v2.1.9 - Add Raspberry Pi ARM64 static build support

v2.1.8 - Implement explicit WAL checkpoint scheduling and disable SQLite auto-checkpoint
v2.1.7 - Refactor SQLite connection ownership into db_ops, remove direct sqlite usage from runtime modules, and document agent-browser admin testing flow
2026-04-23 06:44:45 -04:00 · 2026-04-01 21:03:24 -04:00 · 2026-04-01 19:48:29 -04:00 · 2026-04-01 19:08:42 -04:00 · 2026-04-01 16:15:46 -04:00 · 2026-04-01 15:19:28 -04:00
122 changed files with 49229 additions and 4016 deletions
@@ -11,4 +11,4 @@ copy_executable_local.sh
 nostr_login_lite/
 style_guide/
 nostr-tools
-
+.test_keys
@@ -1 +1 @@
-src/embedded_web_content.c
+src/embedded_web_content.c
@@ -121,8 +121,8 @@ fuser -k 8888/tcp
 - Event filtering done at C level, not SQL level for NIP-40 expiration

 ### Configuration Override Behavior
- CLI port override only affects first-time startup
- After database creation, all config comes from events
+- CLI port override applies during first-time startup and existing relay restarts
+- After database creation, all config comes from events (but CLI overrides can still be applied)
 - Database path cannot be changed after initialization

 ## Non-Obvious Pitfalls
@@ -0,0 +1,995 @@
+# C-Relay API Documentation
+
+Complete API reference for the C-Relay event-based administration system and advanced features.
+
+## Table of Contents
+
+- [Overview](#overview)
+- [Authentication](#authentication)
+- [Admin API](#admin-api)
+  - [Event Structure](#event-structure)
+  - [Configuration Management](#configuration-management)
+  - [Auth Rules Management](#auth-rules-management)
+  - [System Commands](#system-commands)
+  - [Database Queries](#database-queries)
+- [Configuration Reference](#configuration-reference)
+- [Real-time Monitoring](#real-time-monitoring)
+- [Direct Message Admin](#direct-message-admin)
+- [Response Formats](#response-formats)
+- [Error Handling](#error-handling)
+- [Examples](#examples)
+
+## Overview
+
+C-Relay uses an innovative **event-based administration system** where all configuration and management commands are sent as cryptographically signed Nostr events. This provides:
+
+- **Cryptographic security**: All commands must be signed with the admin private key
+- **Audit trail**: Complete history of all administrative actions
+- **Real-time updates**: Configuration changes applied instantly
+- **Standard protocol**: Uses Nostr events, no custom protocols
+- **NIP-44 encryption**: All admin commands and responses are encrypted
+
+### Key Concepts
+
+1. **Admin Keypair**: Generated on first startup, used to sign all admin commands
+2. **Relay Keypair**: The relay's identity on the Nostr network
+3. **Admin Events**: Kind 23456 events with NIP-44 encrypted commands
+4. **Response Events**: Kind 23457 events with NIP-44 encrypted responses
+5. **Event-Based Config**: All settings stored as events in the database
+
+## Authentication
+
+### Admin Private Key
+
+The admin private key is displayed **only once** during first startup:
+
+```
+========================================
+IMPORTANT: SAVE THIS ADMIN PRIVATE KEY
+========================================
+Admin Private Key: nsec1abc123...
+Admin Public Key: npub1def456...
+========================================
+```
+
+**Critical**: Save this key immediately. It cannot be recovered and is required for all administrative operations.
+
+### Secure Storage
+
+Store the admin private key securely:
+
+```bash
+# Environment variable
+export C_RELAY_ADMIN_KEY="nsec1abc123..."
+
+# Secure file
+echo "nsec1abc123..." > ~/.c-relay-admin
+chmod 600 ~/.c-relay-admin
+
+# Password manager (recommended)
+# Store in 1Password, Bitwarden, etc.
+```
+
+### Key Loss Recovery
+
+If you lose the admin private key:
+
+1. Stop the relay
+2. Delete the database file (`*.db`)
+3. Restart the relay (generates new keys)
+4. **Note**: This deletes all events and configuration
+
+## Admin API
+
+### Event Structure
+
+All admin commands use the same event structure with NIP-44 encrypted content.
+
+#### Admin Command Event (Kind 23456)
+
+```json
+{
+  "id": "computed_event_id",
+  "pubkey": "admin_public_key_hex",
+  "created_at": 1234567890,
+  "kind": 23456,
+  "content": "AqHBUgcM7dXFYLQuDVzGwMST1G8jtWYyVvYxXhVGEu4nAb4LVw...",
+  "tags": [
+    ["p", "relay_public_key_hex"]
+  ],
+  "sig": "event_signature"
+}
+```
+
+**Fields**:
+- `kind`: Must be `23456` for admin commands
+- `pubkey`: Admin public key (hex format)
+- `content`: NIP-44 encrypted JSON array containing the command
+- `tags`: Must include `["p", "relay_pubkey"]` tag
+- `sig`: Valid signature from admin private key
+
+#### Encrypted Content Format
+
+The `content` field contains a NIP-44 encrypted JSON array:
+
+```json
+["command_name", "param1", "param2", ...]
+```
+
+Examples:
+```json
+["config_query", "all"]
+["config_update", [{"key": "relay_name", "value": "My Relay", ...}]]
+["blacklist", "pubkey", "abc123..."]
+["auth_query", "all"]
+["sql_query", "SELECT * FROM events LIMIT 10"]
+```
+
+#### Admin Response Event (Kind 23457)
+
+```json
+{
+  "id": "response_event_id",
+  "pubkey": "relay_public_key_hex",
+  "created_at": 1234567890,
+  "kind": 23457,
+  "content": "BpKCVhfN8eYtRmPqSvWxZnMkL2gHjUiOp3rTyEwQaS5dFg...",
+  "tags": [
+    ["p", "admin_public_key_hex"],
+    ["e", "request_event_id"]
+  ],
+  "sig": "response_signature"
+}
+```
+
+**Fields**:
+- `kind`: Always `23457` for admin responses
+- `pubkey`: Relay public key (hex format)
+- `content`: NIP-44 encrypted JSON response object
+- `tags`: Includes `["p", "admin_pubkey"]` and optionally `["e", "request_id"]`
+- `sig`: Valid signature from relay private key
+
+### Configuration Management
+
+#### Query All Configuration
+
+**Command**:
+```json
+["config_query", "all"]
+```
+
+**Response** (decrypted):
+```json
+{
+  "query_type": "config_all",
+  "total_results": 27,
+  "timestamp": 1234567890,
+  "data": [
+    {
+      "key": "relay_name",
+      "value": "C-Relay",
+      "data_type": "string",
+      "category": "relay",
+      "description": "Relay name displayed in NIP-11"
+    },
+    {
+      "key": "auth_enabled",
+      "value": "false",
+      "data_type": "boolean",
+      "category": "auth",
+      "description": "Enable whitelist/blacklist authentication"
+    }
+  ]
+}
+```
+
+#### Update Configuration
+
+**Command**:
+```json
+["config_update", [
+  {
+    "key": "relay_name",
+    "value": "My Awesome Relay",
+    "data_type": "string",
+    "category": "relay"
+  },
+  {
+    "key": "max_subscriptions_per_client",
+    "value": "50",
+    "data_type": "integer",
+    "category": "limits"
+  }
+]]
+```
+
+**Response** (decrypted):
+```json
+{
+  "query_type": "config_update",
+  "status": "success",
+  "total_results": 2,
+  "timestamp": 1234567890,
+  "data": [
+    {
+      "key": "relay_name",
+      "value": "My Awesome Relay",
+      "status": "updated"
+    },
+    {
+      "key": "max_subscriptions_per_client",
+      "value": "50",
+      "status": "updated"
+    }
+  ]
+}
+```
+
+### Auth Rules Management
+
+#### Add Blacklist Rule
+
+**Command**:
+```json
+["blacklist", "pubkey", "abc123def456..."]
+```
+
+**Response** (decrypted):
+```json
+{
+  "query_type": "auth_add",
+  "status": "success",
+  "message": "Blacklist rule added successfully",
+  "timestamp": 1234567890
+}
+```
+
+#### Add Whitelist Rule
+
+**Command**:
+```json
+["whitelist", "pubkey", "def456abc123..."]
+```
+
+#### Delete Auth Rule
+
+**Command**:
+```json
+["delete_auth_rule", "blacklist", "pubkey", "abc123def456..."]
+```
+
+**Response** (decrypted):
+```json
+{
+  "query_type": "auth_delete",
+  "status": "success",
+  "message": "Auth rule deleted successfully",
+  "timestamp": 1234567890
+}
+```
+
+#### Query All Auth Rules
+
+**Command**:
+```json
+["auth_query", "all"]
+```
+
+**Response** (decrypted):
+```json
+{
+  "query_type": "auth_rules_all",
+  "total_results": 5,
+  "timestamp": 1234567890,
+  "data": [
+    {
+      "rule_type": "blacklist",
+      "pattern_type": "pubkey",
+      "pattern_value": "abc123...",
+      "action": "deny"
+    },
+    {
+      "rule_type": "whitelist",
+      "pattern_type": "pubkey",
+      "pattern_value": "def456...",
+      "action": "allow"
+    }
+  ]
+}
+```
+
+#### Query Specific Rule Type
+
+**Command**:
+```json
+["auth_query", "whitelist"]
+```
+
+#### Query Specific Pattern
+
+**Command**:
+```json
+["auth_query", "pattern", "abc123..."]
+```
+
+### System Commands
+
+#### System Status
+
+**Command**:
+```json
+["system_command", "system_status"]
+```
+
+**Response** (decrypted):
+```json
+{
+  "query_type": "system_status",
+  "timestamp": 1234567890,
+  "status": "running",
+  "uptime_seconds": 86400,
+  "version": "0.6.0",
+  "relay_pubkey": "relay_public_key_hex",
+  "database_size_bytes": 10485760,
+  "total_events": 15432,
+  "active_connections": 42,
+  "active_subscriptions": 156
+}
+```
+
+#### Clear All Auth Rules
+
+**Command**:
+```json
+["system_command", "clear_all_auth_rules"]
+```
+
+**Response** (decrypted):
+```json
+{
+  "query_type": "system_command",
+  "status": "success",
+  "message": "All auth rules cleared",
+  "timestamp": 1234567890
+}
+```
+
+#### Database Statistics
+
+**Command**:
+```json
+["stats_query"]
+```
+
+**Response** (decrypted):
+```json
+{
+  "query_type": "stats_query",
+  "timestamp": 1234567890,
+  "database_size_bytes": 10485760,
+  "total_events": 15432,
+  "database_created_at": 1234567800,
+  "latest_event_at": 1234567890,
+  "event_kinds": [
+    {
+      "kind": 1,
+      "count": 12000,
+      "percentage": 77.8
+    },
+    {
+      "kind": 0,
+      "count": 2500,
+      "percentage": 16.2
+    }
+  ],
+  "time_stats": {
+    "total": 15432,
+    "last_24h": 234,
+    "last_7d": 1456,
+    "last_30d": 5432
+  },
+  "top_pubkeys": [
+    {
+      "pubkey": "abc123...",
+      "event_count": 1234,
+      "percentage": 8.0
+    }
+  ]
+}
+```
+
+### Database Queries
+
+#### SQL Query Command
+
+Execute read-only SQL queries against the relay database.
+
+**Command**:
+```json
+["sql_query", "SELECT * FROM events ORDER BY created_at DESC LIMIT 10"]
+```
+
+**Response** (decrypted):
+```json
+{
+  "query_type": "sql_query",
+  "request_id": "request_event_id",
+  "timestamp": 1234567890,
+  "query": "SELECT * FROM events ORDER BY created_at DESC LIMIT 10",
+  "execution_time_ms": 45,
+  "row_count": 10,
+  "columns": ["id", "pubkey", "created_at", "kind", "content", "tags", "sig"],
+  "rows": [
+    ["abc123...", "def456...", 1234567890, 1, "Hello world", "[]", "sig123..."],
+    ["ghi789...", "jkl012...", 1234567880, 0, "{\"name\":\"Alice\"}", "[]", "sig456..."]
+  ]
+}
+```
+
+#### Security Features
+
+- **Read-only**: Only SELECT statements allowed
+- **Query timeout**: 5 seconds maximum
+- **Result limit**: 1000 rows maximum
+- **Logging**: All queries logged with execution time
+- **Validation**: SQL injection protection
+
+#### Available Tables and Views
+
+**Core Tables**:
+- `events` - All Nostr events
+- `config` - Configuration parameters
+- `auth_rules` - Authentication rules
+- `subscription_events` - Subscription lifecycle log
+- `event_broadcasts` - Event broadcast log
+
+**Views**:
+- `recent_events` - Last 1000 events
+- `event_stats` - Event statistics by type
+- `subscription_analytics` - Subscription metrics
+- `active_subscriptions_log` - Currently active subscriptions
+- `event_kinds_view` - Event distribution by kind
+- `top_pubkeys_view` - Top 10 pubkeys by event count
+- `time_stats_view` - Time-based statistics
+
+#### Example Queries
+
+**Recent events**:
+```sql
+SELECT id, pubkey, created_at, kind 
+FROM events 
+ORDER BY created_at DESC 
+LIMIT 20
+```
+
+**Event distribution**:
+```sql
+SELECT * FROM event_kinds_view 
+ORDER BY count DESC
+```
+
+**Active subscriptions**:
+```sql
+SELECT * FROM active_subscriptions_log 
+ORDER BY created_at DESC
+```
+
+**Database statistics**:
+```sql
+SELECT
+  (SELECT COUNT(*) FROM events) as total_events,
+  (SELECT COUNT(*) FROM subscription_events) as total_subscriptions,
+  (SELECT COUNT(DISTINCT pubkey) FROM events) as unique_pubkeys
+```
+
+**Events by specific pubkey**:
+```sql
+SELECT id, created_at, kind, content 
+FROM events 
+WHERE pubkey = 'abc123...' 
+ORDER BY created_at DESC 
+LIMIT 50
+```
+
+**Events in time range**:
+```sql
+SELECT COUNT(*) as count, kind 
+FROM events 
+WHERE created_at BETWEEN 1234567000 AND 1234567890 
+GROUP BY kind 
+ORDER BY count DESC
+```
+
+## Configuration Reference
+
+### Basic Relay Settings
+
+| Key | Type | Default | Description |
+|-----|------|---------|-------------|
+| `relay_name` | string | "C-Relay" | Relay name (NIP-11) |
+| `relay_description` | string | "C Nostr Relay" | Relay description |
+| `relay_contact` | string | "" | Admin contact info |
+| `relay_software` | string | "c-relay" | Software identifier |
+| `relay_version` | string | auto | Software version |
+| `supported_nips` | string | "1,9,11,13,15,20,33,40,42,45,50,70" | Supported NIPs |
+| `language_tags` | string | "*" | Supported languages |
+| `relay_countries` | string | "*" | Supported countries |
+| `posting_policy` | string | "" | Posting policy URL |
+| `payments_url` | string | "" | Payment URL |
+
+### Connection & Limits
+
+| Key | Type | Default | Range | Restart Required |
+|-----|------|---------|-------|------------------|
+| `max_connections` | integer | 1000 | 1-10000 | Yes |
+| `max_subscriptions_per_client` | integer | 25 | 1-100 | No |
+| `max_total_subscriptions` | integer | 5000 | 100-50000 | No |
+| `max_message_length` | integer | 65536 | 1024-1048576 | No |
+| `max_event_tags` | integer | 2000 | 10-10000 | No |
+| `max_content_length` | integer | 65536 | 1-1048576 | No |
+
+### Authentication & Access Control
+
+| Key | Type | Default | Description |
+|-----|------|---------|-------------|
+| `auth_enabled` | boolean | false | Enable whitelist/blacklist |
+| `nip42_auth_required` | boolean | false | Require NIP-42 auth |
+| `nip42_auth_required_kinds` | string | "" | Kinds requiring NIP-42 |
+| `nip42_challenge_timeout` | integer | 300 | Challenge timeout (seconds) |
+
+### Proof of Work (NIP-13)
+
+| Key | Type | Default | Values | Description |
+|-----|------|---------|--------|-------------|
+| `pow_min_difficulty` | integer | 0 | 0-40 | Minimum PoW difficulty |
+| `pow_mode` | string | "optional" | disabled/optional/required | PoW enforcement mode |
+
+### Event Expiration (NIP-40)
+
+| Key | Type | Default | Description |
+|-----|------|---------|-------------|
+| `nip40_expiration_enabled` | boolean | true | Enable expiration support |
+| `nip40_expiration_strict` | boolean | false | Reject expired events |
+| `nip40_expiration_filter` | boolean | true | Filter expired from results |
+| `nip40_expiration_grace_period` | integer | 300 | Grace period (seconds) |
+
+### Monitoring
+
+| Key | Type | Default | Description |
+|-----|------|---------|-------------|
+| `kind_24567_reporting_throttle_sec` | integer | 5 | Monitoring event throttle |
+
+### Dynamic vs Restart-Required
+
+**Dynamic (No Restart)**:
+- All NIP-11 relay information
+- Authentication settings
+- Subscription limits
+- Event validation limits
+- Proof of Work settings
+- Expiration settings
+
+**Restart Required**:
+- `max_connections`
+- `relay_port`
+- Database settings
+
+## Real-time Monitoring
+
+C-Relay provides subscription-based real-time monitoring using ephemeral events (kind 24567).
+
+### Activation
+
+Subscribe to kind 24567 events to activate monitoring:
+
+```json
+["REQ", "monitoring-sub", {"kinds": [24567]}]
+```
+
+### Monitoring Event Types
+
+Subscribe to specific monitoring types using d-tag filters:
+
+```json
+["REQ", "event-kinds", {"kinds": [24567], "#d": ["event_kinds"]}]
+["REQ", "time-stats", {"kinds": [24567], "#d": ["time_stats"]}]
+["REQ", "top-pubkeys", {"kinds": [24567], "#d": ["top_pubkeys"]}]
+["REQ", "cpu-metrics", {"kinds": [24567], "#d": ["cpu_metrics"]}]
+```
+
+### Event Structure
+
+```json
+{
+  "kind": 24567,
+  "pubkey": "relay_pubkey",
+  "created_at": 1234567890,
+  "content": "{\"data_type\":\"event_kinds\",\"timestamp\":1234567890,...}",
+  "tags": [
+    ["d", "event_kinds"]
+  ]
+}
+```
+
+### Monitoring Types
+
+#### Event Distribution (`event_kinds`)
+
+```json
+{
+  "data_type": "event_kinds",
+  "timestamp": 1234567890,
+  "total_events": 15432,
+  "kinds": [
+    {"kind": 1, "count": 12000, "percentage": 77.8},
+    {"kind": 0, "count": 2500, "percentage": 16.2}
+  ]
+}
+```
+
+#### Time Statistics (`time_stats`)
+
+```json
+{
+  "data_type": "time_stats",
+  "timestamp": 1234567890,
+  "total_events": 15432,
+  "last_24h": 234,
+  "last_7d": 1456,
+  "last_30d": 5432
+}
+```
+
+#### Top Publishers (`top_pubkeys`)
+
+```json
+{
+  "data_type": "top_pubkeys",
+  "timestamp": 1234567890,
+  "top_pubkeys": [
+    {"pubkey": "abc123...", "count": 1234, "percentage": 8.0},
+    {"pubkey": "def456...", "count": 987, "percentage": 6.4}
+  ]
+}
+```
+
+#### CPU Metrics (`cpu_metrics`)
+
+```json
+{
+  "data_type": "cpu_metrics",
+  "timestamp": 1234567890,
+  "cpu_percent": 12.5,
+  "memory_mb": 45.2,
+  "uptime_seconds": 86400
+}
+```
+
+#### Active Subscriptions (`active_subscriptions`) - Admin Only
+
+```json
+{
+  "data_type": "active_subscriptions",
+  "timestamp": 1234567890,
+  "total_subscriptions": 156,
+  "subscriptions_by_client": [
+    {"client_id": "client1", "count": 12},
+    {"client_id": "client2", "count": 8}
+  ]
+}
+```
+
+### Configuration
+
+Control monitoring frequency:
+
+```json
+["config_update", [{
+  "key": "kind_24567_reporting_throttle_sec",
+  "value": "10",
+  "data_type": "integer",
+  "category": "monitoring"
+}]]
+```
+
+### Performance
+
+- Events are ephemeral (not stored)
+- Automatic activation/deactivation based on subscriptions
+- Throttling prevents excessive event generation
+- Minimal overhead when no clients monitoring
+
+## Direct Message Admin
+
+Control your relay by sending direct messages from any Nostr client.
+
+### Setup
+
+1. The relay has its own keypair (shown on startup)
+2. The relay knows the admin public key
+3. Send NIP-17 direct messages to the relay
+
+### Available Commands
+
+Send a DM containing any of these keywords:
+
+| Command | Aliases | Response |
+|---------|---------|----------|
+| Statistics | stats, statistics | Database statistics |
+| Configuration | config, configuration | Current configuration |
+
+### Example
+
+Using any Nostr client that supports NIP-17:
+
+1. Find the relay's public key (shown on startup)
+2. Send a DM: "stats"
+3. Receive a DM with current relay statistics
+
+### Response Format
+
+The relay responds with a NIP-17 DM containing:
+
+**Stats Response**:
+```
+Relay Statistics
+================
+Total Events: 15,432
+Database Size: 10.5 MB
+Active Connections: 42
+Active Subscriptions: 156
+Uptime: 1 day, 2 hours
+```
+
+**Config Response**:
+```
+Relay Configuration
+===================
+Name: My Awesome Relay
+Description: Community relay
+Max Subscriptions: 25
+Auth Enabled: false
+PoW Difficulty: 0
+```
+
+## Response Formats
+
+### Success Response
+
+```json
+{
+  "query_type": "command_name",
+  "status": "success",
+  "message": "Operation completed successfully",
+  "timestamp": 1234567890,
+  "data": [...]
+}
+```
+
+### Error Response
+
+```json
+{
+  "query_type": "command_name",
+  "status": "error",
+  "error": "Error description",
+  "timestamp": 1234567890
+}
+```
+
+### Query Response
+
+```json
+{
+  "query_type": "query_name",
+  "total_results": 10,
+  "timestamp": 1234567890,
+  "data": [...]
+}
+```
+
+## Error Handling
+
+### Common Errors
+
+| Error | Cause | Solution |
+|-------|-------|----------|
+| `invalid_signature` | Event signature invalid | Check admin private key |
+| `unauthorized` | Wrong admin pubkey | Use correct admin key |
+| `invalid_command` | Unknown command | Check command format |
+| `validation_failed` | Invalid parameter value | Check parameter ranges |
+| `database_error` | Database operation failed | Check database integrity |
+| `timeout` | Query took too long | Simplify query or increase timeout |
+
+### Error Response Example
+
+```json
+{
+  "query_type": "config_update",
+  "status": "error",
+  "error": "field validation failed: invalid port number '99999' (must be 1-65535)",
+  "timestamp": 1234567890
+}
+```
+
+## Examples
+
+### JavaScript/TypeScript Example
+
+```javascript
+import { SimplePool, nip44, getPublicKey, finalizeEvent } from 'nostr-tools';
+
+const adminPrivkey = 'your_admin_privkey_hex';
+const adminPubkey = getPublicKey(adminPrivkey);
+const relayPubkey = 'relay_pubkey_hex';
+const relayUrl = 'ws://localhost:8888';
+
+// Create admin command
+async function sendAdminCommand(command) {
+  const pool = new SimplePool();
+  
+  // Encrypt command with NIP-44
+  const encryptedContent = await nip44.encrypt(
+    adminPrivkey,
+    relayPubkey,
+    JSON.stringify(command)
+  );
+  
+  // Create event
+  const event = finalizeEvent({
+    kind: 23456,
+    created_at: Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000),
+    tags: [['p', relayPubkey]],
+    content: encryptedContent
+  }, adminPrivkey);
+  
+  // Publish event
+  await pool.publish([relayUrl], event);
+  
+  // Subscribe to response
+  const sub = pool.sub([relayUrl], [{
+    kinds: [23457],
+    '#p': [adminPubkey],
+    since: Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000)
+  }]);
+  
+  return new Promise((resolve) => {
+    sub.on('event', async (event) => {
+      // Decrypt response
+      const decrypted = await nip44.decrypt(
+        adminPrivkey,
+        relayPubkey,
+        event.content
+      );
+      resolve(JSON.parse(decrypted));
+      sub.unsub();
+    });
+  });
+}
+
+// Query configuration
+const config = await sendAdminCommand(['config_query', 'all']);
+console.log(config);
+
+// Update configuration
+const result = await sendAdminCommand(['config_update', [
+  {
+    key: 'relay_name',
+    value: 'My Relay',
+    data_type: 'string',
+    category: 'relay'
+  }
+]]);
+console.log(result);
+
+// Add blacklist rule
+const blacklist = await sendAdminCommand([
+  'blacklist',
+  'pubkey',
+  'abc123...'
+]);
+console.log(blacklist);
+
+// Execute SQL query
+const query = await sendAdminCommand([
+  'sql_query',
+  'SELECT * FROM events ORDER BY created_at DESC LIMIT 10'
+]);
+console.log(query);
+```
+
+### Python Example
+
+```python
+from nostr_sdk import Keys, Client, EventBuilder, Filter, nip44
+
+admin_privkey = "your_admin_privkey_hex"
+relay_pubkey = "relay_pubkey_hex"
+relay_url = "ws://localhost:8888"
+
+# Initialize
+keys = Keys.parse(admin_privkey)
+client = Client(keys)
+client.add_relay(relay_url)
+client.connect()
+
+# Send admin command
+async def send_admin_command(command):
+    # Encrypt command
+    encrypted = nip44.encrypt(
+        keys.secret_key(),
+        relay_pubkey,
+        json.dumps(command)
+    )
+    
+    # Create event
+    event = EventBuilder.new(
+        kind=23456,
+        content=encrypted,
+        tags=[["p", relay_pubkey]]
+    ).to_event(keys)
+    
+    # Publish
+    await client.send_event(event)
+    
+    # Wait for response
+    filter = Filter().kind(23457).pubkey(relay_pubkey).since(int(time.time()))
+    events = await client.get_events_of([filter], timeout=5)
+    
+    if events:
+        # Decrypt response
+        decrypted = nip44.decrypt(
+            keys.secret_key(),
+            relay_pubkey,
+            events[0].content()
+        )
+        return json.loads(decrypted)
+
+# Query configuration
+config = await send_admin_command(["config_query", "all"])
+print(config)
+```
+
+### Bash/curl Example
+
+```bash
+#!/bin/bash
+
+# Note: This is a simplified example. Real implementation requires:
+# - NIP-44 encryption
+# - Event signing
+# - WebSocket connection
+
+RELAY_URL="ws://localhost:8888"
+ADMIN_PRIVKEY="your_admin_privkey"
+RELAY_PUBKEY="relay_pubkey"
+
+# Use nostrtool or similar for proper event creation
+nostrtool event \
+  --kind 23456 \
+  --content "$(echo '["config_query","all"]' | nip44-encrypt)" \
+  --tag p "$RELAY_PUBKEY" \
+  --private-key "$ADMIN_PRIVKEY" \
+  | nostrtool send "$RELAY_URL"
+```
+
+---
+
+## Additional Resources
+
+- **[Configuration Guide](docs/configuration_guide.md)** - Detailed configuration options
+- **[Deployment Guide](docs/deployment_guide.md)** - Production deployment
+- **[NIP-42 Authentication](docs/NIP-42_Authentication.md)** - Authentication setup
+- **[User Guide](docs/user_guide.md)** - End-user documentation
+
+## Support
+
+For API questions or issues:
+- Open an issue on GitHub
+- Check existing documentation
+- Join the Nostr community
+
+---
+
+**API Version**: 0.6.0  
+**Last Updated**: 2026-01-23
@@ -5,6 +5,9 @@ ARG DEBUG_BUILD=false

 FROM alpine:3.19 AS builder

+# Re-declare build argument in this stage
+ARG DEBUG_BUILD=false
+
 # Install build dependencies
 RUN apk add --no-cache \
    build-base \
@@ -25,7 +28,8 @@ RUN apk add --no-cache \
    sqlite-static \
    linux-headers \
    wget \
-    bash
+    bash \
+    openssh-client

 # Set working directory
 WORKDIR /build
@@ -65,15 +69,8 @@ RUN cd /tmp && \
    make install && \
    rm -rf /tmp/libwebsockets

-# Copy only submodule configuration and git directory
-COPY .gitmodules /build/.gitmodules
-COPY .git /build/.git
-
-# Clean up any stale submodule references (nips directory is not a submodule)
-RUN git rm --cached nips 2>/dev/null || true
-
-# Initialize submodules (cached unless .gitmodules changes)
-RUN git submodule update --init --recursive
+# Submodules are provided in the local build context and copied explicitly below.
+# Avoid network/SSH dependency inside Docker image build.

 # Copy nostr_core_lib source files (cached unless nostr_core_lib changes)
 COPY nostr_core_lib /build/nostr_core_lib/
@@ -81,11 +78,13 @@ COPY nostr_core_lib /build/nostr_core_lib/
 # Copy c_utils_lib source files (cached unless c_utils_lib changes)
 COPY c_utils_lib /build/c_utils_lib/

-# Build c_utils_lib with MUSL-compatible flags (cached unless c_utils_lib changes)
+# Build c_utils_lib static library for relay logging utilities
+# (build only debug.c to avoid broken/missing version header surface in submodule revision)
 RUN cd c_utils_lib && \
-    sed -i 's/CFLAGS = -Wall -Wextra -std=c99 -O2 -g/CFLAGS = -U_FORTIFY_SOURCE -D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=0 -Wall -Wextra -std=c99 -O2 -g/' Makefile && \
-    make clean && \
-    make
+    mkdir -p build && \
+    gcc -U_FORTIFY_SOURCE -D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=0 -Wall -Wextra -std=c99 -O2 -g \
+        -Isrc -Iinclude -c src/debug.c -o build/debug.o && \
+    ar rcs libc_utils.a build/debug.o

 # Build nostr_core_lib with required NIPs (cached unless nostr_core_lib changes)
 # Disable fortification in build.sh to prevent __*_chk symbol issues
@@ -93,8 +92,20 @@ RUN cd c_utils_lib && \
 RUN cd nostr_core_lib && \
    chmod +x build.sh && \
    sed -i 's/CFLAGS="-Wall -Wextra -std=c99 -fPIC -O2"/CFLAGS="-U_FORTIFY_SOURCE -D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=0 -Wall -Wextra -std=c99 -fPIC -O2"/' build.sh && \
+    if [ "$(uname -m)" = "aarch64" ] && ! command -v aarch64-linux-gnu-gcc >/dev/null 2>&1; then \
+        ln -sf /usr/bin/gcc /usr/local/bin/aarch64-linux-gnu-gcc; \
+    fi && \
    rm -f *.o *.a 2>/dev/null || true && \
-    ./build.sh --nips=1,6,13,17,19,44,59
+    ./build.sh --nips=1,6,13,17,19,44,59 && \
+    if [ -f libnostr_core_arm64.a ]; then \
+        cp libnostr_core_arm64.a libnostr_core.a; \
+    elif [ -f libnostr_core_x64.a ]; then \
+        cp libnostr_core_x64.a libnostr_core.a; \
+    else \
+        echo "ERROR: No supported nostr_core static library produced"; \
+        ls -la *.a 2>/dev/null || true; \
+        exit 1; \
+    fi

 # Copy c-relay source files LAST (only this layer rebuilds on source changes)
 COPY src/ /build/src/
@@ -104,13 +115,13 @@ COPY Makefile /build/Makefile
 # Disable fortification to avoid __*_chk symbols that don't exist in MUSL
 # Use conditional compilation flags based on DEBUG_BUILD argument
 RUN if [ "$DEBUG_BUILD" = "true" ]; then \
-        CFLAGS="-g -O0 -DDEBUG"; \
-        STRIP_CMD=""; \
-        echo "Building with DEBUG symbols enabled"; \
+        CFLAGS="-g -O2 -DDEBUG -fno-omit-frame-pointer"; \
+        STRIP_CMD="echo 'Keeping debug symbols'"; \
+        echo "Building with DEBUG symbols enabled (optimized with -O2, frame pointers kept for perf)"; \
    else \
        CFLAGS="-O2"; \
        STRIP_CMD="strip /build/c_relay_static"; \
-        echo "Building optimized production binary"; \
+        echo "Building optimized production binary (symbols stripped)"; \
    fi && \
    gcc -static $CFLAGS -Wall -Wextra -std=c99 \
    -U_FORTIFY_SOURCE -D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=0 \
@@ -118,10 +129,11 @@ RUN if [ "$DEBUG_BUILD" = "true" ]; then \
    -Inostr_core_lib/cjson -Inostr_core_lib/nostr_websocket \
    src/main.c src/config.c src/dm_admin.c src/request_validator.c \
    src/nip009.c src/nip011.c src/nip013.c src/nip040.c src/nip042.c \
-    src/websockets.c src/subscriptions.c src/api.c src/embedded_web_content.c \
+    src/websockets.c src/subscriptions.c src/api.c src/embedded_web_content.c src/ip_ban.c \
+    src/db_ops.c src/thread_pool.c \
    -o /build/c_relay_static \
    c_utils_lib/libc_utils.a \
-    nostr_core_lib/libnostr_core_x64.a \
+    nostr_core_lib/libnostr_core.a \
    -lwebsockets -lssl -lcrypto -lsqlite3 -lsecp256k1 \
    -lcurl -lz -lpthread -lm -ldl && \
    eval "$STRIP_CMD"
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ LIBS = -lsqlite3 -lwebsockets -lz -ldl -lpthread -lm -L/usr/local/lib -lsecp256k
 BUILD_DIR = build

 # Source files
-MAIN_SRC = src/main.c src/config.c src/dm_admin.c src/request_validator.c src/nip009.c src/nip011.c src/nip013.c src/nip040.c src/nip042.c src/websockets.c src/subscriptions.c src/api.c src/embedded_web_content.c
+MAIN_SRC = src/main.c src/config.c src/dm_admin.c src/request_validator.c src/nip009.c src/nip011.c src/nip013.c src/nip040.c src/nip042.c src/websockets.c src/subscriptions.c src/api.c src/embedded_web_content.c src/ip_ban.c src/db_ops.c src/thread_pool.c
 NOSTR_CORE_LIB = nostr_core_lib/libnostr_core_x64.a
 C_UTILS_LIB = c_utils_lib/libc_utils.a

@@ -92,63 +92,20 @@ x86: $(BUILD_DIR) src/main.h src/sql_schema.h $(MAIN_SRC) $(NOSTR_CORE_LIB) $(C_
 	$(CC) $(CFLAGS) $(INCLUDES) $(MAIN_SRC) -o $(BUILD_DIR)/c_relay_x86 $(NOSTR_CORE_LIB) $(C_UTILS_LIB) $(LIBS)
 	@echo "Build complete: $(BUILD_DIR)/c_relay_x86"

-arm64: $(BUILD_DIR) src/main.h src/sql_schema.h $(MAIN_SRC) $(NOSTR_CORE_LIB) $(C_UTILS_LIB)
-	@echo "Cross-compiling C-Relay for ARM64..."
-	@if ! command -v aarch64-linux-gnu-gcc >/dev/null 2>&1; then \
-		echo "ERROR: ARM64 cross-compiler not found."; \
-		echo "Install with: make install-cross-tools"; \
-		echo "Or install manually: sudo apt install gcc-aarch64-linux-gnu"; \
-		exit 1; \
-	fi
-	@echo "Checking for ARM64 development libraries..."
-	@if ! dpkg -l | grep -q "libssl-dev:arm64\|libsqlite3-dev:arm64"; then \
-		echo "ERROR: ARM64 libraries not found. Cross-compilation requires ARM64 versions of:"; \
-		echo "  - libssl-dev:arm64"; \
-		echo "  - libsqlite3-dev:arm64"; \
-		echo "  - libwebsockets-dev:arm64"; \
-		echo "  - libsecp256k1-dev:arm64"; \
-		echo "  - zlib1g-dev:arm64"; \
-		echo "  - libcurl4-openssl-dev:arm64"; \
-		echo ""; \
-		echo "Install ARM64 libraries with: make install-arm64-deps"; \
-		echo "Or use Docker for cross-platform builds."; \
-		exit 1; \
-	fi
-	@echo "Using aarch64-linux-gnu-gcc with ARM64 libraries..."
-	PKG_CONFIG_PATH=/usr/lib/aarch64-linux-gnu/pkgconfig:/usr/share/pkgconfig \
-	aarch64-linux-gnu-gcc $(CFLAGS) $(INCLUDES) $(MAIN_SRC) -o $(BUILD_DIR)/c_relay_arm64 $(NOSTR_CORE_LIB) $(C_UTILS_LIB) \
-		-L/usr/lib/aarch64-linux-gnu $(LIBS)
-	@echo "Build complete: $(BUILD_DIR)/c_relay_arm64"

-# Install ARM64 cross-compilation dependencies
-install-arm64-deps:
-	@echo "Installing ARM64 cross-compilation dependencies..."
-	@echo "This requires adding ARM64 architecture and installing cross-libraries..."
-	sudo dpkg --add-architecture arm64
-	sudo apt update
-	sudo apt install -y \
-		gcc-aarch64-linux-gnu \
-		libc6-dev-arm64-cross \
-		libssl-dev:arm64 \
-		libsqlite3-dev:arm64 \
-		zlib1g-dev:arm64 \
-		libcurl4-openssl-dev:arm64
-	@echo "Note: libwebsockets-dev:arm64 and libsecp256k1-dev:arm64 may need manual building"
-
-# Install cross-compilation tools
-install-cross-tools:
-	@echo "Installing cross-compilation tools..."
-	sudo apt update
-	sudo apt install -y gcc-aarch64-linux-gnu libc6-dev-arm64-cross
-
-# Check what architectures we can actually build
+# Check local build tooling used by static Docker builder
 check-toolchain:
 	@echo "Checking available toolchains:"
 	@echo "Native compiler: $(shell $(CC) --version | head -1)"
-	@if command -v aarch64-linux-gnu-gcc >/dev/null 2>&1; then \
-		echo "ARM64 cross-compiler: $(shell aarch64-linux-gnu-gcc --version | head -1)"; \
+	@if command -v docker >/dev/null 2>&1; then \
+		echo "Docker: $$(docker --version)"; \
 	else \
-		echo "ARM64 cross-compiler: NOT INSTALLED (install with 'make install-cross-tools')"; \
+		echo "Docker: NOT INSTALLED"; \
+	fi
+	@if docker buildx version >/dev/null 2>&1; then \
+		echo "Docker buildx: AVAILABLE"; \
+	else \
+		echo "Docker buildx: NOT AVAILABLE (required for cross-architecture static builds)"; \
 	fi

