}" }
+        val url = relay.toHttp()
+        val body = cmd.toJson().encodeToByteArray()
+        if (signer == null || signFirst) return post(relay, command, url, body, token(url, body), onMessage, retrying = false)
+        val first = post(relay, command, url, body, null, onMessage, retrying = true)
+        if (first.status != HttpRelayStatus.UNAUTHORIZED) return first
+        return post(relay, command, url, body, token(url, body), onMessage, retrying = false)
+    }
+
+    private suspend fun token(
+        url: String,
+        body: ByteArray,
+    ): String? = signer?.sign(HTTPAuthorizationEvent.build(url, "POST", body))?.toAuthToken()
+
+    private suspend fun post(
+        relay: NormalizedRelayUrl,
+        command: HttpRelayCommand,
+        url: String,
+        body: ByteArray,
+        authorization: String?,
+        onMessage: (Message) -> Unit,
+        /** A signed try follows a 401, so that refusal is not the answer and is not handed on. */
+        retrying: Boolean,
+    ): HttpRelayAnswer {
+        var reader: HttpRelayAnswerReader? = null
+        var retryAfter: String? = null
+        var deliver = true
+        transport.post(
+            relay = relay,
+            url = url,
+            body = body,
+            authorization = authorization,
+            onStatus = { status, after ->
+                reader = HttpRelayAnswerReader(command, status)
+                retryAfter = after
+                deliver = !(retrying && status == HttpRelayStatus.UNAUTHORIZED)
+            },
+            onLine = { line ->
+                val message = checkNotNull(reader) { "a line before the status" }.read(line)
+                if (message != null && deliver) onMessage(message)
+            },
+        )
+        return checkNotNull(reader) { "the transport returned without a status" }.answer(retryAfter)
+    }
+}
diff --git a/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nipFERelayOverHttp/HttpRelayCommand.kt b/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nipFERelayOverHttp/HttpRelayCommand.kt
index cb5a865ea6..35b074fcb8 100644
--- a/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nipFERelayOverHttp/HttpRelayCommand.kt
+++ b/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nipFERelayOverHttp/HttpRelayCommand.kt
@@ -26,50 +26,22 @@ import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.commands.toClient.EoseMessage
 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.toClient.OkMessage
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.commands.toRelay.Command
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.commands.toRelay.CountCmd
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.commands.toRelay.EventCmd
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.commands.toRelay.ReqCmd
 
 /**
- * NIP-FE: the client commands HTTP carries, one path each. A body is the command's arguments
- * after its subscription id (a lone object where the command takes one); the answer ends on the
- * first frame [ends] accepts.
+ * NIP-FE: the client commands an HTTP request may carry, each as the frame a client sends on the
+ * websocket, and the frame that ends each one's answer.
  */
-enum class HttpRelayCommand(
-    val path: String,
-) {
-    REQ("/req"),
-    COUNT("/count"),
-    EVENT("/event"),
+enum class HttpRelayCommand {
+    REQ,
+    COUNT,
+    EVENT,
     ;
 
-    /**
-     * The client frame [body] stands for, or null when it plainly is not this command's arguments.
-     * The body is spliced in as sent and the engine parses the frame, as it parses socket text, so
-     * any other malformed body is the engine's NOTICE. The verb and subscription id come first and
-     * the parser reads one value, so nothing a body holds can make it another command.
-     */
-    fun frameOf(body: String): String? {
-        val text = body.trim()
-        return when (this) {
-            REQ, COUNT -> {
-                val filters =
-                    when {
-                        text.startsWith('{') -> text
-                        text.startsWith('[') && text.endsWith(']') -> text.substring(1, text.length - 1).trim().ifEmpty { return null }
-                        else -> return null
-                    }
-                "[\"${if (this == REQ) ReqCmd.LABEL else CountCmd.LABEL}\",\"$SUB_ID\",$filters]"
-            }
-
-            EVENT -> {
-                if (!text.startsWith('{')) return null
-                "[\"${EventCmd.LABEL}\",$text]"
-            }
-        }
-    }
-
-    /** Whether [message] is the last frame of this command's answer. */
+    /** Whether [message] is the last frame of this command's answer. A NOTICE ends any: the command never ran. */
     fun ends(message: Message): Boolean =
         message is NoticeMessage ||
             when (this) {
@@ -79,12 +51,25 @@ enum class HttpRelayCommand(
             }
 
     companion object {
-        /**
-         * The subscription id every HTTP command runs under inside the engine. NIP-FE answers carry
-         * none, so [HttpRelayHandler] takes it back out of each frame before it goes out.
-         */
-        const val SUB_ID = "http"
+        /** The kind of [cmd], or null for one HTTP does not carry (AUTH, CLOSE, NEG-*). */
+        fun of(cmd: Command): HttpRelayCommand? =
+            when (cmd) {
+                is ReqCmd -> REQ
+                is CountCmd -> COUNT
+                is EventCmd -> EVENT
+                else -> null
+            }
 
-        fun forPath(path: String): HttpRelayCommand? = entries.firstOrNull { it.path == path }
+        /** The frame that refuses [cmd] with [reason], as the socket would: CLOSED for a REQ or COUNT, OK false for an EVENT. */
+        fun refusal(
+            cmd: Command,
+            reason: String,
+        ): Message =
+            when (cmd) {
+                is EventCmd -> OkMessage(cmd.event.id, false, reason)
+                is ReqCmd -> ClosedMessage(cmd.subId, reason)
+                is CountCmd -> ClosedMessage(cmd.queryId, reason)
+                else -> NoticeMessage(reason)
+            }
     }
 }
diff --git a/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nipFERelayOverHttp/HttpRelayHandler.kt b/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nipFERelayOverHttp/HttpRelayHandler.kt
index a4054bbd08..0b845206bf 100644
--- a/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nipFERelayOverHttp/HttpRelayHandler.kt
+++ b/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nipFERelayOverHttp/HttpRelayHandler.kt
@@ -21,13 +21,16 @@
 package com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nipFERelayOverHttp
 
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.core.HexKey
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.core.OptimizedJsonMapper
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.commands.toClient.AuthMessage
-import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.commands.toClient.ClosedMessage
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.commands.toClient.MachineReadablePrefix
 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.Command
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.server.RelayServerBase
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.server.SessionSink
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip98HttpAuth.Nip98AuthVerifier
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip98HttpAuth.tags.UrlTag
 import kotlinx.coroutines.CancellationException
 import kotlinx.coroutines.CompletableDeferred
 import kotlinx.coroutines.TimeoutCancellationException
@@ -36,18 +39,19 @@ import kotlinx.coroutines.coroutineScope
 import kotlinx.coroutines.launch
 import kotlinx.coroutines.withTimeout
 import kotlinx.coroutines.withTimeoutOrNull
+import kotlin.io.encoding.Base64
+import kotlin.io.encoding.ExperimentalEncodingApi
 import kotlin.time.Duration
 import kotlin.time.Duration.Companion.milliseconds
 import kotlin.time.TimeSource
 