 # Run tests
@@ -185,42 +142,41 @@ help:
 	@echo "Targets:"
 	@echo "  all              Build the relay for current architecture (default)"
 	@echo "  x86              Build specifically for x86_64"
-	@echo "  arm64            Build for ARM64 (requires cross-compilation setup)"
+	@echo "  static-musl-x86_64 Build static MUSL binary using Docker (host arch default)"
+	@echo "  static-musl-arm64 Build static MUSL ARM64 binary using Docker buildx"
+	@echo "  static-musl      Build both static MUSL binaries"
 	@echo "  test             Build and run tests"
 	@echo "  init-db          Initialize the database"
 	@echo "  clean            Clean build artifacts"
 	@echo "  clean-all        Clean everything including dependencies"
 	@echo "  install-deps     Install system dependencies"
-	@echo "  install-cross-tools Install basic ARM64 cross-compiler"
-	@echo "  install-arm64-deps Install ARM64 cross-compilation libraries"
-	@echo "  check-toolchain  Check available compilers"
+	@echo "  check-toolchain  Check available local tooling"
 	@echo "  help             Show this help"
 	@echo ""
 	@echo "Usage:"
 	@echo "  make                     # Build the relay for current arch"
 	@echo "  make x86                 # Build for x86_64"
-	@echo "  make arm64               # Build for ARM64 (fails if cross-compilation not set up)"
-	@echo "  make install-arm64-deps  # Install full ARM64 cross-compilation setup"
-	@echo "  make check-toolchain     # Check what compilers are available"
+	@echo "  make static-musl-x86_64  # Build static binary via ./build_static.sh"
+	@echo "  make static-musl-arm64   # Build ARM64 static binary via ./build_static.sh --arch arm64"
+	@echo "  make static-musl         # Build both static binaries"
+	@echo "  make check-toolchain     # Check docker/buildx availability"
 	@echo "  make test                # Run tests"
 	@echo "  make init-db             # Set up database"
 	@echo "  make force-version       # Force regenerate main.h from git"

 # Build fully static MUSL binaries using Docker
 static-musl-x86_64:
-	@echo "Building fully static MUSL binary for x86_64..."
-	docker buildx build --platform linux/amd64 -f examples/deployment/static-builder.Dockerfile -t c-relay-static-builder-x86_64 --load .
-	docker run --rm -v $(PWD)/build:/output c-relay-static-builder-x86_64 sh -c "cp /c_relay_static_musl_x86_64 /output/"
-	@echo "Static binary created: build/c_relay_static_musl_x86_64"
+	@echo "Building fully static MUSL binary using host architecture default..."
+	./build_static.sh
+	@echo "Static binary created in build/ (host architecture naming)"

 static-musl-arm64:
 	@echo "Building fully static MUSL binary for ARM64..."
-	docker buildx build --platform linux/arm64 -f examples/deployment/static-builder.Dockerfile -t c-relay-static-builder-arm64 --load .
-	docker run --rm -v $(PWD)/build:/output c-relay-static-builder-arm64 sh -c "cp /c_relay_static_musl_x86_64 /output/c_relay_static_musl_arm64"
-	@echo "Static binary created: build/c_relay_static_musl_arm64"
+	./build_static.sh --arch arm64
+	@echo "Static ARM64 binary created in build/"

 static-musl: static-musl-x86_64 static-musl-arm64
 	@echo "Built static MUSL binaries for both architectures"

 .PHONY: static-musl-x86_64 static-musl-arm64 static-musl
-.PHONY: all x86 arm64 test init-db clean clean-all install-deps install-cross-tools install-arm64-deps check-toolchain help force-version
+.PHONY: all x86 test init-db clean clean-all install-deps check-toolchain help force-version
@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+# Relay
+
+I am releasing the code for the nostr relay that I wrote use myself. The code is free for anyone to use in any way that they wish.
+
+Some of the features of this relay are conventional, and some are unconventional.
+
+## The conventional
+
+This relay is written in C99 with a sqlite database.
+
+It implements the following NIPs.
+
+- [x] NIP-01: Basic protocol flow implementation
+- [x] NIP-09: Event deletion
+- [x] NIP-11: Relay information document
+- [x] NIP-13: Proof of Work
+- [x] NIP-15: End of Stored Events Notice
+- [x] NIP-20: Command Results
+- [x] NIP-33: Parameterized Replaceable Events
+- [x] NIP-40: Expiration Timestamp
+- [x] NIP-42: Authentication of clients to relays
+- [x] NIP-45: Counting results
+- [x] NIP-50: Keywords filter
+- [x] NIP-70: Protected Events
+
+## The unconventional
+
+### The binaries are fully self contained.
+
+It should just run in linux without having to worry about what you have on your system. I want to download and run. No docker. No dependency hell.
+
+I'm not bothering with other operating systems.
+
+### The relay is a full nostr citizen with it's own public and private keys.
+
+For example, you can see my relay's profile (wss://relay.laantungir.net) running here:
+
+[Primal link](https://primal.net/p/nprofile1qqswn2jsmm8lq8evas0v9vhqkdpn9nuujt90mtz60nqgsxndy66es4qjjnhr7)
+
+What this means in practice is that when you start the relay, it generates keys for itself, and for it's administrator (You can specify these if you wish)
+
+Now the program and the administrator can have verifed communication between the two, simply by using nostr events. For example, the administrator can send DMs to the relay, asking it's status, and changing it's configuration through any client that can handle nip17 DMs. The relay can also send notifications to the administrator about it's current status, or it can publish it's status on a regular schedule directly to NOSTR as kind-1 notes.
+
+Also included is a more standard administrative web front end. This front end communicates to the relay using an extensive api, which again is nostr events signed by the administrator. You can completely control the relay through signed nostr events.
+
+## Screenshots
+
+![](https://git.laantungir.net/laantungir/c-relay/raw/branch/master/screenshots/main.png)
+Main page with real time updates.
+
+![](https://git.laantungir.net/laantungir/c-relay/raw/branch/master/screenshots/config.png)
+Set your configuration preferences.
+
+![](https://git.laantungir.net/laantungir/c-relay/raw/branch/master/screenshots/subscriptions.png)
+View current subscriptions
+
+![](https://git.laantungir.net/laantungir/c-relay/raw/branch/master/screenshots/white-blacklists.png)
+Add npubs to white or black lists.
+
+![](https://git.laantungir.net/laantungir/c-relay/raw/branch/master/screenshots/sqlQuery.png)
+Run sql queries on the database.
+
+![](https://git.laantungir.net/laantungir/c-relay/raw/branch/master/screenshots/main-light.png)
+Light mode.
+
@@ -1,409 +1,285 @@
-# C-Nostr Relay 
+# C-Relay: High-Performance Nostr Relay

-A high-performance Nostr relay implemented in C with SQLite backend, featuring nostr event-based management.
+A blazingly fast, production-ready Nostr relay implemented in C with an innovative event-based configuration system. Built for performance, security, and ease of deployment.

-## Supported NIPs
+## 🚀 Why C-Relay?

-<!--
-NOTE FOR ASSISTANTS: When updating the NIPs checklist below, ONLY change [ ] to [x] to mark as complete.
-Do NOT modify the formatting, add emojis, or change the text. Keep the simple format consistent.
-->
+### Event-Based Configuration
+Unlike traditional relays that require config files, C-Relay uses **cryptographically signed Nostr events** for all configuration. This means:
+- **Zero config files** - Everything stored in the database
+- **Real-time updates** - Changes applied instantly without restart
+- **Cryptographic security** - All changes must be signed by admin
+- **Complete audit trail** - Every configuration change is timestamped and signed
+- **Version control built-in** - Configuration history is part of the event stream

- [x] NIP-01: Basic protocol flow implementation
- [x] NIP-09: Event deletion
- [x] NIP-11: Relay information document
- [x] NIP-13: Proof of Work
- [x] NIP-15: End of Stored Events Notice
- [x] NIP-20: Command Results
- [x] NIP-33: Parameterized Replaceable Events
- [x] NIP-40: Expiration Timestamp
- [x] NIP-42: Authentication of clients to relays
- [x] NIP-45: Counting results
- [x] NIP-50: Keywords filter
- [x] NIP-70: Protected Events
+### Built-in Web Admin Interface
+Access a full-featured web dashboard at `http://localhost:8888/api/` with:
+- Real-time configuration management
+- Database statistics and analytics
+- Auth rules management (whitelist/blacklist)
+- NIP-42 authentication for secure access
+- No external dependencies - all files embedded in the binary

-## Quick Start
+### Direct Message Admin System
+Control your relay by sending direct messages from any Nostr client:
+- Send "stats" to get relay statistics
+- Send "config" to view current configuration
+- Full Nostr citizen with its own keypair
+- Works with any NIP-17 compatible client

-Get your C-Relay up and running in minutes with a static binary (no dependencies required):
+### Performance & Efficiency
+- **Written in C** - Maximum performance and minimal resource usage
+- **SQLite backend** - Reliable, fast, and self-contained
+- **Static binary available** - Single file deployment with zero dependencies
+- **Efficient memory management** - Optimized for long-running operation
+- **WebSocket native** - Built on libwebsockets for optimal protocol support

-### 1. Download Static Binary
+## 📋 Supported NIPs

-Download the latest static release from the [releases page](https://git.laantungir.net/laantungir/c-relay/releases):
+C-Relay implements a comprehensive set of Nostr Improvement Proposals:
+
+- ✅ **NIP-01**: Basic protocol flow implementation
+- ✅ **NIP-09**: Event deletion
+- ✅ **NIP-11**: Relay information document
+- ✅ **NIP-13**: Proof of Work
+- ✅ **NIP-15**: End of Stored Events Notice
+- ✅ **NIP-20**: Command Results
+- ✅ **NIP-33**: Parameterized Replaceable Events
+- ✅ **NIP-40**: Expiration Timestamp
+- ✅ **NIP-42**: Authentication of clients to relays
+- ✅ **NIP-45**: Counting results
+- ✅ **NIP-50**: Keywords filter
+- ✅ **NIP-70**: Protected Events
+
+## 🎯 Key Features
+
+### Security
+- **NIP-42 Authentication** - Cryptographic client authentication
+- **Proof of Work** - Configurable PoW requirements (NIP-13)
+- **Protected Events** - Support for encrypted/protected content (NIP-70)
+- **Whitelist/Blacklist** - Flexible access control by pubkey
+- **Admin key security** - Private key shown only once, never stored
+
+### Flexibility
+- **Dynamic configuration** - Most settings update without restart
+- **Subscription management** - Configurable limits per client and globally
+- **Event expiration** - Automatic cleanup of expired events (NIP-40)
+- **Parameterized events** - Full support for replaceable events (NIP-33)
+- **Keyword search** - Built-in full-text search (NIP-50)
+
+### Monitoring
+- **Real-time statistics** - Live event distribution and metrics
+- **Subscription-based monitoring** - Ephemeral events (kind 24567) for dashboards
+- **SQL query API** - Direct database queries for advanced analytics
+- **Resource tracking** - CPU, memory, and database size monitoring
+- **Event broadcast logging** - Complete audit trail of all operations
+
+### Developer-Friendly
+- **Comprehensive test suite** - Automated tests for all NIPs
+- **Clear documentation** - Detailed guides for deployment and configuration
+- **SystemD integration** - Production-ready service files included
+- **Docker support** - Container deployment with Alpine Linux
+- **Cross-platform** - Builds on Linux, macOS, and Windows (WSL)
+
+## 🚀 Quick Start
+
+### Option 1: Static Binary (Recommended)
+
+Download and run - no dependencies required:

 ```bash
-# Static binary - works on all Linux distributions (no dependencies)
+# Download the latest static release
 wget https://git.laantungir.net/laantungir/c-relay/releases/download/v0.6.0/c-relay-v0.6.0-linux-x86_64-static
 chmod +x c-relay-v0.6.0-linux-x86_64-static
 mv c-relay-v0.6.0-linux-x86_64-static c-relay
-```

-### 2. Start the Relay
-
-Simply run the binary - no configuration files needed:
-
-```bash
+# Run the relay
 ./c-relay
 ```

-On first startup, you'll see:
- **Admin Private Key**: Save this securely! You'll need it for administration
- **Relay Public Key**: Your relay's identity on the Nostr network
- **Port Information**: Default is 8888, or the next available port
+**Important**: On first startup, save the **Admin Private Key** displayed in the console. You'll need it for all administrative operations.

-### 3. Access the Web Interface
+### Option 2: Build from Source
+
+```bash
+# Install dependencies (Ubuntu/Debian)
+sudo apt install -y build-essential git sqlite3 libsqlite3-dev \
+    libwebsockets-dev libssl-dev libsecp256k1-dev libcurl4-openssl-dev zlib1g-dev
+
+# Clone and build
+git clone https://github.com/your-org/c-relay.git
+cd c-relay
+git submodule update --init --recursive
+./make_and_restart_relay.sh
+```
+
+The relay will start on port 8888 (or the next available port).
+
+## 🌐 Access the Web Interface
+
+Once running, open your browser to:

-Open your browser and navigate to:
 ```
 http://localhost:8888/api/
 ```

 The web interface provides:
- Real-time configuration management
- Database statistics dashboard
- Auth rules management
- Secure admin authentication with your Nostr identity
+- Configuration management with live updates
+- Database statistics and event distribution charts
+- Auth rules management (whitelist/blacklist)
+- SQL query interface for advanced analytics
+- Real-time monitoring dashboard

-### 4. Test Your Relay
+## 📦 Installation Options
+
+### Production Deployment (SystemD)

-Test basic connectivity:
 ```bash
-# Test WebSocket connection
-curl -H "Accept: application/nostr+json" http://localhost:8888
+# Clone repository
+git clone https://github.com/your-org/c-relay.git
+cd c-relay
+git submodule update --init --recursive

-# Test with a Nostr client
-# Add ws://localhost:8888 to your client's relay list
+# Build
+make clean && make
+
+# Install as system service
+sudo systemd/install-service.sh
+
+# Start and enable
+sudo systemctl start c-relay
+sudo systemctl enable c-relay
+
+# Capture admin keys from logs
+sudo journalctl -u c-relay | grep "Admin Private Key"
 ```

-### 5. Configure Your Relay (Optional)
+### Docker Deployment

-Use the web interface or send admin commands to customize:
- Relay name and description
- Authentication rules (whitelist/blacklist)
- Connection limits
- Proof-of-work requirements
+```bash
+# Build Docker image
+docker build -f Dockerfile.alpine-musl -t c-relay .

-**That's it!** Your relay is now running with zero configuration required. The event-based configuration system means you can adjust all settings through the web interface or admin API without editing config files.
-
-
-## Web Admin Interface
-
-C-Relay includes a **built-in web-based administration interface** accessible at `http://localhost:8888/api/`. The interface provides:
-
- **Real-time Configuration Management**: View and edit all relay settings through a web UI
- **Database Statistics Dashboard**: Monitor event counts, storage usage, and performance metrics
- **Auth Rules Management**: Configure whitelist/blacklist rules for pubkeys
- **NIP-42 Authentication**: Secure access using your Nostr identity
- **Event-Based Updates**: All changes are applied as cryptographically signed Nostr events
-
-The web interface serves embedded static files with no external dependencies and includes proper CORS headers for browser compatibility.
-
-
-## Administrator API
-
-C-Relay uses an innovative **event-based administration system** where all configuration and management commands are sent as signed Nostr events using the admin private key generated during first startup. All admin commands use **NIP-44 encrypted command arrays** for security and compatibility.
-
-### Authentication
-
-All admin commands require signing with the admin private key displayed during first-time startup. **Save this key securely** - it cannot be recovered and is needed for all administrative operations.
-
-### Event Structure
-
-All admin commands use the same unified event structure with NIP-44 encrypted content:
-
-**Admin Command Event:**
-```json
-{
-  "id": "event_id",
-  "pubkey": "admin_public_key",
-  "created_at": 1234567890,
-  "kind": 23456,
-  "content": "AqHBUgcM7dXFYLQuDVzGwMST1G8jtWYyVvYxXhVGEu4nAb4LVw...",
-  "tags": [
-    ["p", "relay_public_key"]
-  ],
-  "sig": "event_signature"
-}
+# Run container
+docker run -d \
+  --name c-relay \
+  -p 8888:8888 \
+  -v /path/to/data:/data \
+  c-relay
 ```

-The `content` field contains a NIP-44 encrypted JSON array representing the command.
+### Cloud Deployment

-**Admin Response Event:**
-```json
-["EVENT", "temp_sub_id", {
-  "id": "response_event_id",
-  "pubkey": "relay_public_key",
-  "created_at": 1234567890,
-  "kind": 23457,
-  "content": "BpKCVhfN8eYtRmPqSvWxZnMkL2gHjUiOp3rTyEwQaS5dFg...",
-  "tags": [
-    ["p", "admin_public_key"]
-  ],
-  "sig": "response_event_signature"
-}]
+Quick deployment scripts for popular cloud providers:
+
+```bash
+# AWS, GCP, DigitalOcean, etc.
+sudo examples/deployment/simple-vps/deploy.sh
 ```

-The `content` field contains a NIP-44 encrypted JSON response object.
+See [`docs/deployment_guide.md`](docs/deployment_guide.md) for detailed deployment instructions.

-### Admin Commands
+## 🔧 Configuration

-All commands are sent as NIP-44 encrypted JSON arrays in the event content. The following table lists all available commands:
+C-Relay uses an innovative event-based configuration system. All settings are managed through signed Nostr events.

-| Command Type | Command Format | Description |
-|--------------|----------------|-------------|
-| **Configuration Management** |
-| `config_update` | `["config_update", [{"key": "auth_enabled", "value": "true", "data_type": "boolean", "category": "auth"}, {"key": "relay_description", "value": "My Relay", "data_type": "string", "category": "relay"}, ...]]` | Update relay configuration parameters (supports multiple updates) |
-| `config_query` | `["config_query", "all"]` | Query all configuration parameters |
-| **Auth Rules Management** |
-| `auth_add_blacklist` | `["blacklist", "pubkey", "abc123..."]` | Add pubkey to blacklist |
-| `auth_add_whitelist` | `["whitelist", "pubkey", "def456..."]` | Add pubkey to whitelist |
-| `auth_delete_rule` | `["delete_auth_rule", "blacklist", "pubkey", "abc123..."]` | Delete specific auth rule |
-| `auth_query_all` | `["auth_query", "all"]` | Query all auth rules |
-| `auth_query_type` | `["auth_query", "whitelist"]` | Query specific rule type |
-| `auth_query_pattern` | `["auth_query", "pattern", "abc123..."]` | Query specific pattern |
-| **System Commands** |
-| `system_clear_auth` | `["system_command", "clear_all_auth_rules"]` | Clear all auth rules |
-| `system_status` | `["system_command", "system_status"]` | Get system status |
-| `stats_query` | `["stats_query"]` | Get comprehensive database statistics |
-| **Database Queries** |
-| `sql_query` | `["sql_query", "SELECT * FROM events LIMIT 10"]` | Execute read-only SQL query against relay database |
+### Basic Configuration

-### Available Configuration Keys
+Use the web interface at `http://localhost:8888/api/` or send admin commands via the API.

-**Basic Relay Settings:**
- `relay_name`: Relay name (displayed in NIP-11)
- `relay_description`: Relay description text
- `relay_contact`: Contact information
- `relay_software`: Software URL
- `relay_version`: Software version
- `supported_nips`: Comma-separated list of supported NIP numbers (e.g., "1,2,4,9,11,12,13,15,16,20,22,33,40,42")
- `language_tags`: Comma-separated list of supported language tags (e.g., "en,es,fr" or "*" for all)
- `relay_countries`: Comma-separated list of supported country codes (e.g., "US,CA,MX" or "*" for all)
- `posting_policy`: Posting policy URL or text
- `payments_url`: Payment URL for premium features
- `max_connections`: Maximum concurrent connections
- `max_subscriptions_per_client`: Max subscriptions per client
- `max_event_tags`: Maximum tags per event
- `max_content_length`: Maximum event content length
+### Common Settings

-**Authentication & Access Control:**
- `auth_enabled`: Enable whitelist/blacklist auth rules (`true`/`false`)
- `nip42_auth_required`: Enable NIP-42 cryptographic authentication (`true`/`false`)
- `nip42_auth_required_kinds`: Event kinds requiring NIP-42 auth (comma-separated)
- `nip42_challenge_timeout`: NIP-42 challenge expiration seconds
+- **Relay Information**: Name, description, contact info
+- **Connection Limits**: Max subscriptions per client, total subscriptions
+- **Authentication**: Enable/disable NIP-42, whitelist/blacklist rules
+- **Proof of Work**: Minimum difficulty, enforcement mode
+- **Event Validation**: Max tags, content length, message size
+- **Expiration**: Enable/disable NIP-40 event expiration

-**Proof of Work & Validation:**
- `pow_min_difficulty`: Minimum proof-of-work difficulty
- `nip40_expiration_enabled`: Enable event expiration (`true`/`false`)
+### Dynamic Updates

-### Dynamic Configuration Updates
+Most configuration changes take effect immediately without restart:
+- Relay information (NIP-11)
+- Authentication settings
+- Subscription limits
+- Event validation rules
+- Proof of Work settings

-C-Relay supports **dynamic configuration updates** without requiring a restart for most settings. Configuration parameters are categorized as either **dynamic** (can be updated immediately) or **restart-required** (require relay restart to take effect).
+See [`docs/configuration_guide.md`](docs/configuration_guide.md) for complete configuration reference.

-**Dynamic Configuration Parameters (No Restart Required):**
- All relay information (NIP-11) settings: `relay_name`, `relay_description`, `relay_contact`, `relay_software`, `relay_version`, `supported_nips`, `language_tags`, `relay_countries`, `posting_policy`, `payments_url`
- Authentication settings: `auth_enabled`, `nip42_auth_required`, `nip42_auth_required_kinds`, `nip42_challenge_timeout`
- Subscription limits: `max_subscriptions_per_client`, `max_total_subscriptions`
- Event validation limits: `max_event_tags`, `max_content_length`, `max_message_length`
- Proof of Work settings: `pow_min_difficulty`, `pow_mode`
- Event expiration settings: `nip40_expiration_enabled`, `nip40_expiration_strict`, `nip40_expiration_filter`, `nip40_expiration_grace_period`
+## 📚 Documentation

-**Restart-Required Configuration Parameters:**
- Connection settings: `max_connections`, `relay_port`
- Database and core system settings
+- **[API Documentation](API.md)** - Complete API reference and advanced features
+- **[Configuration Guide](docs/configuration_guide.md)** - Detailed configuration options
+- **[Deployment Guide](docs/deployment_guide.md)** - Production deployment instructions
+- **[User Guide](docs/user_guide.md)** - End-user documentation
+- **[NIP-42 Authentication](docs/NIP-42_Authentication.md)** - Authentication setup guide

-When updating configuration, the admin API response will indicate whether a restart is required for each parameter. Dynamic updates take effect immediately and are reflected in NIP-11 relay information documents without restart.
+## 🧪 Testing

-### Response Format
+Run the comprehensive test suite:

-All admin commands return **signed EVENT responses** via WebSocket following standard Nostr protocol. Responses use JSON content with structured data.
+```bash
+# Run all tests
+./tests/run_all_tests.sh

-#### Response Examples
+# Run NIP-specific tests
+./tests/run_nip_tests.sh

-**Success Response:**
-```json
-["EVENT", "temp_sub_id", {
-  "id": "response_event_id",
-  "pubkey": "relay_public_key",
-  "created_at": 1234567890,
-  "kind": 23457,
-  "content": "nip44 encrypted:{\"query_type\": \"config_update\", \"status\": \"success\", \"message\": \"Operation completed successfully\", \"timestamp\": 1234567890}",
-  "tags": [
-    ["p", "admin_public_key"]
-  ],
-  "sig": "response_event_signature"
-}]
+# Test specific NIPs
+./tests/42_nip_test.sh  # NIP-42 authentication
+./tests/13_nip_test.sh  # NIP-13 proof of work
 ```

-**Error Response:**
-```json
-["EVENT", "temp_sub_id", {
-  "id": "response_event_id",
-  "pubkey": "relay_public_key",
-  "created_at": 1234567890,
-  "kind": 23457,
-  "content": "nip44 encrypted:{\"query_type\": \"config_update\", \"status\": \"error\", \"error\": \"invalid configuration value\", \"timestamp\": 1234567890}",
-  "tags": [
-    ["p", "admin_public_key"]
-  ],
-  "sig": "response_event_signature"
-}]
+## 🔒 Security
+
+### Admin Key Management
+
+The admin private key is displayed **only once** during first startup. Store it securely:
+
+```bash
+# Save to secure location
+echo "ADMIN_PRIVKEY=your_admin_private_key" > ~/.c-relay-admin
+chmod 600 ~/.c-relay-admin
 ```

-**Auth Rules Query Response:**
-```json
-["EVENT", "temp_sub_id", {
-  "id": "response_event_id",
-  "pubkey": "relay_public_key",
-  "created_at": 1234567890,
-  "kind": 23457,
-  "content": "nip44 encrypted:{\"query_type\": \"auth_rules_all\", \"total_results\": 2, \"timestamp\": 1234567890, \"data\": [{\"rule_type\": \"blacklist\", \"pattern_type\": \"pubkey\", \"pattern_value\": \"abc123...\", \"action\": \"allow\"}]}",
-  "tags": [
-    ["p", "admin_public_key"]
-  ],
-  "sig": "response_event_signature"
-}]
-```
+### Production Security

-**Configuration Query Response:**
-```json
-["EVENT", "temp_sub_id", {
-  "id": "response_event_id",
-  "pubkey": "relay_public_key",
-  "created_at": 1234567890,
-  "kind": 23457,
-  "content": "nip44 encrypted:{\"query_type\": \"config_all\", \"total_results\": 27, \"timestamp\": 1234567890, \"data\": [{\"key\": \"auth_enabled\", \"value\": \"false\", \"data_type\": \"boolean\", \"category\": \"auth\", \"description\": \"Enable NIP-42 authentication\"}, {\"key\": \"relay_description\", \"value\": \"My Relay\", \"data_type\": \"string\", \"category\": \"relay\", \"description\": \"Relay description text\"}]}",
-  "tags": [
-    ["p", "admin_public_key"]
-  ],
-  "sig": "response_event_signature"
-}]
-```
+- Use HTTPS/WSS with reverse proxy (nginx/Apache)
+- Enable NIP-42 authentication for client verification
+- Configure whitelist/blacklist for access control
+- Set up firewall rules to restrict access
+- Enable Proof of Work to prevent spam
+- Regular database backups

-**Configuration Update Success Response:**
-```json
-["EVENT", "temp_sub_id", {
-  "id": "response_event_id",
-  "pubkey": "relay_public_key",
-  "created_at": 1234567890,
-  "kind": 23457,
-  "content": "nip44 encrypted:{\"query_type\": \"config_update\", \"total_results\": 2, \"timestamp\": 1234567890, \"status\": \"success\", \"data\": [{\"key\": \"auth_enabled\", \"value\": \"true\", \"status\": \"updated\"}, {\"key\": \"relay_description\", \"value\": \"My Updated Relay\", \"status\": \"updated\"}]}",
-  "tags": [
-    ["p", "admin_public_key"]
-  ],
-  "sig": "response_event_signature"
-}]
-```
+See [`docs/deployment_guide.md`](docs/deployment_guide.md#security-hardening) for security hardening guide.

-**Configuration Update Error Response:**
-```json
-["EVENT", "temp_sub_id", {
-  "id": "response_event_id",
-  "pubkey": "relay_public_key",
-  "created_at": 1234567890,
-  "kind": 23457,
-  "content": "nip44 encrypted:{\"query_type\": \"config_update\", \"status\": \"error\", \"error\": \"field validation failed: invalid port number '99999' (must be 1-65535)\", \"timestamp\": 1234567890}",
-  "tags": [
-    ["p", "admin_public_key"]
-  ],
-  "sig": "response_event_signature"
-}]
-```
+## 🤝 Contributing

-**Database Statistics Query Response:**
-```json
-["EVENT", "temp_sub_id", {
-  "id": "response_event_id",
-  "pubkey": "relay_public_key",
-  "created_at": 1234567890,
-  "kind": 23457,
-  "content": "nip44 encrypted:{\"query_type\": \"stats_query\", \"timestamp\": 1234567890, \"database_size_bytes\": 1048576, \"total_events\": 15432, \"database_created_at\": 1234567800, \"latest_event_at\": 1234567890, \"event_kinds\": [{\"kind\": 1, \"count\": 12000, \"percentage\": 77.8}, {\"kind\": 0, \"count\": 2500, \"percentage\": 16.2}], \"time_stats\": {\"total\": 15432, \"last_24h\": 234, \"last_7d\": 1456, \"last_30d\": 5432}, \"top_pubkeys\": [{\"pubkey\": \"abc123...\", \"event_count\": 1234, \"percentage\": 8.0}, {\"pubkey\": \"def456...\", \"event_count\": 987, \"percentage\": 6.4}]}",
-  "tags": [
-    ["p", "admin_public_key"]
-  ],
-  "sig": "response_event_signature"
-}]
-```
+Contributions are welcome! Please:

-**SQL Query Response:**
-```json
-["EVENT", "temp_sub_id", {
-  "id": "response_event_id",
-  "pubkey": "relay_public_key",
-  "created_at": 1234567890,
-  "kind": 23457,
-  "content": "nip44 encrypted:{\"query_type\": \"sql_query\", \"request_id\": \"request_event_id\", \"timestamp\": 1234567890, \"query\": \"SELECT * FROM events LIMIT 10\", \"execution_time_ms\": 45, \"row_count\": 10, \"columns\": [\"id\", \"pubkey\", \"created_at\", \"kind\", \"content\"], \"rows\": [[\"abc123...\", \"def456...\", 1234567890, 1, \"Hello world\"], ...]}",
-  "tags": [
-    ["p", "admin_public_key"],
-    ["e", "request_event_id"]
-  ],
-  "sig": "response_event_signature"
-}]
-```
+1. Fork the repository
+2. Create a feature branch
+3. Make your changes with tests
+4. Submit a pull request

-### SQL Query Command
+## 📄 License

-The `sql_query` command allows administrators to execute read-only SQL queries against the relay database. This provides powerful analytics and debugging capabilities through the admin API.
+[Add your license here]

-**Request/Response Correlation:**
- Each response includes the request event ID in both the `tags` array (`["e", "request_event_id"]`) and the decrypted content (`"request_id": "request_event_id"`)
- This allows proper correlation when multiple queries are submitted concurrently
- Frontend can track pending queries and match responses to requests
+## 🔗 Links

-**Security Features:**
- Only SELECT statements allowed (INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, DROP, etc. are blocked)
- Query timeout: 5 seconds (configurable)
- Result row limit: 1000 rows (configurable)
- All queries logged with execution time
+- **Repository**: [https://github.com/your-org/c-relay](https://github.com/your-org/c-relay)
+- **Releases**: [https://git.laantungir.net/laantungir/c-relay/releases](https://git.laantungir.net/laantungir/c-relay/releases)
+- **Issues**: [https://github.com/your-org/c-relay/issues](https://github.com/your-org/c-relay/issues)
+- **Nostr Protocol**: [https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nostr](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nostr)

-**Available Tables and Views:**
- `events` - All Nostr events
- `config` - Configuration parameters
- `auth_rules` - Authentication rules
- `subscription_events` - Subscription lifecycle log
- `event_broadcasts` - Event broadcast log
- `recent_events` - Last 1000 events (view)
- `event_stats` - Event statistics by type (view)
- `subscription_analytics` - Subscription metrics (view)
- `active_subscriptions_log` - Currently active subscriptions (view)
- `event_kinds_view` - Event distribution by kind (view)
- `top_pubkeys_view` - Top 10 pubkeys by event count (view)
- `time_stats_view` - Time-based statistics (view)
+## 💬 Support

-**Example Queries:**
-```sql
-- Recent events
-SELECT id, pubkey, created_at, kind FROM events ORDER BY created_at DESC LIMIT 20
-
-- Event distribution by kind
-SELECT * FROM event_kinds_view ORDER BY count DESC
-
-- Active subscriptions
-SELECT * FROM active_subscriptions_log ORDER BY created_at DESC
-
-- Database statistics
-SELECT
-  (SELECT COUNT(*) FROM events) as total_events,
-  (SELECT COUNT(*) FROM subscription_events) as total_subscriptions
-```
-
-
-
-
-
-
-##  Direct Messaging Admin System
-
-In addition to the above admin API, c-relay allows the administrator to direct message the relay to get information or control some settings. As long as the administrator is signed in with any nostr client that allows sending nip-17 direct messages (DMs), they can control the relay.
-
-The is possible because the relay is a full nostr citizen with it's own private and public key, and it knows the administrator's public key.
-
-
-
-**Available DM commands**
-
-The intent is not to be strict in the formatting of the DM. So for example if the relay receives any DM from the administrator with the words "stats" or "statistics" in it, it will respond to the administrator with a reply DM with the current relay statistics.
-
- `stats`|`statistics`: Relay statistics
- `config`|`configuration`: Relay configuration
+- Open an issue on GitHub
+- Join the Nostr community
+- Contact via Nostr DM (relay pubkey shown on startup)