-/** One NIP-FE request as the handler needs it. The host routes by [HttpRelayCommand.path]. */
+/** One NIP-FE request as the handler needs it: a POST to the relay's URL that is not a NIP-86 call. */
 class HttpRelayRequest(
-    val command: HttpRelayCommand,
     /** The `Authorization` header as sent, or null. */
     val authorization: String?,
     /**
-     * The body. Hosts bound the read at [HttpRelayHandler.maxBodyBytes]: the engine measures a
-     * frame in characters, and a UTF-8 character takes up to three bytes.
+     * The body: one client frame. Hosts bound the read at [HttpRelayHandler.maxBodyBytes]: the
+     * engine measures a frame in characters, and a UTF-8 character takes up to three bytes.
      */
     val body: ByteArray,
 )
@@ -82,16 +86,17 @@ interface HttpRelayLines {
 class HttpRelayReaderStalled : Exception("the client stopped reading the answer")
 
 /**
- * NIP-FE: one relay command per HTTP request, run on its own [RelayServerBase] session, so every
- * limit and policy the socket applies applies here, and answered with the relay's own frames up to
- * the command's answer, without their subscription id. Nothing outlives the request.
+ * NIP-FE: one relay command per HTTP request. The body is the frame a client would send on the
+ * websocket; it runs on its own [RelayServerBase] session, fed as socket text, so every limit and
+ * policy the socket applies applies here; and the answer is the session's frames as the socket
+ * would carry them, up to the one that ends the command's answer. Nothing outlives the request.
  *
  * Admission (how many requests a client may run) is the host's: gate before calling [handle], so a
  * refused request does not spend a NIP-98 token the handler would have verified.
  */
 class HttpRelayHandler(
     private val server: RelayServerBase,
-    /** The prefixes a NIP-98 `u` may carry (the relay's http origin, its .onion), asked per request; never from the request. */
+    /** The URLs a NIP-98 `u` may name (the relay's http URL, its .onion), asked per request; never from the request. */
     private val origins: () -> List<String>,
     /** How long one answer may run, first byte to last. [Duration.INFINITE] turns the deadline off. */
     private val deadline: Duration = DEFAULT_DEADLINE,
@@ -107,36 +112,35 @@ class HttpRelayHandler(
         request: HttpRelayRequest,
         response: HttpRelayResponse,
     ) {
-        val command = request.command
         val max = server.limits?.maxMessageLength
+        val tooLarge = "invalid: the command exceeds $max characters"
         maxBodyBytes?.let { cap ->
-            if (request.body.size > cap) {
-                return response.single(HttpRelayStatus.PAYLOAD_TOO_LARGE, closed("invalid: the command exceeds $max characters"))
-            }
+            if (request.body.size > cap) return response.single(HttpRelayStatus.PAYLOAD_TOO_LARGE, notice(tooLarge))
         }
-        val frame =
-            command.frameOf(request.body.decodeToString())
-                ?: return response.single(HttpRelayStatus.BAD_REQUEST, closed("invalid: the body is not ${command.name}'s arguments"))
+        val text = request.body.decodeToString()
         // Characters, as the engine's own limit counts them.
-        if (max != null && frame.length > max) {
-            return response.single(HttpRelayStatus.PAYLOAD_TOO_LARGE, closed("invalid: the command exceeds $max characters"))
-        }
+        if (max != null && text.length > max) return response.single(HttpRelayStatus.PAYLOAD_TOO_LARGE, notice(tooLarge))
+
+        // Parsed here, once: to refuse the commands HTTP does not carry, to know what ends the
+        // answer and how to refuse it, and for the session, which still runs the policies that
+        // judge the raw text before it dispatches the parsed command.
+        val cmd =
+            try {
+                OptimizedJsonMapper.fromJsonToCommand(text)
+            } catch (_: Exception) {
+                null
+            }
+        val command =
+            cmd?.let { HttpRelayCommand.of(it) }
+                ?: return response.single(HttpRelayStatus.BAD_REQUEST, notice("invalid: the body is not one REQ, COUNT or EVENT frame"))
+
         val signedIn =
             when (val proof = proofOf(request)) {
-                is Proof.Anonymous -> {
-                    null
-                }
-
-                is Proof.Signed -> {
-                    proof.pubkey
-                }
-
-                is Proof.Refused -> {
-                    val reason = proof.reason
-                    return response.single(HttpRelayStatus.forReason(reason), closed(reason))
-                }
+                is Proof.Anonymous -> null
+                is Proof.Signed -> proof.pubkey
+                is Proof.Refused -> return response.single(HttpRelayStatus.forReason(proof.reason), HttpRelayCommand.refusal(cmd, proof.reason).toJson())
             }
-        exchange(frame, command, signedIn, response)
+        exchange(text, cmd, command, signedIn, response)
     }
 
     /** A frame as queued: its wire text, its type when the engine built one, and whether it ends the answer. */
@@ -147,7 +151,8 @@ class HttpRelayHandler(
     )
 
     private suspend fun exchange(
-        frame: String,
+        text: String,
+        cmd: Command,
         command: HttpRelayCommand,
         signedIn: HexKey?,
         response: HttpRelayResponse,
@@ -165,23 +170,25 @@ class HttpRelayHandler(
             }
         }
 
-        fun fail(reason: String) = offer(Frame(closed(reason), ClosedMessage(HttpRelayCommand.SUB_ID, reason), last = true))
+        fun refusal(reason: String) = HttpRelayCommand.refusal(cmd, reason)
+
+        fun fail(reason: String) = refusal(reason).let { offer(Frame(it.toJson(), it, last = true)) }
         val sink =
             object : SessionSink {
                 override fun message(message: Message) {
                     // The challenge every connection opens with; this one proves its key by NIP-98 instead.
                     if (message is AuthMessage) return
-                    offer(Frame(withoutSubId(message.toJson()), message, command.ends(message)))
+                    offer(Frame(message.toJson(), message, command.ends(message)))
                 }
 
-                override fun raw(json: String) = offer(Frame(withoutSubId(json), null, last = false))
+                override fun raw(json: String) = offer(Frame(json, null, last = false))
             }
         val session =
             launch {
                 try {
                     server.serve(sink) { session ->
                         val refused = signedIn?.let { session.authenticateByTransport(it) }
-                        if (refused != null) fail(refused) else session.receive(frame)
+                        if (refused != null) fail(refused) else session.receive(text, cmd)
                         ended.await()
                     }
                 } catch (e: CancellationException) {
@@ -202,7 +209,7 @@ class HttpRelayHandler(
             val status = HttpRelayStatus.of(first?.message)
             when {
                 first == null -> {
-                    single(HttpRelayStatus.UNAVAILABLE, closed("error: no answer within $deadline"))
+                    single(HttpRelayStatus.UNAVAILABLE, notice("error: no answer within $deadline"))
                 }
 
                 first.last || status != HttpRelayStatus.OK -> {
@@ -214,8 +221,8 @@ class HttpRelayHandler(
                         bounded(due) {
                             when (drain(first, frames, due)) {
                                 Ending.ANSWERED -> {}
-                                Ending.DEADLINE -> line(closed("error: the answer ran past $deadline"))
-                                Ending.CUT -> line(closed("error: slow reader, over $maxQueuedFrames frames waiting"))
+                                Ending.DEADLINE -> line(refusal("error: the answer ran past $deadline").toJson())
+                                Ending.CUT -> line(refusal("error: slow reader, over $maxQueuedFrames frames waiting").toJson())
                             }
                             flush()
                         }
@@ -284,56 +291,55 @@ class HttpRelayHandler(
     }
 
     /**
-     * A NIP-98 header, checked against every address in [origins], so a token signed at the .onion
-     * verifies there. It must bind the body's hash: it authorizes one command.
-     * Another scheme (a proxy's Basic, a client's Bearer) is not addressed to the relay and is ignored.
+     * A NIP-98 header. Its `u` may name any address in [origins], with or without the trailing
+     * slash, so a token signed at the .onion verifies there; the token is checked once, against the
+     * address it names. It must bind the body's hash and be within 60 seconds of now; within that
+     * window it may come again for the same body. Another scheme (a proxy's Basic, a client's
+     * Bearer) is not addressed to the relay and is ignored.
      */
     private suspend fun proofOf(request: HttpRelayRequest): Proof {
         val header = request.authorization?.trim().orEmpty()
         val scheme = Nip98AuthVerifier.SCHEME
         if (!header.regionMatches(0, scheme, 0, scheme.length, ignoreCase = true)) return Proof.Anonymous
         val token = scheme + header.substring(scheme.length).trim()
-        val accepted = origins().map { it.trimEnd('/') + request.command.path }
-        if (accepted.isEmpty()) return Proof.Refused(MachineReadablePrefix.AUTH_REQUIRED.format("this relay names no url to sign"))
+        val addresses = origins()
+        if (addresses.isEmpty()) return Proof.Refused(MachineReadablePrefix.AUTH_REQUIRED.format("this relay names no url to sign"))
+        // The address the token names, when it is one of ours; otherwise the first, and the
+        // verifier refuses the mismatch (or whatever else is wrong with the token) itself.
+        val signed = claimedUrl(token)
+        val url = signed?.takeIf { u -> addresses.any { it.trimEnd('/') == u.trimEnd('/') } } ?: addresses.first()
         // A fresh verifier each time: it remembers the tokens it accepts, and a NIP-FE token is not
-        // single-use. A request can land on any instance, which no one process's memory can follow,
-        // and the body's hash already limits a captured token to the command it signs, in its window.
-        var refusal: Nip98AuthVerifier.Result.Malformed? = null
-        for (url in accepted) {
-            when (val r = Nip98AuthVerifier().verify(token, "POST", url, request.body)) {
-                is Nip98AuthVerifier.Result.Verified -> return Proof.Signed(r.pubkey)
-                is Nip98AuthVerifier.Result.Missing -> return Proof.Anonymous
-                is Nip98AuthVerifier.Result.Malformed -> refusal = refusal ?: r
-            }
+        // single-use. Every command it can sign is idempotent, so a repeat only repeats a read or
+        // re-sends an event the relay has, and a client may retry without signing again.
+        return when (val r = Nip98AuthVerifier(toleranceSeconds = TOKEN_WINDOW_SECONDS).verify(token, "POST", url, request.body)) {
+            is Nip98AuthVerifier.Result.Verified -> Proof.Signed(r.pubkey)
+            is Nip98AuthVerifier.Result.Missing -> Proof.Anonymous
+            is Nip98AuthVerifier.Result.Malformed -> Proof.Refused(MachineReadablePrefix.AUTH_REQUIRED.format("NIP-98 ${r.reason}"))
         }
-        return Proof.Refused(MachineReadablePrefix.AUTH_REQUIRED.format("NIP-98 ${refusal?.reason}"))
     }
 
-    private fun closed(reason: String) = withoutSubId(ClosedMessage(HttpRelayCommand.SUB_ID, reason).toJson())
+    /** The `u` a NIP-98 [token] names, or null when it does not decode; the verifier then says why. */
+    @OptIn(ExperimentalEncodingApi::class)
+    private fun claimedUrl(token: String): String? =
+        try {
+            val event = OptimizedJsonMapper.fromJson(Base64.decode(token.substring(Nip98AuthVerifier.SCHEME.length)).decodeToString())
+            event.tags.firstNotNullOfOrNull(UrlTag::parse)
+        } catch (_: Exception) {
+            null
+        }
 
     companion object {
+        /** A `NOTICE` line: how a request is refused before its command runs (400, 413, 429, 503), by the handler or its host. */
+        fun notice(reason: String) = NoticeMessage(reason).toJson()
+
         val DEFAULT_DEADLINE = 30_000.milliseconds
 