+---

+**Built with ❤️ for the Nostr protocol**
@@ -0,0 +1,174 @@
+# Real-Time Traffic Monitoring Commands (Direct Server Use)
+
+Copy and paste these commands directly on your server.
+
+## Quick Status Checks
+
+### See IPs visiting in the last few minutes:
+```bash
+sudo tail -500 /var/log/nginx/access.log | awk '{print $1}' | sort | uniq -c | sort -rn | head -20
+```
+
+### See what status codes they're getting:
+```bash
+sudo tail -500 /var/log/nginx/access.log | awk '{print $1, $9}' | grep '216.73.216.38'
+```
+
+### Count status codes (200 vs 403):
+```bash
+sudo tail -500 /var/log/nginx/access.log | awk '{print $9}' | sort | uniq -c
+```
+
+## Real-Time Monitoring
+
+### Watch live traffic (updates every 2 seconds):
+```bash
+watch -n 2 'sudo tail -200 /var/log/nginx/access.log | awk "{print \$1}" | sort | uniq -c | sort -rn | head -15'
+```
+
+### See live log entries as they happen:
+```bash
+sudo tail -f /var/log/nginx/access.log
+```
+
+### Live GoAccess dashboard:
+```bash
+sudo tail -f /var/log/nginx/access.log | goaccess -
+```
+
+## Active Connections
+
+### See who's connected RIGHT NOW:
+```bash
+sudo netstat -tn | grep ':443' | awk '{print $5}' | cut -d: -f1 | sort | uniq -c | sort -rn
+```
+
+### Alternative (using ss command):
+```bash
+sudo ss -tn | grep ':443' | awk '{print $5}' | cut -d: -f1 | sort | uniq -c | sort -rn
+```
+
+## Detailed Analysis
+
+### Last 100 requests with timestamps:
+```bash
+sudo tail -100 /var/log/nginx/access.log | awk '{print $4, $1}' | sed 's/\[//'
+```
+
+### See what blocked IPs are trying to access:
+```bash
+sudo tail -500 /var/log/nginx/access.log | grep '216.73.216.38' | awk '{print $7}' | head -10
+```
+
+### Show all 403 (blocked) requests:
+```bash
+sudo tail -500 /var/log/nginx/access.log | awk '$9==403 {print $1}' | sort | uniq -c | sort -rn
+```
+
+### Show all successful (200) requests:
+```bash
+sudo tail -500 /var/log/nginx/access.log | awk '$9==200 {print $1}' | sort | uniq -c | sort -rn | head -10
+```
+
+## Comprehensive Monitoring Script
+
+### Create a monitoring script:
+```bash
+cat > /tmp/monitor-traffic.sh << 'EOF'
+#!/bin/bash
+echo "=== Traffic in last 5 minutes ==="
+echo "Time: $(date)"
+echo ""
+echo "Top IPs:"
+sudo tail -1000 /var/log/nginx/access.log | awk '{print $1}' | sort | uniq -c | sort -rn | head -10
+echo ""
+echo "Blocked IPs (403 errors):"
+sudo tail -1000 /var/log/nginx/access.log | awk '$9==403 {print $1}' | sort | uniq -c | sort -rn
+echo ""
+echo "Successful requests (200):"
+sudo tail -1000 /var/log/nginx/access.log | awk '$9==200 {print $1}' | sort | uniq -c | sort -rn | head -5
+echo ""
+echo "Status Code Summary:"
+sudo tail -1000 /var/log/nginx/access.log | awk '{print $9}' | sort | uniq -c | sort -rn
+EOF
+chmod +x /tmp/monitor-traffic.sh
+```
+
+### Run the monitoring script:
+```bash
+/tmp/monitor-traffic.sh
+```
+
+## Auto-Refreshing Dashboard
+
+### Live dashboard (refreshes every 5 seconds):
+```bash
+watch -n 5 'echo "=== Last 5 minutes ==="
+date
+echo ""
+echo "Top IPs:"
+sudo tail -1000 /var/log/nginx/access.log | awk "{print \$1}" | sort | uniq -c | sort -rn | head -10
+echo ""
+echo "Status Codes:"
+sudo tail -1000 /var/log/nginx/access.log | awk "{print \$9}" | sort | uniq -c | sort -rn'
+```
+
+Press `Ctrl+C` to exit.
+
+## GoAccess HTML Report (Live Updating)
+
+### Generate live HTML report:
+```bash
+sudo goaccess /var/log/nginx/access.log -o /var/www/html/live-stats.html --real-time-html --daemonize
+```
+
+Then visit: https://git.laantungir.net/live-stats.html
+
+### Stop the live report:
+```bash
+sudo pkill -f "goaccess.*live-stats"
+```
+
+## Filter by Time
+
+### Get timestamp from 5 minutes ago:
+```bash
+date -d '5 minutes ago' '+%d/%b/%Y:%H:%M'
+```
+
+### Analyze only recent logs (replace timestamp):
+```bash
+sudo awk '/01\/Feb\/2026:19:09/,0' /var/log/nginx/access.log | goaccess -
+```
+
+## Check Gitea CPU
+
+### Current CPU usage:
+```bash
+ps aux | grep gitea | grep -v grep
+```
+
+### Watch CPU in real-time:
+```bash
+watch -n 2 'ps aux | grep gitea | grep -v grep'
+```
+
+## Most Useful Command for Quick Check
+
+This one-liner shows everything you need:
+```bash
+
+echo "=== Quick Status ===" && \
+echo "Time: $(date)" && \
+echo "" && \
+echo "Top 10 IPs (last 1000 requests):" && \
+sudo tail -1000 /var/log/nginx/access.log | awk '{print $1}' | sort | uniq -c | sort -rn | head -10 && \
+echo "" && \
+echo "Status Codes:" && \
+sudo tail -1000 /var/log/nginx/access.log | awk '{print $9}' | sort | uniq -c && \
+echo "" && \
+echo "Gitea CPU:" && \
+ps aux | grep gitea | grep -v grep
+```
+
+Copy any of these commands and run them directly on your server!
@@ -0,0 +1,612 @@
+# Static MUSL Build Guide for C Programs
+
+## Overview
+
+This guide explains how to build truly portable static binaries using Alpine Linux and MUSL libc. These binaries have **zero runtime dependencies** and work on any Linux distribution without modification.
+
+This guide is specifically tailored for C programs that use:
+- **nostr_core_lib** - Nostr protocol implementation
+- **nostr_login_lite** - Nostr authentication library
+- Common dependencies: libwebsockets, OpenSSL, SQLite, curl, secp256k1
+
+## Why MUSL Static Binaries?
+
+### Advantages Over glibc
+
+| Feature | MUSL Static | glibc Static | glibc Dynamic |
+|---------|-------------|--------------|---------------|
+| **Portability** | ✓ Any Linux | ⚠ glibc only | ✗ Requires matching libs |
+| **Binary Size** | ~7-10 MB | ~12-15 MB | ~2-3 MB |
+| **Dependencies** | None | NSS libs | Many system libs |
+| **Deployment** | Single file | Single file + NSS | Binary + libraries |
+| **Compatibility** | Universal | glibc version issues | Library version hell |
+
+### Key Benefits
+
+1. **True Portability**: Works on Alpine, Ubuntu, Debian, CentOS, Arch, etc.
+2. **No Library Hell**: No `GLIBC_2.XX not found` errors
+3. **Simple Deployment**: Just copy one file
+4. **Reproducible Builds**: Same Docker image = same binary
+5. **Security**: No dependency on system libraries with vulnerabilities
+
+## Quick Start
+
+### Prerequisites
+
+- Docker installed and running
+- Your C project with source code
+- Internet connection for downloading dependencies
+
+### Basic Build Process
+
+```bash
+# 1. Copy the Dockerfile template (see below)
+cp /path/to/c-relay/Dockerfile.alpine-musl ./Dockerfile.static
+
+# 2. Customize for your project (see Customization section)
+vim Dockerfile.static
+
+# 3. Build the static binary
+docker build --platform linux/amd64 -f Dockerfile.static -t my-app-builder .
+
+# 4. Extract the binary
+docker create --name temp-container my-app-builder
+docker cp temp-container:/build/my_app_static ./my_app_static
+docker rm temp-container
+
+# 5. Verify it's static
+ldd ./my_app_static  # Should show "not a dynamic executable"
+```
+
+## Dockerfile Template
+
+Here's a complete Dockerfile template you can customize for your project:
+
+```dockerfile
+# Alpine-based MUSL static binary builder
+# Produces truly portable binaries with zero runtime dependencies
+
+FROM alpine:3.19 AS builder
+
+# Install build dependencies
+RUN apk add --no-cache \
+    build-base \
+    musl-dev \
+    git \
+    cmake \
+    pkgconfig \
+    autoconf \
+    automake \
+    libtool \
+    openssl-dev \
+    openssl-libs-static \
+    zlib-dev \
+    zlib-static \
+    curl-dev \
+    curl-static \
+    sqlite-dev \
+    sqlite-static \
+    linux-headers \
+    wget \
+    bash
+
+WORKDIR /build
+
+# Build libsecp256k1 static (required for Nostr)
+RUN cd /tmp && \
+    git clone https://github.com/bitcoin-core/secp256k1.git && \
+    cd secp256k1 && \
+    ./autogen.sh && \
+    ./configure --enable-static --disable-shared --prefix=/usr \
+        CFLAGS="-fPIC" && \
+    make -j$(nproc) && \
+    make install && \
+    rm -rf /tmp/secp256k1
+
+# Build libwebsockets static (if needed for WebSocket support)
+RUN cd /tmp && \
+    git clone --depth 1 --branch v4.3.3 https://github.com/warmcat/libwebsockets.git && \
+    cd libwebsockets && \
+    mkdir build && cd build && \
+    cmake .. \
+        -DLWS_WITH_STATIC=ON \
+        -DLWS_WITH_SHARED=OFF \
+        -DLWS_WITH_SSL=ON \
+        -DLWS_WITHOUT_TESTAPPS=ON \
+        -DLWS_WITHOUT_TEST_SERVER=ON \
+        -DLWS_WITHOUT_TEST_CLIENT=ON \
+        -DLWS_WITHOUT_TEST_PING=ON \
+        -DLWS_WITH_HTTP2=OFF \
+        -DLWS_WITH_LIBUV=OFF \
+        -DLWS_WITH_LIBEVENT=OFF \
+        -DLWS_IPV6=ON \
+        -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release \
+        -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=/usr \
+        -DCMAKE_C_FLAGS="-fPIC" && \
+    make -j$(nproc) && \
+    make install && \
+    rm -rf /tmp/libwebsockets
+
+# Copy git configuration for submodules
+COPY .gitmodules /build/.gitmodules
+COPY .git /build/.git
+
+# Initialize submodules
+RUN git submodule update --init --recursive
+
+# Copy and build nostr_core_lib
+COPY nostr_core_lib /build/nostr_core_lib/
+RUN cd nostr_core_lib && \
+    chmod +x build.sh && \
+    sed -i 's/CFLAGS="-Wall -Wextra -std=c99 -fPIC -O2"/CFLAGS="-U_FORTIFY_SOURCE -D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=0 -Wall -Wextra -std=c99 -fPIC -O2"/' build.sh && \
+    rm -f *.o *.a 2>/dev/null || true && \
+    ./build.sh --nips=1,6,13,17,19,44,59
+
+# Copy and build nostr_login_lite (if used)
+# COPY nostr_login_lite /build/nostr_login_lite/
+# RUN cd nostr_login_lite && make static
+
+# Copy your application source
+COPY src/ /build/src/
+COPY Makefile /build/Makefile
+
+# Build your application with full static linking
+RUN gcc -static -O2 -Wall -Wextra -std=c99 \
+    -U_FORTIFY_SOURCE -D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=0 \
+    -I. -Inostr_core_lib -Inostr_core_lib/nostr_core \
+    -Inostr_core_lib/cjson -Inostr_core_lib/nostr_websocket \
+    src/*.c \
+    -o /build/my_app_static \
+    nostr_core_lib/libnostr_core_x64.a \
+    -lwebsockets -lssl -lcrypto -lsqlite3 -lsecp256k1 \
+    -lcurl -lz -lpthread -lm -ldl && \
+    strip /build/my_app_static
+
+# Verify it's truly static
+RUN echo "=== Binary Information ===" && \
+    file /build/my_app_static && \
+    ls -lh /build/my_app_static && \
+    echo "=== Checking for dynamic dependencies ===" && \
+    (ldd /build/my_app_static 2>&1 || echo "Binary is static")
+
+# Output stage - just the binary
+FROM scratch AS output
+COPY --from=builder /build/my_app_static /my_app_static
+```
+
+## Customization Guide
+
+### 1. Adjust Dependencies
+
+**Add dependencies** by modifying the `apk add` section:
+
+```dockerfile
+RUN apk add --no-cache \
+    build-base \
+    musl-dev \
+    # Add your dependencies here:
+    libpng-dev \
+    libpng-static \
+    libjpeg-turbo-dev \
+    libjpeg-turbo-static
+```
+
+**Remove unused dependencies** to speed up builds:
+- Remove `libwebsockets` section if you don't need WebSocket support
+- Remove `sqlite` if you don't use databases
+- Remove `curl` if you don't make HTTP requests
+
+### 2. Configure nostr_core_lib NIPs
+
+Specify which NIPs your application needs:
+
+```bash
+./build.sh --nips=1,6,19  # Minimal: Basic protocol, keys, bech32
+./build.sh --nips=1,6,13,17,19,44,59  # Full: All common NIPs
+./build.sh --nips=all  # Everything available
+```
+
+**Common NIP combinations:**
+- **Basic client**: `1,6,19` (events, keys, bech32)
+- **With encryption**: `1,6,19,44` (add modern encryption)
+- **With DMs**: `1,6,17,19,44,59` (add private messages)
+- **Relay/server**: `1,6,13,17,19,42,44,59` (add PoW, auth)
+
+### 3. Modify Compilation Flags
+
+**For your application:**
+
+```dockerfile
+RUN gcc -static -O2 -Wall -Wextra -std=c99 \
+    -U_FORTIFY_SOURCE -D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=0 \  # REQUIRED for MUSL
+    -I. -Inostr_core_lib \                    # Include paths
+    src/*.c \                                  # Your source files
+    -o /build/my_app_static \                 # Output binary
+    nostr_core_lib/libnostr_core_x64.a \     # Nostr library
+    -lwebsockets -lssl -lcrypto \             # Link libraries
+    -lsqlite3 -lsecp256k1 -lcurl \
+    -lz -lpthread -lm -ldl
+```
+
+**Debug build** (with symbols, no optimization):
+
+```dockerfile
+RUN gcc -static -g -O0 -DDEBUG \
+    -U_FORTIFY_SOURCE -D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=0 \
+    # ... rest of flags
+```
+
+### 4. Multi-Architecture Support
+
+Build for different architectures:
+
+```bash
+# x86_64 (Intel/AMD)
+docker build --platform linux/amd64 -f Dockerfile.static -t my-app-x86 .
+
+# ARM64 (Apple Silicon, Raspberry Pi 4+)
+docker build --platform linux/arm64 -f Dockerfile.static -t my-app-arm64 .
+```
+
+## Build Script Template
+
+Create a `build_static.sh` script for convenience:
+
+```bash
+#!/bin/bash
+set -e
+
+SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)"
+BUILD_DIR="$SCRIPT_DIR/build"
+DOCKERFILE="$SCRIPT_DIR/Dockerfile.static"
+
+# Detect architecture
+ARCH=$(uname -m)
+case "$ARCH" in
+    x86_64)
+        PLATFORM="linux/amd64"
+        OUTPUT_NAME="my_app_static_x86_64"
+        ;;
+    aarch64|arm64)
+        PLATFORM="linux/arm64"
+        OUTPUT_NAME="my_app_static_arm64"
+        ;;
+    *)
+        echo "Unknown architecture: $ARCH"
+        exit 1
+        ;;
+esac
+
+echo "Building for platform: $PLATFORM"
+mkdir -p "$BUILD_DIR"
+
+# Build Docker image
+docker build \
+    --platform "$PLATFORM" \
+    -f "$DOCKERFILE" \
+    -t my-app-builder:latest \
+    --progress=plain \
+    .
+
+# Extract binary
+CONTAINER_ID=$(docker create my-app-builder:latest)
+docker cp "$CONTAINER_ID:/build/my_app_static" "$BUILD_DIR/$OUTPUT_NAME"
+docker rm "$CONTAINER_ID"
+
+chmod +x "$BUILD_DIR/$OUTPUT_NAME"
+
+echo "✓ Build complete: $BUILD_DIR/$OUTPUT_NAME"
+echo "✓ Size: $(du -h "$BUILD_DIR/$OUTPUT_NAME" | cut -f1)"
+
+# Verify
+if ldd "$BUILD_DIR/$OUTPUT_NAME" 2>&1 | grep -q "not a dynamic executable"; then
+    echo "✓ Binary is fully static"
+else
+    echo "⚠ Warning: Binary may have dynamic dependencies"
+fi
+```
+
+Make it executable:
+
+```bash
+chmod +x build_static.sh
+./build_static.sh
+```
+
+## Common Issues and Solutions
+
+### Issue 1: Fortification Errors
+
+**Error:**
+```
+undefined reference to '__snprintf_chk'
+undefined reference to '__fprintf_chk'
+```
+
+**Cause**: GCC's `-O2` enables fortification by default, which uses glibc-specific functions.
+
+**Solution**: Add these flags to **all** compilation commands:
+```bash
+-U_FORTIFY_SOURCE -D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=0
+```
+
+This must be applied to:
+1. nostr_core_lib build.sh
+2. Your application compilation
+3. Any other libraries you build
+
+### Issue 2: Missing Symbols from nostr_core_lib
+
+**Error:**
+```
+undefined reference to 'nostr_create_event'
+undefined reference to 'nostr_sign_event'
+```
+
+**Cause**: Required NIPs not included in nostr_core_lib build.
+
+**Solution**: Add missing NIPs:
+```bash
+./build.sh --nips=1,6,19  # Add the NIPs you need
+```
+
+### Issue 3: Docker Permission Denied
+
+**Error:**
+```
+permission denied while trying to connect to the Docker daemon socket
+```
+
+**Solution**:
+```bash
+sudo usermod -aG docker $USER
+newgrp docker  # Or logout and login
+```
+
+### Issue 4: Binary Won't Run on Target System
+
+**Checks**:
+```bash
+# 1. Verify it's static
+ldd my_app_static  # Should show "not a dynamic executable"
+
+# 2. Check architecture
+file my_app_static  # Should match target system
+
+# 3. Test on different distributions
+docker run --rm -v $(pwd):/app alpine:latest /app/my_app_static --version
+docker run --rm -v $(pwd):/app ubuntu:latest /app/my_app_static --version
+```
+
+## Project Structure Example
+
+Organize your project for easy static builds:
+
+```
+my-nostr-app/
+├── src/
+│   ├── main.c
+│   ├── handlers.c
+│   └── utils.c
+├── nostr_core_lib/          # Git submodule
+├── nostr_login_lite/        # Git submodule (if used)
+├── Dockerfile.static        # Static build Dockerfile
+├── build_static.sh          # Build script
+├── Makefile                 # Regular build
+└── README.md
+```
+
+### Makefile Integration
+
+Add static build targets to your Makefile:
+
+```makefile
+# Regular dynamic build
+all: my_app
+
+my_app: src/*.c
+	gcc -O2 src/*.c -o my_app \
+		nostr_core_lib/libnostr_core_x64.a \
+		-lssl -lcrypto -lsecp256k1 -lz -lpthread -lm
+
+# Static MUSL build via Docker
+static:
+	./build_static.sh
+
+# Clean
+clean:
+	rm -f my_app build/my_app_static_*
+
+.PHONY: all static clean
+```
+
+## Deployment
+
+### Single Binary Deployment
+
+```bash
+# Copy to server
+scp build/my_app_static_x86_64 user@server:/opt/my-app/
+
+# Run (no dependencies needed!)
+ssh user@server
+/opt/my-app/my_app_static_x86_64
+```
+
+### SystemD Service
+
+```ini
+[Unit]
+Description=My Nostr Application
+After=network.target
+
+[Service]
+Type=simple
+User=myapp
+WorkingDirectory=/opt/my-app
+ExecStart=/opt/my-app/my_app_static_x86_64
+Restart=always
+RestartSec=5
+
+[Install]
+WantedBy=multi-user.target
+```
+
+### Docker Container (Minimal)
+
+```dockerfile
+FROM scratch
+COPY my_app_static_x86_64 /app
+ENTRYPOINT ["/app"]
+```
+
+Build and run:
+```bash
+docker build -t my-app:latest .
+docker run --rm my-app:latest --help
+```
+
+## Reusing c-relay Files
+
+You can directly copy these files from c-relay:
+
+### 1. Dockerfile.alpine-musl
+```bash
+cp /path/to/c-relay/Dockerfile.alpine-musl ./Dockerfile.static
+```
+
+Then customize:
+- Change binary name (line 125)
+- Adjust source files (line 122-124)
+- Modify include paths (line 120-121)
+
+### 2. build_static.sh
+```bash
+cp /path/to/c-relay/build_static.sh ./
+```
+
+Then customize:
+- Change `OUTPUT_NAME` variable (lines 66, 70)
+- Update Docker image name (line 98)
+- Modify verification commands (lines 180-184)
+
+### 3. .dockerignore (Optional)
+```bash
+cp /path/to/c-relay/.dockerignore ./
+```
+
+Helps speed up Docker builds by excluding unnecessary files.
+
+## Best Practices
+
+1. **Version Control**: Commit your Dockerfile and build script
+2. **Tag Builds**: Include git commit hash in binary version
+3. **Test Thoroughly**: Verify on multiple distributions
+4. **Document Dependencies**: List required NIPs and libraries
+5. **Automate**: Use CI/CD to build on every commit
+6. **Archive Binaries**: Keep old versions for rollback
+
+## Performance Comparison
+
+| Metric | MUSL Static | glibc Dynamic |
+|--------|-------------|---------------|
+| Binary Size | 7-10 MB | 2-3 MB + libs |
+| Startup Time | ~50ms | ~40ms |
+| Memory Usage | Similar | Similar |
+| Portability | ✓ Universal | ✗ System-dependent |
+| Deployment | Single file | Binary + libraries |
+
+## References
+
+- [MUSL libc](https://musl.libc.org/)
+- [Alpine Linux](https://alpinelinux.org/)
+- [nostr_core_lib](https://github.com/chebizarro/nostr_core_lib)
+- [Static Linking Best Practices](https://www.musl-libc.org/faq.html)
+- [c-relay Implementation](./docs/musl_static_build.md)
+
+## Example: Minimal Nostr Client
+
+Here's a complete example of building a minimal Nostr client:
+
+```c
+// minimal_client.c
+#include "nostr_core/nostr_core.h"
+#include <stdio.h>
+
+int main() {
+    // Generate keypair
+    char nsec[64], npub[64];
+    nostr_generate_keypair(nsec, npub);
+    
+    printf("Generated keypair:\n");
+    printf("Private key (nsec): %s\n", nsec);
+    printf("Public key (npub): %s\n", npub);
+    
+    // Create event
+    cJSON *event = nostr_create_event(1, "Hello, Nostr!", NULL);
+    nostr_sign_event(event, nsec);
+    
+    char *json = cJSON_Print(event);
+    printf("\nSigned event:\n%s\n", json);
+    
+    free(json);
+    cJSON_Delete(event);
+    return 0;
+}
+```
+
+**Dockerfile.static:**
+```dockerfile
+FROM alpine:3.19 AS builder
+RUN apk add --no-cache build-base musl-dev git autoconf automake libtool \
+    openssl-dev openssl-libs-static zlib-dev zlib-static
+
+WORKDIR /build
+
+# Build secp256k1
+RUN cd /tmp && git clone https://github.com/bitcoin-core/secp256k1.git && \
+    cd secp256k1 && ./autogen.sh && \
+    ./configure --enable-static --disable-shared --prefix=/usr CFLAGS="-fPIC" && \
+    make -j$(nproc) && make install
+
+# Copy and build nostr_core_lib
+COPY nostr_core_lib /build/nostr_core_lib/
+RUN cd nostr_core_lib && \
+    sed -i 's/CFLAGS="-Wall/CFLAGS="-U_FORTIFY_SOURCE -D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=0 -Wall/' build.sh && \
+    ./build.sh --nips=1,6,19
+
+# Build application
+COPY minimal_client.c /build/
+RUN gcc -static -O2 -Wall -std=c99 \
+    -U_FORTIFY_SOURCE -D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=0 \
+    -Inostr_core_lib -Inostr_core_lib/nostr_core -Inostr_core_lib/cjson \
+    minimal_client.c -o /build/minimal_client_static \
+    nostr_core_lib/libnostr_core_x64.a \
+    -lssl -lcrypto -lsecp256k1 -lz -lpthread -lm -ldl && \
+    strip /build/minimal_client_static
+
+FROM scratch
+COPY --from=builder /build/minimal_client_static /minimal_client_static
+```
+
+**Build and run:**
+```bash
+docker build -f Dockerfile.static -t minimal-client .
+docker create --name temp minimal-client
+docker cp temp:/minimal_client_static ./
+docker rm temp
+
+./minimal_client_static
+```
+
+## Conclusion
+
+Static MUSL binaries provide the best portability for C applications. While they're slightly larger than dynamic binaries, the benefits of zero dependencies and universal compatibility make them ideal for:
+
+- Server deployments across different Linux distributions
+- Embedded systems and IoT devices
+- Docker containers (FROM scratch)
+- Distribution to users without dependency management
+- Long-term archival and reproducibility
+
+Follow this guide to create portable, self-contained binaries for your Nostr applications!
@@ -285,7 +285,7 @@ h1 {
    border-bottom: var(--border-width) solid var(--border-color);
    padding-bottom: 10px;
    margin-bottom: 30px;
-    font-weight: normal;
+    font-weight: bold;
    font-size: 24px;
    font-family: var(--font-family);
    color: var(--primary-color);
@@ -293,32 +293,57 @@ h1 {

 h2 {
    font-weight: normal;
-    padding-left: 10px;
+    text-align: center;
    font-size: 16px;
    font-family: var(--font-family);
    color: var(--primary-color);
 }

+h3 {
+    font-weight: normal;
+    font-size: 12px;
+    font-family: var(--font-family);
+    color: var(--primary-color);
+    padding-bottom: 10px;
+}
+
+label {
+    display: block;
+    margin-bottom: 5px;
+    font-weight: lighter;
+    font-size: 10px;
+    font-family: var(--font-family);
+    color: var(--primary-color);
+}
+
+
+
+
 .section {
    background: var(--secondary-color);
    border: var(--border-width) solid var(--border-color);
    border-radius: var(--border-radius);
    padding: 20px;
    margin-bottom: 20px;
+    margin-left: 5px;
+    margin-right:5px;
 }

+.section-header {
+    display: flex;
+    justify-content: center;
+    align-items: center;
+    padding-bottom: 15px;
+}
+
+
+
+
+
 .input-group {
    margin-bottom: 15px;
 }

-label {
-    display: block;
-    margin-bottom: 5px;
-    font-weight: bold;
-    font-size: 14px;
-    font-family: var(--font-family);
-    color: var(--primary-color);
-}

 input,
 textarea,
@@ -491,6 +516,24 @@ button:disabled {
    border-radius: 0;
 }

+/* Relay Events Styles */
+.status-message {
+    margin-top: 10px;
+    padding: 8px;
+    border-radius: var(--border-radius);
+    font-size: 14px;
+    font-family: var(--font-family);
+    text-align: center;
+}
+
+.relay-entry {
+    border: var(--border-width) solid var(--border-color);
+    border-radius: var(--border-radius);
+    padding: 10px;
+    margin-bottom: 10px;
+    background: var(--secondary-color);
+}
+
 .config-value-input:focus {
    border: 1px solid var(--accent-color);
    background: var(--secondary-color);
@@ -660,14 +703,7 @@ button:disabled {
    display: none;
 }

-.section-header {
-    display: flex;
-    justify-content: space-between;
-    align-items: center;
-    /* margin-bottom: 15px; */
-    /* border-bottom: var(--border-width) solid var(--border-color); */
-    /* padding-bottom: 10px; */
-}
+

 .countdown-btn {
    width: auto;
@@ -948,10 +984,8 @@ button:disabled {
    padding: 6px 8px;
    text-align: left;
    font-family: var(--font-family);
-    max-width: 200px;
-    overflow: hidden;
-    text-overflow: ellipsis;
    white-space: nowrap;
+    min-width: 100px;
 }

 .sql-results-table th {
@@ -1107,3 +1141,361 @@ body.dark-mode .sql-results-table tbody tr:nth-child(even) {
    border-radius: var(--border-radius);
    box-sizing: border-box;
 }
+
+/* ================================
+   SIDE NAVIGATION MENU
+   ================================ */
+
+.side-nav {
+    position: fixed;
+    top: 0;
+    left: -300px;
+    width: 280px;
+    height: 100vh;
+    background: var(--secondary-color);
+    border-right: var(--border-width) solid var(--border-color);
+    z-index: 1000;
+    transition: left 0.3s ease;
+    overflow-y: auto;
+    padding-top: 80px;
+}
+
+.side-nav.open {
+    left: 0;
+}
+
+.side-nav-overlay {
+    position: fixed;
+    top: 0;
+    left: 0;
+    width: 100%;
+    height: 100%;
+    background: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5);
+    z-index: 999;
+    display: none;
+}
+
+.side-nav-overlay.show {
+    display: block;
+}
+
+.nav-menu {
+    list-style: none;
+    padding: 0;
+    margin: 0;
+}
+
+.nav-menu li {
+    border-bottom: var(--border-width) solid var(--muted-color);
+}
+
+.nav-menu li:last-child {
+    border-bottom: none;
+}
+
+.nav-item {
+    display: block;
+    padding: 15px 20px;
+    color: var(--primary-color);
+    text-decoration: none;
+    font-family: var(--font-family);
+    font-size: 16px;
+    font-weight: bold;
+    transition: all 0.2s ease;
+    cursor: pointer;
+    border: 2px solid var(--secondary-color);
+    background: none;
+    width: 100%;
+    text-align: left;
+}
+
+.nav-item:hover {
+    border: 2px solid var(--secondary-color);
+    background:var(--muted-color);
+    color: var(--accent-color);
+}
+
+.nav-item.active {
+    text-decoration: underline;
+      padding-left: 16px;
+  }
+
+.nav-footer {
+      position: absolute;
+      bottom: 20px;
+      left: 0;
+      right: 0;
+      padding: 0 20px;
+  }
+
+.nav-footer-btn {
+      display: block;
+      width: 100%;
+      padding: 12px 20px;
+      margin-bottom: 8px;
+      color: var(--primary-color);
+
+      border: 1px solid var(--border-color);
+      border-radius: 4px;
+      font-family: var(--font-family);
+      font-size: 14px;
+      font-weight: bold;
+      cursor: pointer;
+      transition: all 0.2s ease;
+  }
+
+.nav-footer-btn:hover {
+      background:var(--muted-color);
+      border-color: var(--accent-color);
+  }
+
+.nav-footer-btn:last-child {
+      margin-bottom: 0;
+  }
+
+.header-title.clickable {
+    cursor: pointer;
+    transition: all 0.2s ease;
+}
+
+.header-title.clickable:hover {
+    opacity: 0.8;
+}
+
+/* ================================
+   SUBSCRIPTION TABLE COLLAPSIBLE GROUPS
+   ================================ */
+
+/* Subscription group header styles */
+.subscription-group-header {
+
+    font-weight: 500;
+
+    cursor: pointer;
+    user-select: none;
+}
+
+.subscription-group-header:hover {
+    background-color: var(--secondary-color);
+}
+
+.expand-icon {
+    display: inline-block;
+    width: 20px;
+    transition: transform 0.2s ease;
+    font-size: 12px;
+}
+
+/* Detail row styles */
+.subscription-detail-row {
+    /* background-color: var(--secondary-color); */
+}
+
+/* ================================
+   WEB OF TRUST (WoT) STYLES
+   ================================ */
+
+.wot-status-row, .wot-stats-row {
+    display: flex;
+    justify-content: space-between;
+    align-items: center;
+    padding: 8px 0;
+    font-size: 14px;
+}
+
+.wot-indicator {
+    padding: 2px 10px;
+    border-radius: 4px;
+    font-weight: bold;
+    font-size: 12px;
+}
+
+.wot-indicator.wot-found { background: #28a745; color: white; }
+.wot-indicator.wot-missing { background: #dc3545; color: white; }
+.wot-indicator.wot-unknown { background: #6c757d; color: white; }
+
+.wot-level-selector { padding: 10px 0; }
+.wot-level-selector label { display: block; margin-bottom: 5px; font-weight: bold; }
+
+.wot-level-btn { min-width: 100px; }
+.wot-level-btn.active {
+    background: var(--accent-color, #ff0000);
+    color: white;
+    border-color: var(--accent-color, #ff0000);
+}
+
+.wot-level-description {
+    font-size: 12px;
+    color: var(--primary-color);
+    margin-top: 5px;
+    font-style: italic;
+    opacity: 0.8;
+}
+
+/* Dark mode adjustments for WoT */
+body.dark-mode .wot-indicator.wot-found { background: #28a745; }
+body.dark-mode .wot-indicator.wot-missing { background: #dc3545; }
+body.dark-mode .wot-indicator.wot-unknown { background: #6c757d; }
+
+/* ================================
+   ADMIN ACCESS GATE STYLES
+   ================================ */
+
+/* Access Denied Overlay */
+.access-denied-overlay {
+    position: fixed;
+    top: 0;
+    left: 0;
+    width: 100%;
+    height: 100%;
+    background: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.85);
+    z-index: 9999;
+    display: none;
+    justify-content: center;
+    align-items: center;
+}
+
+.access-denied-content {
+    background: var(--card-bg);
+    border: 2px solid #dc3545;
+    border-radius: 12px;
+    padding: 40px 60px;
+    text-align: center;
+    max-width: 500px;
+    box-shadow: 0 10px 40px rgba(220, 53, 69, 0.3);
+}
+
+.access-denied-icon {
+    font-size: 64px;
+    margin-bottom: 20px;
+}
+
+.access-denied-content h2 {
+    color: #dc3545;
+    font-size: 32px;
+    margin-bottom: 20px;
+    letter-spacing: 2px;
+}
+
+.access-denied-message {
+    font-size: 16px;
+    color: var(--primary-color);
+    margin-bottom: 10px;
+    line-height: 1.5;
+}
+
+.access-denied-submessage {
+    font-size: 14px;
+    color: var(--muted-color);
+    margin-bottom: 30px;
+    font-style: italic;
+}
+
+.access-denied-logout-btn {
+    background: #dc3545;
+    color: white;
+    border: none;
+    padding: 12px 40px;
+    font-size: 16px;
+    font-weight: bold;
+    border-radius: 6px;
+    cursor: pointer;
+    transition: all 0.3s ease;
+}
+
+.access-denied-logout-btn:hover {
+    background: #c82333;
+    transform: translateY(-2px);
+    box-shadow: 0 4px 12px rgba(220, 53, 69, 0.4);
+}
+
+/* Admin Verification Loading Overlay */
+.admin-verification-overlay {
+    position: fixed;
+    top: 0;
+    left: 0;
+    width: 100%;
+    height: 100%;
+    background: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8);
+    z-index: 9998;
+    display: none;
+    justify-content: center;
+    align-items: center;
+}
+
+.admin-verification-content {
+    background: var(--card-bg);
+    border: 1px solid var(--border-color);
+    border-radius: 12px;
+    padding: 40px 60px;
+    text-align: center;
+    max-width: 450px;
+}
+
+.admin-verification-content h3 {
+    color: var(--accent-color);
+    font-size: 20px;
+    margin-bottom: 15px;
+}
+
+.admin-verification-content p {
+    color: var(--muted-color);
+    font-size: 14px;
+    margin-top: 15px;
+}
+
+/* Spinner Animation */
+.spinner {
+    width: 50px;
+    height: 50px;
+    border: 4px solid var(--border-color);
+    border-top: 4px solid var(--accent-color);
+    border-radius: 50%;
+    animation: spin 1s linear infinite;
+    margin: 0 auto 20px;
+}
+
+@keyframes spin {
+    0% { transform: rotate(0deg); }
+    100% { transform: rotate(360deg); }
+}
+
+/* Dark mode adjustments */
+body.dark-mode .access-denied-content {
+    background: var(--card-bg);
+}
+
+body.dark-mode .admin-verification-content {
+    background: var(--card-bg);
+}
+
+.subscription-detail-row:hover {
+    background-color: var(--muted-color);
+}
+
+/* Detail row cell styles */
+.subscription-detail-prefix {
+    padding-left: 30px;
+    font-family: 'Courier New', monospace;
+    font-size: 11px;
+    color: var(--muted-color);
+}
+
+.subscription-detail-id {
+    font-family: 'Courier New', monospace;
+    font-size: 12px;
+}
+
+
+/* ================================
+   IP BANS TABLE - compact rows
+   ================================ */
+#ip-bans-table td, #ip-bans-table th {
+    padding: 4px 8px;
+    line-height: 1.3;
+    font-size: 13px;
+}
+#ip-bans-table button {
+    padding: 2px 8px;
+    font-size: 12px;
+}
@@ -9,37 +9,55 @@
 </head>

 <body>
+    <!-- Side Navigation Menu -->
+    <nav class="side-nav" id="side-nav">
+        <ul class="nav-menu">
+            <li><button class="nav-item" data-page="statistics">Statistics</button></li>
+            <li><button class="nav-item" data-page="subscriptions">Subscriptions</button></li>
+            <li><button class="nav-item" data-page="configuration">Configuration</button></li>
+            <li><button class="nav-item" data-page="authorization">Authorization</button></li>
+            <li><button class="nav-item" data-page="ip-bans">IP BANS</button></li>
+            <li><button class="nav-item" data-page="relay-events">Relay Events</button></li>
+            <li><button class="nav-item" data-page="dm">DM</button></li>
+            <li><button class="nav-item" data-page="database">Database Query</button></li>
+        </ul>
+        <div class="nav-footer">
+            <button class="nav-footer-btn" id="nav-dark-mode-btn">DARK MODE</button>
+            <button class="nav-footer-btn" id="nav-logout-btn">LOGOUT</button>
+        </div>
+    </nav>
+
+    <!-- Side Navigation Overlay -->
+    <div class="side-nav-overlay" id="side-nav-overlay"></div>
+
    <!-- Header with title and profile display -->
    <div class="section">

-            <div class="header-content">
-                <div class="header-title">
-                    <span class="relay-letter" data-letter="R">R</span>
-                    <span class="relay-letter" data-letter="E">E</span>
-                    <span class="relay-letter" data-letter="L">L</span>
-                    <span class="relay-letter" data-letter="A">A</span>
-                    <span class="relay-letter" data-letter="Y">Y</span>
-                </div>
-                <div class="relay-info">
-                    <div id="relay-name" class="relay-name">C-Relay</div>
-                    <div id="relay-description" class="relay-description">Loading...</div>
-                    <div id="relay-pubkey-container" class="relay-pubkey-container">
-                        <div id="relay-pubkey" class="relay-pubkey">Loading...</div>
-                    </div>
-                </div>
-                <div class="profile-area" id="profile-area" style="display: none;">
-                    <div class="admin-label">admin</div>
-                    <div class="profile-container">
-                        <img id="header-user-image" class="header-user-image" alt="Profile" style="display: none;">
-                        <span id="header-user-name" class="header-user-name">Loading...</span>
-                    </div>
-                    <!-- Logout dropdown -->
-                    <div class="logout-dropdown" id="logout-dropdown" style="display: none;">
-                        <button type="button" id="dark-mode-btn" class="logout-btn">🌙 DARK MODE</button>
-                        <button type="button" id="logout-btn" class="logout-btn">LOGOUT</button>
-                    </div>
+        <div class="header-content">
+            <div class="header-title clickable" id="header-title">
+                <span class="relay-letter" data-letter="R">R</span>
+                <span class="relay-letter" data-letter="E">E</span>
+                <span class="relay-letter" data-letter="L">L</span>
+                <span class="relay-letter" data-letter="A">A</span>
+                <span class="relay-letter" data-letter="Y">Y</span>
+            </div>
+            <div class="relay-info">
+                <div id="relay-name" class="relay-name">C-Relay</div>
+                <div id="relay-description" class="relay-description">Loading...</div>
+                <div id="relay-pubkey-container" class="relay-pubkey-container">
+                    <div id="relay-pubkey" class="relay-pubkey">Loading...</div>
                </div>
            </div>
+            <div class="profile-area" id="profile-area" style="display: none;">
+                <div class="admin-label">admin</div>
+                <div class="profile-container">
+                    <img id="header-user-image" class="header-user-image" alt="Profile" style="display: none;">
+                    <span id="header-user-name" class="header-user-name">Loading...</span>
+                </div>
+                <!-- Logout dropdown -->
+                <!-- Dropdown menu removed - buttons moved to sidebar -->
+            </div>
+        </div>

    </div>

@@ -50,13 +68,22 @@
        </div>
    </div>

+    <!-- Access Denied Overlay (shown when non-admin user logs in) -->
+    <div id="access-denied-overlay" class="access-denied-overlay" style="display: none;">
+        <div class="access-denied-content">
+            <div class="access-denied-icon">⛔</div>
+            <h2>ACCESS DENIED</h2>
+            <p class="access-denied-message">This interface is restricted to the relay administrator.</p>
+            <p class="access-denied-submessage">The logged-in account does not have admin privileges.</p>
+            <button type="button" class="access-denied-logout-btn" onclick="logout()">LOGOUT</button>
+        </div>
+    </div>
+
    <!-- DATABASE STATISTICS Section -->
+    <!-- Subscribe to kind 24567 events to receive real-time monitoring data -->
    <div class="section flex-section" id="databaseStatisticsSection" style="display: none;">
        <div class="section-header">
-            <h2>DATABASE STATISTICS</h2>
-            <!-- Monitoring toggle button will be inserted here by JavaScript -->
-            <!-- Temporarily disable auto-refresh button for real-time monitoring -->
-            <!-- <button type="button" id="refresh-stats-btn" class="countdown-btn"></button> -->
+            DATABASE STATISTICS
        </div>

        <!-- Event Rate Graph Container -->
@@ -81,10 +108,30 @@
                            <td>Total Events</td>
                            <td id="total-events">-</td>
                        </tr>
+                        <tr>
+                            <td>Process ID</td>
+                            <td id="process-id">-</td>
+                        </tr>
+                        <tr>
+                            <td>WebSocket Connections</td>
+                            <td id="websocket-connections">-</td>
+                        </tr>
                        <tr>
                            <td>Active Subscriptions</td>
                            <td id="active-subscriptions">-</td>
                        </tr>
+                        <tr>
+                            <td>Memory Usage</td>
+                            <td id="memory-usage">-</td>
+                        </tr>
+                        <tr>
+                            <td>CPU Usage</td>
+                            <td id="cpu-usage">-</td>
+                        </tr>
+                        <tr>
+                            <td>CPU Core</td>
+                            <td id="cpu-core">-</td>
+                        </tr>
                        <tr>
                            <td>Oldest Event</td>
                            <td id="oldest-event">-</td>
@@ -175,25 +222,15 @@
    <!-- SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS Section (Admin Only) -->
    <div class="section flex-section" id="subscriptionDetailsSection" style="display: none;">
        <div class="section-header">
-            <h2>ACTIVE SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS</h2>
+            ACTIVE SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS
        </div>

        <div class="input-group">
            <div class="config-table-container">
                <table class="config-table" id="subscription-details-table">
-                    <thead>
-                        <tr>
-                            <th>Subscription ID</th>
-                            <th>Client IP</th>
-                            <th>Duration</th>
-                            <th>Events Sent</th>
-                            <th>Status</th>
-                            <th>Filters</th>
-                        </tr>
-                    </thead>
                    <tbody id="subscription-details-table-body">
                        <tr>
-                            <td colspan="6" style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;">No subscriptions active</td>
+                            <td colspan="4" style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;">No subscriptions active</td>
                        </tr>
                    </tbody>
                </table>
@@ -203,7 +240,9 @@

    <!-- Testing Section -->
    <div id="div_config" class="section flex-section" style="display: none;">
-        <h2>RELAY CONFIGURATION</h2>
+        <div class="section-header">
+            RELAY CONFIGURATION
+        </div>
        <div id="config-display" class="hidden">
            <div class="config-table-container">
                <table class="config-table" id="config-table">
@@ -228,9 +267,10 @@
    </div>

    <!-- Auth Rules Management - Moved after configuration -->
+    <!-- AUTH RULES MANAGEMENT SECTION -->
    <div class="section flex-section" id="authRulesSection" style="display: none;">
        <div class="section-header">
-            <h2>AUTH RULES MANAGEMENT</h2>
+AUTH RULES MANAGEMENT
        </div>

        <!-- Auth Rules Table -->
@@ -250,33 +290,69 @@
            </table>
        </div>

-        <!-- Simplified Auth Rule Input Section -->
+        <!-- Auth Rule Input Section -->
        <div id="authRuleInputSections" style="display: block;">
+            <div class="input-group">
+                <label for="authRulePubkey">Public Key (npub or hex):</label>
+                <input type="text" id="authRulePubkey" placeholder="npub1... or 64-character hex pubkey">
+            </div>
+            <div id="whitelistWarning" class="warning-box" style="display: none;">
+                <strong>⚠️ WARNING:</strong> Adding whitelist rules changes relay behavior to whitelist-only
+                mode.
+                Only whitelisted users will be able to interact with the relay.
+            </div>
+            <div class="inline-buttons">
+                <button type="button" id="addWhitelistBtn" onclick="addWhitelistRule()">ADD TO
+                    WHITELIST</button>
+                <button type="button" id="addBlacklistBtn" onclick="addBlacklistRule()">ADD TO
+                    BLACKLIST</button>
+                <button type="button" id="refreshAuthRulesBtn">REFRESH</button>
+            </div>
+        </div>
+    </div>

-            <!-- Combined Pubkey Auth Rule Section -->
-
-
-                <div class="input-group">
-                    <label for="authRulePubkey">Pubkey (nsec or hex):</label>
-                    <input type="text" id="authRulePubkey" placeholder="nsec1... or 64-character hex pubkey">
-
-                </div>
-                <div id="whitelistWarning" class="warning-box" style="display: none;">
-                    <strong>⚠️ WARNING:</strong> Adding whitelist rules changes relay behavior to whitelist-only
-                    mode.
-                    Only whitelisted users will be able to interact with the relay.
-                </div>
-                <div class="inline-buttons">
-                    <button type="button" id="addWhitelistBtn" onclick="addWhitelistRule()">ADD TO
-                        WHITELIST</button>
-                    <button type="button" id="addBlacklistBtn" onclick="addBlacklistRule()">ADD TO
-                        BLACKLIST</button>
-                    <button type="button" id="refreshAuthRulesBtn">REFRESH</button>
-                </div>
-
-
+    <!-- WEB OF TRUST SECTION -->
+    <div class="section flex-section" id="wotSection" style="display: none;">
+        <div class="section-header">
+WEB OF TRUST
        </div>

+        <!-- Kind 3 Status Indicator -->
+        <div id="wotKind3Status" class="wot-status-row">
+            <span>Admin Contact List (kind 3):</span>
+            <span id="wotKind3Indicator" class="wot-indicator wot-unknown">Checking...</span>
+        </div>
+
+        <!-- WoT Level Selector -->
+        <div class="wot-level-selector">
+            <label>WoT Level:</label>
+            <div class="inline-buttons">
+                <button type="button" id="wotLevel0Btn" class="wot-level-btn" onclick="setWotLevel(0)">
+                    OFF
+                </button>
+                <button type="button" id="wotLevel1Btn" class="wot-level-btn" onclick="setWotLevel(1)">
+                    WRITE ONLY
+                </button>
+                <button type="button" id="wotLevel2Btn" class="wot-level-btn" onclick="setWotLevel(2)">
+                    FULL
+                </button>
+            </div>
+            <div class="wot-level-description" id="wotLevelDescription">
+                Level 0: Open relay — anyone can read and write
+            </div>
+        </div>
+
+        <!-- WoT Stats -->
+        <div class="wot-stats-row">
+            <span>Whitelisted Pubkeys:</span>
+            <span id="wotWhitelistCount">—</span>
+        </div>
+
+        <!-- Sync Button -->
+        <div class="inline-buttons">
+            <button type="button" id="wotSyncBtn" onclick="syncWot()">SYNC FROM KIND 3</button>
+            <button type="button" id="wotRefreshBtn" onclick="loadWotStatus()">REFRESH STATUS</button>
+        </div>
    </div>


@@ -292,7 +368,7 @@
        </div>

        <!-- Outbox -->
-        <div class="input-group">
+        <div>
            <label for="dm-outbox">Send Message to Relay:</label>
            <textarea id="dm-outbox" rows="4" placeholder="Enter your message to send to the relay..."></textarea>
        </div>
@@ -311,6 +387,175 @@
        </div>
    </div>

+    <!-- IP BANS Section -->
+    <div class="section" id="ipBansSection" style="display: none;">
+        <div class="section-header">
+            IP BAN MANAGEMENT
+        </div>
+
+        <!-- Statistics Cards -->
+        <div class="input-group">
+            <div class="config-table-container">
+                <table class="config-table" id="ip-bans-stats-table">
+                    <thead>
+                        <tr>
+                            <th>Total IPs Tracked</th>
+                            <th>Currently Banned</th>
+                            <th>Total Bans Issued</th>
+                        </tr>
+                    </thead>
+                    <tbody>
+                        <tr>
+                            <td id="ip-bans-total">-</td>
+                            <td id="ip-bans-active">-</td>
+                            <td id="ip-bans-issued">-</td>
+                        </tr>
+                    </tbody>
+                </table>
+            </div>
+        </div>
+
+        <!-- Add Ban Form -->
+        <div class="input-group">
+            <h3>Manually Ban IP Address</h3>
+            <div class="form-group">
+                <label for="ban-ip-input">IP Address:</label>
+                <input type="text" id="ban-ip-input" placeholder="192.168.1.100">
+            </div>
+            <div class="form-group">
+                <label for="ban-duration-select">Ban Duration:</label>
+                <select id="ban-duration-select">
+                    <option value="3600">1 Hour</option>
+                    <option value="86400" selected>24 Hours</option>
+                    <option value="604800">7 Days</option>
+                    <option value="2592000">30 Days</option>
+                    <option value="31536000">1 Year</option>
+                    <option value="999999999">Permanent</option>
+                </select>
+            </div>
+            <div class="inline-buttons">
+                <button type="button" id="add-ban-btn">BAN IP</button>
+            </div>
+            <div id="add-ban-status" class="status-message"></div>
+        </div>
+
+        <!-- Whitelist Management -->
+        <div class="input-group">
+            <h3>IP Whitelist (Never Banned)</h3>
+            <p style="font-size:13px;opacity:0.8;">IPs in this list are never idle-banned. Comma-separated.</p>
+            <div class="form-group">
+                <label for="whitelist-ip-input">Add IP to Whitelist:</label>
+                <input type="text" id="whitelist-ip-input" placeholder="103.81.231.220">
+            </div>
+            <div class="inline-buttons">
+                <button type="button" id="add-whitelist-btn">ADD TO WHITELIST</button>
+            </div>
+            <div id="whitelist-status" class="status-message"></div>
+            <div id="whitelist-current" style="margin-top:8px;font-size:13px;"></div>
+        </div>
+
+        <!-- Filter Controls -->
+        <div class="input-group">
+            <div class="inline-buttons">
+                <button type="button" id="ip-ban-filter-all" class="active">All IPs</button>
+                <button type="button" id="ip-ban-filter-banned">Currently Banned</button>
+                <button type="button" id="ip-ban-filter-expired">Expired</button>
+                <button type="button" id="refresh-ip-bans-btn">REFRESH</button>
+            </div>
+        </div>
+
+        <!-- IP Bans List -->
+        <div class="input-group">
+            <label>Banned IP Addresses:</label>
+            <div class="config-table-container">
+                <table class="config-table" id="ip-bans-table">
+                        <thead>
+                            <tr>
+                                <th>IP Address</th>
+                                <th>Status</th>
+                                <th>Banned Until</th>
+                                <th>Failures</th>
+                                <th>Authed Successfully</th>
+                                <th>Connection Attempts</th>
+                                <th>Actions</th>
+                            </tr>
+                        </thead>
+                    <tbody id="ip-bans-tbody">
+                        <tr>
+                                                    <td colspan="7" style="text-align: center;">Click REFRESH to load IP bans</td>
+                                                </tr>
+                    </tbody>
+                </table>
+            </div>
+        </div>
+    </div>
+
+    <!-- RELAY EVENTS Section -->
+    <div class="section" id="relayEventsSection" style="display: none;">
+        <div class="section-header">
+            RELAY EVENTS MANAGEMENT
+        </div>
+
+        <!-- Kind 0: User Metadata -->
+        <div class="input-group">
+            <h3>Kind 0: User Metadata</h3>
+            <div class="form-group">
+                <label for="kind0-name">Name:</label>
+                <input type="text" id="kind0-name" placeholder="Relay Name">
+            </div>
+            <div class="form-group">
+                <label for="kind0-about">About:</label>
+                <textarea id="kind0-about" rows="3" placeholder="Relay Description"></textarea>
+            </div>
+            <div class="form-group">
+                <label for="kind0-picture">Picture URL:</label>
+                <input type="url" id="kind0-picture" placeholder="https://example.com/logo.png">
+            </div>
+            <div class="form-group">
+                <label for="kind0-banner">Banner URL:</label>
+                <input type="url" id="kind0-banner" placeholder="https://example.com/banner.png">
+            </div>
+            <div class="form-group">
+                <label for="kind0-nip05">NIP-05:</label>
+                <input type="text" id="kind0-nip05" placeholder="relay@example.com">
+            </div>
+            <div class="form-group">
+                <label for="kind0-website">Website:</label>
+                <input type="url" id="kind0-website" placeholder="https://example.com">
+            </div>
+            <div class="inline-buttons">
+                <button type="button" id="submit-kind0-btn">UPDATE METADATA</button>
+            </div>
+            <div id="kind0-status" class="status-message"></div>
+        </div>
+
+        <!-- Kind 10050: DM Relay List -->
+        <div class="input-group">
+            <h3>Kind 10050: DM Relay List</h3>
+            <div class="form-group">
+                <label for="kind10050-relays">Relay URLs (one per line):</label>
+                <textarea id="kind10050-relays" rows="4" placeholder="wss://relay1.com&#10;wss://relay2.com"></textarea>
+            </div>
+            <div class="inline-buttons">
+                <button type="button" id="submit-kind10050-btn">UPDATE DM RELAYS</button>
+            </div>
+            <div id="kind10050-status" class="status-message"></div>
+        </div>
+
+        <!-- Kind 10002: Relay List -->
+        <div class="input-group">
+            <h3>Kind 10002: Relay List</h3>
+            <div id="kind10002-relay-entries">
+                <!-- Dynamic relay entries will be added here -->
+            </div>
+            <div class="inline-buttons">
+                <button type="button" id="add-relay-entry-btn">ADD RELAY</button>
+                <button type="button" id="submit-kind10002-btn">UPDATE RELAYS</button>
+            </div>
+            <div id="kind10002-status" class="status-message"></div>
+        </div>
+    </div>
+
    <!-- SQL QUERY Section -->
    <div class="section" id="sqlQuerySection" style="display: none;">
        <div class="section-header">
@@ -330,6 +575,10 @@
                    <option value="event_kinds">Event Kinds Distribution</option>
                    <option value="time_stats">Time-based Statistics</option>
                </optgroup>
+                <optgroup label="IP Ban Queries">
+                    <option value="banned_ips_summary">Banned IPs Summary</option>
+                    <option value="banned_ips_list">All Banned IP Addresses</option>
+                </optgroup>
                <optgroup label="Query History" id="history-group">
                    <!-- Dynamically populated from localStorage -->
                </optgroup>
@@ -3297,8 +3297,18 @@ var NostrTools = (() => {
      this.enablePing = opts.enablePing;
    }
    async ensureRelay(url, params) {
+      const rawUrl = url;
+      const debugEnabled = typeof window !== "undefined" && !!window.__SIMPLE_POOL_DEBUG__;
      url = normalizeURL(url);
      let relay = this.relays.get(url);
+      if (debugEnabled) {
+        console.log("🔎 SIMPLE_POOL ensureRelay START", {
+          rawUrl,
+          normalizedUrl: url,
+          hadRelay: !!relay,
+          relayMapKeysBefore: Array.from(this.relays.keys())
+        });
+      }
      if (!relay) {
        relay = new AbstractRelay(url, {
          verifyEvent: this.trustedRelayURLs.has(url) ? alwaysTrue : this.verifyEvent,
@@ -3306,13 +3316,38 @@ var NostrTools = (() => {
          enablePing: this.enablePing
        });
        relay.onclose = () => {
+          if (debugEnabled) {
+            console.log("🔎 SIMPLE_POOL ensureRelay onclose", {
+              normalizedUrl: url,
+              relayMapKeysBeforeDelete: Array.from(this.relays.keys())
+            });
+          }
          this.relays.delete(url);
+          if (debugEnabled) {
+            console.log("🔎 SIMPLE_POOL ensureRelay onclose complete", {
+              normalizedUrl: url,
+              relayMapKeysAfterDelete: Array.from(this.relays.keys())
+            });
+          }
        };
        if (params?.connectionTimeout)
          relay.connectionTimeout = params.connectionTimeout;
        this.relays.set(url, relay);
+        if (debugEnabled) {
+          console.log("🔎 SIMPLE_POOL ensureRelay created relay", {
+            normalizedUrl: url,
+            relayMapKeysAfterCreate: Array.from(this.relays.keys())
+          });
+        }
      }
      await relay.connect();
+      if (debugEnabled) {
+        console.log("🔎 SIMPLE_POOL ensureRelay connected", {
+          normalizedUrl: url,
+          relayConnected: relay.connected,
+          relayMapKeysAfterConnect: Array.from(this.relays.keys())
+        });
+      }
      return relay;
    }
    close(relays) {
@@ -3334,16 +3369,26 @@ var NostrTools = (() => {
    }
    subscribeMany(relays, filters, params) {
      params.onauth = params.onauth || params.doauth;
+      const debugEnabled = typeof window !== "undefined" && !!window.__SIMPLE_POOL_DEBUG__;
      const request = [];
      const uniqUrls = [];
      for (let i2 = 0; i2 < relays.length; i2++) {
        const url = normalizeURL(relays[i2]);
        if (uniqUrls.indexOf(url) === -1) {
+          uniqUrls.push(url);
          for (let f2 = 0; f2 < filters.length; f2++) {
            request.push({ url, filter: filters[f2] });
          }
        }
      }
+      if (debugEnabled) {
+        console.log("🔎 SIMPLE_POOL subscribeMany", {
+          relaysInput: relays,
+          uniqUrls,
+          filtersCount: filters.length,
+          requestsCount: request.length
+        });
+      }
      return this.subscribeMap(request, params);
    }
    subscribeMap(requests, params) {
@@ -3391,14 +3436,31 @@ var NostrTools = (() => {
        _knownIds.add(id);
        return have;
      };
+      const debugEnabled = typeof window !== "undefined" && !!window.__SIMPLE_POOL_DEBUG__;
      const allOpened = Promise.all(
        requests.map(async ({ url, filter }, i2) => {
+          if (debugEnabled) {
+            console.log("🔎 SIMPLE_POOL subscribeMap request", {
+              index: i2,
+              url,
+              filterKinds: filter?.kinds,
+              hasAuthorFilter: !!filter?.authors,
+              hasPTagFilter: !!filter?.["#p"]
+            });
+          }
          let relay;
          try {
            relay = await this.ensureRelay(url, {
              connectionTimeout: params.maxWait ? Math.max(params.maxWait * 0.8, params.maxWait - 1e3) : void 0
            });
          } catch (err) {
+            if (debugEnabled) {
+              console.log("🔎 SIMPLE_POOL subscribeMap ensureRelay FAILED", {
+                index: i2,
+                url,
+                error: err?.message || String(err)
+              });
+            }
            handleClose(i2, err?.message || String(err));
            return;
          }
@@ -3480,18 +3542,50 @@ var NostrTools = (() => {
      return events[0] || null;
    }
    publish(relays, event, options) {
-      return relays.map(normalizeURL).map(async (url, i2, arr) => {
+      const debugEnabled = typeof window !== "undefined" && !!window.__SIMPLE_POOL_DEBUG__;
+      const normalizedRelays = relays.map(normalizeURL);
+      if (debugEnabled) {
+        console.log("🔎 SIMPLE_POOL publish START", {
+          relaysInput: relays,
+          normalizedRelays,
+          eventKind: event?.kind,
+          eventId: event?.id
+        });
+      }
+      return normalizedRelays.map(async (url, i2, arr) => {
        if (arr.indexOf(url) !== i2) {
+          if (debugEnabled) {
+            console.log("🔎 SIMPLE_POOL publish duplicate URL", { url, index: i2 });
+          }
          return Promise.reject("duplicate url");
        }
        let r = await this.ensureRelay(url);
+        if (debugEnabled) {
+          console.log("🔎 SIMPLE_POOL publish ensured relay", {
+            url,
+            relayConnected: r?.connected,
+            relayMapKeys: Array.from(this.relays.keys())
+          });
+        }
        return r.publish(event).catch(async (err) => {
+          if (debugEnabled) {
+            console.log("🔎 SIMPLE_POOL publish ERROR", {
+              url,
+              error: err?.message || String(err)
+            });
+          }
          if (err instanceof Error && err.message.startsWith("auth-required: ") && options?.onauth) {
            await r.auth(options.onauth);
            return r.publish(event);
          }
          throw err;
        }).then((reason) => {
+          if (debugEnabled) {
+            console.log("🔎 SIMPLE_POOL publish SUCCESS", {
+              url,
+              reason
+            });
+          }
          if (this.trackRelays) {
            let set = this.seenOn.get(event.id);
            if (!set) {
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ class ASCIIBarChart {
     * @param {boolean} [options.useBinMode=false] - Enable time bin mode for data aggregation
     * @param {number} [options.binDuration=10000] - Duration of each time bin in milliseconds (10 seconds default)
     * @param {string} [options.xAxisLabelFormat='elapsed'] - X-axis label format: 'elapsed', 'bins', 'timestamps', 'ranges'
+     * @param {boolean} [options.debug=false] - Enable debug logging
     */
    constructor(containerId, options = {}) {
        this.container = document.getElementById(containerId);
@@ -29,6 +30,7 @@ class ASCIIBarChart {
        this.xAxisLabel = options.xAxisLabel || '';
        this.yAxisLabel = options.yAxisLabel || '';
        this.autoFitWidth = options.autoFitWidth !== false; // Default to true
+        this.debug = options.debug || false; // Debug logging option

        // Time bin configuration
        this.useBinMode = options.useBinMode !== false; // Default to true
@@ -55,32 +57,21 @@ class ASCIIBarChart {
            this.initializeBins();
        }
    }
-    
+
    /**
     * Add a new data point to the chart
     * @param {number} value - The numeric value to add
     */
    addValue(value) {
-        if (this.useBinMode) {
-            // Time bin mode: increment count in current active bin
-            this.checkBinRotation(); // Ensure we have an active bin
-            this.bins[this.currentBinIndex].count++;
-            this.totalDataPoints++;
-        } else {
-            // Legacy mode: add individual values
-            this.data.push(value);
-            this.totalDataPoints++;
-
-            // Keep only the most recent data points
-            if (this.data.length > this.maxDataPoints) {
-                this.data.shift();
-            }
-        }
+        // Time bin mode: add value to current active bin count
+        this.checkBinRotation(); // Ensure we have an active bin
+        this.bins[this.currentBinIndex].count += value;  // Changed from ++ to += value
+        this.totalDataPoints++;

        this.render();
        this.updateInfo();
    }
-    
+
    /**
     * Clear all data from the chart
     */
@@ -98,7 +89,7 @@ class ASCIIBarChart {
        this.render();
        this.updateInfo();
    }
-    
+
    /**
     * Calculate the width of the chart in characters
     * @returns {number} The chart width in characters
@@ -119,14 +110,14 @@ class ASCIIBarChart {
        const totalWidth = yAxisPadding + yAxisNumbers + separator + dataWidth + padding;

        // Only log when width changes
-        if (this.lastChartWidth !== totalWidth) {
+        if (this.debug && this.lastChartWidth !== totalWidth) {
            console.log('getChartWidth changed:', { dataLength, totalWidth, previous: this.lastChartWidth });
            this.lastChartWidth = totalWidth;
        }

        return totalWidth;
    }
-    
+
    /**
     * Adjust font size to fit container width
     * @private
@@ -142,7 +133,7 @@ class ASCIIBarChart {
        // Calculate optimal font size
        // For monospace fonts, character width is approximately 0.6 * font size
        // Use a slightly smaller ratio to fit more content
-        const charWidthRatio = 0.6;
+        const charWidthRatio = 0.7;
        const padding = 30; // Reduce padding to fit more content
        const availableWidth = containerWidth - padding;
        const optimalFontSize = Math.floor((availableWidth / chartWidth) / charWidthRatio);
@@ -151,7 +142,7 @@ class ASCIIBarChart {
        const fontSize = Math.max(4, Math.min(20, optimalFontSize));

        // Only log when font size changes
-        if (this.lastFontSize !== fontSize) {
+        if (this.debug && this.lastFontSize !== fontSize) {
            console.log('fontSize changed:', { containerWidth, chartWidth, fontSize, previous: this.lastFontSize });
            this.lastFontSize = fontSize;
        }
@@ -159,7 +150,7 @@ class ASCIIBarChart {
        this.container.style.fontSize = fontSize + 'px';
        this.container.style.lineHeight = '1.0';
    }
-    
+
    /**
     * Render the chart to the container
     * @private
@@ -190,7 +181,9 @@ class ASCIIBarChart {
                }
            });

-            console.log('render() dataToRender:', dataToRender, 'bins length:', this.bins.length);
+            if (this.debug) {
+                console.log('render() dataToRender:', dataToRender, 'bins length:', this.bins.length);
+            }
            maxValue = Math.max(...dataToRender);
            minValue = Math.min(...dataToRender);
            valueRange = maxValue - minValue;
@@ -219,12 +212,12 @@ class ASCIIBarChart {
        const yAxisPadding = this.yAxisLabel ? '  ' : '';

        // Add title if provided (centered)
-         if (this.title) {
-             // const chartWidth = 4 + this.maxDataPoints * 2; // Y-axis numbers + data columns  // TEMP: commented for no-space test
-             const chartWidth = 4 + this.maxDataPoints; // Y-axis numbers + data columns  // TEMP: adjusted for no-space columns
-             const titlePadding = Math.floor((chartWidth - this.title.length) / 2);
-             output += yAxisPadding + ' '.repeat(Math.max(0, titlePadding)) + this.title + '\n\n';
-         }
+        if (this.title) {
+            // const chartWidth = 4 + this.maxDataPoints * 2; // Y-axis numbers + data columns  // TEMP: commented for no-space test
+            const chartWidth = 4 + this.maxDataPoints; // Y-axis numbers + data columns  // TEMP: adjusted for no-space columns
+            const titlePadding = Math.floor((chartWidth - this.title.length) / 2);
+            output += yAxisPadding + ' '.repeat(Math.max(0, titlePadding)) + this.title + '\n\n';
+        }

        // Draw from top to bottom
        for (let row = scale; row > 0; row--) {
@@ -243,8 +236,8 @@ class ASCIIBarChart {
                }
            }

-            // Calculate the actual count value this row represents (0 at bottom, increasing upward)
-            const rowCount = (row - 1) * scaleFactor;
+            // Calculate the actual count value this row represents (1 at bottom, increasing upward)
+            const rowCount = (row - 1) * scaleFactor + 1;

            // Add Y-axis label (show actual count values)
            line += String(rowCount).padStart(3, ' ') + ' |';
@@ -267,75 +260,75 @@ class ASCIIBarChart {
        }

        // Draw X-axis
-         // output += yAxisPadding + '    +' + '-'.repeat(this.maxDataPoints * 2) + '\n';  // TEMP: commented out for no-space test
-         output += yAxisPadding + '    +' + '-'.repeat(this.maxDataPoints) + '\n';  // TEMP: back to original length
+        // output += yAxisPadding + '    +' + '-'.repeat(this.maxDataPoints * 2) + '\n';  // TEMP: commented out for no-space test
+        output += yAxisPadding + '    +' + '-'.repeat(this.maxDataPoints) + '\n';  // TEMP: back to original length

        // Draw X-axis labels based on mode and format
-         let xAxisLabels = yAxisPadding + '     ';  // Initial padding to align with X-axis
+        let xAxisLabels = yAxisPadding + '     ';  // Initial padding to align with X-axis

-         // Determine label interval (every 5 columns)
-         const labelInterval = 5;
+        // Determine label interval (every 5 columns)
+        const labelInterval = 5;

-         // Generate all labels first and store in array
-         let labels = [];
-         for (let i = 0; i < this.maxDataPoints; i++) {
-             if (i % labelInterval === 0) {
-                 let label = '';
-                 if (this.useBinMode) {
-                     // For bin mode, show labels for all possible positions
-                     // i=0 is leftmost (most recent), i=maxDataPoints-1 is rightmost (oldest)
-                     const elapsedSec = (i * this.binDuration) / 1000;
-                     // Format with appropriate precision for sub-second bins
-                     if (this.binDuration < 1000) {
-                         // Show decimal seconds for sub-second bins
-                         label = elapsedSec.toFixed(1) + 's';
-                     } else {
-                         // Show whole seconds for 1+ second bins
-                         label = String(Math.round(elapsedSec)) + 's';
-                     }
-                 } else {
-                     // For legacy mode, show data point numbers
-                     const startIndex = Math.max(1, this.totalDataPoints - this.maxDataPoints + 1);
-                     label = String(startIndex + i);
-                 }
-                 labels.push(label);
-             }
-         }
+        // Generate all labels first and store in array
+        let labels = [];
+        for (let i = 0; i < this.maxDataPoints; i++) {
+            if (i % labelInterval === 0) {
+                let label = '';
+                if (this.useBinMode) {
+                    // For bin mode, show labels for all possible positions
+                    // i=0 is leftmost (most recent), i=maxDataPoints-1 is rightmost (oldest)
+                    const elapsedSec = (i * this.binDuration) / 1000;
+                    // Format with appropriate precision for sub-second bins
+                    if (this.binDuration < 1000) {
+                        // Show decimal seconds for sub-second bins
+                        label = elapsedSec.toFixed(1) + 's';
+                    } else {
+                        // Show whole seconds for 1+ second bins
+                        label = String(Math.round(elapsedSec)) + 's';
+                    }
+                } else {
+                    // For legacy mode, show data point numbers
+                    const startIndex = Math.max(1, this.totalDataPoints - this.maxDataPoints + 1);
+                    label = String(startIndex + i);
+                }
+                labels.push(label);
+            }
+        }

-         // Build the label string with calculated spacing
-         for (let i = 0; i < labels.length; i++) {
-             const label = labels[i];
-             xAxisLabels += label;
+        // Build the label string with calculated spacing
+        for (let i = 0; i < labels.length; i++) {
+            const label = labels[i];
+            xAxisLabels += label;

-             // Add spacing: labelInterval - label.length (except for last label)
-             if (i < labels.length - 1) {
-                 const spacing = labelInterval - label.length;
-                 xAxisLabels += ' '.repeat(spacing);
-             }
-         }
+            // Add spacing: labelInterval - label.length (except for last label)
+            if (i < labels.length - 1) {
+                const spacing = labelInterval - label.length;
+                xAxisLabels += ' '.repeat(spacing);
+            }
+        }

-         // Ensure the label line extends to match the X-axis dash line length
-         // The dash line is this.maxDataPoints characters long, starting after "    +"
-         const dashLineLength = this.maxDataPoints;
-         const minLabelLineLength = yAxisPadding.length + 4 + dashLineLength; // 4 for "    "
-         if (xAxisLabels.length < minLabelLineLength) {
-             xAxisLabels += ' '.repeat(minLabelLineLength - xAxisLabels.length);
-         }
+        // Ensure the label line extends to match the X-axis dash line length
+        // The dash line is this.maxDataPoints characters long, starting after "    +"
+        const dashLineLength = this.maxDataPoints;
+        const minLabelLineLength = yAxisPadding.length + 4 + dashLineLength; // 4 for "    "
+        if (xAxisLabels.length < minLabelLineLength) {
+            xAxisLabels += ' '.repeat(minLabelLineLength - xAxisLabels.length);
+        }
        output += xAxisLabels + '\n';

        // Add X-axis label if provided
-         if (this.xAxisLabel) {
-             // const labelPadding = Math.floor((this.maxDataPoints * 2 - this.xAxisLabel.length) / 2);  // TEMP: commented for no-space test
-             const labelPadding = Math.floor((this.maxDataPoints - this.xAxisLabel.length) / 2);  // TEMP: adjusted for no-space columns
-             output += '\n' + yAxisPadding + '     ' + ' '.repeat(Math.max(0, labelPadding)) + this.xAxisLabel + '\n';
-         }
+        if (this.xAxisLabel) {
+            // const labelPadding = Math.floor((this.maxDataPoints * 2 - this.xAxisLabel.length) / 2);  // TEMP: commented for no-space test
+            const labelPadding = Math.floor((this.maxDataPoints - this.xAxisLabel.length) / 2);  // TEMP: adjusted for no-space columns
+            output += '\n' + yAxisPadding + '     ' + ' '.repeat(Math.max(0, labelPadding)) + this.xAxisLabel + '\n';
+        }

        this.container.textContent = output;

        // Adjust font size to fit width (only once at initialization)
-         if (this.autoFitWidth) {
-             this.adjustFontSize();
-         }
+        if (this.autoFitWidth) {
+            this.adjustFontSize();
+        }

        // Update the external info display
        if (this.useBinMode) {
@@ -350,7 +343,7 @@ class ASCIIBarChart {
            document.getElementById('scale').textContent = `Min: ${minValue}, Max: ${maxValue}, Height: ${scale}`;
        }
    }
-    
+
    /**
     * Update the info display
     * @private
@@ -11,8 +11,41 @@ DOCKERFILE="$SCRIPT_DIR/Dockerfile.alpine-musl"

 # Parse command line arguments
 DEBUG_BUILD=false
-if [[ "$1" == "--debug" ]]; then
-    DEBUG_BUILD=true
+TARGET_ARCH=""
+
+while [[ $# -gt 0 ]]; do
+    case "$1" in
+        --debug)
+            DEBUG_BUILD=true
+            shift
+            ;;
+        --arch)
+            if [[ -z "$2" ]]; then
+                echo "ERROR: --arch requires a value"
+                echo "Usage: $0 [--debug] [--arch <arm64|armv7|x86_64>]"
+                exit 1
+            fi
+            case "$2" in
+                arm64|armv7|x86_64)
+                    TARGET_ARCH="$2"
+                    ;;
+                *)
+                    echo "ERROR: Unsupported architecture '$2'"
+                    echo "Supported values: arm64, armv7, x86_64"
+                    exit 1
+                    ;;
+            esac
+            shift 2
+            ;;
+        *)
+            echo "ERROR: Unknown argument '$1'"
+            echo "Usage: $0 [--debug] [--arch <arm64|armv7|x86_64>]"
+            exit 1
+            ;;
+    esac
+done
+
+if [ "$DEBUG_BUILD" = true ]; then
    echo "=========================================="
    echo "C-Relay MUSL Static Binary Builder (DEBUG MODE)"
    echo "=========================================="
@@ -24,6 +57,9 @@ fi
 echo "Project directory: $SCRIPT_DIR"
 echo "Build directory: $BUILD_DIR"
 echo "Debug build: $DEBUG_BUILD"
+if [[ -n "$TARGET_ARCH" ]]; then
+    echo "Requested target architecture: $TARGET_ARCH"
+fi
 echo ""

 # Create build directory
@@ -58,17 +94,43 @@ DOCKER_CMD="docker"
 echo "✓ Docker is available and running"
 echo ""

-# Detect architecture
+# Detect host architecture
 ARCH=$(uname -m)
+case "$ARCH" in
+    x86_64)
+        HOST_ARCH="x86_64"
+        ;;
+    aarch64|arm64)
+        HOST_ARCH="arm64"
+        ;;
+    armv7l|armv7)
+        HOST_ARCH="armv7"
+        ;;
+    *)
+        HOST_ARCH="unknown"
+        ;;
+esac
+
+# Resolve target architecture
+if [[ -n "$TARGET_ARCH" ]]; then
+    ARCH="$TARGET_ARCH"
+fi
+
 case "$ARCH" in
    x86_64)
        PLATFORM="linux/amd64"
        OUTPUT_NAME="c_relay_static_x86_64"
        ;;
    aarch64|arm64)
+        ARCH="arm64"
        PLATFORM="linux/arm64"
        OUTPUT_NAME="c_relay_static_arm64"
        ;;
+    armv7l|armv7)
+        ARCH="armv7"
+        PLATFORM="linux/arm/v7"
+        OUTPUT_NAME="c_relay_static_armv7"
+        ;;
    *)
        echo "WARNING: Unknown architecture: $ARCH"
        echo "Defaulting to linux/amd64"
@@ -77,10 +139,51 @@ case "$ARCH" in
        ;;
 esac

+# When cross-building, ensure buildx exists and warn about QEMU/binfmt setup
+if [[ "$HOST_ARCH" != "unknown" && "$ARCH" != "$HOST_ARCH" ]]; then
+    echo "NOTE: Cross-building from host '$HOST_ARCH' to target '$ARCH'."
+    echo "      Docker QEMU/binfmt support is required for this to work."
+    if ! docker buildx version >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+        echo "ERROR: docker buildx is required for cross-architecture builds but is not available."
+        echo "Install/enable buildx and binfmt support, then retry."
+        exit 1
+    fi
+    echo "✓ docker buildx is available for cross-architecture build"
+    echo ""
+fi
+
+# Append _debug suffix to output name for debug builds so production binary is never overwritten
+if [ "$DEBUG_BUILD" = true ]; then
+    OUTPUT_NAME="${OUTPUT_NAME}_debug"
+fi
+
 echo "Building for platform: $PLATFORM"
 echo "Output binary: $OUTPUT_NAME"
 echo ""

+# Check if Alpine base image is cached
+echo "Checking for cached Alpine Docker image..."
+if ! docker images alpine:3.19 --format "{{.Repository}}:{{.Tag}}" | grep -q "alpine:3.19"; then
+    echo "⚠ Alpine 3.19 image not found in cache"
+    echo "Attempting to pull Alpine 3.19 image..."
+    if ! docker pull alpine:3.19; then
+        echo ""
+        echo "ERROR: Failed to pull Alpine 3.19 image"
+        echo "This is required for the static build."
+        echo ""
+        echo "Possible solutions:"
+        echo "  1. Check your internet connection"
+        echo "  2. Try again later (Docker Hub may be temporarily unavailable)"
+        echo "  3. If you have IPv6 issues, disable IPv6 for Docker"
+        echo ""
+        exit 1
+    fi
+    echo "✓ Alpine 3.19 image pulled successfully"
+else
+    echo "✓ Alpine 3.19 image found in cache"
+fi
+echo ""
+
 # Build the Docker image
 echo "=========================================="
 echo "Step 1: Building Alpine Docker image"
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+key,value,data_type,description,category,requires_restart,created_at,updated_at
@@ -1,3 +1,12 @@
 #!/bin/bash
+# Restart the service
+sudo systemctl stop c-relay.service