         /** The websocket's slow-consumer bound in the reference relays. */
         const val DEFAULT_MAX_QUEUED_FRAMES = 8192
 
         val DEFAULT_TAIL_GRACE = 5_000.milliseconds
+
+        /** NIP-FE: a token is good for 60 seconds either side of its `created_at`. */
+        const val TOKEN_WINDOW_SECONDS = 60L
     }
 }
-
-/** The frames that carry a subscription id in the engine; NIP-FE sends them without it. */
-private val SUBSCRIPTION_FRAMES = setOf("EVENT", "EOSE", "CLOSED", "COUNT")
-
-private const val SUB_ID_FIELD = ",\"" + HttpRelayCommand.SUB_ID + "\""
-
-/**
- * [frame] as NIP-FE sends it: the engine's frame with its `"http"` subscription id taken out,
- * `["EVENT","http",{…}]` → `["EVENT",{…}]`, `["EOSE","http"]` → `["EOSE"]`. Other frames pass as they are.
- */
-internal fun withoutSubId(frame: String): String {
-    if (!frame.startsWith("[\"")) return frame
-    val verbEnd = frame.indexOf('"', 2)
-    if (verbEnd < 0 || frame.substring(2, verbEnd) !in SUBSCRIPTION_FRAMES) return frame
-    if (!frame.startsWith(SUB_ID_FIELD, verbEnd + 1)) return frame
-    return frame.substring(0, verbEnd + 1) + frame.substring(verbEnd + 1 + SUB_ID_FIELD.length)
-}
diff --git a/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nipFERelayOverHttp/HttpRelayTransport.kt b/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nipFERelayOverHttp/HttpRelayTransport.kt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..918bb8e921
--- /dev/null
+++ b/quartz/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nipFERelayOverHttp/HttpRelayTransport.kt
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+/*
+ * 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.nipFERelayOverHttp
+
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.normalizer.NormalizedRelayUrl
+
+/**
+ * How [HttpRelayClient] reaches a relay over HTTP: one POST, its response read line by line. The
+ * NIP-FE side of the exchange (which URL, what body, signing, reading the answer) stays in the
+ * client; an implementation only moves bytes, the way a
+ * [com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.sockets.WebsocketBuilder] does for [com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.client.NostrClient].
+ */
+interface HttpRelayTransport {
+    /**
+     * POSTs [body] to [url], [relay]'s HTTP URL, with an `Authorization` header when [authorization]
+     * is not null. Calls [onStatus] once with the status and any `Retry-After`, then [onLine] for each
+     * body line as it arrives, and returns when the body ends. A connection that drops mid-body
+     * returns normally: the answer reader tells a cut-off answer from a whole one. Cancelling the
+     * caller cancels the request.
+     */
+    suspend fun post(
+        relay: NormalizedRelayUrl,
+        url: String,
+        body: ByteArray,
+        authorization: String?,
+        onStatus: (status: Int, retryAfter: String?) -> Unit,
+        onLine: (String) -> Unit,
+    )
+}
diff --git a/quartz/src/commonTest/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nipFERelayOverHttp/HttpRelayAnswerReaderTest.kt b/quartz/src/commonTest/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nipFERelayOverHttp/HttpRelayAnswerReaderTest.kt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..085290682e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/quartz/src/commonTest/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nipFERelayOverHttp/HttpRelayAnswerReaderTest.kt
@@ -0,0 +1,101 @@
+/*
+ * 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.nipFERelayOverHttp
+
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.commands.toClient.ClosedMessage
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.commands.toClient.CountMessage
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.commands.toClient.EoseMessage
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.commands.toClient.EventMessage
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.commands.toClient.OkMessage
+import kotlin.test.Test
+import kotlin.test.assertEquals
+import kotlin.test.assertFalse
+import kotlin.test.assertIs
+import kotlin.test.assertNull
+import kotlin.test.assertTrue
+
+/** NIP-FE, client side: an answer's lines back into frames, and a whole answer told from a cut one. */
+class HttpRelayAnswerReaderTest {
+    private val event =
+        """{"id":"a8e0b2f2c1e7e4f5b0a1f9c1b3d2e6a7c8b9d0e1f2a3b4c5d6e7f8091a2b3c4d","pubkey":"79be667ef9dcbbac55a06295ce870b07029bfcdb2dce28d959f2815b16f81798",""" +
+            """"created_at":1700000000,"kind":1,"tags":[],"content":"hi","sig":"${"0".repeat(128)}"}"""
+
+    private fun read(
+        command: HttpRelayCommand,
+        status: Int,
+        vararg lines: String,
+    ) = HttpRelayAnswerReader(command, status).also { reader -> lines.forEach { reader.read(it) } }
+
+    @Test
+    fun aReqThatEndsOnEoseIsComplete() {
+        val reader = read(HttpRelayCommand.REQ, 200, """["EVENT","q",$event]""", """["EOSE","q"]""")
+        assertTrue(reader.complete)
+        assertIs<EoseMessage>(reader.last)
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun aReqWithItsTailMissingIsIncomplete() {
+        val reader = HttpRelayAnswerReader(HttpRelayCommand.REQ, 200)
+        val message = reader.read("""["EVENT","q",$event]""")
+        assertIs<EventMessage>(message)
+        assertEquals("hi", message.event.content)
+        assertEquals("q", message.subId)
+        assertFalse(reader.complete)
+        assertFalse(HttpRelayAnswerReader(HttpRelayCommand.REQ, 200).complete, "an empty body is no answer")
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun aClosedEndsAReqAndACountButNotAnEvent() {
+        assertTrue(read(HttpRelayCommand.REQ, 200, """["EVENT","q",$event]""", """["CLOSED","q","error: the answer ran past 30s"]""").complete)
+        assertTrue(read(HttpRelayCommand.COUNT, 200, """["CLOSED","q","error: x"]""").complete)
+        assertFalse(read(HttpRelayCommand.EVENT, 200, """["CLOSED","q","error: x"]""").complete)
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun aCountAndAnOkAreWholeAnswers() {
+        val count = read(HttpRelayCommand.COUNT, 200, """["COUNT","c",{"count":7}]""")
+        assertTrue(count.complete)
+        assertEquals(7, assertIs<CountMessage>(count.last).result.count)
+        val ok = read(HttpRelayCommand.EVENT, 200, """["OK","abc",true,""]""")
+        assertTrue(ok.complete)
+        assertTrue(assertIs<OkMessage>(ok.last).success)
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun aRefusalIsOneLineWhateverItsFrame() {
+        val refused = read(HttpRelayCommand.EVENT, 401, """["CLOSED","q","auth-required: sign in"]""")
+        assertTrue(refused.complete)
+        assertEquals("auth-required: sign in", assertIs<ClosedMessage>(refused.last).message)
+        assertFalse(read(HttpRelayCommand.REQ, 403, """["CLOSED","q","blocked: no"]""", """["EOSE","q"]""").complete)
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun anythingAfterTheEndOrALineThatIsNoFrameBreaksTheAnswer() {
+        assertFalse(read(HttpRelayCommand.REQ, 200, """["EOSE","q"]""", """["EVENT","q",$event]""").complete)
+        assertFalse(read(HttpRelayCommand.REQ, 200, """["EVENT","q",$event]""", """["EOSE","q""").complete)
+        assertTrue(read(HttpRelayCommand.REQ, 200, """["EOSE","q"]""", "", "  ").complete, "blank lines are not frames")
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun blankLinesAreSkipped() {
+        assertNull(HttpRelayAnswerReader(HttpRelayCommand.REQ, 200).read(""))
+    }
+}
diff --git a/quartz/src/jvmAndroid/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nipFERelayOverHttp/OkHttpRelayTransport.kt b/quartz/src/jvmAndroid/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nipFERelayOverHttp/OkHttpRelayTransport.kt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..ee65bda983
--- /dev/null
+++ b/quartz/src/jvmAndroid/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nipFERelayOverHttp/OkHttpRelayTransport.kt
@@ -0,0 +1,92 @@
+/*
+ * 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.nipFERelayOverHttp
+
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.normalizer.NormalizedRelayUrl
+import kotlinx.coroutines.Dispatchers
+import kotlinx.coroutines.awaitCancellation
+import kotlinx.coroutines.coroutineScope
+import kotlinx.coroutines.launch
+import kotlinx.coroutines.withContext
+import okhttp3.MediaType.Companion.toMediaType
+import okhttp3.OkHttpClient
+import okhttp3.Request
+import okhttp3.RequestBody.Companion.toRequestBody
+import okhttp3.coroutines.executeAsync
+import okio.IOException
+
+/**
+ * [HttpRelayTransport] over OkHttp. [httpClient] picks the client per relay, as
+ * [com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.sockets.okhttp.BasicOkHttpWebSocket.Builder] does for
+ * websockets, so a .onion relay can go through Tor and a clearnet one directly. OkHttp asks for
+ * gzip and inflates it as the body streams, so a relay's sync-flushed gzip arrives line by line.
+ */
+class OkHttpRelayTransport(
+    private val httpClient: (NormalizedRelayUrl) -> OkHttpClient,
+) : HttpRelayTransport {
+    override suspend fun post(
+        relay: NormalizedRelayUrl,
+        url: String,
+        body: ByteArray,
+        authorization: String?,
+        onStatus: (status: Int, retryAfter: String?) -> Unit,
+        onLine: (String) -> Unit,
+    ) = coroutineScope {
+        val request =
+            Request
+                .Builder()
+                .url(url)
+                .post(body.toRequestBody(JSON))
+                .header("Accept", NDJSON)
+                .apply { authorization?.let { header("Authorization", it) } }
+                .build()
+        val call = httpClient(relay).newCall(request)
+        // A blocking read does not see coroutine cancellation; cancelling the call unblocks it.
+        val watcher =
+            launch {
+                try {
+                    awaitCancellation()
+                } finally {
+                    call.cancel()
+                }
+            }
+        try {
+            call.executeAsync().use { response ->
+                onStatus(response.code, response.header("Retry-After"))
+                withContext(Dispatchers.IO) {
+                    val source = response.body.source()
+                    try {
+                        while (true) onLine(source.readUtf8Line() ?: break)
+                    } catch (_: IOException) {
+                        // The connection dropped mid-answer: what came is what the reader says it is.
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+        } finally {
+            watcher.cancel()
+        }
+    }
+
+    companion object {
+        const val NDJSON = "application/x-ndjson"
+        private val JSON = "application/json".toMediaType()
+    }
+}
diff --git a/quartz/src/jvmTest/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nipFERelayOverHttp/HttpRelayHandlerTest.kt b/quartz/src/jvmTest/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nipFERelayOverHttp/HttpRelayHandlerTest.kt
index 31695d8da3..5612fd3c81 100644
--- a/quartz/src/jvmTest/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nipFERelayOverHttp/HttpRelayHandlerTest.kt
+++ b/quartz/src/jvmTest/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/quartz/nipFERelayOverHttp/HttpRelayHandlerTest.kt
@@ -160,10 +160,15 @@ class HttpRelayHandlerTest {
     ) = HttpRelayHandler(MemoryRelay(backend, signedInOnly), origins = { listOf(origin) }, deadline = deadline)
 
     private fun HttpRelayHandler.ask(
-        command: HttpRelayCommand,
-        body: String,
+        frame: String,
         authorization: String? = null,
-    ) = Recorded().also { runBlocking { handle(HttpRelayRequest(command, authorization, body.encodeToByteArray()), it) } }
+    ) = Recorded().also { runBlocking { handle(HttpRelayRequest(authorization, frame.encodeToByteArray()), it) } }
+
+    private fun req(filter: String) = """["REQ","q",$filter]"""
+
+    private fun count(filter: String) = """["COUNT","c",$filter]"""
+
+    private fun publish(event: Event) = """["EVENT",${event.toJson()}]"""
 
     private fun note(
         content: String,
@@ -171,19 +176,19 @@ class HttpRelayHandlerTest {
     ) = alice.sign<Event>(at, 1, emptyArray(), content)
 
     private fun token(
-        command: HttpRelayCommand,
-        body: String,
-    ) = alice.sign(HTTPAuthorizationEvent.build(origin + command.path, "POST", body.encodeToByteArray(), System.currentTimeMillis() / 1000) {}).toAuthToken()
+        frame: String,
+        url: String = origin,
+    ) = alice.sign(HTTPAuthorizationEvent.build(url, "POST", frame.encodeToByteArray(), System.currentTimeMillis() / 1000) {}).toAuthToken()
 
     @Test
     fun aReqStreamsItsEventsAndEndsOnEose() {
         val a = note("a")
         val b = note("b")
         backend.events += listOf(a, b)
-        val answer = handler().ask(HttpRelayCommand.REQ, """{"kinds":[1]}""")
+        val answer = handler().ask(req("""{"kinds":[1]}"""))
         assertEquals(200, answer.status)
         assertTrue(answer.streamed)
-        assertEquals("""["EOSE"]""", answer.lines.last())
+        assertEquals("""["EOSE","q"]""", answer.lines.last())
         assertEquals(
             setOf(a.id, b.id),
             answer.lines
@@ -193,23 +198,31 @@ class HttpRelayHandlerTest {
         )
     }
 