-cp build/c_relay_x86 ~/Storage/c_relay/crelay
+# Copy the binary to the deployment location
+cp build/c_relay_static_x86_64 ~/Storage/c_relay/crelay
+
+# Restart the service
+sudo systemctl restart c-relay.service
+
+# Show service status
+sudo systemctl status c-relay.service --no-pager -l
@@ -0,0 +1,122 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+# C-Relay Debug Binary Deployment Script
+# Deploys build/c_relay_static_x86_64_debug to server for CPU profiling
+#
+# Usage:
+#   ./deploy_lt_debug.sh           -- deploy debug binary and restart
+#   ./deploy_lt_debug.sh --profile -- deploy, then run perf and fetch results
+#
+# After deploying, profile with:
+#   sudo perf record -g -p $(pgrep c_relay) -- sleep 30
+#   sudo perf report --stdio --sort=symbol --no-children -n 2>/dev/null | head -80
+#
+# Restore production binary:
+#   ./deploy_lt.sh
+
+set -e
+
+LOCAL_DEBUG_BINARY="build/c_relay_static_x86_64_debug"
+REMOTE_BINARY_PATH="/usr/local/bin/c_relay/c_relay"
+REMOTE_PROD_BACKUP="/usr/local/bin/c_relay/c_relay.production"
+SERVICE_NAME="c-relay"
+REMOTE_HOST="ubuntu@laantungir.com"
+
+# Check debug binary exists
+if [ ! -f "$LOCAL_DEBUG_BINARY" ]; then
+    echo "ERROR: Debug binary not found: $LOCAL_DEBUG_BINARY"
+    echo ""
+    echo "Build it first with:"
+    echo "  ./build_static.sh --debug"
+    echo ""
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+echo "=========================================="
+echo "C-Relay Debug Deployment"
+echo "=========================================="
+echo "Binary: $LOCAL_DEBUG_BINARY ($(du -h "$LOCAL_DEBUG_BINARY" | cut -f1))"
+echo "Target: $REMOTE_HOST:$REMOTE_BINARY_PATH"
+echo ""
+echo "WARNING: Debug binary has symbols and is larger than production."
+echo "         It is safe to run but should not be left deployed long-term."
+echo ""
+
+# Backup production binary (only if not already backed up)
+echo "Backing up production binary..."
+ssh "$REMOTE_HOST" "
+    if [ ! -f '$REMOTE_PROD_BACKUP' ]; then
+        sudo cp '$REMOTE_BINARY_PATH' '$REMOTE_PROD_BACKUP'
+        echo 'Production binary backed up to $REMOTE_PROD_BACKUP'
+    else
+        echo 'Production backup already exists, skipping'
+    fi
+"
+
+# Upload debug binary
+echo "Uploading debug binary..."
+scp "$LOCAL_DEBUG_BINARY" "$REMOTE_HOST:/tmp/c_relay_debug.tmp"
+
+# Install debug binary
+echo "Installing debug binary..."
+ssh "$REMOTE_HOST" "
+    sudo mv '/tmp/c_relay_debug.tmp' '$REMOTE_BINARY_PATH'
+    sudo chown c-relay:c-relay '$REMOTE_BINARY_PATH'
+    sudo chmod +x '$REMOTE_BINARY_PATH'
+"
+
+# Restart service
+echo "Restarting c-relay service..."
+ssh "$REMOTE_HOST" "sudo systemctl daemon-reload && sudo systemctl restart '$SERVICE_NAME'"
+
+echo ""
+echo "✓ Debug binary deployed and service restarted"
+echo ""
+
+# If --profile flag, run perf automatically
+if [ "$1" = "--profile" ]; then
+    echo "=========================================="
+    echo "Running perf profile (30 seconds)..."
+    echo "=========================================="
+    echo ""
+    
+    # Wait for relay to start
+    sleep 3
+    
+    ssh "$REMOTE_HOST" "
+        PID=\$(pgrep c_relay)
+        if [ -z \"\$PID\" ]; then
+            echo 'ERROR: c_relay not running'
+            exit 1
+        fi
+        echo \"Profiling PID \$PID for 30 seconds...\"
+        sudo perf record -g -p \$PID -- sleep 30
+        echo ''
+        echo '=== TOP FUNCTIONS BY CPU ==='
+        sudo perf report --stdio --sort=symbol --no-children -n 2>/dev/null | head -60
+    "
+else
+    echo "=========================================="
+    echo "Next Steps: Profile the relay"
+    echo "=========================================="
+    echo ""
+    echo "SSH to server and run:"
+    echo "  sudo perf record -g -p \$(pgrep c_relay) -- sleep 30"
+    echo "  sudo perf report --stdio --sort=symbol --no-children -n 2>/dev/null | head -60"
+    echo ""
+    echo "Or run with --profile to do it automatically:"
+    echo "  ./deploy_lt_debug.sh --profile"
+fi
+
+echo ""
+echo "=========================================="
+echo "Restore Production Binary When Done"
+echo "=========================================="
+echo ""
+echo "Run this to restore the production binary:"
+echo "  ./deploy_lt.sh"
+echo ""
+echo "Or manually on the server:"
+echo "  sudo cp '$REMOTE_PROD_BACKUP' '$REMOTE_BINARY_PATH'"
+echo "  sudo systemctl restart $SERVICE_NAME"
+echo ""
@@ -0,0 +1,190 @@
+# Agent Browser Testing Guide for C-Relay
+
+This document explains how to use the `agent-browser` CLI tool to test the c-relay admin web UI from an AI agent context (no physical display required).
+
+## Prerequisites
+
+- **agent-browser** installed globally: `npm install -g agent-browser`
+- Binary location: `/home/user/.nvm/versions/node/v24.14.1/bin/agent-browser`
+- The relay must be running locally (default port 8888)
+- Test keys configured in `.test_keys`
+
+## Starting the Relay for Local Testing
+
+```bash
+./make_and_restart_relay.sh -t
+```
+
+This reads `.test_keys` and starts the relay with:
+- `ADMIN_PUBKEY` — the hex public key of the admin account
+- `ADMIN_PRIVKEY` — the hex secret key (used for browser login, not by the relay itself)
+- `SERVER_PRIVKEY` — the relay's own private key
+
+## Key URLs
+
+| URL | Purpose |
+|-----|---------|
+| `http://127.0.0.1:8888/api/index.html` | Admin web UI (the correct entry point) |
+| `http://127.0.0.1:8888/` | Returns 406 without NIP-11 Accept header — **do not use for browser testing** |
+| `http://127.0.0.1:8888/` with `Accept: application/nostr+json` | NIP-11 relay info JSON |
+
+**Important:** The root URL `/` is a WebSocket/NIP-11 endpoint, not an HTML page. Always use `/api/index.html` for browser testing.
+
+## Admin Login Credentials
+
+The admin nsec for the current `.test_keys` configuration:
+
+```
+nsec: nsec1zkn0hlt4jvcvn9yt5p7ea4m7f82pf3ph0gj3d4rlcz4s64x5z86satv9qm
+hex:  15a6fbfd759330c9948ba07d9ed77e49d414c4377a2516d47fc0ab0d54d411f5
+npub: npub1tlyzk6slzt8d989f4pn3synk98fea64ea3jmrdc7dtd0kw8uxlas9a9fwr
+hex pubkey: 5fc82b6a1f12ced29ca9a86718127629d39eeab9ec65b1b71e6adafb38fc37fb
+```
+
+## Complete Login Flow with agent-browser
+
+### Step 1: Open the admin UI
+
+```bash
+agent-browser open http://127.0.0.1:8888/api/index.html
+agent-browser wait --load networkidle
+```
+
+### Step 2: Take an interactive snapshot to see what is on screen
+
+```bash
+agent-browser snapshot -i
+```
+
+You will see a login modal with buttons like:
+- `"Browser Extension"` — skip this
+- `"Local Key"` — **use this one**
+- `"Seed Phrase"` — skip
+- `"Nostr Connect"` — skip
+- `"Read Only"` — skip
+
+### Step 3: Click "Local Key"
+
+```bash
+agent-browser click @e15
+```
+
+(The ref number may vary — use the ref from the snapshot output for the "Local Key" button.)
+
+After clicking, a text input appears asking for the secret key.
+
+### Step 4: Enter the admin nsec
+
+```bash
+agent-browser fill @e14 "nsec1zkn0hlt4jvcvn9yt5p7ea4m7f82pf3ph0gj3d4rlcz4s64x5z86satv9qm"
+```
+
+(Use the ref from the snapshot for the textbox element.)
+
+### Step 5: Click "Import Key"
+
+```bash
+agent-browser snapshot -i
+```
+
+Check the snapshot — the "Import Key" button should now be enabled. Click it:
+
+```bash
+agent-browser click @e15
+```
+
+### Step 6: Click "Continue" on the success screen
+
+After import, a success screen appears with "Continue" button:
+
+```bash
+agent-browser wait 800
+agent-browser snapshot -i
+agent-browser click @e19
+```
+
+(Use the ref from the snapshot for the "Continue" button.)
+
+### Step 7: Wait for admin UI to load
+
+```bash
+agent-browser wait 5000
+agent-browser snapshot -i
+```
+
+You should now see the admin dashboard with:
+- Statistics table (Database Size, Total Events, PID, etc.)
+- Navigation buttons (Statistics, Subscriptions, Configuration, Authorization, etc.)
+- Admin profile area showing "admin" label
+
+## Navigating Admin Sections
+
+After login, use the sidebar navigation buttons:
+
+```bash
+# View configuration
+agent-browser click @e8    # Configuration button ref
+
+# View authorization rules
+agent-browser click @e9    # Authorization button ref
+
+# View statistics
+agent-browser click @e6    # Statistics button ref
+
+# Always snapshot after navigation to see results
+agent-browser wait 2500
+agent-browser snapshot -i
+```
+
+## Checking for Errors
+
+```bash
+# View browser console logs
+agent-browser console
+
+# View JavaScript errors
+agent-browser errors
+
+# View relay server logs
+tail -n 100 relay.log
+```
+
+## Chained Command Example (Full Login in One Shot)
+
+```bash
+agent-browser open http://127.0.0.1:8888/api/index.html && \
+agent-browser wait --load networkidle && \
+agent-browser snapshot -i
+```
+
+Then use refs from the snapshot to complete login steps.
+
+## Tips for AI Agents
+
+1. **Always use `/api/index.html`** — never the root URL
+2. **Use `snapshot -i`** after every action to see the current interactive elements and their refs
+3. **Refs change** between snapshots — always re-snapshot before clicking
+4. **Wait after clicks** — use `agent-browser wait 2000` (milliseconds) between actions that trigger async operations
+5. **The login flow has 3 screens**: method selection → key input → success confirmation
+6. **Console logs are cumulative** — they show all logs since page load, which is useful for debugging admin API responses
+7. **The relay log** at `relay.log` shows server-side processing of admin commands
+8. **Command chaining** with `&&` works — the browser daemon persists between commands
+
+## Verifying Admin API is Working
+
+After login, the statistics page should show populated data:
+- Database Size (e.g., "4 KB")
+- Process ID (the relay PID)
+- WebSocket Connections count
+- Memory Usage
+
+If these show "-" or "Loading...", check:
+1. `relay.log` for errors
+2. `agent-browser console` for JavaScript errors
+3. `agent-browser errors` for page-level errors
+
+## Closing the Browser
+
+```bash
+agent-browser close --all
+```
@@ -175,6 +175,18 @@ Configuration events follow the standard Nostr event format with kind 33334:
 - **Impact**: Allows some flexibility in expiration timing
 - **Example**: `"600"` (10 minute grace period)

+### NIP-59 Gift Wrap Timestamp Configuration
+
+#### `nip59_timestamp_max_delay_sec`
+- **Description**: Controls timestamp randomization for NIP-59 gift wraps
+- **Default**: `"0"` (no randomization)
+- **Range**: `0` to `604800` (7 days)
+- **Impact**: Affects compatibility with other Nostr clients for direct messaging
+- **Values**:
+  - `"0"`: No randomization (maximum compatibility)
+  - `"1-604800"`: Random timestamp between now and N seconds ago
+- **Example**: `"172800"` (2 days randomization for privacy)
+
 ## Configuration Examples