+    @Test
+    fun framesGoOutAsTheSocketSendsThemWithTheClientsSubscriptionId() {
+        val found = note("found")
+        backend.events += found
+        val answer = handler().ask("""["REQ","mine",{"kinds":[1]}]""")
+        assertEquals(listOf("""["EVENT","mine",${found.toJson()}]""", """["EOSE","mine"]"""), answer.lines)
+    }
+
     @Test
     fun anEmptyReqIsOneEoseLine() {
-        val answer = handler().ask(HttpRelayCommand.REQ, """[{"kinds":[30000]}]""")
+        val answer = handler().ask(req("""{"kinds":[30000]}"""))
         assertEquals(200, answer.status)
-        assertEquals(listOf("""["EOSE"]"""), answer.lines)
+        assertEquals(listOf("""["EOSE","q"]"""), answer.lines)
     }
 
     @Test
     fun anEventIsAnsweredByItsOkAndAForgeryIsRefused() {
         val posted = note("posted")
-        val ok = handler().ask(HttpRelayCommand.EVENT, posted.toJson())
+        val ok = handler().ask(publish(posted))
         assertEquals(200, ok.status)
         assertEquals(listOf("""["OK","${posted.id}",true,""]"""), ok.lines)
         assertTrue(backend.events.any { it.id == posted.id })
 
         val forged = Event(posted.id, posted.pubKey, posted.createdAt, posted.kind, posted.tags, "tampered", posted.sig)
-        val refused = handler().ask(HttpRelayCommand.EVENT, forged.toJson())
+        val refused = handler().ask(publish(forged))
         assertEquals(400, refused.status, refused.lines.toString())
         assertTrue(refused.lines.single().startsWith("""["OK","${forged.id}",false,"""), refused.lines.toString())
     }
@@ -217,76 +230,89 @@ class HttpRelayHandlerTest {
     @Test
     fun aCountIsOneCountLine() {
         backend.events += listOf(note("a"), note("b"), note("c"))
-        val answer = handler().ask(HttpRelayCommand.COUNT, """{"kinds":[1]}""")
+        val answer = handler().ask(count("""{"kinds":[1]}"""))
         assertEquals(200, answer.status)
-        assertTrue(answer.lines.single().startsWith("""["COUNT",{"count":3"""), answer.lines.toString())
+        assertTrue(answer.lines.single().startsWith("""["COUNT","c",{"count":3"""), answer.lines.toString())
     }
 
     @Test
-    fun aBodyThatIsNotTheCommandsArgumentsIsA400AndOneOverTheLimitA413() {
-        // Not the command's shape: refused before any session opens.
-        for ((command, body) in listOf(
-            HttpRelayCommand.REQ to "[]",
-            HttpRelayCommand.EVENT to """[{"id":"x"}]""",
-            HttpRelayCommand.COUNT to "not json",
-        )) {
-            val answer = handler().ask(command, body)
-            assertEquals(400, answer.status, "$command '$body'")
-            assertTrue(answer.lines.single().startsWith("""["CLOSED","invalid:"""), answer.lines.toString())
+    fun aBodyThatIsNotAReqCountOrEventIsA400AndOneOverTheLimitA413() {
+        for (body in listOf("[]", """{"kinds":[1]}""", "not json", """["CLOSE","q"]""", """["AUTH",{"id":"x"}]""", """["NEG-CLOSE","n"]""")) {
+            val answer = handler().ask(body)
+            assertEquals(400, answer.status, body)
+            assertTrue(answer.lines.single().startsWith("""["NOTICE","invalid:"""), answer.lines.toString())
         }
-        // The right shape with an inside the engine cannot read: its own NOTICE, the command never ran.
-        val unreadable = handler().ask(HttpRelayCommand.EVENT, """{"id":"not an event"}""")
-        assertEquals(400, unreadable.status)
-        assertTrue(unreadable.lines.single().startsWith("""["NOTICE","""), unreadable.lines.toString())
-        assertEquals(413, handler().ask(HttpRelayCommand.REQ, """{"search":"${"x".repeat(5_000)}"}""").status)
-        // Under the byte cap, over it once wrapped in its frame: the engine measures the frame.
-        assertEquals(413, handler().ask(HttpRelayCommand.REQ, """{"search":"${"x".repeat(4_096 - 20)}"}""").status)
+        // A REQ the engine refuses as a command: its own NOTICE, the command never ran.
+        val empty = handler().ask("""["REQ","",{"kinds":[1]}]""")
+        assertEquals(400, empty.status)
+        assertTrue(empty.lines.single().startsWith("""["NOTICE","""), empty.lines.toString())
+        // Over the relay's message length, in characters, as the socket measures it.
+        val big = handler().ask(req("""{"search":"${"x".repeat(4_096)}"}"""))
+        assertEquals(413, big.status)
+        assertTrue(big.lines.single().startsWith("""["NOTICE","invalid:"""), big.lines.toString())
     }
 
     @Test
     fun aNip98SignatureSignsTheSessionInAndAnotherSchemeDoesNot() {
         backend.events += note("gated")
         val gated = handler(signedInOnly = true)
-        val body = """{"kinds":[1]}"""
+        val frame = req("""{"kinds":[1]}""")
 
-        val anonymous = gated.ask(HttpRelayCommand.REQ, body)
+        val anonymous = gated.ask(frame)
         assertEquals(401, anonymous.status)
-        assertTrue(anonymous.lines.single().startsWith("""["CLOSED","auth-required:"""))
+        assertTrue(anonymous.lines.single().startsWith("""["CLOSED","q","auth-required:"""))
 
-        assertEquals(401, gated.ask(HttpRelayCommand.REQ, body, "Basic dXNlcjpwYXNz").status, "Basic is not addressed to the relay")
+        assertEquals(401, gated.ask(frame, "Basic dXNlcjpwYXNz").status, "Basic is not addressed to the relay")
 
-        val signed = gated.ask(HttpRelayCommand.REQ, body, token(HttpRelayCommand.REQ, body))
+        val signed = gated.ask(frame, token(frame))
         assertEquals(200, signed.status, signed.lines.toString())
-        assertEquals("""["EOSE"]""", signed.lines.last())
+        assertEquals("""["EOSE","q"]""", signed.lines.last())
     }
 