 ### Basic Relay Setup
@@ -0,0 +1,298 @@
+# Libwebsockets Proper Pattern - Message Queue Design
+
+## Problem Analysis
+
+### Current Violation
+We're calling `lws_write()` directly from multiple code paths:
+1. **Event broadcast** (subscriptions.c:667) - when events arrive
+2. **OK responses** (websockets.c:855) - when processing EVENT messages
+3. **EOSE responses** (websockets.c:976) - when processing REQ messages
+4. **COUNT responses** (websockets.c:1922) - when processing COUNT messages
+
+This violates libwebsockets' design pattern which requires:
+- **`lws_write()` ONLY called from `LWS_CALLBACK_SERVER_WRITEABLE`**
+- Application queues messages and requests writeable callback
+- Libwebsockets handles write timing and socket buffer management
+
+### Consequences of Violation
+1. Partial writes when socket buffer is full
+2. Multiple concurrent write attempts before callback fires
+3. "write already pending" errors with single buffer
+4. Frame corruption from interleaved partial writes
+5. "Invalid frame header" errors on client side
+
+## Correct Architecture
+
+### Message Queue Pattern
+
+```
+┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
+│                    Application Layer                         │
+├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
+│                                                               │
+│  Event Arrives → Queue Message → Request Writeable Callback │
+│  REQ Received  → Queue EOSE    → Request Writeable Callback │
+│  EVENT Received→ Queue OK      → Request Writeable Callback │
+│  COUNT Received→ Queue COUNT   → Request Writeable Callback │
+│                                                               │
+└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
+                            ↓
+                  lws_callback_on_writable(wsi)
+                            ↓
+┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
+│              LWS_CALLBACK_SERVER_WRITEABLE                   │
+├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
+│                                                               │
+│  1. Dequeue next message from queue                          │
+│  2. Call lws_write() with message data                       │
+│  3. If queue not empty, request another callback             │
+│                                                               │
+└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
+                            ↓
+                    libwebsockets handles:
+                    - Socket buffer management
+                    - Partial write handling
+                    - Frame atomicity
+```
+
+## Data Structures
+
+### Message Queue Node
+```c
+typedef struct message_queue_node {
+    unsigned char* data;           // Message data (with LWS_PRE space)
+    size_t length;                 // Message length (without LWS_PRE)
+    enum lws_write_protocol type;  // LWS_WRITE_TEXT, etc.
+    struct message_queue_node* next;
+} message_queue_node_t;
+```
+
+### Per-Session Data Updates
+```c
+struct per_session_data {
+    // ... existing fields ...
+    
+    // Message queue (replaces single buffer)
+    message_queue_node_t* message_queue_head;
+    message_queue_node_t* message_queue_tail;
+    int message_queue_count;
+    int writeable_requested;  // Flag to prevent duplicate requests
+};
+```
+
+## Implementation Functions
+
+### 1. Queue Message (Application Layer)
+```c
+int queue_message(struct lws* wsi, struct per_session_data* pss,
+                  const char* message, size_t length,
+                  enum lws_write_protocol type)
+{
+    // Allocate node
+    message_queue_node_t* node = malloc(sizeof(message_queue_node_t));
+    
+    // Allocate buffer with LWS_PRE space
+    node->data = malloc(LWS_PRE + length);
+    memcpy(node->data + LWS_PRE, message, length);
+    node->length = length;
+    node->type = type;
+    node->next = NULL;
+    
+    // Add to queue (FIFO)
+    pthread_mutex_lock(&pss->session_lock);
+    if (!pss->message_queue_head) {
+        pss->message_queue_head = node;
+        pss->message_queue_tail = node;
+    } else {
+        pss->message_queue_tail->next = node;
+        pss->message_queue_tail = node;
+    }
+    pss->message_queue_count++;
+    pthread_mutex_unlock(&pss->session_lock);
+    
+    // Request writeable callback (only if not already requested)
+    if (!pss->writeable_requested) {
+        pss->writeable_requested = 1;
+        lws_callback_on_writable(wsi);
+    }
+    
+    return 0;
+}
+```
+
+### 2. Process Queue (Writeable Callback)
+```c
+int process_message_queue(struct lws* wsi, struct per_session_data* pss)
+{
+    pthread_mutex_lock(&pss->session_lock);
+    
+    // Get next message from queue
+    message_queue_node_t* node = pss->message_queue_head;
+    if (!node) {
+        pss->writeable_requested = 0;
+        pthread_mutex_unlock(&pss->session_lock);
+        return 0;  // Queue empty
+    }
+    
+    // Remove from queue
+    pss->message_queue_head = node->next;
+    if (!pss->message_queue_head) {
+        pss->message_queue_tail = NULL;
+    }
+    pss->message_queue_count--;
+    
+    pthread_mutex_unlock(&pss->session_lock);
+    
+    // Write message (libwebsockets handles partial writes)
+    int result = lws_write(wsi, node->data + LWS_PRE, node->length, node->type);
+    
+    // Free node
+    free(node->data);
+    free(node);
+    
+    // If queue not empty, request another callback
+    pthread_mutex_lock(&pss->session_lock);
+    if (pss->message_queue_head) {
+        lws_callback_on_writable(wsi);
+    } else {
+        pss->writeable_requested = 0;
+    }
+    pthread_mutex_unlock(&pss->session_lock);
+    
+    return (result < 0) ? -1 : 0;
+}
+```
+
+## Refactoring Changes
+
+### Before (WRONG - Direct Write)
+```c
+// websockets.c:855 - OK response
+int write_result = lws_write(wsi, buf + LWS_PRE, response_len, LWS_WRITE_TEXT);
+if (write_result < 0) {
+    DEBUG_ERROR("Write failed");
+} else if ((size_t)write_result != response_len) {
+    // Partial write - queue remaining data
+    queue_websocket_write(wsi, pss, ...);
+}
+```
+
+### After (CORRECT - Queue Message)
+```c
+// websockets.c:855 - OK response
+queue_message(wsi, pss, response_str, response_len, LWS_WRITE_TEXT);
+// That's it! Writeable callback will handle the actual write
+```
+
+### Before (WRONG - Direct Write in Broadcast)
+```c
+// subscriptions.c:667 - EVENT broadcast
+int write_result = lws_write(current_temp->wsi, buf + LWS_PRE, msg_len, LWS_WRITE_TEXT);
+if (write_result < 0) {
+    DEBUG_ERROR("Write failed");
+} else if ((size_t)write_result != msg_len) {
+    queue_websocket_write(...);
+}
+```
+
+### After (CORRECT - Queue Message)
+```c
+// subscriptions.c:667 - EVENT broadcast
+struct per_session_data* pss = lws_wsi_user(current_temp->wsi);
+queue_message(current_temp->wsi, pss, msg_str, msg_len, LWS_WRITE_TEXT);
+// Writeable callback will handle the actual write
+```
+
+## Benefits of Correct Pattern
+
+1. **No Partial Write Handling Needed**
+   - Libwebsockets handles partial writes internally
+   - We just queue complete messages
+
+2. **No "Write Already Pending" Errors**
+   - Queue can hold unlimited messages
+   - Each processed sequentially from callback
+
+3. **Thread Safety**
+   - Queue operations protected by session lock
+   - Write only from single callback thread
+
+4. **Frame Atomicity**
+   - Libwebsockets ensures complete frame transmission
+   - No interleaved partial writes
+
+5. **Simpler Code**
+   - No complex partial write state machine
+   - Just queue and forget
+
+6. **Better Performance**
+   - Libwebsockets optimizes write timing
+   - Batches writes when socket ready
+
+## Migration Steps
+
+1. ✅ Identify all `lws_write()` call sites
+2. ✅ Confirm violation of libwebsockets pattern
+3. ⏳ Design message queue structure
+4. ⏳ Implement `queue_message()` function
+5. ⏳ Implement `process_message_queue()` function
+6. ⏳ Update `per_session_data` structure
+7. ⏳ Refactor OK response to use queue
+8. ⏳ Refactor EOSE response to use queue
+9. ⏳ Refactor COUNT response to use queue
+10. ⏳ Refactor EVENT broadcast to use queue
+11. ⏳ Update `LWS_CALLBACK_SERVER_WRITEABLE` handler
+12. ⏳ Add queue cleanup in `LWS_CALLBACK_CLOSED`
+13. ⏳ Remove old partial write code
+14. ⏳ Test with rapid multiple events
+15. ⏳ Test with large events (>4KB)
+16. ⏳ Test under load
+17. ⏳ Verify no frame errors
+
+## Testing Strategy
+
+### Test 1: Multiple Rapid Events
+```bash
+# Send 10 events rapidly to same client
+for i in {1..10}; do
+    echo '["EVENT",{"kind":1,"content":"test'$i'","created_at":'$(date +%s)',...}]' | \
+    websocat ws://localhost:8888 &
+done
+```
+
+**Expected**: All events queued and sent sequentially, no errors
+
+### Test 2: Large Events
+```bash
+# Send event >4KB (forces multiple socket writes)
+nak event --content "$(head -c 5000 /dev/urandom | base64)" | \
+websocat ws://localhost:8888
+```
+
+**Expected**: Event queued, libwebsockets handles partial writes internally
+
+### Test 3: Concurrent Connections
+```bash
+# 100 concurrent connections, each sending events
+for i in {1..100}; do
+    (echo '["REQ","sub'$i'",{}]'; sleep 1) | websocat ws://localhost:8888 &
+done
+```
+
+**Expected**: All subscriptions work, events broadcast correctly
+
+## Success Criteria
+
+- ✅ No `lws_write()` calls outside `LWS_CALLBACK_SERVER_WRITEABLE`
+- ✅ No "write already pending" errors in logs
+- ✅ No "Invalid frame header" errors on client side
+- ✅ All messages delivered in correct order
+- ✅ Large events (>4KB) handled correctly
+- ✅ Multiple rapid events to same client work
+- ✅ Concurrent connections stable under load
+
+## References
+
+- [libwebsockets documentation](https://libwebsockets.org/lws-api-doc-main/html/index.html)
+- [LWS_CALLBACK_SERVER_WRITEABLE](https://libwebsockets.org/lws-api-doc-main/html/group__callback-when-writeable.html)
+- [lws_callback_on_writable()](https://libwebsockets.org/lws-api-doc-main/html/group__callback-when-writeable.html#ga96f3ad8e1e2c3e0c8e0b0e5e5e5e5e5e)
@@ -0,0 +1,517 @@
+# NIP-59 Timestamp Configuration Implementation Plan
+
+## Overview
+Add configurable timestamp randomization for NIP-59 gift wraps to improve compatibility with Nostr apps that don't implement timestamp randomization.
+
+## Problem Statement
+The NIP-59 protocol specifies that timestamps on gift wraps should have randomness to prevent time-analysis attacks. However, some Nostr platforms don't implement this, causing compatibility issues with direct messaging (NIP-17).
+
+## Solution
+Add a configuration parameter `nip59_timestamp_max_delay_sec` that controls the maximum random delay applied to timestamps:
+- **Value = 0**: Use current timestamp (no randomization) for maximum compatibility
+- **Value > 0**: Use random timestamp between now and N seconds ago
+- **Default = 0**: Maximum compatibility mode (no randomization)
+
+## Implementation Approach: Option B (Direct Parameter Addition)
+We chose Option B because:
+1. Explicit and stateless - value flows through call chain
+2. Thread-safe by design
+3. No global state needed in nostr_core_lib
+4. DMs are sent rarely, so database query per call is acceptable
+
+---
+
+## Detailed Implementation Steps
+
+### Phase 1: Configuration Setup in c-relay
+
+#### 1.1 Add Configuration Parameter
+**File:** `src/default_config_event.h`
+**Location:** Line 82 (after `trust_proxy_headers`)
+
+```c
+// NIP-59 Gift Wrap Timestamp Configuration
+{"nip59_timestamp_max_delay_sec", "0"}  // Default: 0 (no randomization for compatibility)
+```
+
+**Rationale:**
+- Default of 0 seconds (no randomization) for maximum compatibility
+- Placed after proxy settings, before closing brace
+- Follows existing naming convention
+
+#### 1.2 Add Configuration Validation
+**File:** `src/config.c`
+**Function:** `validate_config_field()` (around line 923)
+
+Add validation case:
+```c
+else if (strcmp(key, "nip59_timestamp_max_delay_sec") == 0) {
+    long value = strtol(value_str, NULL, 10);
+    if (value < 0 || value > 604800) {  // Max 7 days
+        snprintf(error_msg, error_size, 
+                 "nip59_timestamp_max_delay_sec must be between 0 and 604800 (7 days)");
+        return -1;
+    }
+}
+```
+
+**Rationale:**
+- 0 = no randomization (compatibility mode)
+- 604800 = 7 days maximum (reasonable upper bound)
+- Prevents negative values or excessive delays
+
+---
+
+### Phase 2: Modify nostr_core_lib Functions
+
+#### 2.1 Update random_past_timestamp() Function
+**File:** `nostr_core_lib/nostr_core/nip059.c`
+**Current Location:** Lines 31-36
+
+**Current Code:**
+```c
+static time_t random_past_timestamp(void) {
+    time_t now = time(NULL);
+    // Random time up to 2 days (172800 seconds) in the past
+    long random_offset = (long)(rand() % 172800);
+    return now - random_offset;
+}
+```
+
+**New Code:**
+```c
+static time_t random_past_timestamp(long max_delay_sec) {
+    time_t now = time(NULL);
+    
+    // If max_delay_sec is 0, return current timestamp (no randomization)
+    if (max_delay_sec == 0) {
+        return now;
+    }
+    
+    // Random time up to max_delay_sec in the past
+    long random_offset = (long)(rand() % max_delay_sec);
+    return now - random_offset;
+}
+```
+
+**Changes:**
+- Add `long max_delay_sec` parameter
+- Handle special case: `max_delay_sec == 0` returns current time
+- Use `max_delay_sec` instead of hardcoded 172800
+
+#### 2.2 Update nostr_nip59_create_seal() Function
+**File:** `nostr_core_lib/nostr_core/nip059.c`
+**Current Location:** Lines 144-215
+
+**Function Signature Change:**
+```c
+// OLD:
+cJSON* nostr_nip59_create_seal(cJSON* rumor, 
+                               const unsigned char* sender_private_key,
+                               const unsigned char* recipient_public_key);
+
+// NEW:
+cJSON* nostr_nip59_create_seal(cJSON* rumor, 
+                               const unsigned char* sender_private_key,
+                               const unsigned char* recipient_public_key,
+                               long max_delay_sec);
+```
+
+**Code Change at Line 181:**
+```c
+// OLD:
+time_t seal_time = random_past_timestamp();
+
+// NEW:
+time_t seal_time = random_past_timestamp(max_delay_sec);
+```
+
+#### 2.3 Update nostr_nip59_create_gift_wrap() Function
+**File:** `nostr_core_lib/nostr_core/nip059.c`
+**Current Location:** Lines 220-323
+
+**Function Signature Change:**
+```c
+// OLD:
+cJSON* nostr_nip59_create_gift_wrap(cJSON* seal, 
+                                    const char* recipient_public_key_hex);
+
+// NEW:
+cJSON* nostr_nip59_create_gift_wrap(cJSON* seal, 
+                                    const char* recipient_public_key_hex,
+                                    long max_delay_sec);
+```
+
+**Code Change at Line 275:**
+```c
+// OLD:
+time_t wrap_time = random_past_timestamp();
+
+// NEW:
+time_t wrap_time = random_past_timestamp(max_delay_sec);
+```
+
+#### 2.4 Update nip059.h Header
+**File:** `nostr_core_lib/nostr_core/nip059.h`
+**Locations:** Lines 38-39 and 48
+
+**Update Function Declarations:**
+```c
+// Line 38-39: Update nostr_nip59_create_seal
+cJSON* nostr_nip59_create_seal(cJSON* rumor, 
+                               const unsigned char* sender_private_key,
+                               const unsigned char* recipient_public_key,
+                               long max_delay_sec);
+
+// Line 48: Update nostr_nip59_create_gift_wrap
+cJSON* nostr_nip59_create_gift_wrap(cJSON* seal, 
+                                    const char* recipient_public_key_hex,
+                                    long max_delay_sec);
+```
+
+**Update Documentation Comments:**
+```c
+/**
+ * NIP-59: Create a seal (kind 13) wrapping a rumor
+ *
+ * @param rumor The rumor event to seal (cJSON object)
+ * @param sender_private_key 32-byte sender private key
+ * @param recipient_public_key 32-byte recipient public key (x-only)
+ * @param max_delay_sec Maximum random delay in seconds (0 = no randomization)
+ * @return cJSON object representing the seal event, or NULL on error
+ */
+
+/**
+ * NIP-59: Create a gift wrap (kind 1059) wrapping a seal
+ *
+ * @param seal The seal event to wrap (cJSON object)
+ * @param recipient_public_key_hex Recipient's public key in hex format
+ * @param max_delay_sec Maximum random delay in seconds (0 = no randomization)
+ * @return cJSON object representing the gift wrap event, or NULL on error
+ */
+```
+
+---
+
+### Phase 3: Update NIP-17 Integration
+
+#### 3.1 Update nostr_nip17_send_dm() Function
+**File:** `nostr_core_lib/nostr_core/nip017.c`
+**Current Location:** Lines 260-320
+
+**Function Signature Change:**
+```c
+// OLD:
+int nostr_nip17_send_dm(cJSON* dm_event,
+                       const char** recipient_pubkeys,
+                       int num_recipients,
+                       const unsigned char* sender_private_key,
+                       cJSON** gift_wraps_out,
+                       int max_gift_wraps);
+
+// NEW:
+int nostr_nip17_send_dm(cJSON* dm_event,
+                       const char** recipient_pubkeys,
+                       int num_recipients,
+                       const unsigned char* sender_private_key,
+                       cJSON** gift_wraps_out,
+                       int max_gift_wraps,
+                       long max_delay_sec);
+```
+
+**Code Changes:**
+
+At line 281 (seal creation):
+```c
+// OLD:
+cJSON* seal = nostr_nip59_create_seal(dm_event, sender_private_key, recipient_public_key);
+
+// NEW:
+cJSON* seal = nostr_nip59_create_seal(dm_event, sender_private_key, recipient_public_key, max_delay_sec);
+```
+
+At line 287 (gift wrap creation):
+```c
+// OLD:
+cJSON* gift_wrap = nostr_nip59_create_gift_wrap(seal, recipient_pubkeys[i]);
+
+// NEW:
+cJSON* gift_wrap = nostr_nip59_create_gift_wrap(seal, recipient_pubkeys[i], max_delay_sec);
+```
+
+At line 306 (sender seal creation):
+```c
+// OLD:
+cJSON* sender_seal = nostr_nip59_create_seal(dm_event, sender_private_key, sender_public_key);
+
+// NEW:
+cJSON* sender_seal = nostr_nip59_create_seal(dm_event, sender_private_key, sender_public_key, max_delay_sec);
+```
+
+At line 309 (sender gift wrap creation):
+```c
+// OLD:
+cJSON* sender_gift_wrap = nostr_nip59_create_gift_wrap(sender_seal, sender_pubkey_hex);
+
+// NEW:
+cJSON* sender_gift_wrap = nostr_nip59_create_gift_wrap(sender_seal, sender_pubkey_hex, max_delay_sec);
+```
+
+#### 3.2 Update nip017.h Header
+**File:** `nostr_core_lib/nostr_core/nip017.h`
+**Location:** Lines 102-107
+
+**Update Function Declaration:**
+```c
+int nostr_nip17_send_dm(cJSON* dm_event,
+                       const char** recipient_pubkeys,
+                       int num_recipients,
+                       const unsigned char* sender_private_key,
+                       cJSON** gift_wraps_out,
+                       int max_gift_wraps,
+                       long max_delay_sec);
+```
+
+**Update Documentation Comment (lines 88-100):**
+```c
+/**
+ * NIP-17: Send a direct message to recipients
+ *
+ * This function creates the appropriate rumor, seals it, gift wraps it,
+ * and returns the final gift wrap events ready for publishing.
+ *
+ * @param dm_event The unsigned DM event (kind 14 or 15)
+ * @param recipient_pubkeys Array of recipient public keys (hex strings)
+ * @param num_recipients Number of recipients
+ * @param sender_private_key 32-byte sender private key
+ * @param gift_wraps_out Array to store resulting gift wrap events (caller must free)
+ * @param max_gift_wraps Maximum number of gift wraps to create
+ * @param max_delay_sec Maximum random timestamp delay in seconds (0 = no randomization)
+ * @return Number of gift wrap events created, or -1 on error
+ */
+```
+
+---
+
+### Phase 4: Update c-relay Call Sites
+
+#### 4.1 Update src/api.c
+**Location:** Line 1319
+
+**Current Code:**
+```c
+int send_result = nostr_nip17_send_dm(
+    dm_response,                      // dm_event
+    recipient_pubkeys,                // recipient_pubkeys
+    1,                                // num_recipients
+    relay_privkey,                    // sender_private_key
+    gift_wraps,                       // gift_wraps_out
+    1                                 // max_gift_wraps
+);
+```
+
+**New Code:**
+```c
+// Get timestamp delay configuration
+long max_delay_sec = get_config_int("nip59_timestamp_max_delay_sec", 0);
+
+int send_result = nostr_nip17_send_dm(
+    dm_response,                      // dm_event
+    recipient_pubkeys,                // recipient_pubkeys
+    1,                                // num_recipients
+    relay_privkey,                    // sender_private_key
+    gift_wraps,                       // gift_wraps_out
+    1,                                // max_gift_wraps
+    max_delay_sec                     // max_delay_sec
+);
+```
+
+#### 4.2 Update src/dm_admin.c
+**Location:** Line 371
+
+**Current Code:**
+```c
+int send_result = nostr_nip17_send_dm(
+    success_dm,                       // dm_event
+    sender_pubkey_array,              // recipient_pubkeys
+    1,                                // num_recipients
+    relay_privkey,                    // sender_private_key
+    success_gift_wraps,               // gift_wraps_out
+    1                                 // max_gift_wraps
+);
+```
+
+**New Code:**
+```c
+// Get timestamp delay configuration
+long max_delay_sec = get_config_int("nip59_timestamp_max_delay_sec", 0);
+
+int send_result = nostr_nip17_send_dm(
+    success_dm,                       // dm_event
+    sender_pubkey_array,              // recipient_pubkeys
+    1,                                // num_recipients
+    relay_privkey,                    // sender_private_key
+    success_gift_wraps,               // gift_wraps_out
+    1,                                // max_gift_wraps
+    max_delay_sec                     // max_delay_sec
+);
+```
+
+**Note:** Both files already include `config.h`, so `get_config_int()` is available.
+
+---
+
+## Testing Plan
+
+### Test Case 1: No Randomization (Compatibility Mode)
+**Configuration:** `nip59_timestamp_max_delay_sec = 0`
+
+**Expected Behavior:**
+- Gift wrap timestamps should equal current time
+- Seal timestamps should equal current time
+- No random delay applied
+
+**Test Command:**
+```bash
+# Set config via admin API
+# Send test DM
+# Verify timestamps are current (within 1 second of send time)
+```
+
+### Test Case 2: Custom Delay
+**Configuration:** `nip59_timestamp_max_delay_sec = 1000`
+
+**Expected Behavior:**
+- Gift wrap timestamps should be between now and 1000 seconds ago
+- Seal timestamps should be between now and 1000 seconds ago
+- Random delay applied within specified range
+
+**Test Command:**
+```bash
+# Set config via admin API
+# Send test DM
+# Verify timestamps are in past but within 1000 seconds
+```
+
+### Test Case 3: Default Behavior
+**Configuration:** `nip59_timestamp_max_delay_sec = 0` (default)
+
+**Expected Behavior:**
+- Gift wrap timestamps should equal current time
+- Seal timestamps should equal current time
+- No randomization (maximum compatibility)
+
+**Test Command:**
+```bash
+# Use default config
+# Send test DM
+# Verify timestamps are current (within 1 second of send time)
+```
+
+### Test Case 4: Configuration Validation
+**Test Invalid Values:**
+- Negative value: Should be rejected
+- Value > 604800: Should be rejected
+- Valid boundary values (0, 604800): Should be accepted
+
+### Test Case 5: Interoperability
+**Test with Other Nostr Clients:**
+- Send DM with `max_delay_sec = 0` to clients that don't randomize
+- Send DM with `max_delay_sec = 172800` to clients that do randomize
+- Verify both scenarios work correctly
+
+---
+
+## Documentation Updates
+
+### Update docs/configuration_guide.md
+
+Add new section:
+
+```markdown
+### NIP-59 Gift Wrap Timestamp Configuration
+
+#### nip59_timestamp_max_delay_sec
+- **Type:** Integer
+- **Default:** 0 (no randomization)
+- **Range:** 0 to 604800 (7 days)
+- **Description:** Controls timestamp randomization for NIP-59 gift wraps
+
+The NIP-59 protocol recommends randomizing timestamps on gift wraps to prevent
+time-analysis attacks. However, some Nostr platforms don't implement this,
+causing compatibility issues.
+
+**Values:**
+- `0` (default): No randomization - uses current timestamp (maximum compatibility)
+- `1-604800`: Random timestamp between now and N seconds ago
+
+**Use Cases:**
+- Keep default `0` for maximum compatibility with clients that don't randomize
+- Set to `172800` for privacy per NIP-59 specification (2 days randomization)
+- Set to custom value (e.g., `3600`) for 1-hour randomization window
+
+**Example:**
+```json
+["nip59_timestamp_max_delay_sec", "0"]  // Default: compatibility mode
+["nip59_timestamp_max_delay_sec", "3600"]  // 1 hour randomization
+["nip59_timestamp_max_delay_sec", "172800"]  // 2 days randomization
+```
+```
+
+---
+
+## Implementation Checklist
+
+### nostr_core_lib Changes
+- [ ] Modify `random_past_timestamp()` to accept `max_delay_sec` parameter
+- [ ] Update `nostr_nip59_create_seal()` signature and implementation
+- [ ] Update `nostr_nip59_create_gift_wrap()` signature and implementation
+- [ ] Update `nip059.h` function declarations and documentation
+- [ ] Update `nostr_nip17_send_dm()` signature and implementation
+- [ ] Update `nip017.h` function declaration and documentation
+
+### c-relay Changes
+- [ ] Add `nip59_timestamp_max_delay_sec` to `default_config_event.h`
+- [ ] Add validation in `config.c` for new parameter
+- [ ] Update `src/api.c` call site to pass `max_delay_sec`
+- [ ] Update `src/dm_admin.c` call site to pass `max_delay_sec`
+
+### Testing
+- [ ] Test with `max_delay_sec = 0` (no randomization)
+- [ ] Test with `max_delay_sec = 1000` (custom delay)
+- [ ] Test with `max_delay_sec = 172800` (default behavior)
+- [ ] Test configuration validation (invalid values)
+- [ ] Test interoperability with other Nostr clients
+
+### Documentation
+- [ ] Update `docs/configuration_guide.md`
+- [ ] Add this implementation plan to docs
+- [ ] Update README if needed
+
+---
+
+## Rollback Plan
+
+If issues arise:
+1. Revert nostr_core_lib changes (git revert in submodule)
+2. Revert c-relay changes
+3. Configuration parameter will be ignored if not used
+4. Default behavior (0) provides maximum compatibility
+
+---
+
+## Notes
+
+- The configuration is read on each DM send, allowing runtime changes
+- No restart required when changing `nip59_timestamp_max_delay_sec`
+- Thread-safe by design (no global state)
+- Default value of 0 provides maximum compatibility with other Nostr clients
+- Can be changed to 172800 or other values for NIP-59 privacy features
+
+---
+
+## References
+
+- [NIP-59: Gift Wrap](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/blob/master/59.md)
+- [NIP-17: Private Direct Messages](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/blob/master/17.md)
+- [NIP-44: Versioned Encryption](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/blob/master/44.md)
@@ -0,0 +1,532 @@
+# Subscription Cleanup - Simplified Design
+
+## Problem Summary
+
+The c-relay Nostr relay experienced severe performance degradation (90-100% CPU) due to subscription accumulation in the database. Investigation revealed **323,644 orphaned subscriptions** that were never properly closed when WebSocket connections dropped.
+
+## Solution: Two-Component Approach
+
+This simplified design focuses on two pragmatic solutions that align with Nostr's stateless design:
+
+1. **Startup Cleanup**: Close all subscriptions on relay restart
+2. **Connection Age Limit**: Disconnect clients after a configurable time period
+
+Both solutions force clients to reconnect and re-establish subscriptions, which is standard Nostr behavior.
+
+---
+
+## Component 1: Startup Cleanup
+
+### Purpose
+Ensure clean state on every relay restart by closing all subscriptions in the database.
+
+### Implementation
+
+**File:** [`src/subscriptions.c`](src/subscriptions.c)
+
+**New Function:**
+```c
+void cleanup_all_subscriptions_on_startup(void) {
+    if (!g_db) {
+        DEBUG_ERROR("Database not initialized for startup cleanup");
+        return;
+    }
+    
+    DEBUG_LOG("Startup cleanup: Marking all active subscriptions as disconnected");
+    
+    // Mark all 'created' subscriptions as disconnected
+    const char* update_sql =
+        "UPDATE subscriptions "
+        "SET ended_at = strftime('%s', 'now') "
+        "WHERE event_type = 'created' AND ended_at IS NULL";
+    
+    sqlite3_stmt* stmt;
+    int rc = sqlite3_prepare_v2(g_db, update_sql, -1, &stmt, NULL);
+    if (rc != SQLITE_OK) {
+        DEBUG_ERROR("Failed to prepare startup cleanup query: %s", sqlite3_errmsg(g_db));
+        return;
+    }
+    
+    rc = sqlite3_step(stmt);
+    int updated_count = sqlite3_changes(g_db);
+    sqlite3_finalize(stmt);
+    
+    if (updated_count > 0) {
+        // Log a single 'disconnected' event for the startup cleanup
+        const char* insert_sql =
+            "INSERT INTO subscriptions (subscription_id, wsi_pointer, client_ip, event_type) "
+            "VALUES ('startup_cleanup', '', 'system', 'disconnected')";
+        
+        rc = sqlite3_prepare_v2(g_db, insert_sql, -1, &stmt, NULL);
+        if (rc == SQLITE_OK) {
+            sqlite3_step(stmt);
+            sqlite3_finalize(stmt);
+        }
+        
+        DEBUG_LOG("Startup cleanup: Marked %d subscriptions as disconnected", updated_count);
+    } else {
+        DEBUG_LOG("Startup cleanup: No active subscriptions found");
+    }
+}
+```
+
+**Integration Point:** [`src/main.c:1810`](src/main.c:1810)
+
+```c
+// Initialize subscription manager mutexes
+if (pthread_mutex_init(&g_subscription_manager.subscriptions_lock, NULL) != 0) {
+    DEBUG_ERROR("Failed to initialize subscriptions mutex");
+    sqlite3_close(g_db);
+    return 1;
+}
+
+if (pthread_mutex_init(&g_subscription_manager.ip_tracking_lock, NULL) != 0) {
+    DEBUG_ERROR("Failed to initialize IP tracking mutex");
+    pthread_mutex_destroy(&g_subscription_manager.subscriptions_lock);
+    sqlite3_close(g_db);
+    return 1;
+}
+
+// **NEW: Startup cleanup - close all subscriptions**
+cleanup_all_subscriptions_on_startup();
+
+// Start WebSocket relay server
+DEBUG_LOG("Starting WebSocket relay server...");
+if (start_websocket_relay(port_override, strict_port) != 0) {
+    DEBUG_ERROR("Failed to start WebSocket relay");
+    // ... cleanup code
+}
+```
+
+### Benefits
+- **Immediate relief**: Restart relay to fix subscription issues
+- **Clean slate**: Every restart starts with zero active subscriptions
+- **Simple**: Single SQL UPDATE statement
+- **Nostr-aligned**: Clients are designed to reconnect after relay restart
+- **No configuration needed**: Always runs on startup
+
+---
+
+## Component 2: Connection Age Limit
+
+### Purpose
+Automatically disconnect clients after a configurable time period, forcing them to reconnect and re-establish subscriptions.
+
+### Why Disconnect Instead of Just Closing Subscriptions?
+
+**Option 1: Send CLOSED message (keep connection)**
+- ❌ Not all clients handle `CLOSED` messages properly
+- ❌ Silent failure - client thinks it's subscribed but isn't
+- ❌ Partial cleanup - connection still consumes resources
+- ❌ More complex to implement
+
+**Option 2: Disconnect client entirely (force reconnection)** ✅
+- ✅ Universal compatibility - all clients handle WebSocket reconnection
+- ✅ Complete resource cleanup (memory, file descriptors, etc.)
+- ✅ Simple implementation - single operation
+- ✅ Well-tested code path (same as network interruptions)
+- ✅ Forces re-authentication if needed
+
+### Implementation
+
+**File:** [`src/websockets.c`](src/websockets.c)
+
+**New Function:**
+```c
+/**
+ * Check connection age and disconnect clients that have been connected too long.
+ * This forces clients to reconnect and re-establish subscriptions.
+ *
+ * Uses libwebsockets' lws_vhost_foreach_wsi() to iterate through all active
+ * connections and checks their connection_established timestamp from per_session_data.
+ */
+void check_connection_age(int max_connection_seconds) {
+    if (max_connection_seconds <= 0 || !ws_context) {
+        return;
+    }
+    
+    time_t now = time(NULL);
+    time_t cutoff = now - max_connection_seconds;
+    
+    // Get the default vhost
+    struct lws_vhost *vhost = lws_get_vhost_by_name(ws_context, "default");
+    if (!vhost) {
+        DEBUG_ERROR("Failed to get vhost for connection age check");
+        return;
+    }
+    
+    // Iterate through all active WebSocket connections
+    // Note: lws_vhost_foreach_wsi() calls our callback for each connection
+    struct lws *wsi = NULL;
+    while ((wsi = lws_vhost_foreach_wsi(vhost, wsi)) != NULL) {
+        // Get per-session data which contains connection_established timestamp
+        struct per_session_data *pss = (struct per_session_data *)lws_wsi_user(wsi);
+        
+        if (pss && pss->connection_established > 0) {
+            // Check if connection is older than cutoff
+            if (pss->connection_established < cutoff) {
+                // Connection is too old - close it
+                long age_seconds = now - pss->connection_established;
+                
+                DEBUG_LOG("Closing connection from %s (age: %lds, limit: %ds)",
+                         pss->client_ip, age_seconds, max_connection_seconds);
+                
+                // Close with normal status and reason message
+                lws_close_reason(wsi, LWS_CLOSE_STATUS_NORMAL,
+                               (unsigned char *)"connection age limit", 21);
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
+```
+
+**Key Implementation Details:**
+
+1. **No database needed**: Active connections are tracked by libwebsockets itself
+2. **Uses existing timestamp**: `pss->connection_established` is already set on line 456 of websockets.c
+3. **Built-in iterator**: `lws_vhost_foreach_wsi()` safely iterates through all active connections
+4. **Per-session data**: Each connection's `per_session_data` is accessible via `lws_wsi_user()`
+5. **Safe closure**: `lws_close_reason()` properly closes the WebSocket with a status code and message
+
+**Integration Point:** [`src/websockets.c:2176`](src/websockets.c:2176) - in existing event loop
+
+```c
+// Main event loop with proper signal handling
+while (g_server_running && !g_shutdown_flag) {
+    int result = lws_service(ws_context, 1000);
+
+    if (result < 0) {
+        DEBUG_ERROR("libwebsockets service error");
+        break;
+    }
+
+    // Check if it's time to post status update
+    time_t current_time = time(NULL);
+    int status_post_hours = get_config_int("kind_1_status_posts_hours", 0);
+
+    if (status_post_hours > 0) {
+        int seconds_interval = status_post_hours * 3600;
+        if (current_time - last_status_post_time >= seconds_interval) {
+            last_status_post_time = current_time;
+            generate_and_post_status_event();
+        }
+    }
+    
+    // **NEW: Check for connection age limit**
+    int max_connection_seconds = get_config_int("max_connection_seconds", 86400); // Default 24 hours
+    if (max_connection_seconds > 0) {
+        check_connection_age(max_connection_seconds);
+    }
+}
+```
+
+### Configuration
+
+**Parameter:** `max_connection_seconds`
+- **Default:** `86400` (24 hours)
+- **Range:** `0` = disabled, `>0` = disconnect after X seconds
+- **Units:** Seconds (for consistency with other time-based configs)
+
+**Example configurations:**
+```json
+{
+  "max_connection_seconds": 86400   // 86400 seconds = 24 hours (default)
+}
+```
+
+```json
+{
+  "max_connection_seconds": 43200   // 43200 seconds = 12 hours
+}
+```
+
+```json
+{
+  "max_connection_seconds": 3600    // 3600 seconds = 1 hour
+}
+```
+
+```json
+{
+  "max_connection_seconds": 0       // Disabled
+}
+```
+
+### Client Behavior
+
+When disconnected due to age limit, clients will:
+1. Detect WebSocket closure
+2. Wait briefly (exponential backoff)
+3. Reconnect to relay
+4. Re-authenticate if needed (NIP-42)
+5. Re-establish all subscriptions
+6. Resume normal operation
+
+This is **exactly what happens** during network interruptions, so it's a well-tested code path in all Nostr clients.
+
+### Benefits
+- **No new threads**: Uses existing event loop
+- **Minimal overhead**: Check runs once per second (same as `lws_service`)
+- **Simple implementation**: Iterate through active connections
+- **Consistent pattern**: Matches existing status post checking
+- **Universal compatibility**: All clients handle reconnection
+- **Complete cleanup**: Frees all resources associated with connection
+- **Configurable**: Can be adjusted per relay needs or disabled entirely
+
+---
+
+## Implementation Plan
+
+### Phase 1: Startup Cleanup (1-2 hours)
+
+1. **Add `cleanup_all_subscriptions_on_startup()` function**
+   - File: [`src/subscriptions.c`](src/subscriptions.c)
+   - SQL UPDATE to mark all active subscriptions as disconnected
+   - Add logging for cleanup count
+
+2. **Integrate in main()**
+   - File: [`src/main.c:1810`](src/main.c:1810)
+   - Call after mutex initialization, before WebSocket server start
+
+3. **Test**
+   - Create subscriptions in database
+   - Restart relay
+   - Verify all subscriptions marked as disconnected
+   - Verify `active_subscriptions_log` shows 0 subscriptions
+
+**Estimated Time:** 1-2 hours
+
+### Phase 2: Connection Age Limit (2-3 hours)
+
+1. **Add `check_connection_age()` function**
+   - File: [`src/websockets.c`](src/websockets.c)
+   - Iterate through active connections
+   - Close connections older than limit
+
+2. **Integrate in event loop**
+   - File: [`src/websockets.c:2176`](src/websockets.c:2176)
+   - Add check after status post check
+   - Use same pattern as status posts
+
+3. **Add configuration parameter**
+   - Add `max_connection_seconds` to default config
+   - Default: 86400 (24 hours)
+
+4. **Test**
+   - Connect client
+   - Wait for timeout (or reduce timeout for testing)
+   - Verify client disconnected
+   - Verify client reconnects automatically
+   - Verify subscriptions re-established
+
+**Estimated Time:** 2-3 hours
+
+---
+
+## Testing Strategy
+
+### Startup Cleanup Tests
+
+```bash
+# Test 1: Clean startup with existing subscriptions
+- Create 100 active subscriptions in database
+- Restart relay
+- Verify all subscriptions marked as disconnected
+- Verify active_subscriptions_log shows 0 subscriptions
+
+# Test 2: Clean startup with no subscriptions
+- Start relay with empty database
+- Verify no errors
+- Verify startup cleanup logs "No active subscriptions found"
+
+# Test 3: Clients reconnect after restart
+- Create subscriptions before restart
+- Restart relay
+- Connect clients and create new subscriptions
+- Verify new subscriptions tracked correctly
+```
+
+### Connection Age Limit Tests
+
+```bash
+# Test 1: Connection disconnected after timeout
+- Set max_connection_seconds to 60 (for testing)
+- Connect client
+- Wait 61 seconds
+- Verify client disconnected
+- Verify client reconnects automatically
+
+# Test 2: Subscriptions re-established after reconnection
+- Connect client with subscriptions
+- Wait for timeout
+- Verify client reconnects
+- Verify subscriptions re-established
+- Verify events still delivered
+
+# Test 3: Disabled when set to 0
+- Set max_connection_seconds to 0
+- Connect client
+- Wait extended period
+- Verify client NOT disconnected
+```
+
+### Integration Tests
+
+```bash
+# Test 1: Combined behavior
+- Start relay (startup cleanup runs)
+- Connect multiple clients
+- Create subscriptions
+- Wait for connection timeout
+- Verify clients reconnect
+- Restart relay
+- Verify clean state
+
+# Test 2: Load test
+- Connect 100 clients
+- Each creates 5 subscriptions
+- Wait for connection timeout
+- Verify all clients reconnect
+- Verify all subscriptions re-established
+- Monitor CPU usage (should remain low)
+```
+
+---
+
+## Success Criteria
+
+### Component 1: Startup Cleanup
+- ✅ Relay starts with zero active subscriptions
+- ✅ All previous subscriptions marked as disconnected on startup
+- ✅ Clients successfully reconnect and re-establish subscriptions
+- ✅ Relay restart can be used as emergency fix for subscription issues
+- ✅ No errors during startup cleanup process
+
+### Component 2: Connection Age Limit
+- ✅ Clients disconnected after configured time period
+- ✅ Clients automatically reconnect
+- ✅ Subscriptions re-established after reconnection
+- ✅ No impact on relay performance
+- ✅ Configuration parameter works correctly (including disabled state)
+
+### Overall Success
+- ✅ CPU usage remains low (<10%)
+- ✅ No orphaned subscriptions accumulate
+- ✅ Database size remains stable
+- ✅ No manual intervention required
+
+---
+
+## Configuration Reference
+
+**New Configuration Parameters:**
+
+```json
+{
+  "max_connection_seconds": 86400
+}
+```
+
+**Recommended Settings:**
+
+- **Production:** 
+  - `max_connection_seconds: 86400` (24 hours)
+
+- **Development:**
+  - `max_connection_seconds: 3600` (1 hour for faster testing)
+
+- **High-traffic:**
+  - `max_connection_seconds: 43200` (12 hours)
+
+- **Disabled:**
+  - `max_connection_seconds: 0`
+
+---
+
+## Rollback Plan
+
+If issues arise after deployment:
+
+1. **Disable connection age limit:**
+   - Set `max_connection_seconds: 0` in config
+   - Restart relay
+   - Monitor for stability
+
+2. **Revert code changes:**
+   - Remove `check_connection_age()` call from event loop
+   - Remove `cleanup_all_subscriptions_on_startup()` call from main
+   - Restart relay
+
+3. **Database cleanup (if needed):**
+   - Manually clean up orphaned subscriptions using SQL:
+     ```sql
+     UPDATE subscriptions 
+     SET ended_at = strftime('%s', 'now') 
+     WHERE event_type = 'created' AND ended_at IS NULL;
+     ```
+
+---
+
+## Comparison with Original Design
+
+### Original Design (5 Components)
+1. Startup cleanup
+2. Fix WebSocket disconnection logging
+3. Enhance subscription removal with reason parameter
+4. Periodic cleanup task (background thread)
+5. Optimize database VIEW
+6. Subscription expiration (optional)
+
+### Simplified Design (2 Components)
+1. Startup cleanup
+2. Connection age limit
+
+### Why Simplified is Better
+
+**Advantages:**
+- **Simpler**: 2 components vs 5-6 components
+- **Faster to implement**: 3-5 hours vs 11-17 hours
+- **Easier to maintain**: Less code, fewer moving parts
+- **More reliable**: Fewer potential failure points
+- **Nostr-aligned**: Leverages client reconnection behavior
+- **No new threads**: Uses existing event loop
+- **Universal compatibility**: All clients handle reconnection
+
+**What We're Not Losing:**
+- Startup cleanup is identical in both designs
+- Connection age limit achieves the same goal as periodic cleanup + expiration
+- Disconnection forces complete cleanup (better than just logging)
+- Database VIEW optimization not needed if subscriptions don't accumulate
+
+**Trade-offs:**
+- Less granular logging (but simpler)
+- No historical subscription analytics (but cleaner database)
+- Clients must reconnect periodically (but this is standard Nostr behavior)
+
+---
+
+## Conclusion
+
+This simplified design solves the subscription accumulation problem with two pragmatic solutions:
+
+1. **Startup cleanup** ensures every relay restart starts with a clean slate
+2. **Connection age limit** prevents long-term accumulation by forcing periodic reconnection
+
+Both solutions align with Nostr's stateless design where clients are expected to handle reconnection. The implementation is simple, maintainable, and leverages existing code patterns.
+
+**Key Benefits:**
+- ✅ Solves the root problem (subscription accumulation)
+- ✅ Simple to implement (3-5 hours total)
+- ✅ Easy to maintain (minimal code)
+- ✅ Universal compatibility (all clients handle reconnection)
+- ✅ No new threads or background tasks
+- ✅ Configurable and can be disabled if needed
+- ✅ Relay restart as emergency fix
+
+**Next Steps:**
+1. Implement Component 1 (Startup Cleanup)
+2. Test thoroughly
+3. Implement Component 2 (Connection Age Limit)
+4. Test thoroughly
+5. Deploy to production
+6. Monitor CPU usage and subscription counts
@@ -0,0 +1,209 @@
+# Subscription Matching Debug Plan
+
+## Problem
+The relay is not matching kind 1059 (NIP-17 gift wrap) events to subscriptions, even though a subscription exists with `kinds:[1059]` filter. The log shows:
+```
+Event broadcast complete: 0 subscriptions matched
+```
+
+But we have this subscription:
+```
+sub:3	146.70.187.119	0x78edc9b43210	8m 27s	kinds:[1059], since:10/23/2025, 4:27:59 PM, limit:50
+```
+
+## Investigation Strategy
+
+### 1. Add Debug Output to `event_matches_filter()` (lines 386-564)
+Add debug logging at each filter check to trace the matching logic:
+
+- **Entry point**: Log the event kind and filter being tested
+- **Kinds filter check** (lines 392-415): Log whether kinds filter exists, the event kind value, and each filter kind being compared
+- **Authors filter check** (lines 417-442): Log if authors filter exists and matching results
+- **IDs filter check** (lines 444-469): Log if IDs filter exists and matching results
+- **Since filter check** (lines 471-482): Log the event timestamp vs filter since value
+- **Until filter check** (lines 484-495): Log the event timestamp vs filter until value
+- **Tag filters check** (lines 497-561): Log tag filter matching details
+- **Exit point**: Log whether the overall filter matched
+
+### 2. Add Debug Output to `event_matches_subscription()` (lines 567-581)
+Add logging to show:
+- How many filters are in the subscription
+- Which filter (if any) matched
+- Overall subscription match result
+
+### 3. Add Debug Output to `broadcast_event_to_subscriptions()` (lines 584-726)
+Add logging to show:
+- The event being broadcast (kind, id, created_at)
+- Total number of active subscriptions being checked
+- How many subscriptions matched after the first pass
+
+### 4. Key Areas to Focus On
+
+Based on the code analysis, the most likely issues are:
+
+1. **Kind matching logic** (lines 392-415): The event kind might not be extracted correctly, or the comparison might be failing
+2. **Since timestamp** (lines 471-482): The subscription has a `since` filter - if the event timestamp is before this, it won't match
+3. **Event structure**: The event JSON might not have the expected structure
+
+### 5. Specific Debug Additions
+
+#### In `event_matches_filter()` at line 386:
+```c
+// Add at start of function
+cJSON* event_kind_obj = cJSON_GetObjectItem(event, "kind");
+cJSON* event_id_obj = cJSON_GetObjectItem(event, "id");
+cJSON* event_created_at_obj = cJSON_GetObjectItem(event, "created_at");
+
+DEBUG_TRACE("FILTER_MATCH: Testing event kind=%d id=%.8s created_at=%ld",
+    event_kind_obj ? (int)cJSON_GetNumberValue(event_kind_obj) : -1,
+    event_id_obj && cJSON_IsString(event_id_obj) ? cJSON_GetStringValue(event_id_obj) : "null",
+    event_created_at_obj ? (long)cJSON_GetNumberValue(event_created_at_obj) : 0);
+```
+
+#### In kinds filter check (after line 392):
+```c
+if (filter->kinds && cJSON_IsArray(filter->kinds)) {
+    DEBUG_TRACE("FILTER_MATCH: Checking kinds filter with %d kinds", cJSON_GetArraySize(filter->kinds));
+
+    cJSON* event_kind = cJSON_GetObjectItem(event, "kind");
+    if (!event_kind || !cJSON_IsNumber(event_kind)) {
+        DEBUG_WARN("FILTER_MATCH: Event has no valid kind field");
+        return 0;
+    }
+
+    int event_kind_val = (int)cJSON_GetNumberValue(event_kind);
+    DEBUG_TRACE("FILTER_MATCH: Event kind=%d", event_kind_val);
+
+    int kind_match = 0;
+    cJSON* kind_item = NULL;
+    cJSON_ArrayForEach(kind_item, filter->kinds) {
+        if (cJSON_IsNumber(kind_item)) {
+            int filter_kind = (int)cJSON_GetNumberValue(kind_item);
+            DEBUG_TRACE("FILTER_MATCH: Comparing event kind %d with filter kind %d", event_kind_val, filter_kind);
+            if (filter_kind == event_kind_val) {
+                kind_match = 1;
+                DEBUG_TRACE("FILTER_MATCH: Kind matched!");
+                break;
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    if (!kind_match) {
+        DEBUG_TRACE("FILTER_MATCH: No kind match, filter rejected");
+        return 0;
+    }
+    DEBUG_TRACE("FILTER_MATCH: Kinds filter passed");
+}
+```
+
+#### In since filter check (after line 472):
+```c
+if (filter->since > 0) {
+    cJSON* event_created_at = cJSON_GetObjectItem(event, "created_at");
+    if (!event_created_at || !cJSON_IsNumber(event_created_at)) {
+        DEBUG_WARN("FILTER_MATCH: Event has no valid created_at field");
+        return 0;
+    }
+    
+    long event_timestamp = (long)cJSON_GetNumberValue(event_created_at);
+    DEBUG_TRACE("FILTER_MATCH: Checking since filter: event_ts=%ld filter_since=%ld",
+        event_timestamp, filter->since);
+
+    if (event_timestamp < filter->since) {
+        DEBUG_TRACE("FILTER_MATCH: Event too old (before since), filter rejected");
+        return 0;
+    }
+    DEBUG_TRACE("FILTER_MATCH: Since filter passed");
+}
+```
+
+#### At end of `event_matches_filter()` (before line 563):
+```c
+DEBUG_TRACE("FILTER_MATCH: All filters passed, event matches!");
+return 1; // All filters passed
+```
+
+#### In `event_matches_subscription()` at line 567:
+```c
+int event_matches_subscription(cJSON* event, subscription_t* subscription) {
+    if (!event || !subscription || !subscription->filters) {
+        return 0;
+    }
+
+    DEBUG_TRACE("SUB_MATCH: Testing subscription '%s'", subscription->id);
+
+    int filter_num = 0;
+    subscription_filter_t* filter = subscription->filters;
+    while (filter) {
+        filter_num++;
+        DEBUG_TRACE("SUB_MATCH: Testing filter #%d", filter_num);
+
+        if (event_matches_filter(event, filter)) {
+            DEBUG_TRACE("SUB_MATCH: Filter #%d matched! Subscription '%s' matches",
+                filter_num, subscription->id);
+            return 1; // Match found (OR logic)
+        }
+        filter = filter->next;
+    }
+
+    DEBUG_TRACE("SUB_MATCH: No filters matched for subscription '%s'", subscription->id);
+    return 0; // No filters matched
+}
+```
+
+#### In `broadcast_event_to_subscriptions()` at line 584:
+```c
+int broadcast_event_to_subscriptions(cJSON* event) {
+    if (!event) {
+        return 0;
+    }
+    
+    // Log event details
+    cJSON* event_kind = cJSON_GetObjectItem(event, "kind");
+    cJSON* event_id = cJSON_GetObjectItem(event, "id");
+    cJSON* event_created_at = cJSON_GetObjectItem(event, "created_at");
+    
+    DEBUG_TRACE("BROADCAST: Event kind=%d id=%.8s created_at=%ld",
+        event_kind ? (int)cJSON_GetNumberValue(event_kind) : -1,
+        event_id && cJSON_IsString(event_id) ? cJSON_GetStringValue(event_id) : "null",
+        event_created_at ? (long)cJSON_GetNumberValue(event_created_at) : 0);
+
+    // ... existing expiration check code ...
+
+    // After line 611 (before pthread_mutex_lock):
+    pthread_mutex_lock(&g_subscription_manager.subscriptions_lock);
+
+    int total_subs = 0;
+    subscription_t* count_sub = g_subscription_manager.active_subscriptions;
+    while (count_sub) {
+        total_subs++;
+        count_sub = count_sub->next;
+    }
+    DEBUG_TRACE("BROADCAST: Checking %d active subscriptions", total_subs);
+
+    subscription_t* sub = g_subscription_manager.active_subscriptions;
+    // ... rest of matching logic ...
+```
+
+## Expected Outcome
+
+With these debug additions, we should see output like:
+```
+BROADCAST: Event kind=1059 id=abc12345 created_at=1729712279
+BROADCAST: Checking 1 active subscriptions
+SUB_MATCH: Testing subscription 'sub:3'
+SUB_MATCH: Testing filter #1
+FILTER_MATCH: Testing event kind=1059 id=abc12345 created_at=1729712279
+FILTER_MATCH: Checking kinds filter with 1 kinds
+FILTER_MATCH: Event kind=1059
+FILTER_MATCH: Comparing event kind 1059 with filter kind 1059
+FILTER_MATCH: Kind matched!
+FILTER_MATCH: Kinds filter passed
+FILTER_MATCH: Checking since filter: event_ts=1729712279 filter_since=1729708079
+FILTER_MATCH: Since filter passed
+FILTER_MATCH: All filters passed, event matches!
+SUB_MATCH: Filter #1 matched! Subscription 'sub:3' matches
+Event broadcast complete: 1 subscriptions matched
+```
+
+This will help us identify exactly where the matching is failing.
@@ -0,0 +1,358 @@
+# Subscription Table Collapsible Groups Implementation Plan
+
+## Objective
+Add collapsible/expandable functionality to subscription groups, where:
+1. Each WSI Pointer group starts collapsed, showing only a summary row
+2. Clicking the summary row expands to show all subscription details for that WSI Pointer
+3. Clicking again collapses the group back to the summary row
+
+## Current Behavior
+- All subscriptions are displayed in a flat list
+- WSI Pointer value shown only on first row of each group
+- No interaction or collapse functionality
+
+## Desired Behavior
+- **Collapsed state**: One row per WSI Pointer showing summary information
+- **Expanded state**: Header row + detail rows for each subscription in that group
+- **Toggle**: Click on header row to expand/collapse
+- **Visual indicator**: Arrow or icon showing expand/collapse state
+
+## Design Approach
+
+### Option 1: Summary Row + Detail Rows (Recommended)
+```
+[▶] WSI Pointer: 0x12345678 | Subscriptions: 3 | Total Duration: 15m
+    (detail rows hidden)
+
+When clicked:
+[▼] WSI Pointer: 0x12345678 | Subscriptions: 3 | Total Duration: 15m
+    | sub-001 | 5m 30s | kinds:[1]
+    | sub-002 | 3m 15s | kinds:[3]
+    | sub-003 | 6m 15s | kinds:[1,3]
+```
+
+### Option 2: First Row as Header (Alternative)
+```
+[▶] 0x12345678 | sub-001 | 5m 30s | kinds:[1] (+ 2 more)
+
+When clicked:
+[▼] 0x12345678 | sub-001 | 5m 30s | kinds:[1]
+               | sub-002 | 3m 15s | kinds:[3]
+               | sub-003 | 6m 15s | kinds:[1,3]
+```
+
+**Recommendation**: Option 1 provides clearer UX and better summary information.
+
+## Implementation Details
+
+### Files to Modify
+1. `api/index.js` - Function `populateSubscriptionDetailsTable()` (lines 4277-4384)
+2. `api/index.css` - Add styles for collapsible rows
+
+### Data Structure Changes
+
+Need to group subscriptions by WSI Pointer first:
+```javascript
+// Group subscriptions by wsi_pointer
+const groupedSubscriptions = {};
+subscriptionsData.forEach(sub => {
+    const wsiKey = sub.wsi_pointer || 'N/A';
+    if (!groupedSubscriptions[wsiKey]) {
+        groupedSubscriptions[wsiKey] = [];
+    }
+    groupedSubscriptions[wsiKey].push(sub);
+});
+```
+
+### HTML Structure
+
+#### Summary Row (Header)
+```html
+<tr class="subscription-group-header" data-wsi-pointer="0x12345678" data-expanded="false">
+    <td colspan="4" style="cursor: pointer; user-select: none;">
+        <span class="expand-icon">▶</span>
+        <strong>WSI Pointer:</strong> 0x12345678
+        <span class="group-summary">
+            | Subscriptions: 3 | Oldest: 15m 30s
+        </span>
+    </td>
+</tr>
+```
+
+#### Detail Rows (Initially Hidden)
+```html
+<tr class="subscription-detail-row" data-wsi-group="0x12345678" style="display: none;">
+    <td style="padding-left: 30px;"><!-- Empty for WSI Pointer --></td>
+    <td>sub-001</td>
+    <td>5m 30s</td>
+    <td>kinds:[1]</td>
+</tr>
+```
+
+### JavaScript Implementation
+
+#### Modified populateSubscriptionDetailsTable Function
+
+```javascript
+function populateSubscriptionDetailsTable(subscriptionsData) {
+    const tableBody = document.getElementById('subscription-details-table-body');
+    if (!tableBody || !subscriptionsData || !Array.isArray(subscriptionsData)) return;
+
+    tableBody.innerHTML = '';
+
+    if (subscriptionsData.length === 0) {
+        const row = document.createElement('tr');
+        row.innerHTML = '<td colspan="4" style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;">No active subscriptions</td>';
+        tableBody.appendChild(row);
+        return;
+    }
+
+    // Sort subscriptions by wsi_pointer to group them together
+    subscriptionsData.sort((a, b) => {
+        const wsiA = a.wsi_pointer || '';
+        const wsiB = b.wsi_pointer || '';
+        return wsiA.localeCompare(wsiB);
+    });
+
+    // Group subscriptions by wsi_pointer
+    const groupedSubscriptions = {};
+    subscriptionsData.forEach(sub => {
+        const wsiKey = sub.wsi_pointer || 'N/A';
+        if (!groupedSubscriptions[wsiKey]) {
+            groupedSubscriptions[wsiKey] = [];
+        }
+        groupedSubscriptions[wsiKey].push(sub);
+    });
+
+    // Create rows for each group
+    Object.entries(groupedSubscriptions).forEach(([wsiPointer, subscriptions]) => {
+        // Calculate group summary
+        const subCount = subscriptions.length;
+        const now = Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000);
+        const oldestDuration = Math.max(...subscriptions.map(s => now - s.created_at));
+        const oldestDurationStr = formatDuration(oldestDuration);
+
+        // Create header row (summary)
+        const headerRow = document.createElement('tr');
+        headerRow.className = 'subscription-group-header';
+        headerRow.setAttribute('data-wsi-pointer', wsiPointer);
+        headerRow.setAttribute('data-expanded', 'false');
+        headerRow.style.cursor = 'pointer';
+        headerRow.style.userSelect = 'none';
+        headerRow.style.backgroundColor = 'var(--hover-color, #f5f5f5)';
+        
+        headerRow.innerHTML = `
+            <td colspan="4" style="padding: 8px;">
+                <span class="expand-icon" style="display: inline-block; width: 20px; transition: transform 0.2s;">▶</span>
+                <strong style="font-family: 'Courier New', monospace; font-size: 12px;">WSI: ${wsiPointer}</strong>
+                <span style="color: #666; margin-left: 15px;">
+                    Subscriptions: ${subCount} | Oldest: ${oldestDurationStr}
+                </span>
+            </td>
+        `;
+
+        // Add click handler to toggle expansion
+        headerRow.addEventListener('click', () => toggleSubscriptionGroup(wsiPointer));
+        
+        tableBody.appendChild(headerRow);
+
+        // Create detail rows (initially hidden)
+        subscriptions.forEach((subscription, index) => {
+            const detailRow = document.createElement('tr');
+            detailRow.className = 'subscription-detail-row';
+            detailRow.setAttribute('data-wsi-group', wsiPointer);
+            detailRow.style.display = 'none';
+
+            // Calculate duration
+            const duration = now - subscription.created_at;
+            const durationStr = formatDuration(duration);
+
+            // Format filters
+            let filtersDisplay = 'None';
+            if (subscription.filters && subscription.filters.length > 0) {
+                const filterDetails = [];
+                subscription.filters.forEach((filter) => {
+                    const parts = [];
+
+                    if (filter.kinds && Array.isArray(filter.kinds) && filter.kinds.length > 0) {
+                        parts.push(`kinds:[${filter.kinds.join(',')}]`);
+                    }
+
+                    if (filter.authors && Array.isArray(filter.authors) && filter.authors.length > 0) {
+                        const authorCount = filter.authors.length;
+                        if (authorCount === 1) {
+                            const shortPubkey = filter.authors[0].substring(0, 8) + '...';
+                            parts.push(`authors:[${shortPubkey}]`);
+                        } else {
+                            parts.push(`authors:[${authorCount} pubkeys]`);
+                        }
+                    }
+
+                    if (filter.ids && Array.isArray(filter.ids) && filter.ids.length > 0) {
+                        const idCount = filter.ids.length;
+                        parts.push(`ids:[${idCount} event${idCount > 1 ? 's' : ''}]`);
+                    }
+
+                    const timeParts = [];
+                    if (filter.since && filter.since > 0) {
+                        const sinceDate = new Date(filter.since * 1000).toLocaleString();
+                        timeParts.push(`since:${sinceDate}`);
+                    }
+                    if (filter.until && filter.until > 0) {
+                        const untilDate = new Date(filter.until * 1000).toLocaleString();
+                        timeParts.push(`until:${untilDate}`);
+                    }
+                    if (timeParts.length > 0) {
+                        parts.push(timeParts.join(', '));
+                    }
+
+                    if (filter.limit && filter.limit > 0) {
+                        parts.push(`limit:${filter.limit}`);
+                    }
+
+                    if (filter.tag_filters && Array.isArray(filter.tag_filters) && filter.tag_filters.length > 0) {
+                        parts.push(`tags:[${filter.tag_filters.length} filter${filter.tag_filters.length > 1 ? 's' : ''}]`);
+                    }
+
+                    if (parts.length > 0) {
+                        filterDetails.push(parts.join(', '));
+                    } else {
+                        filterDetails.push('empty filter');
+                    }
+                });
+
+                filtersDisplay = filterDetails.join(' | ');
+            }
+
+            detailRow.innerHTML = `
+                <td style="padding-left: 30px; font-family: 'Courier New', monospace; font-size: 11px; color: #999;">└─</td>
+                <td style="font-family: 'Courier New', monospace; font-size: 12px;">${subscription.id || 'N/A'}</td>
+                <td>${durationStr}</td>
+                <td>${filtersDisplay}</td>
+            `;
+            
+            tableBody.appendChild(detailRow);
+        });
+    });
+}
+
+// Toggle function for expanding/collapsing groups
+function toggleSubscriptionGroup(wsiPointer) {
+    const headerRow = document.querySelector(`.subscription-group-header[data-wsi-pointer="${wsiPointer}"]`);
+    const detailRows = document.querySelectorAll(`.subscription-detail-row[data-wsi-group="${wsiPointer}"]`);
+    const expandIcon = headerRow.querySelector('.expand-icon');
+    
+    const isExpanded = headerRow.getAttribute('data-expanded') === 'true';
+    
+    if (isExpanded) {
+        // Collapse
+        detailRows.forEach(row => row.style.display = 'none');
+        expandIcon.textContent = '▶';
+        expandIcon.style.transform = 'rotate(0deg)';
+        headerRow.setAttribute('data-expanded', 'false');
+    } else {
+        // Expand
+        detailRows.forEach(row => row.style.display = 'table-row');
+        expandIcon.textContent = '▼';
+        expandIcon.style.transform = 'rotate(90deg)';
+        headerRow.setAttribute('data-expanded', 'true');
+    }
+}
+```
+
+### CSS Additions (api/index.css)
+
+```css
+/* Subscription group header styles */
+.subscription-group-header {
+    background-color: var(--hover-color, #f5f5f5);
+    font-weight: 500;
+    transition: background-color 0.2s;
+}
+
+.subscription-group-header:hover {
+    background-color: var(--primary-color-light, #e8e8e8);
+}
+
+.expand-icon {
+    display: inline-block;
+    width: 20px;
+    transition: transform 0.2s ease;
+    font-size: 12px;
+}
+
+/* Detail row styles */
+.subscription-detail-row {
+    background-color: var(--background-color, #ffffff);
+}
+
+.subscription-detail-row:hover {
+    background-color: var(--hover-color-light, #fafafa);
+}
+
+/* Dark mode support */
+.dark-mode .subscription-group-header {
+    background-color: var(--hover-color-dark, #2a2a2a);
+}
+
+.dark-mode .subscription-group-header:hover {
+    background-color: var(--primary-color-dark, #333333);
+}
+
+.dark-mode .subscription-detail-row {
+    background-color: var(--background-color-dark, #1a1a1a);
+}
+
+.dark-mode .subscription-detail-row:hover {
+    background-color: var(--hover-color-dark, #252525);
+}
+```
+
+## Features Included
+
+1. ✅ **Collapsible groups**: Each WSI Pointer group can be collapsed/expanded
+2. ✅ **Visual indicator**: Arrow icon (▶/▼) shows current state
+3. ✅ **Summary information**: Shows subscription count and oldest duration
+4. ✅ **Smooth transitions**: Icon rotation animation
+5. ✅ **Hover effects**: Visual feedback on header rows
+6. ✅ **Tree structure**: Detail rows indented with └─ character
+7. ✅ **Dark mode support**: Proper styling for both themes
+8. ✅ **Keyboard accessible**: Can be enhanced with keyboard navigation
+
+## User Experience Flow
+
+1. **Initial load**: All groups collapsed, showing summary rows only
+2. **Click header**: Group expands, showing all subscription details
+3. **Click again**: Group collapses back to summary
+4. **Multiple groups**: Each group can be independently expanded/collapsed
+5. **Visual feedback**: Hover effects and smooth animations
+
+## Testing Checklist
+
+1. ✅ Verify groups start collapsed by default
+2. ✅ Verify clicking header expands group
+3. ✅ Verify clicking again collapses group
+4. ✅ Verify multiple groups can be expanded simultaneously
+5. ✅ Verify summary information is accurate
+6. ✅ Verify detail rows display correctly when expanded
+7. ✅ Verify styling works in both light and dark modes
+8. ✅ Verify no console errors
+9. ✅ Verify performance with many subscriptions
+
+## Optional Enhancements
+
+1. **Expand/Collapse All**: Add buttons to expand or collapse all groups at once
+2. **Remember State**: Store expansion state in localStorage
+3. **Keyboard Navigation**: Add keyboard shortcuts (Space/Enter to toggle)
+4. **Animation**: Add slide-down/up animation for detail rows
+5. **Search/Filter**: Add ability to search within subscriptions
+6. **Export**: Add ability to export subscription data
+
+## Next Steps
+
+1. Review this plan
+2. Switch to Code mode
+3. Implement the changes in `api/index.js`
+4. Add CSS styles in `api/index.css`
+5. Test the collapsible functionality
+6. Verify all edge cases work correctly
@@ -0,0 +1,155 @@
+# Subscription Table WSI Pointer Grouping Implementation Plan
+
+## Objective
+Modify the subscription details table to show the WSI Pointer value only once per group - on the first row of each WSI Pointer group, leaving it blank for subsequent rows with the same WSI Pointer.
+
+## Current Behavior
+- All rows show the WSI Pointer value
+- Rows are sorted by WSI Pointer (grouping is working)
+- Visual grouping is not clear
+
+## Desired Behavior
+- First row of each WSI Pointer group shows the full WSI Pointer value
+- Subsequent rows in the same group have an empty cell for WSI Pointer
+- This creates a clear visual grouping effect
+
+## Implementation Details
+
+### File to Modify
+`api/index.js` - Function `populateSubscriptionDetailsTable()` (lines 4277-4384)
+
+### Code Changes Required
+
+#### Current Code (lines 4291-4383):
+```javascript
+// Sort subscriptions by wsi_pointer to group them together
+subscriptionsData.sort((a, b) => {
+    const wsiA = a.wsi_pointer || '';
+    const wsiB = b.wsi_pointer || '';
+    return wsiA.localeCompare(wsiB);
+});
+
+subscriptionsData.forEach((subscription, index) => {
+    const row = document.createElement('tr');
+
+    // Calculate duration
+    const now = Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000);
+    const duration = now - subscription.created_at;
+    const durationStr = formatDuration(duration);
+
+    // Format client IP (show full IP for admin view)
+    const clientIP = subscription.client_ip || 'unknown';
+
+    // Format wsi_pointer (show full pointer)
+    const wsiPointer = subscription.wsi_pointer || 'N/A';
+
+    // Format filters (show actual filter details)
+    let filtersDisplay = 'None';
+    // ... filter formatting code ...
+
+    row.innerHTML = `
+        <td style="font-family: 'Courier New', monospace; font-size: 12px;">${wsiPointer}</td>
+        <td style="font-family: 'Courier New', monospace; font-size: 12px;">${subscription.id || 'N/A'}</td>
+        <!-- <td style="font-family: 'Courier New', monospace; font-size: 12px;">${clientIP}</td> -->
+        <td>${durationStr}</td>
+        <td>${filtersDisplay}</td>
+    `;
+    tableBody.appendChild(row);
+});
+```
+
+#### Modified Code:
+```javascript
+// Sort subscriptions by wsi_pointer to group them together
+subscriptionsData.sort((a, b) => {
+    const wsiA = a.wsi_pointer || '';
+    const wsiB = b.wsi_pointer || '';
+    return wsiA.localeCompare(wsiB);
+});
+
+// Track previous WSI Pointer to detect group changes
+let previousWsiPointer = null;
+
+subscriptionsData.forEach((subscription, index) => {
+    const row = document.createElement('tr');
+
+    // Calculate duration
+    const now = Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000);
+    const duration = now - subscription.created_at;
+    const durationStr = formatDuration(duration);
+
+    // Format client IP (show full IP for admin view)
+    const clientIP = subscription.client_ip || 'unknown';
+
+    // Format wsi_pointer - only show if it's different from previous row
+    const currentWsiPointer = subscription.wsi_pointer || 'N/A';
+    let wsiPointerDisplay = '';
+    
+    if (currentWsiPointer !== previousWsiPointer) {
+        // This is the first row of a new group - show the WSI Pointer
+        wsiPointerDisplay = currentWsiPointer;
+        previousWsiPointer = currentWsiPointer;
+    } else {
+        // This is a continuation of the same group - leave blank
+        wsiPointerDisplay = '';
+    }
+
+    // Format filters (show actual filter details)
+    let filtersDisplay = 'None';
+    // ... filter formatting code remains the same ...
+
+    row.innerHTML = `
+        <td style="font-family: 'Courier New', monospace; font-size: 12px;">${wsiPointerDisplay}</td>
+        <td style="font-family: 'Courier New', monospace; font-size: 12px;">${subscription.id || 'N/A'}</td>
+        <!-- <td style="font-family: 'Courier New', monospace; font-size: 12px;">${clientIP}</td> -->
+        <td>${durationStr}</td>
+        <td>${filtersDisplay}</td>
+    `;
+    tableBody.appendChild(row);
+});
+```
+
+### Key Changes Explained
+
+1. **Add tracking variable**: `let previousWsiPointer = null;` before the forEach loop
+2. **Store current WSI Pointer**: `const currentWsiPointer = subscription.wsi_pointer || 'N/A';`
+3. **Compare with previous**: Check if `currentWsiPointer !== previousWsiPointer`
+4. **Conditional display**:
+   - If different: Show the WSI Pointer value and update `previousWsiPointer`
+   - If same: Show empty string (blank cell)
+5. **Use display variable**: Replace `${wsiPointer}` with `${wsiPointerDisplay}` in the row HTML
+
+### Visual Result
+
+**Before:**
+```
+WSI Pointer    | Subscription ID | Duration | Filters
+0x12345678     | sub-001        | 5m 30s   | kinds:[1]
+0x12345678     | sub-002        | 3m 15s   | kinds:[3]
+0x87654321     | sub-003        | 1m 45s   | kinds:[1,3]
+```
+
+**After:**
+```
+WSI Pointer    | Subscription ID | Duration | Filters
+0x12345678     | sub-001        | 5m 30s   | kinds:[1]
+               | sub-002        | 3m 15s   | kinds:[3]
+0x87654321     | sub-003        | 1m 45s   | kinds:[1,3]
+```
+
+## Testing Checklist
+
+1. ✅ Verify first row of each group shows WSI Pointer
+2. ✅ Verify subsequent rows in same group are blank
+3. ✅ Verify grouping works with multiple subscriptions per WSI Pointer
+4. ✅ Verify single subscription per WSI Pointer still shows the value
+5. ✅ Verify empty/null WSI Pointers are handled correctly
+6. ✅ Verify table still displays correctly when no subscriptions exist
+
+## Next Steps
+
+1. Review this plan
+2. Switch to Code mode
+3. Implement the changes in `api/index.js`
+4. Test the implementation
+5. Verify the visual grouping effect
@@ -0,0 +1,200 @@
+# WebSocket Write Queue Design
+
+## Problem Statement
+
+The current partial write handling implementation uses a single buffer per session, which fails when multiple events need to be sent to the same client in rapid succession. This causes:
+
+1. First event gets partial write → queued successfully
+2. Second event tries to write → **FAILS** with "write already pending"
+3. Subsequent events fail similarly, causing data loss
+
+### Server Log Evidence
+```
+[WARN] WS_FRAME_PARTIAL: EVENT partial write, sub=1 sent=3210 expected=5333
+[TRACE] Queued partial write: len=2123
+[WARN] WS_FRAME_PARTIAL: EVENT partial write, sub=1 sent=3210 expected=5333
+[WARN] queue_websocket_write: write already pending, cannot queue new write
+[ERROR] Failed to queue partial EVENT write for sub=1
+```
+
+## Root Cause
+
+WebSocket frames must be sent **atomically** - you cannot interleave multiple frames. The current single-buffer approach correctly enforces this, but it rejects new writes instead of queuing them.
+
+## Solution: Write Queue Architecture
+
+### Design Principles
+
+1. **Frame Atomicity**: Complete one WebSocket frame before starting the next
+2. **Sequential Processing**: Process queued writes in FIFO order
+3. **Memory Safety**: Proper cleanup on connection close or errors
+4. **Thread Safety**: Protect queue operations with existing session lock
+
+### Data Structures
+
+#### Write Queue Node
+```c
+struct write_queue_node {
+    unsigned char* buffer;           // Buffer with LWS_PRE space
+    size_t total_len;                // Total length of data to write
+    size_t offset;                   // How much has been written so far
+    int write_type;                  // LWS_WRITE_TEXT, etc.
+    struct write_queue_node* next;   // Next node in queue
+};
+```
+
+#### Per-Session Write Queue
+```c
+struct per_session_data {
+    // ... existing fields ...
+    
+    // Write queue for handling multiple pending writes
+    struct write_queue_node* write_queue_head;  // First item to write
+    struct write_queue_node* write_queue_tail;  // Last item in queue
+    int write_queue_length;                     // Number of items in queue
+    int write_in_progress;                      // Flag: 1 if currently writing
+};
+```
+
+### Algorithm Flow
+
+#### 1. Enqueue Write (`queue_websocket_write`)
+
+```
+IF write_queue is empty AND no write in progress:
+    - Attempt immediate write with lws_write()
+    - IF complete:
+        - Return success
+    - ELSE (partial write):
+        - Create queue node with remaining data
+        - Add to queue
+        - Set write_in_progress flag
+        - Request LWS_CALLBACK_SERVER_WRITEABLE
+ELSE:
+    - Create queue node with full data
+    - Append to queue tail
+    - IF no write in progress:
+        - Request LWS_CALLBACK_SERVER_WRITEABLE
+```
+
+#### 2. Process Queue (`process_pending_write`)
+
+```
+WHILE write_queue is not empty:
+    - Get head node
+    - Calculate remaining data (total_len - offset)
+    - Attempt write with lws_write()
+    
+    IF write fails (< 0):
+        - Log error
+        - Remove and free head node
+        - Continue to next node
+    
+    ELSE IF partial write (< remaining):
+        - Update offset
+        - Request LWS_CALLBACK_SERVER_WRITEABLE
+        - Break (wait for next callback)
+    
+    ELSE (complete write):
+        - Remove and free head node
+        - Continue to next node
+
+IF queue is empty:
+    - Clear write_in_progress flag
+```
+
+#### 3. Cleanup (`LWS_CALLBACK_CLOSED`)
+
+```
+WHILE write_queue is not empty:
+    - Get head node
+    - Free buffer
+    - Free node
+    - Move to next
+Clear queue pointers
+```
+
+### Memory Management
+
+1. **Allocation**: Each queue node allocates buffer with `LWS_PRE + data_len`
+2. **Ownership**: Queue owns all buffers until write completes or connection closes
+3. **Deallocation**: Free buffer and node when:
+   - Write completes successfully
+   - Write fails with error
+   - Connection closes
+
+### Thread Safety
+
+- Use existing `pss->session_lock` to protect queue operations
+- Lock during:
+  - Enqueue operations
+  - Dequeue operations
+  - Queue traversal for cleanup
+
+### Performance Considerations
+
+1. **Queue Length Limit**: Implement max queue length (e.g., 100 items) to prevent memory exhaustion
+2. **Memory Pressure**: Monitor total queued bytes per session
+3. **Backpressure**: If queue exceeds limit, close connection with NOTICE
+
+### Error Handling
+
+1. **Allocation Failure**: Return error, log, send NOTICE to client
+2. **Write Failure**: Remove failed frame, continue with next
+3. **Queue Overflow**: Close connection with appropriate NOTICE
+
+## Implementation Plan
+
+### Phase 1: Data Structure Changes
+1. Add `write_queue_node` structure to `websockets.h`
+2. Update `per_session_data` with queue fields
+3. Remove old single-buffer fields
+
+### Phase 2: Queue Operations
+1. Implement `enqueue_write()` helper
+2. Implement `dequeue_write()` helper
+3. Update `queue_websocket_write()` to use queue
+4. Update `process_pending_write()` to process queue
+
+### Phase 3: Integration
+1. Update all `lws_write()` call sites
+2. Update `LWS_CALLBACK_CLOSED` cleanup
+3. Add queue length monitoring
+
+### Phase 4: Testing
+1. Test with rapid multiple events to same client
+2. Test with large events (>4KB)
+3. Test under load with concurrent connections
+4. Verify no "Invalid frame header" errors
+
+## Expected Outcomes
+
+1. **No More Rejections**: All writes queued successfully
+2. **Frame Integrity**: Complete frames sent atomically
+3. **Memory Safety**: Proper cleanup on all paths
+4. **Performance**: Minimal overhead for queue management
+
+## Metrics to Monitor
+
+1. Average queue length per session
+2. Maximum queue length observed
+3. Queue overflow events (if limit implemented)
+4. Write completion rate
+5. Partial write frequency
+
+## Alternative Approaches Considered
+
+### 1. Larger Single Buffer
+**Rejected**: Doesn't solve the fundamental problem of multiple concurrent writes
+
+### 2. Immediate Write Retry
+**Rejected**: Could cause busy-waiting and CPU waste
+
+### 3. Drop Frames on Conflict
+**Rejected**: Violates reliability requirements
+
+## References
+
+- libwebsockets documentation on `lws_write()` and `LWS_CALLBACK_SERVER_WRITEABLE`
+- WebSocket RFC 6455 on frame structure
+- Nostr NIP-01 on relay-to-client communication
@@ -8,36 +8,63 @@ YELLOW='\033[1;33m'
 BLUE='\033[0;34m'
 NC='\033[0m'

-print_status() { echo -e "${BLUE}[INFO]${NC} $1"; }
-print_success() { echo -e "${GREEN}[SUCCESS]${NC} $1"; }
-print_warning() { echo -e "${YELLOW}[WARNING]${NC} $1"; }
-print_error() { echo -e "${RED}[ERROR]${NC} $1"; }
+print_status() { echo -e "${BLUE}[INFO]${NC} $1" >&2; }
+print_success() { echo -e "${GREEN}[SUCCESS]${NC} $1" >&2; }
+print_warning() { echo -e "${YELLOW}[WARNING]${NC} $1" >&2; }
+print_error() { echo -e "${RED}[ERROR]${NC} $1" >&2; }

 # Global variables
 COMMIT_MESSAGE=""
 RELEASE_MODE=false
+VERSION_INCREMENT_TYPE="patch"  # "patch", "minor", or "major"
+
+VERSION_INCREMENT_EXPLICIT=false

 show_usage() {
    echo "C-Relay Increment and Push Script"
    echo ""
-    echo "Usage:"
-    echo "  $0 \"commit message\"           - Default: increment patch, commit & push"
-    echo "  $0 -r \"commit message\"        - Release: increment minor, create release"
+    echo "USAGE:"
+    echo "  $0 [OPTIONS] \"commit message\""
    echo ""
-    echo "Examples:"
+    echo "COMMANDS:"
+    echo "  $0 \"commit message\"           Default: increment patch, commit & push"
+    echo "  $0 -p \"commit message\"        Increment patch version"
+    echo "  $0 -m \"commit message\"        Increment minor version"
+    echo "  $0 -M \"commit message\"        Increment major version"
+    echo "  $0 -r \"commit message\"        Create release with assets (no version increment)"
+    echo "  $0 -r -p \"commit message\"     Create release with patch version increment"
+    echo "  $0 -r -m \"commit message\"     Create release with minor version increment"
+    echo "  $0 -h                          Show this help message"
+    echo ""
+    echo "OPTIONS:"
+    echo "  -p, --patch    Increment patch version (default)"
+    echo "  -m, --minor    Increment minor version"
+    echo "  -M, --major    Increment major version"
+    echo "  -r, --release  Create release with assets"
+    echo "  -h, --help     Show this help message"
+    echo ""
+    echo "EXAMPLES:"
    echo "  $0 \"Fixed event validation bug\""
-    echo "  $0 --release \"Major release with new features\""
+    echo "  $0 -m \"Added new features\""
+    echo "  $0 -M \"Breaking API changes\""
+    echo "  $0 -r \"Release current version\""
+    echo "  $0 -r -p \"Release with patch increment\""
+    echo "  $0 -r -m \"Release with minor increment\""
    echo ""
-    echo "Default Mode (patch increment):"
-    echo "  - Increment patch version (v1.2.3 → v1.2.4)"
-    echo "  - Git add, commit with message, and push"
+    echo "VERSION INCREMENT MODES:"
+    echo "  -p, --patch (default): Increment patch version (v1.2.3 → v1.2.4)"
+    echo "  -m, --minor:           Increment minor version, zero patch (v1.2.3 → v1.3.0)"
+    echo "  -M, --major:           Increment major version, zero minor+patch (v1.2.3 → v2.0.0)"
    echo ""
-    echo "Release Mode (-r flag):"
-    echo "  - Increment minor version, zero patch (v1.2.3 → v1.3.0)"
-    echo "  - Git add, commit, push, and create Gitea release"
+    echo "RELEASE MODE (-r flag):"
+    echo "  - Build static binaries for x86_64 and ARM64 (Raspberry Pi) using build_static.sh"
+    echo "  - Create source tarball"
+    echo "  - Git add, commit, push, and create Gitea release with assets"
+    echo "  - Can be combined with version increment flags"
    echo ""
-    echo "Requirements for Release Mode:"
+    echo "REQUIREMENTS FOR RELEASE MODE:"
    echo "  - Gitea token in ~/.gitea_token for release uploads"
+    echo "  - Docker installed for static binary builds"
 }

 # Parse command line arguments
@@ -47,6 +74,21 @@ while [[ $# -gt 0 ]]; do
            RELEASE_MODE=true
            shift
            ;;
+        -p|--patch)
+            VERSION_INCREMENT_TYPE="patch"
+            VERSION_INCREMENT_EXPLICIT=true
+            shift
+            ;;
+        -m|--minor)
+            VERSION_INCREMENT_TYPE="minor"
+            VERSION_INCREMENT_EXPLICIT=true
+            shift
+            ;;
+        -M|--major)
+            VERSION_INCREMENT_TYPE="major"
+            VERSION_INCREMENT_EXPLICIT=true
+            shift
+            ;;
        -h|--help)
            show_usage
            exit 0
@@ -79,7 +121,7 @@ check_git_repo() {

 # Function to get current version and increment appropriately
 increment_version() {
-    local increment_type="$1"  # "patch" or "minor"
+    local increment_type="$1"  # "patch", "minor", or "major"

    print_status "Getting current version..."

@@ -105,26 +147,69 @@ increment_version() {
    fi

    # Increment version based on type
-    if [[ "$increment_type" == "minor" ]]; then
+    if [[ "$increment_type" == "major" ]]; then
+        # Major release: increment major, zero minor and patch
+        NEW_MAJOR=$((MAJOR + 1))
+        NEW_MINOR=0
+        NEW_PATCH=0
+        NEW_VERSION="v${NEW_MAJOR}.${NEW_MINOR}.${NEW_PATCH}"
+        print_status "Major version increment: incrementing major version"
+    elif [[ "$increment_type" == "minor" ]]; then
        # Minor release: increment minor, zero patch
+        NEW_MAJOR=$MAJOR
        NEW_MINOR=$((MINOR + 1))
        NEW_PATCH=0
-        NEW_VERSION="v${MAJOR}.${NEW_MINOR}.${NEW_PATCH}"
-        print_status "Release mode: incrementing minor version"
+        NEW_VERSION="v${NEW_MAJOR}.${NEW_MINOR}.${NEW_PATCH}"
+        print_status "Minor version increment: incrementing minor version"
    else
        # Default: increment patch
+        NEW_MAJOR=$MAJOR
+        NEW_MINOR=$MINOR
        NEW_PATCH=$((PATCH + 1))
-        NEW_VERSION="v${MAJOR}.${MINOR}.${NEW_PATCH}"
-        print_status "Default mode: incrementing patch version"
+        NEW_VERSION="v${NEW_MAJOR}.${NEW_MINOR}.${NEW_PATCH}"
+        print_status "Patch version increment: incrementing patch version"
    fi

    print_status "Current version: $LATEST_TAG"
    print_status "New version: $NEW_VERSION"

+    # Update version in src/main.h
+    update_version_in_header "$NEW_VERSION" "$NEW_MAJOR" "$NEW_MINOR" "$NEW_PATCH"
+
    # Export for use in other functions
    export NEW_VERSION
 }

+# Function to update version macros in src/main.h
+update_version_in_header() {
+    local new_version="$1"
+    local major="$2"
+    local minor="$3"
+    local patch="$4"
+
+    print_status "Updating version in src/main.h..."
+
+    # Check if src/main.h exists
+    if [[ ! -f "src/main.h" ]]; then
+        print_error "src/main.h not found"
+        exit 1
+    fi
+
+    # Update CRELAY_VERSION macro
+    sed -i "s/#define CRELAY_VERSION \".*\"/#define CRELAY_VERSION \"$new_version\"/" src/main.h
+
+    # Update CRELAY_VERSION_MAJOR macro
+    sed -i "s/#define CRELAY_VERSION_MAJOR [0-9]\+/#define CRELAY_VERSION_MAJOR $major/" src/main.h
+
+    # Update CRELAY_VERSION_MINOR macro
+    sed -i "s/#define CRELAY_VERSION_MINOR .*/#define CRELAY_VERSION_MINOR $minor/" src/main.h
+
+    # Update CRELAY_VERSION_PATCH macro
+    sed -i "s/#define CRELAY_VERSION_PATCH [0-9]\+/#define CRELAY_VERSION_PATCH $patch/" src/main.h
+
+    print_success "Updated version in src/main.h to $new_version"
+}
+
 # Function to commit and push changes
 git_commit_and_push() {
    print_status "Preparing git commit..."
@@ -228,6 +313,154 @@ git_commit_and_push_no_tag() {
    fi
 }

+# Function to build release binaries
+build_release_binary() {
+    print_status "Building release binaries..."
+
+    # Check if build_static.sh exists
+    if [[ ! -f "build_static.sh" ]]; then
+        print_error "build_static.sh not found"
+        return 1
+    fi
+
+    # Build x86_64 first (required for success)
+    if ./build_static.sh > /dev/null 2>&1; then
+        print_success "Built x86_64 static binary successfully"
+    else
+        print_error "Failed to build x86_64 static binary"
+        return 1
+    fi
+
+    # Build arm64 second (warning-only on failure)
+    if ./build_static.sh --arch arm64 > /dev/null 2>&1; then
+        print_success "Built ARM64 static binary successfully"
+    else
+        print_warning "Failed to build ARM64 static binary (continuing with release)"
+    fi
+
+    return 0
+}
+
+# Function to create source tarball
+create_source_tarball() {
+    print_status "Creating source tarball..."
+
+    local tarball_name="c-relay-${NEW_VERSION#v}.tar.gz"
+
+    # Create tarball excluding build artifacts and git files
+    if tar -czf "$tarball_name" \
+        --exclude='build/*' \
+        --exclude='.git*' \
+        --exclude='*.db' \
+        --exclude='*.db-*' \
+        --exclude='*.log' \
+        --exclude='*.tar.gz' \
+        . > /dev/null 2>&1; then
+        print_success "Created source tarball: $tarball_name"
+        echo "$tarball_name"
+        return 0
+    else
+        print_error "Failed to create source tarball"
+        return 1
+    fi
+}
+
+# Function to upload release assets to Gitea
+upload_release_assets() {
+    local release_id="$1"
+    local binary_path_x86="$2"
+    local tarball_path="$3"
+    local binary_path_arm64="$4"
+
+    print_status "Uploading release assets..."
+
+    # Check for Gitea token
+    if [[ ! -f "$HOME/.gitea_token" ]]; then
+        print_warning "No ~/.gitea_token found. Skipping asset uploads."
+        return 0
+    fi
+
+    local token=$(cat "$HOME/.gitea_token" | tr -d '\n\r')
+    local api_url="https://git.laantungir.net/api/v1/repos/laantungir/c-relay"
+    local assets_url="$api_url/releases/$release_id/assets"
+    print_status "Assets URL: $assets_url"
+
+    # Upload x86_64 binary
+    if [[ -f "$binary_path_x86" ]]; then
+        print_status "Uploading binary: $(basename "$binary_path_x86")"
+
+        # Retry loop for eventual consistency
+        local max_attempts=3
+        local attempt=1
+        while [[ $attempt -le $max_attempts ]]; do
+            print_status "Upload attempt $attempt/$max_attempts"
+            local binary_response=$(curl -fS -X POST "$assets_url" \
+                  -H "Authorization: token $token" \
+                  -F "attachment=@$binary_path_x86;filename=$(basename "$binary_path_x86")" \
+                  -F "name=$(basename "$binary_path_x86")")
+
+            if echo "$binary_response" | grep -q '"id"'; then
+                print_success "Uploaded x86_64 binary successfully"
+                break
+            else
+                print_warning "Upload attempt $attempt failed"
+                if [[ $attempt -lt $max_attempts ]]; then
+                    print_status "Retrying in 2 seconds..."
+                    sleep 2
+                else
+                    print_error "Failed to upload x86_64 binary after $max_attempts attempts"
+                    print_error "Response: $binary_response"
+                fi
+            fi
+            ((attempt++))
+        done
+    fi
+
+    # Upload ARM64 binary
+    if [[ -f "$binary_path_arm64" ]]; then
+        print_status "Uploading binary: $(basename "$binary_path_arm64")"
+
+        local max_attempts=3
+        local attempt=1
+        while [[ $attempt -le $max_attempts ]]; do
+            print_status "Upload attempt $attempt/$max_attempts"
+            local binary_response=$(curl -fS -X POST "$assets_url" \
+                  -H "Authorization: token $token" \
+                  -F "attachment=@$binary_path_arm64;filename=$(basename "$binary_path_arm64")" \
+                  -F "name=$(basename "$binary_path_arm64")")
+
+            if echo "$binary_response" | grep -q '"id"'; then
+                print_success "Uploaded ARM64 binary successfully"
+                break
+            else
+                print_warning "Upload attempt $attempt failed"
+                if [[ $attempt -lt $max_attempts ]]; then
+                    print_status "Retrying in 2 seconds..."
+                    sleep 2
+                else
+                    print_error "Failed to upload ARM64 binary after $max_attempts attempts"
+                    print_error "Response: $binary_response"
+                fi
+            fi
+            ((attempt++))
+        done
+    fi
+
+    # Upload source tarball
+    if [[ -f "$tarball_path" ]]; then
+        print_status "Uploading source tarball: $(basename "$tarball_path")"
+        local tarball_response=$(curl -s -X POST "$api_url/releases/$release_id/assets" \
+              -H "Authorization: token $token" \
+              -F "attachment=@$tarball_path;filename=$(basename "$tarball_path")")
+
+        if echo "$tarball_response" | grep -q '"id"'; then
+            print_success "Uploaded source tarball successfully"
+        else
+            print_warning "Failed to upload source tarball: $tarball_response"
+        fi
+    fi
+}
+
 # Function to create Gitea release
 create_gitea_release() {
    print_status "Creating Gitea release..."
@@ -245,16 +478,27 @@ create_gitea_release() {
    # Create release
    print_status "Creating release $NEW_VERSION..."
    local response=$(curl -s -X POST "$api_url/releases" \
-         -H "Authorization: token $token" \
-         -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-         -d "{\"tag_name\": \"$NEW_VERSION\", \"name\": \"$NEW_VERSION\", \"body\": \"$COMMIT_MESSAGE\"}")
+          -H "Authorization: token $token" \
+          -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
+          -d "{\"tag_name\": \"$NEW_VERSION\", \"name\": \"$NEW_VERSION\", \"body\": \"$COMMIT_MESSAGE\"}")

    if echo "$response" | grep -q '"id"'; then
        print_success "Created release $NEW_VERSION"
-        return 0
+        # Extract release ID for asset uploads
+        local release_id=$(echo "$response" | grep -o '"id":[0-9]*' | head -1 | cut -d':' -f2)
+        echo $release_id
    elif echo "$response" | grep -q "already exists"; then
        print_warning "Release $NEW_VERSION already exists"
-        return 0
+        # Try to get existing release ID
+        local check_response=$(curl -s -H "Authorization: token $token" "$api_url/releases/tags/$NEW_VERSION")
+        if echo "$check_response" | grep -q '"id"'; then
+            local release_id=$(echo "$check_response" | grep -o '"id":[0-9]*' | head -1 | cut -d':' -f2)
+            print_status "Using existing release ID: $release_id"
+            echo $release_id
+        else
+            print_error "Could not find existing release ID"
+            return 1
+        fi
    else
        print_error "Failed to create release $NEW_VERSION"
        print_error "Response: $response"
@@ -264,7 +508,8 @@ create_gitea_release() {
        local check_response=$(curl -s -H "Authorization: token $token" "$api_url/releases/tags/$NEW_VERSION")
        if echo "$check_response" | grep -q '"id"'; then
            print_warning "Release exists but creation response was unexpected"
-            return 0
+            local release_id=$(echo "$check_response" | grep -o '"id":[0-9]*' | head -1 | cut -d':' -f2)
+            echo $release_id
        else
            print_error "Release does not exist and creation failed"
            return 1
@@ -282,8 +527,15 @@ main() {
    if [[ "$RELEASE_MODE" == true ]]; then
        print_status "=== RELEASE MODE ==="

-        # Increment minor version for releases
-        increment_version "minor"
+        # Only increment version if explicitly requested (not just because of -r flag)
+        if [[ "$VERSION_INCREMENT_EXPLICIT" == true ]]; then
+            increment_version "$VERSION_INCREMENT_TYPE"
+        else
+            # In release mode without version increment, get current version
+            LATEST_TAG=$(git tag -l 'v*.*.*' | sort -V | tail -n 1 || echo "v0.0.0")
+            NEW_VERSION="$LATEST_TAG"
+            export NEW_VERSION
+        fi

        # Create new git tag BEFORE compilation so version.h picks it up
        if git tag "$NEW_VERSION" > /dev/null 2>&1; then
@@ -297,9 +549,51 @@ main() {
        # Commit and push (but skip tag creation since we already did it)
        git_commit_and_push_no_tag

+        # Build release binary
+        local binary_path_x86=""
+        local binary_path_arm64=""
+        if build_release_binary; then
+            if [[ -f "build/c_relay_static_x86_64" ]]; then
+                binary_path_x86="build/c_relay_static_x86_64"
+            fi
+            if [[ -f "build/c_relay_static_arm64" ]]; then
+                binary_path_arm64="build/c_relay_static_arm64"
+            fi
+        else
+            print_warning "x86_64 binary build failed, continuing with release creation"
+            # Check if binaries exist from previous build
+            if [[ -f "build/c_relay_static_x86_64" ]]; then
+                print_status "Using existing x86_64 binary from previous build"
+                binary_path_x86="build/c_relay_static_x86_64"
+            fi
+            if [[ -f "build/c_relay_static_arm64" ]]; then
+                print_status "Using existing ARM64 binary from previous build"
+                binary_path_arm64="build/c_relay_static_arm64"
+            fi
+        fi
+
+        # Create source tarball
+        local tarball_path=""
+        if tarball_path=$(create_source_tarball); then
+            : # tarball_path is set by the function
+        else
+            print_warning "Source tarball creation failed, continuing with release creation"
+        fi
+
        # Create Gitea release
-        if create_gitea_release; then
-            print_success "Release $NEW_VERSION completed successfully!"
+        local release_id=""
+        if release_id=$(create_gitea_release); then
+            # Validate release_id is numeric
+            if [[ "$release_id" =~ ^[0-9]+$ ]]; then
+                # Upload assets if we have a release ID and assets
+                if [[ -n "$release_id" && (-n "$binary_path_x86" || -n "$binary_path_arm64" || -n "$tarball_path") ]]; then
+                    upload_release_assets "$release_id" "$binary_path_x86" "$tarball_path" "$binary_path_arm64"
+                fi
+                print_success "Release $NEW_VERSION completed successfully!"
+            else
+                print_error "Invalid release_id: $release_id"
+                exit 1
+            fi
        else
            print_error "Release creation failed"
        fi
@@ -307,8 +601,8 @@ main() {
    else
        print_status "=== DEFAULT MODE ==="

-        # Increment patch version for regular commits
-        increment_version "patch"
+        # Increment version based on type (default to patch)
+        increment_version "$VERSION_INCREMENT_TYPE"

        # Create new git tag BEFORE compilation so version.h picks it up
        if git tag "$NEW_VERSION" > /dev/null 2>&1; then
@@ -70,6 +70,24 @@ while [[ $# -gt 0 ]]; do
            ;;
        --test-keys|-t)
            USE_TEST_KEYS=true
+            # Read keys from .test_keys file
+            if [ -f ".test_keys" ]; then
+                echo "Reading test keys from .test_keys file..."
+                # Source the file to get the variables
+                source .test_keys
+                # Remove any single quotes from the values
+                # Note: -a flag expects ADMIN_PUBKEY (public key), not ADMIN_PRIVKEY
+                ADMIN_KEY=$(echo "$ADMIN_PUBKEY" | tr -d "'")
+                RELAY_KEY=$(echo "$SERVER_PRIVKEY" | tr -d "'")
+                echo "Using admin pubkey from .test_keys: ${ADMIN_KEY:0:16}..."
+                echo "Using relay privkey from .test_keys: ${RELAY_KEY:0:16}..."
+            else
+                echo "ERROR: .test_keys file not found"
+                echo "Please create a .test_keys file with the following format:"
+                echo "  ADMIN_PUBKEY='your_admin_public_key_hex'"
+                echo "  SERVER_PRIVKEY='your_relay_private_key_hex'"
+                exit 1
+            fi
            shift
            ;;
        --debug-level=*)
@@ -133,6 +151,11 @@ if [ -n "$PORT_OVERRIDE" ]; then
    fi
 fi

+# Validate strict port flag (only makes sense with port override)
+if [ "$USE_TEST_KEYS" = true ] && [ -z "$PORT_OVERRIDE" ]; then
+    echo "WARNING: --strict-port is always used with test keys. Consider specifying a custom port with -p."
+fi
+
 # Validate debug level if provided
 if [ -n "$DEBUG_LEVEL" ]; then
    if ! [[ "$DEBUG_LEVEL" =~ ^[0-5]$ ]]; then
@@ -163,6 +186,8 @@ if [ "$HELP" = true ]; then
    echo "  $0                                    # Fresh start with random keys"
    echo "  $0 -a <admin-hex> -r <relay-hex>     # Use custom keys"
    echo "  $0 -a <admin-hex> -p 9000            # Custom admin key on port 9000"
+    echo "  $0 -p 7777 --strict-port             # Fail if port 7777 unavailable (no fallback)"
+    echo "  $0 -p 8080 --strict-port -d=3        # Custom port with strict binding and debug"
    echo "  $0 --debug-level=3                   # Start with debug level 3 (info)"
    echo "  $0 -d=5                              # Start with debug level 5 (trace)"
    echo "  $0 --preserve-database               # Preserve existing database and keys"
@@ -329,8 +354,8 @@ fi
 cd build
 # Start relay in background and capture its PID
 if [ "$USE_TEST_KEYS" = true ]; then
-    echo "Using deterministic test keys for development..."
-    ./$(basename $BINARY_PATH) -a 6a04ab98d9e4774ad806e302dddeb63bea16b5cb5f223ee77478e861bb583eb3 -r 1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 --debug-level=$DEBUG_LEVEL --strict-port > ../relay.log 2>&1 &
+    echo "Using test keys from .test_keys file..."
+    ./$(basename $BINARY_PATH) -a "$ADMIN_KEY" -r "$RELAY_KEY" --debug-level=$DEBUG_LEVEL --strict-port > ../relay.log 2>&1 &
 elif [ -n "$RELAY_ARGS" ]; then
    echo "Starting relay with custom configuration..."
    ./$(basename $BINARY_PATH) $RELAY_ARGS --debug-level=$DEBUG_LEVEL --strict-port > ../relay.log 2>&1 &
@@ -32,13 +32,18 @@ You're all set up now - just wait for the next crash and then run the coredumpct


 --------------------------
-
+DEBUGGING

 Even simpler: Use this one-liner
 # Start relay and immediately attach gdb
 cd /usr/local/bin/c_relay
 sudo -u c-relay ./c_relay --debug-level=5 & sleep 2 && sudo gdb -p $(pgrep c_relay)

+Inside gdb, after attaching:
+
+(gdb) continue
+Or shorter:
+(gdb) c


 How to View the Logs
@@ -75,4 +80,13 @@ sudo systemctl status rsyslog

 sudo -u c-relay ./c_relay --debug-level=5 -r 85d0b37e2ae822966dcadd06b2dc9368cde73865f90ea4d44f8b57d47ef0820a -a 1ec454734dcbf6fe54901ce25c0c7c6bca5edd89443416761fadc321d38df139