     @Test
-    fun aTokenSignsOnlyItsBodyAndIsNotSingleUse() {
+    fun aTokenSignsOnlyItsBodyAndIsGoodAgainWithinItsWindow() {
         val h = handler()
-        val body = """{"kinds":[1]}"""
-        val signed = token(HttpRelayCommand.REQ, body)
-        assertEquals(200, h.ask(HttpRelayCommand.REQ, body, signed).status)
-        assertEquals(200, h.ask(HttpRelayCommand.REQ, body, signed).status, "any instance may answer it, so none remembers it")
-        val other = h.ask(HttpRelayCommand.REQ, """{"kinds":[0]}""", token(HttpRelayCommand.REQ, body))
+        val frame = req("""{"kinds":[1]}""")
+        val signed = token(frame)
+        assertEquals(200, h.ask(frame, signed).status)
+        assertEquals(200, h.ask(frame, signed).status, "the same body again only repeats the read")
+        val other = h.ask(req("""{"kinds":[0]}"""), signed)
         assertEquals(401, other.status)
         assertTrue("payload" in other.lines.single(), other.lines.toString())
+        assertTrue(other.lines.single().startsWith("""["CLOSED","q","auth-required:"""), other.lines.toString())
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun aTokenOutsideItsSixtySecondsIsRefused() {
+        val frame = req("""{"kinds":[1]}""")
+        val stale = alice.sign(HTTPAuthorizationEvent.build(origin, "POST", frame.encodeToByteArray(), System.currentTimeMillis() / 1000 - 120) {}).toAuthToken()
+        assertEquals(401, handler().ask(frame, stale).status)
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun anEventRefusedForItsTokenIsAnOkFalse() {
+        val posted = publish(note("unsigned"))
+        val answer = handler().ask(posted, token(req("{}")))
+        assertEquals(401, answer.status)
+        assertTrue(answer.lines.single().startsWith("""["OK","""), answer.lines.toString())
+        assertTrue(""",false,"auth-required:""" in answer.lines.single(), answer.lines.toString())
     }
 
     @Test
     fun noFirstFrameWithinTheDeadlineIsA503() {
-        val answer = handler(deadline = 300.milliseconds).ask(HttpRelayCommand.REQ, """{"kinds":[$STALLED_KIND]}""")
+        val answer = handler(deadline = 300.milliseconds).ask(req("""{"kinds":[$STALLED_KIND]}"""))
         assertEquals(503, answer.status)
-        assertTrue(answer.lines.single().startsWith("""["CLOSED","error: no answer"""))
+        assertTrue(answer.lines.single().startsWith("""["NOTICE","error: no answer"""))
     }
 
     @Test
     fun aDeadlineMidAnswerEndsOnAClosedLine() {
         val found = note("found")
         backend.events += found
-        val answer = handler(deadline = 300.milliseconds).ask(HttpRelayCommand.REQ, """{"kinds":[1,$TRICKLE_KIND]}""")
+        val answer = handler(deadline = 300.milliseconds).ask(req("""{"kinds":[1,$TRICKLE_KIND]}"""))
         assertEquals(200, answer.status)
         assertTrue(found.id in answer.lines.first())
-        assertTrue(answer.lines.last().startsWith("""["CLOSED","error: the answer ran past"""), answer.lines.toString())
+        assertTrue(answer.lines.last().startsWith("""["CLOSED","q","error: the answer ran past"""), answer.lines.toString())
     }
 
     @Test
@@ -308,7 +334,7 @@ class HttpRelayHandlerTest {
                     }.lines()
             }
         assertFailsWith<HttpRelayReaderStalled> {
-            runBlocking { h.handle(HttpRelayRequest(HttpRelayCommand.REQ, null, """{"kinds":[1,$TRICKLE_KIND]}""".encodeToByteArray()), stalled) }
+            runBlocking { h.handle(HttpRelayRequest(null, req("""{"kinds":[1,$TRICKLE_KIND]}""").encodeToByteArray()), stalled) }
         }
     }
 
@@ -322,26 +348,17 @@ class HttpRelayHandlerTest {
         session.close()
     }
 
-    @Test
-    fun framesCarryNoSubscriptionId() {
-        val found = note("found")
-        backend.events += found
-        val answer = handler().ask(HttpRelayCommand.REQ, """{"kinds":[1]}""")
-        assertTrue(answer.lines.first().startsWith("""["EVENT",{"""), answer.lines.toString())
-        assertEquals("""["EOSE"]""", answer.lines.last())
-    }
-
     @Test
     fun aDeeplyNestedBodyIsA400NotAStackOverflow() {
-        for (body in listOf("""{"a":""".repeat(2_000) + "1" + "}".repeat(2_000), "[".repeat(20_000) + "]".repeat(20_000))) {
-            val answer = HttpRelayHandler(MemoryRelay(backend, { VerifyPolicy }, limits = null), origins = { listOf(origin) }).ask(HttpRelayCommand.REQ, body)
+        for (body in listOf(req("""{"a":""".repeat(2_000) + "1" + "}".repeat(2_000)), "[".repeat(20_000) + "]".repeat(20_000))) {
+            val answer = HttpRelayHandler(MemoryRelay(backend, { VerifyPolicy }, limits = null), origins = { listOf(origin) }).ask(body)
             assertEquals(400, answer.status, body.take(20))
         }
     }
 
     @Test
     fun aFullAuthPolicyRefusesTransportSignInUntilItOptsIn() {
-        val body = """{"kinds":[1]}"""
+        val frame = req("""{"kinds":[1]}""")
         val relayUrl = RelayUrlNormalizer.normalize("wss://relay.example")
         val refusing =
             MemoryRelay(backend, {
@@ -349,9 +366,9 @@ class HttpRelayHandlerTest {
                     override suspend fun authorize(event: RelayAuthEvent): Unit = error("backend rejected user")
                 }
             })
-        val refused = HttpRelayHandler(refusing, origins = { listOf(origin) }).ask(HttpRelayCommand.REQ, body, token(HttpRelayCommand.REQ, body))
+        val refused = HttpRelayHandler(refusing, origins = { listOf(origin) }).ask(frame, token(frame))
         assertEquals(403, refused.status, refused.lines.toString())
-        assertTrue(refused.lines.single().startsWith("""["CLOSED","restricted:"""), refused.lines.toString())
+        assertTrue(refused.lines.single().startsWith("""["CLOSED","q","restricted:"""), refused.lines.toString())
 
         val optingIn =
             MemoryRelay(backend, {
@@ -359,14 +376,14 @@ class HttpRelayHandlerTest {
                     override suspend fun authorizeTransport(pubkey: HexKey): String? = null
                 }
             })
-        val signed = HttpRelayHandler(optingIn, origins = { listOf(origin) }).ask(HttpRelayCommand.REQ, body, token(HttpRelayCommand.REQ, body))
+        val signed = HttpRelayHandler(optingIn, origins = { listOf(origin) }).ask(frame, token(frame))
         assertEquals(200, signed.status, signed.lines.toString())
     }
 
     @Test
     fun aMessageLimitInThePolicyChainStillRuns() {
         val limited = MemoryRelay(backend, { LimitsPolicy(RelayLimits(maxMessageLength = 4096)) + VerifyPolicy }, limits = null)
-        val answer = HttpRelayHandler(limited, origins = { listOf(origin) }).ask(HttpRelayCommand.REQ, """{"search":"${"x".repeat(20_000)}"}""")
+        val answer = HttpRelayHandler(limited, origins = { listOf(origin) }).ask(req("""{"search":"${"x".repeat(20_000)}"}"""))
         assertEquals(400, answer.status, answer.lines.toString())
         assertTrue(answer.lines.single().startsWith("""["NOTICE","invalid: message too large"""), answer.lines.toString())
     }
@@ -374,13 +391,12 @@ class HttpRelayHandlerTest {
     @Test
     fun aMultiByteEventUnderTheCharacterLimitIsAccepted() {
         // 1,500 CJK characters: about 4,500 UTF-8 bytes, well under 4,096 characters as the engine counts.
-        val posted = note("\u4E2D".repeat(1_500))
-        val answer = handler().ask(HttpRelayCommand.EVENT, posted.toJson())
+        val answer = handler().ask(publish(note("中".repeat(1_500))))
         assertEquals(200, answer.status, answer.lines.toString())
     }
 
     @Test
-    fun aBackendFailureIsA500Line() {
+    fun aBackendFailureIsA500OkFalse() {
         val failing =
             object : SessionBackend by backend {
                 override suspend fun submit(
@@ -388,17 +404,18 @@ class HttpRelayHandlerTest {
                     onComplete: (IEventStore.InsertOutcome) -> Unit,
                 ): Unit = error("db is down")
             }
-        val answer = HttpRelayHandler(MemoryRelay(failing, { VerifyPolicy }), origins = { listOf(origin) }).ask(HttpRelayCommand.EVENT, note("lost").toJson())
+        val lost = note("lost")
+        val answer = HttpRelayHandler(MemoryRelay(failing, { VerifyPolicy }), origins = { listOf(origin) }).ask(publish(lost))
         assertEquals(500, answer.status, answer.lines.toString())
-        assertTrue(answer.lines.single().startsWith("""["CLOSED","error:"""), answer.lines.toString())
+        assertTrue(answer.lines.single().startsWith("""["OK","${lost.id}",false,"error:"""), answer.lines.toString())
     }
 
     @Test
     fun anInfiniteDeadlineStillStreams() {
         backend.events += note("forever")
-        val answer = handler(deadline = Duration.INFINITE).ask(HttpRelayCommand.REQ, """{"kinds":[1]}""")
+        val answer = handler(deadline = Duration.INFINITE).ask(req("""{"kinds":[1]}"""))
         assertEquals(200, answer.status)
-        assertEquals("""["EOSE"]""", answer.lines.last())
+        assertEquals("""["EOSE","q"]""", answer.lines.last())
     }
 
     @Test
@@ -414,37 +431,27 @@ class HttpRelayHandlerTest {
                 override suspend fun stream(lines: suspend HttpRelayLines.() -> Unit) = error("single")
             }
         assertFailsWith<HttpRelayReaderStalled> {
-            runBlocking { h.handle(HttpRelayRequest(HttpRelayCommand.COUNT, null, """{"kinds":[1]}""".encodeToByteArray()), stalled) }
+            runBlocking { h.handle(HttpRelayRequest(null, count("""{"kinds":[1]}""").encodeToByteArray()), stalled) }
         }
     }
 
-    @Test
-    fun aBodyIsSplicedIntoItsFrameAsSent() {
-        assertEquals("""["REQ","http",{"kinds":[1]}]""", HttpRelayCommand.REQ.frameOf(""" {"kinds":[1]} """))
-        assertEquals("""["COUNT","http",{"a":"]"},{"b":"\"["}]""", HttpRelayCommand.COUNT.frameOf("""[{"a":"]"},{"b":"\"["}]"""))
-        assertEquals("""["EVENT",{"id":"x"}]""", HttpRelayCommand.EVENT.frameOf("""{"id":"x"}"""))
-        for (bad in listOf("", "[]", "[ ]", "[{}", "1", "null", "\"x\"")) assertEquals(null, HttpRelayCommand.REQ.frameOf(bad), "REQ '$bad'")
-        for (bad in listOf("""[{"id":"x"}]""", "1")) assertEquals(null, HttpRelayCommand.EVENT.frameOf(bad), "EVENT '$bad'")
-    }
-
     @Test
     fun aBodyCannotCarryASecondCommand() {
         val smuggled = note("smuggled")
-        val answer = handler().ask(HttpRelayCommand.REQ, """{"kinds":[1]}],["EVENT",${smuggled.toJson()}""")
-        assertTrue(answer.lines.last().let { it == """["EOSE"]""" || it.startsWith("""["NOTICE",""") }, answer.lines.toString())
+        val answer = handler().ask(req("""{"kinds":[1]}""") + publish(smuggled))
+        assertTrue(answer.lines.last().let { it == """["EOSE","q"]""" || it.startsWith("""["NOTICE",""") }, answer.lines.toString())
         assertTrue(backend.events.none { it.id == smuggled.id }, "only the REQ ran")
     }
 
     @Test
     fun aTokenSignedAtAnyOfTheRelaysAddressesVerifies() {
-        val onion = "http://relayxyz.onion"
+        val onion = "http://relayxyz.onion/"
         val h = HttpRelayHandler(MemoryRelay(backend, true), origins = { listOf(origin, onion) })
-        val body = """{"kinds":[1]}"""
-
-        fun at(base: String) = alice.sign(HTTPAuthorizationEvent.build(base + "/req", "POST", body.encodeToByteArray(), System.currentTimeMillis() / 1000) {}).toAuthToken()
-        assertEquals(200, h.ask(HttpRelayCommand.REQ, body, at(onion)).status)
-        assertEquals(200, h.ask(HttpRelayCommand.REQ, body, at(origin)).status)
-        assertEquals(401, h.ask(HttpRelayCommand.REQ, body, at("https://elsewhere.example")).status)
+        val frame = req("""{"kinds":[1]}""")
+        assertEquals(200, h.ask(frame, token(frame, onion)).status)
+        assertEquals(200, h.ask(frame, token(frame, "http://relayxyz.onion")).status, "with or without the trailing slash")
+        assertEquals(200, h.ask(frame, token(frame, "$origin/")).status)
+        assertEquals(401, h.ask(frame, token(frame, "https://elsewhere.example")).status)
     }
 
     private companion object {