-./c_relay_static_x86_64 -p 7889 --debug-level=5 -r 85d0b37e2ae822966dcadd06b2dc9368cde73865f90ea4d44f8b57d47ef0820a -a 1ec454734dcbf6fe54901ce25c0c7c6bca5edd89443416761fadc321d38df139
+./c_relay_static_x86_64 -p 7889 --debug-level=5 -r 85d0b37e2ae822966dcadd06b2dc9368cde73865f90ea4d44f8b57d47ef0820a -a 1ec454734dcbf6fe54901ce25c0c7c6bca5edd89443416761fadc321d38df139
+
+
+sudo ufw allow 8888/tcp
+sudo ufw delete allow 8888/tcp
+
+lsof -i :7777
+kill $(lsof -t -i :7777)
+kill -9 $(lsof -t -i :7777)
+
@@ -0,0 +1,632 @@
+# c-relay-pg Plan — PostgreSQL Backend + Multi-Instance + Dashboard
+
+## Overview
+
+**c-relay-pg** is a new project (separate repository) forked from c-relay after the `db_ops` abstraction layer is complete. It replaces the SQLite backend with PostgreSQL, enabling horizontal scaling, external dashboards, and production-grade deployments.
+
+### Prerequisites
+
+- The `db_ops.h` / `db_ops.c` abstraction layer must be complete in c-relay first — see [c-relay thread pool plan](c_relay_thread_pool_plan.md) Phase 1.
+- The fork happens after Phase 1 of that plan is done and tested.
+
+### Why a Separate Project?
+
+| | c-relay | c-relay-pg |
+|---|---------|-----------|
+| **Database** | SQLite (embedded) | PostgreSQL (client-server) |
+| **Deployment** | Single binary + DB file | Binary + PostgreSQL server |
+| **Scaling** | Single instance | Multiple instances + load balancer |
+| **Dashboard** | Embedded web UI | Separate web server + Grafana |
+| **Target user** | Personal relay, small community | Medium-large relay, production |
+| **Complexity** | Minimal | More infrastructure |
+
+For the full analysis of why PostgreSQL was chosen over MySQL/MariaDB and other databases, see the [database architecture analysis](database_architecture_analysis.md).
+
+## Architecture
+
+```mermaid
+flowchart TD
+    subgraph c-relay-pg - Production Deployment
+        LB[nginx - TLS + load balancing] -->|WebSocket| R1[c-relay-pg Instance 1]
+        LB -->|WebSocket| R2[c-relay-pg Instance 2]
+        LB -->|HTTP| DASH[Dashboard]
+        R1 -->|db_ops API| PGBACK[PostgreSQL Backend - db_ops_postgres.c]
+        R2 -->|db_ops API| PGBACK
+        PGBACK -->|libpq| PG[PostgreSQL Server]
+        DASH -->|SQL| PG
+        R1 <-->|LISTEN/NOTIFY| R2
+    end
+```
+
+---
+
+## Phase 1: PostgreSQL Backend
+
+### Goal
+
+Fork c-relay into a new repository called **c-relay-pg**. Replace the SQLite `db_ops` implementation with PostgreSQL using `libpq`. The `db_ops.h` interface stays identical — only the backend changes.
+
+### New Files
+
+- `src/db_ops_sqlite.c` — Renamed from `db_ops.c` (the Phase 1 SQLite implementation from c-relay)
+- `src/db_ops_postgres.c` — New PostgreSQL implementation
+- `src/db_ops.c` — Thin dispatcher that calls the active backend
+
+### PostgreSQL Schema
+
+```sql
+-- PostgreSQL schema for c-relay-pg
+-- No event_tags table needed — JSONB + GIN handles everything
+
+CREATE TABLE events (
+    id TEXT PRIMARY KEY,
+    pubkey TEXT NOT NULL,
+    created_at BIGINT NOT NULL,
+    kind INTEGER NOT NULL,
+    event_type TEXT NOT NULL CHECK (event_type IN ('regular', 'replaceable', 'ephemeral', 'addressable')),
+    content TEXT NOT NULL,
+    sig TEXT NOT NULL,
+    tags JSONB NOT NULL DEFAULT '[]',
+    event_json TEXT NOT NULL,
+    first_seen BIGINT NOT NULL DEFAULT EXTRACT(EPOCH FROM NOW())::BIGINT
+);
+
+-- Core indexes
+CREATE INDEX idx_events_pubkey ON events(pubkey);
+CREATE INDEX idx_events_kind ON events(kind);
+CREATE INDEX idx_events_created_at ON events(created_at DESC);
+CREATE INDEX idx_events_kind_created_at ON events(kind, created_at DESC);
+CREATE INDEX idx_events_pubkey_created_at ON events(pubkey, created_at DESC);
+CREATE INDEX idx_events_pubkey_kind ON events(pubkey, kind);
+
+-- THE KEY INDEX: GIN on JSONB tags — replaces the entire event_tags table
+CREATE INDEX idx_events_tags ON events USING GIN (tags);
+
+-- Partial index: only non-ephemeral events (what REQ queries actually filter)
+CREATE INDEX idx_events_non_ephemeral ON events(created_at DESC) 
+    WHERE kind < 20000 OR kind >= 30000;
+
+-- Config table
+CREATE TABLE config (
+    key TEXT PRIMARY KEY,
+    value TEXT NOT NULL,
+    data_type TEXT NOT NULL CHECK (data_type IN ('string', 'integer', 'boolean', 'json')),
+    description TEXT,
+    category TEXT DEFAULT 'general',
+    requires_restart INTEGER DEFAULT 0,
+    created_at BIGINT NOT NULL DEFAULT EXTRACT(EPOCH FROM NOW())::BIGINT,
+    updated_at BIGINT NOT NULL DEFAULT EXTRACT(EPOCH FROM NOW())::BIGINT
+);
+
+-- Auth rules table
+CREATE TABLE auth_rules (
+    id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY,
+    rule_type TEXT NOT NULL CHECK (rule_type IN ('whitelist', 'blacklist', 'rate_limit', 'auth_required', 'wot_whitelist')),
+    pattern_type TEXT NOT NULL CHECK (pattern_type IN ('pubkey', 'kind', 'ip', 'global')),
+    pattern_value TEXT,
+    active INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 1,
+    created_at BIGINT NOT NULL DEFAULT EXTRACT(EPOCH FROM NOW())::BIGINT,
+    updated_at BIGINT NOT NULL DEFAULT EXTRACT(EPOCH FROM NOW())::BIGINT
+);
+
+CREATE INDEX idx_auth_rules_lookup ON auth_rules(rule_type, pattern_type, pattern_value) WHERE active = 1;
+
+-- Relay private key storage
+CREATE TABLE relay_seckey (
+    private_key_hex TEXT NOT NULL CHECK (length(private_key_hex) = 64),
+    created_at BIGINT NOT NULL DEFAULT EXTRACT(EPOCH FROM NOW())::BIGINT
+);
+
+-- Subscription logging
+CREATE TABLE subscriptions (
+    id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY,
+    subscription_id TEXT NOT NULL,
+    wsi_pointer TEXT NOT NULL,
+    client_ip TEXT NOT NULL,
+    event_type TEXT NOT NULL CHECK (event_type IN ('created', 'closed', 'expired', 'disconnected')),
+    filter_json TEXT,
+    events_sent INTEGER DEFAULT 0,
+    created_at BIGINT NOT NULL DEFAULT EXTRACT(EPOCH FROM NOW())::BIGINT,
+    ended_at BIGINT,
+    duration INTEGER,
+    UNIQUE(subscription_id, wsi_pointer)
+);
+
+-- IP ban persistence
+CREATE TABLE ip_bans (
+    ip TEXT PRIMARY KEY,
+    failure_count INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
+    ban_count INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
+    banned_until BIGINT NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
+    first_failure BIGINT NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
+    has_authed_successfully INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
+    last_success_at BIGINT NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
+    total_connections INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
+    total_failures INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
+    total_successes INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
+    first_seen BIGINT NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
+    idle_failure_count INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
+    idle_ban_count INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
+    idle_banned_until BIGINT NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
+    idle_first_failure BIGINT NOT NULL DEFAULT 0
+);
+
+-- Materialized views for dashboard (refreshed periodically)
+CREATE MATERIALIZED VIEW event_kinds_mv AS
+SELECT kind, COUNT(*) as count,
+       ROUND(COUNT(*) * 100.0 / NULLIF((SELECT COUNT(*) FROM events), 0), 2) as percentage
+FROM events GROUP BY kind;
+
+CREATE MATERIALIZED VIEW time_stats_mv AS
+SELECT 'total' as period, COUNT(*) as total_events, COUNT(DISTINCT pubkey) as unique_pubkeys
+FROM events
+UNION ALL
+SELECT '24h', COUNT(*), COUNT(DISTINCT pubkey)
+FROM events WHERE created_at >= EXTRACT(EPOCH FROM NOW())::BIGINT - 86400
+UNION ALL
+SELECT '7d', COUNT(*), COUNT(DISTINCT pubkey)
+FROM events WHERE created_at >= EXTRACT(EPOCH FROM NOW())::BIGINT - 604800;
+
+CREATE MATERIALIZED VIEW top_pubkeys_mv AS
+SELECT pubkey, COUNT(*) as event_count,
+       ROUND(COUNT(*) * 100.0 / NULLIF((SELECT COUNT(*) FROM events), 0), 2) as percentage
+FROM events GROUP BY pubkey ORDER BY event_count DESC LIMIT 20;
+
+-- Unique indexes required for CONCURRENTLY refresh
+CREATE UNIQUE INDEX idx_event_kinds_mv ON event_kinds_mv(kind);
+CREATE UNIQUE INDEX idx_time_stats_mv ON time_stats_mv(period);
+CREATE UNIQUE INDEX idx_top_pubkeys_mv ON top_pubkeys_mv(pubkey);
+```
+
+### Key Implementation Details
+
+#### Tag Queries with JSONB
+
+The biggest win — replacing the `event_tags` subquery with JSONB containment:
+
+```c
+// SQLite (current): subquery into event_tags table
+// AND id IN (SELECT event_id FROM event_tags WHERE tag_name = ? AND tag_value IN (?))
+
+// PostgreSQL: JSONB containment operator with GIN index
+// AND tags @> '[["p", "pubkey_hex"]]'
+
+// For multiple tag values:
+// AND (tags @> '[["p", "val1"]]' OR tags @> '[["p", "val2"]]')
+```
+
+This eliminates the entire `event_tags` table (4 million rows, ~2 GB indexes in the current SQLite schema). The GIN index on JSONB handles everything in ~100–200 MB.
+
+#### LISTEN/NOTIFY Integration
+
+For cross-instance event broadcasting:
+
+```c
+// In db_ops_postgres.c:
+int db_notify_new_event(const char* event_id) {
+    char cmd[128];
+    snprintf(cmd, sizeof(cmd), "NOTIFY new_event, '%s'", event_id);
+    PGresult* res = PQexec(g_pg_conn, cmd);
+    PQclear(res);
+    return 0;
+}
+
+// Called from the lws event loop every iteration:
+int db_check_notifications(char* event_id_out, size_t max_len) {
+    PQconsumeInput(g_pg_notify_conn);
+    PGnotify* notify = PQnotifies(g_pg_notify_conn);
+    if (notify) {
+        strncpy(event_id_out, notify->extra, max_len);
+        PQfreemem(notify);
+        return 1;  // Got a notification
+    }
+    return 0;  // No notifications
+}
+```
+
+#### Connection Management
+
+```c
+// db_ops_postgres.c connection pool (simple version)
+#define DB_POOL_SIZE 4
+
+static PGconn* g_pg_read_pool[DB_POOL_SIZE];  // For REQ queries
+static PGconn* g_pg_write_conn;                // For EVENT inserts
+static PGconn* g_pg_notify_conn;               // For LISTEN/NOTIFY
+static pthread_mutex_t g_pool_lock;
+
+PGconn* db_get_read_connection(void) {
+    pthread_mutex_lock(&g_pool_lock);
+    // Round-robin or find idle connection
+    // ...
+    pthread_mutex_unlock(&g_pool_lock);
+}
+```
+
+### Build System Changes
+
+```makefile
+# Makefile additions
+DB_BACKEND ?= sqlite  # Default to sqlite, override with: make DB_BACKEND=postgres
+
+ifeq ($(DB_BACKEND),postgres)
+    MAIN_SRC += src/db_ops.c src/db_ops_postgres.c
+    LIBS += -lpq
+    CFLAGS += -DDB_BACKEND_POSTGRES
+else
+    MAIN_SRC += src/db_ops.c src/db_ops_sqlite.c
+    CFLAGS += -DDB_BACKEND_SQLITE
+endif
+```
+
+### Data Migration Tool
+
+A standalone tool to migrate existing SQLite data to PostgreSQL:
+
+```bash
+# migrate_to_postgres.sh
+# 1. Export events from SQLite
+sqlite3 old_relay.db ".mode csv" "SELECT id,pubkey,created_at,kind,event_type,content,sig,tags,event_json,first_seen FROM events" > events.csv
+
+# 2. Import into PostgreSQL
+psql -d crelay -c "\COPY events FROM 'events.csv' WITH CSV"
+
+# 3. Migrate config
+sqlite3 old_relay.db ".mode csv" "SELECT key,value,data_type,description,category,requires_restart FROM config" > config.csv
+psql -d crelay -c "\COPY config(key,value,data_type,description,category,requires_restart) FROM 'config.csv' WITH CSV"
+
+# 4. Migrate auth rules
+sqlite3 old_relay.db ".mode csv" "SELECT rule_type,pattern_type,pattern_value,active FROM auth_rules" > auth_rules.csv
+psql -d crelay -c "\COPY auth_rules(rule_type,pattern_type,pattern_value,active) FROM 'auth_rules.csv' WITH CSV"
+
+# 5. Refresh materialized views
+psql -d crelay -c "REFRESH MATERIALIZED VIEW event_kinds_mv; REFRESH MATERIALIZED VIEW time_stats_mv; REFRESH MATERIALIZED VIEW top_pubkeys_mv;"
+```
+
+---
+
+## Phase 2: Multi-Instance + Dashboard
+
+### Goal
+
+Run multiple c-relay-pg instances behind a load balancer with a separate dashboard web server, all sharing the same PostgreSQL database.
+
+### Components
+
+1. **nginx config** — WebSocket load balancing with `ip_hash` stickiness
+2. **systemd template** — `c-relay-pg@.service` for multiple instances
+3. **LISTEN/NOTIFY integration** — Cross-instance event broadcasting in the `lws_service()` loop
+4. **PgBouncer** — Connection pooling between c-relay-pg instances and PostgreSQL
+5. **Dashboard** — Separate web server querying PostgreSQL directly
+6. **Materialized view refresh** — Background job to refresh analytics views
+
+### Multi-Instance Architecture
+
+```mermaid
+flowchart TD
+    INTERNET[Internet - Nostr Clients] -->|wss://relay.example.com| NGINX[nginx reverse proxy - TLS termination + load balancing]
+    
+    NGINX -->|ws://localhost:8888| R1[c-relay-pg Instance 1 - port 8888]
+    NGINX -->|ws://localhost:8889| R2[c-relay-pg Instance 2 - port 8889]
+    NGINX -->|ws://localhost:8890| R3[c-relay-pg Instance 3 - port 8890]
+    NGINX -->|http://localhost:3000| DASHWEB[Dashboard Web Server]
+    
+    R1 -->|libpq connection pool| PGPOOL[PgBouncer - connection pooler]
+    R2 -->|libpq connection pool| PGPOOL
+    R3 -->|libpq connection pool| PGPOOL
+    
+    PGPOOL -->|pooled connections| PG[PostgreSQL Primary]
+    DASHWEB -->|read queries| PG
+    
+    PG -->|streaming replication| REPLICA[Read Replica - optional]
+    DASHWEB -.->|heavy analytics| REPLICA
+```
+
+### nginx Load Balancing Config
+
+```nginx
+# nginx.conf - WebSocket load balancing for c-relay-pg
+upstream relay_backends {
+    # ip_hash ensures a client always hits the same instance
+    # (important for WebSocket session stickiness)
+    ip_hash;
+    
+    server 127.0.0.1:8888;
+    server 127.0.0.1:8889;
+    server 127.0.0.1:8890;
+}
+
+server {
+    listen 443 ssl;
+    server_name relay.example.com;
+    
+    # TLS config...
+    
+    location / {
+        proxy_pass http://relay_backends;
+        proxy_http_version 1.1;
+        proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
+        proxy_set_header Connection "upgrade";
+        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
+        proxy_read_timeout 86400;  # Keep WebSocket alive for 24h
+    }
+    
+    # Dashboard on separate path
+    location /dashboard {
+        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:3000;
+    }
+}
+```
+
+**Session stickiness** (`ip_hash`) ensures that once a client connects to Instance 2, all their subsequent WebSocket frames go to Instance 2. This is important because subscriptions are held in-memory per instance.
+
+### Starting Multiple Instances
+
+Each instance is the same binary, just on a different port, all pointing to the same PostgreSQL:
+
+```bash
+# Instance 1
+./build/c_relay_x86 --port 8888 --db-host localhost --db-name crelay &
+
+# Instance 2
+./build/c_relay_x86 --port 8889 --db-host localhost --db-name crelay &
+
+# Instance 3
+./build/c_relay_x86 --port 8890 --db-host localhost --db-name crelay &
+```
+
+Or with systemd template units:
+
+```ini
+# /etc/systemd/system/c-relay-pg@.service
+[Unit]
+Description=C-Relay-PG Nostr Instance %i
+After=postgresql.service
+
+[Service]
+ExecStart=/opt/c-relay-pg/c_relay_x86 --port %i --db-host localhost --db-name crelay
+Restart=always
+User=c-relay
+
+[Install]
+WantedBy=multi-user.target
+```
+
+```bash
+systemctl enable c-relay-pg@8888 c-relay-pg@8889 c-relay-pg@8890
+systemctl start c-relay-pg@8888 c-relay-pg@8889 c-relay-pg@8890
+```
+
+### Cross-Instance Event Broadcasting
+
+When Instance 1 receives a new EVENT and stores it in PostgreSQL, Instance 2 and Instance 3 need to know about it so they can broadcast to their connected subscribers.
+
+```mermaid
+sequenceDiagram
+    participant Client_A as Client A - connected to Instance 1
+    participant I1 as Instance 1
+    participant PG as PostgreSQL
+    participant I2 as Instance 2
+    participant I3 as Instance 3
+    participant Client_B as Client B - connected to Instance 2
+    participant Client_C as Client C - connected to Instance 3
+
+    Client_A->>I1: EVENT - new kind:1 note
+    I1->>PG: INSERT INTO events...
+    PG-->>I1: OK
+    I1->>I1: broadcast to local subscribers
+    I1->>PG: NOTIFY new_event with event_id
+    
+    Note over PG: PostgreSQL delivers notification to all listeners
+    
+    PG-->>I2: NOTIFY: new_event event_id
+    PG-->>I3: NOTIFY: new_event event_id
+    
+    I2->>PG: SELECT event_json FROM events WHERE id = event_id
+    PG-->>I2: event JSON
+    I2->>I2: match against local subscriptions
+    I2->>Client_B: EVENT message - if subscription matches
+    
+    I3->>PG: SELECT event_json FROM events WHERE id = event_id
+    PG-->>I3: event JSON
+    I3->>I3: match against local subscriptions
+    I3->>Client_C: EVENT message - if subscription matches
+```
+
+#### PostgreSQL LISTEN/NOTIFY Implementation
+
+Built into PostgreSQL — no additional infrastructure needed:
+
+```c
+// === In the relay's event loop (modified lws_service loop) ===
+
+// Setup: create a dedicated connection for LISTEN
+PGconn* notify_conn = PQconnectdb("host=localhost dbname=crelay");
+PQexec(notify_conn, "LISTEN new_event");
+int notify_fd = PQsocket(notify_conn);  // Get the socket fd for poll()
+
+// After storing an event:
+void on_event_stored(PGconn* write_conn, const char* event_id) {
+    char notify_cmd[128];
+    snprintf(notify_cmd, sizeof(notify_cmd),
+             "NOTIFY new_event, '%s'", event_id);
+    PQexec(write_conn, notify_cmd);
+}
+
+// In the main event loop (runs every lws_service iteration):
+void check_cross_instance_events(PGconn* notify_conn) {
+    // Non-blocking check for notifications
+    PQconsumeInput(notify_conn);
+    
+    PGnotify* notify;
+    while ((notify = PQnotifies(notify_conn)) != NULL) {
+        // Another instance stored a new event
+        const char* event_id = notify->extra;
+        
+        // Fetch the event and check against local subscriptions
+        cJSON* event = db_get_event_by_id(event_id);
+        if (event) {
+            broadcast_event_to_subscriptions(event);
+            cJSON_Delete(event);
+        }
+        
+        PQfreemem(notify);
+    }
+}
+```
+
+**Performance**: LISTEN/NOTIFY adds ~1–5ms latency for cross-instance delivery. For a Nostr relay, this is imperceptible — clients already expect network latency.
+
+**Payload limit**: NOTIFY payloads are limited to 8000 bytes. For event IDs (64 hex chars), this is fine.
+
+#### Alternative: Redis Pub/Sub
+
+If you later need even lower latency or more sophisticated routing:
+
+```c
+// Using hiredis (Redis C client)
+redisContext* redis = redisConnect("127.0.0.1", 6379);
+
+// After storing event:
+redisCommand(redis, "PUBLISH new_event %s", event_json);
+
+// Subscriber (in each instance):
+redisCommand(redis, "SUBSCRIBE new_event");
+// Then poll for messages in the event loop
+```
+
+Redis adds sub-millisecond pub/sub but requires running a Redis server. For most relays, PostgreSQL LISTEN/NOTIFY is sufficient.
+
+### Connection Pooling with PgBouncer
+
+Each relay instance needs multiple database connections. Without pooling, 3 instances × 10 connections = 30 PostgreSQL backend processes. With PgBouncer:
+
+```ini
+# /etc/pgbouncer/pgbouncer.ini
+[databases]
+crelay = host=127.0.0.1 port=5432 dbname=crelay
+
+[pgbouncer]
+listen_port = 6432
+listen_addr = 127.0.0.1
+auth_type = md5
+pool_mode = transaction    # Return connection to pool after each transaction
+max_client_conn = 200      # Total connections from all relay instances
+default_pool_size = 20     # Actual PostgreSQL connections
+```
+
+Relay instances connect to PgBouncer (port 6432) instead of PostgreSQL directly (port 5432). PgBouncer multiplexes 200 client connections onto 20 actual PostgreSQL connections.
+
+### Zero-Downtime Deployment
+
+```mermaid
+sequenceDiagram
+    participant LB as nginx
+    participant I1 as Instance 1 - v1.0
+    participant I2 as Instance 2 - v1.0
+    participant I3 as Instance 3 - v1.0
+    participant I1_NEW as Instance 1 - v1.1
+
+    Note over LB,I3: Normal operation: 3 instances serving traffic
+    
+    LB->>I1: Mark upstream as down
+    Note over I1: Drain: wait for existing connections to close or timeout
+    I1->>I1: Graceful shutdown
+    
+    Note over LB: Traffic now goes to I2 and I3 only
+    
+    I1_NEW->>I1_NEW: Start with new binary
+    I1_NEW->>LB: Health check passes
+    LB->>I1_NEW: Mark upstream as up
+    
+    Note over LB,I1_NEW: Instance 1 now running v1.1, repeat for I2 and I3
+```
+
+Rolling deploy script:
+
+```bash
+#!/bin/bash
+# rolling_deploy.sh - Zero-downtime deployment
+
+for port in 8888 8889 8890; do
+    echo "Deploying instance on port $port..."
+    
+    # 1. Tell nginx to stop sending new connections
+    sed -i "s/server 127.0.0.1:$port;/server 127.0.0.1:$port down;/" /etc/nginx/nginx.conf
+    nginx -s reload
+    
+    # 2. Wait for existing connections to drain (30 seconds)
+    sleep 30
+    
+    # 3. Stop old instance
+    systemctl stop c-relay-pg@$port
+    
+    # 4. Deploy new binary
+    cp ./build/c_relay_x86 /opt/c-relay-pg/c_relay_x86
+    
+    # 5. Start new instance
+    systemctl start c-relay-pg@$port
+    
+    # 6. Wait for health check
+    sleep 5
+    
+    # 7. Re-enable in nginx
+    sed -i "s/server 127.0.0.1:$port down;/server 127.0.0.1:$port;/" /etc/nginx/nginx.conf
+    nginx -s reload
+    
+    echo "Instance on port $port deployed successfully"
+done
+```
+
+### Dashboard Options
+
+With PostgreSQL, the dashboard can be built with any technology:
+
+- **Grafana** — Point directly at PostgreSQL, zero custom code
+- **Custom web app** — React/Vue frontend + any backend (Node, Python, Go) querying PostgreSQL
+- **Embedded in c-relay-pg** — Keep current approach but queries go through `db_ops` to PostgreSQL (no longer blocks event loop since PostgreSQL handles concurrency)
+
+### Scaling Scenarios
+
+| Scenario | Instances | Connections | Events/hour | Setup |
+|----------|-----------|-------------|-------------|-------|
+| **Current** | 1 | ~1,200 | 56 | Single process + SQLite |
+| **Small upgrade** | 2 | ~2,500 | 500 | 2 instances + PostgreSQL |
+| **Medium relay** | 4 | ~5,000 | 5,000 | 4 instances + PostgreSQL + PgBouncer |
+| **Large relay** | 8 | ~10,000 | 50,000 | 8 instances + PostgreSQL + read replica |
+| **Multi-region** | 2–4 per region | ~50,000 | 500,000 | Multiple servers + PostgreSQL replication |
+
+### Cost Perspective
+
+Running multiple relay instances with PostgreSQL on a single VPS:
+- **PostgreSQL**: ~200–500 MB RAM baseline
+- **PgBouncer**: ~10 MB RAM
+- **Each relay instance**: ~50–100 MB RAM
+- **Dashboard web server**: ~50–100 MB RAM
+- **4 instances + PostgreSQL + PgBouncer + dashboard**: ~1–2 GB total RAM
+- A **$20/month VPS** with 4 cores and 4 GB RAM handles this easily
+- A **$40/month VPS** with 8 cores and 8 GB RAM handles 8 instances comfortably
+
+---
+
+## Risk Mitigation
+
+| Risk | Mitigation |
+|------|-----------|
+| PostgreSQL connection failures | `db_ops` returns error codes. Relay logs errors but doesn't crash. Reconnection logic with exponential backoff. |
+| Performance regression | Benchmark before/after. PostgreSQL should be faster for complex queries, similar for simple ones. |
+| Data loss during migration | Migration tool is read-only on SQLite. PostgreSQL import is idempotent (INSERT ON CONFLICT). |
+| SQLite fallback needed | Keep `db_ops_sqlite.c` working. Compile-time flag switches backends. Can always go back. |
+| LISTEN/NOTIFY message loss | NOTIFY is transactional — if the INSERT commits, the NOTIFY is guaranteed. Missed notifications during reconnect handled by periodic full-sync. |
+| PgBouncer adds latency | Transaction pooling mode adds <0.1ms. Negligible compared to query time. |
+
+---
+
+## Relationship to c-relay
+
+This project depends on the `db_ops.h` abstraction layer built in [c-relay thread pool plan](c_relay_thread_pool_plan.md) Phase 1. The interface is identical — only the backend implementation changes:
+
+- **c-relay**: `db_ops.c` → SQLite calls via `sqlite3_*`
+- **c-relay-pg**: `db_ops_postgres.c` → PostgreSQL calls via `libpq` (`PQexec`, `PQgetvalue`, etc.)
+
+The `db_ops.h` header file is shared between both projects. Changes to the interface should be coordinated.
@@ -0,0 +1,332 @@
+# c-relay Thread Pool Plan — db_ops Abstraction + SQLite Thread Pool
+
+## Overview
+
+This plan covers improvements to **c-relay** (this repo) — the lean, single-binary, embedded-SQLite Nostr relay. Two phases:
+
+1. **Phase 1: Database Abstraction Layer** — Consolidate all scattered `sqlite3_*` calls into a single `db_ops.h` / `db_ops.c` module. Pure refactor, no behavior change.
+2. **Phase 2: SQLite Thread Pool** — Add worker threads for concurrent reads, unblocking the `lws_service()` event loop.
+
+This is the **final form of c-relay**: an embedded-SQLite relay with clean architecture and non-blocking database access. The abstraction layer also enables a future fork to PostgreSQL — see [c-relay-pg plan](c_relay_pg_plan.md).
+
+### Why This First?
+
+The current architecture has a fundamental bottleneck documented in the [database architecture analysis](database_architecture_analysis.md): the single-threaded event loop blocks on every database call. A 672ms REQ query freezes every connected client. The thread pool fixes this without changing the database engine or deployment model.
+
+| Metric | Current | After Thread Pool |
+|--------|---------|-------------------|
+| **Event loop blocking** | 0.1–672ms per query | Near-zero |
+| **Concurrent reads** | 1 | 4–8 |
+| **Deployment** | Single binary + DB file | Same |
+| **Database** | SQLite | Same |
+| **Code risk** | N/A | Low — additive change |
+
+## Architecture
+
+```mermaid
+flowchart TD
+    subgraph c-relay - Final Form
+        RELAY[c-relay binary] -->|db_ops API| DBOPS[db_ops.c - abstraction layer]
+        DBOPS -->|sqlite3 calls| SQLITE[SQLite WAL database]
+    end
+```
+
+```mermaid
+flowchart TD
+    subgraph c-relay with Thread Pool
+        LWS[lws_service event loop] -->|REQ arrives| Q[Thread-safe job queue]
+        LWS -->|EVENT arrives| WQ[Write queue - single writer]
+        Q --> T1[Reader Thread 1 - own sqlite3*]
+        Q --> T2[Reader Thread 2 - own sqlite3*]
+        Q --> T3[Reader Thread 3 - own sqlite3*]
+        Q --> T4[Reader Thread 4 - own sqlite3*]
+        WQ --> TW[Writer Thread - own sqlite3*]
+        T1 -->|results| CB[Callback to lws event loop]
+        T2 -->|results| CB
+        T3 -->|results| CB
+        T4 -->|results| CB
+        TW -->|OK/error| CB
+        CB -->|queue_message| LWS
+    end
+```
+
+---
+
+## Phase 1: Database Abstraction Layer
+
+### Goal
+
+Consolidate all 258 scattered `sqlite3_*` calls across 8 files into a single `db_ops.h` / `db_ops.c` module with a backend-agnostic interface. SQLite continues to work — this is a pure refactor.
+
+### Files That Currently Touch SQLite Directly
+
+| File | `sqlite3_*` calls | Operations |
+|------|-------------------|------------|
+| [`src/main.c`](../src/main.c) | ~80 | Event store/retrieve, tag storage, REQ queries, COUNT queries, DB init, schema migration |
+| [`src/config.c`](../src/config.c) | ~60 | Config CRUD, auth rules CRUD, WoT sync, relay key storage, startup sequence |
+| [`src/api.c`](../src/api.c) | ~40 | Stats queries, monitoring views, admin SQL execution, config management |
+| [`src/dm_admin.c`](../src/dm_admin.c) | ~20 | Auth rule management, WoT whitelist operations |
+| [`src/websockets.c`](../src/websockets.c) | ~15 | COUNT queries, IP ban stats, connection tracking |
+| [`src/subscriptions.c`](../src/subscriptions.c) | ~15 | Subscription logging — create/close/disconnect |
+| [`src/nip009.c`](../src/nip009.c) | ~10 | Event deletion — by ID and by address |
+| [`src/request_validator.c`](../src/request_validator.c) | ~8 | Blacklist/whitelist checks |
+| [`src/ip_ban.c`](../src/ip_ban.c) | ~15 | IP ban table CRUD, persistence |
+
+### Abstraction Layer Design
+
+New files: `src/db_ops.h` and `src/db_ops.c`
+
+```c
+// src/db_ops.h — Database operations abstraction layer
+#ifndef DB_OPS_H
+#define DB_OPS_H
+
+#include "../nostr_core_lib/cjson/cJSON.h"
+
+// ============================================================
+// Lifecycle
+// ============================================================
+int db_init(const char* connection_string);  // SQLite: file path, PG: connection string
+void db_close(void);
+int db_is_available(void);
+
+// ============================================================
+// Schema / Migration
+// ============================================================
+int db_ensure_schema(void);
+int db_get_schema_version(void);
+int db_execute_raw(const char* sql);  // For schema DDL only
+
+// ============================================================
+// Event Operations
+// ============================================================
+int db_store_event(cJSON* event);
+int db_event_exists(const char* event_id);
+char* db_get_event_json(const char* event_id);  // Caller must free
+int db_delete_event_by_id(const char* event_id, const char* requester_pubkey);
+int db_delete_events_by_address(const char* pubkey, int kind, 
+                                 const char* d_tag, long before_timestamp);
+
+// ============================================================
+// Event Queries - REQ handling
+// ============================================================
+typedef struct {
+    int* kinds;           int kind_count;
+    char** authors;       int author_count;
+    char** ids;           int id_count;
+    char** tag_names;     // Parallel arrays: tag_names[i] has tag_values[i][]
+    char*** tag_values;
+    int* tag_value_counts;
+    int tag_filter_count;
+    long since;           // 0 = not set
+    long until;           // 0 = not set
+    int limit;            // 0 = default 500
+    char* search;         // NIP-50 search term, NULL = not set
+} db_event_filter_t;
+
+typedef struct db_result db_result_t;
+
+db_result_t* db_query_events(const db_event_filter_t* filter);
+const char* db_result_next_json(db_result_t* result);  // Returns event_json, NULL when done
+int db_result_row_count(db_result_t* result);
+void db_result_free(db_result_t* result);
+
+int db_count_events(const db_event_filter_t* filter);
+
+// ============================================================
+// Config Operations
+// ============================================================
+char* db_get_config(const char* key);  // Caller must free, NULL if not found
+int db_set_config(const char* key, const char* value, const char* data_type,
+                  const char* description, const char* category, int requires_restart);
+int db_update_config(const char* key, const char* value);
+int db_config_exists(const char* key);
+int db_get_config_count(void);
+
+// ============================================================
+// Auth Rules Operations
+// ============================================================
+int db_add_auth_rule(const char* rule_type, const char* pattern_type, const char* pattern_value);
+int db_remove_auth_rule(const char* rule_type, const char* pattern_type, const char* pattern_value);
+int db_auth_rule_exists(const char* rule_type, const char* pattern_type, const char* pattern_value);
+int db_clear_auth_rules(const char* rule_type);  // NULL = clear all
+int db_is_blacklisted(const char* pubkey);
+int db_is_whitelisted(const char* pubkey);
+int db_has_any_whitelist(void);
+
+// ============================================================
+// Relay Key Storage
+// ============================================================
+int db_store_relay_private_key(const char* privkey_hex);
+char* db_get_relay_private_key(void);  // Caller must free
+
+// ============================================================
+// Subscription Logging
+// ============================================================
+int db_log_subscription_created(const char* sub_id, const char* wsi_ptr, 
+                                 const char* client_ip, const char* filter_json);
+int db_log_subscription_closed(const char* sub_id, const char* client_ip);
+int db_log_subscription_disconnected(const char* client_ip);
+int db_update_subscription_events_sent(const char* sub_id, int events_sent);
+int db_cleanup_orphaned_subscriptions(void);
+
+// ============================================================
+// IP Ban Persistence
+// ============================================================
+int db_ensure_ip_ban_table(void);
+int db_load_ip_bans(void* ban_table, int table_size);  // Populates in-memory table
+int db_save_ip_bans(const void* ban_table, int table_size);
+
+// ============================================================
+// Analytics / Stats - for dashboard
+// ============================================================
+cJSON* db_get_event_kind_distribution(void);
+cJSON* db_get_time_based_stats(void);
+cJSON* db_get_top_pubkeys(int limit);
+cJSON* db_get_subscription_details(void);
+int db_get_total_event_count(void);
+
+// ============================================================
+// Admin SQL Query
+// ============================================================
+cJSON* db_execute_admin_query(const char* sql, char* error_msg, size_t error_size);
+
+#endif // DB_OPS_H
+```
+
+### Migration Strategy for Phase 1
+
+The key principle: **change the interface, not the behavior**. Each function in `db_ops.c` initially just wraps the existing SQLite calls.
+
+**Step-by-step for each file:**
+
+1. **Create `db_ops.h` and `db_ops.c`** with the interface above
+2. **Implement each `db_ops` function** by moving the existing SQLite code from the source files into `db_ops.c`
+3. **Replace direct `sqlite3_*` calls** in each source file with `db_ops_*` calls
+4. **Remove `extern sqlite3* g_db`** from each file — only `db_ops.c` knows about `g_db`
+5. **Remove `#include <sqlite3.h>`** from each file — only `db_ops.c` includes it
+6. **Update Makefile** to compile `db_ops.c`
+
+### Order of Migration (by risk, lowest first)
+
+1. **`src/ip_ban.c`** — Self-contained, simple CRUD. Good warmup.
+2. **`src/subscriptions.c`** — Logging only, no critical path.
+3. **`src/nip009.c`** — Event deletion, small file.
+4. **`src/request_validator.c`** — Auth checks, small file.
+5. **`src/api.c`** — Stats/monitoring queries. Larger but read-only.
+6. **`src/dm_admin.c`** — Auth rules + WoT. Medium complexity.
+7. **`src/config.c`** — Config CRUD. Large but well-structured.
+8. **`src/websockets.c`** — COUNT queries, minimal DB usage.
+9. **`src/main.c`** — Event store/retrieve, REQ queries. The big one — do last.
+
+### Testing Phase 1
+
+After Phase 1, the relay should behave **identically** to before. Run:
+- `tests/run_all_tests.sh` — Full test suite
+- `tests/performance_benchmarks.sh` — Verify no performance regression
+- Manual testing with production-like traffic
+
+---
+
+## Phase 2: SQLite Thread Pool
+
+### Goal
+
+Add a pool of N worker threads, each with its own `sqlite3*` connection to the same database file. SQLite WAL mode (already enabled) supports **concurrent readers**. The event loop dispatches database work to the pool and remains responsive.
+
+### Key Design Points
+
+1. **Read path**: REQ queries dispatched to thread pool. Each worker opens its own `sqlite3*` connection. SQLite WAL allows unlimited concurrent readers.
+
+2. **Write path**: EVENT inserts go through a single dedicated writer thread. SQLite only allows one writer at a time anyway — this serializes writes cleanly.
+
+3. **Result delivery**: Worker threads cannot call `lws_write()` directly (libwebsockets is not thread-safe). Instead, they push results into a per-session message queue and call `lws_cancel_service()` to wake the event loop, which then drains the queue.
+
+4. **Connection lifecycle**: Each thread opens its own connection with `PRAGMA journal_mode=WAL` and `PRAGMA busy_timeout=5000`.
+
+### What Changes in the Codebase
+
+| Component | Current | Thread Pool |
+|-----------|---------|-------------|
+| [`g_db`](../src/main.c:49) | Single global connection | One per thread + writer connection |
+| [`handle_req_message()`](../src/main.c:1101) | Synchronous SQL in callback | Package filter into job, dispatch to pool |
+| [`store_event()`](../src/main.c:787) | Synchronous INSERT in callback | Dispatch to writer thread |
+| [`handle_count_message()`](../src/websockets.c:2863) | Synchronous COUNT in callback | Dispatch to pool |
+| Result delivery | Direct `queue_message()` | Worker pushes to queue + `lws_cancel_service()` |
+| Config reads | Direct `sqlite3_prepare` on `g_db` | Can stay synchronous with own connection or cache |
+
+### New Files
+
+- `src/thread_pool.h` — Thread pool interface
+- `src/thread_pool.c` — Thread pool implementation (job queue, worker lifecycle, result delivery)
+
+### Thread Pool Interface (sketch)
+
+```c
+// src/thread_pool.h
+#ifndef THREAD_POOL_H
+#define THREAD_POOL_H
+
+typedef enum {
+    JOB_TYPE_REQ_QUERY,
+    JOB_TYPE_COUNT_QUERY,
+    JOB_TYPE_STORE_EVENT,
+    JOB_TYPE_DELETE_EVENT,
+} job_type_t;
+
+typedef struct {
+    job_type_t type;
+    void* session;              // lws per-session data pointer
+    db_event_filter_t filter;   // For REQ/COUNT jobs
+    cJSON* event;               // For STORE jobs
+    char event_id[65];          // For DELETE jobs
+} db_job_t;
+
+int thread_pool_init(int num_readers, const char* db_path);
+void thread_pool_shutdown(void);
+int thread_pool_submit_read(db_job_t* job);
+int thread_pool_submit_write(db_job_t* job);
+
+#endif // THREAD_POOL_H
+```
+
+### Performance Characteristics
+
+| Metric | Value |
+|--------|-------|
+| **Concurrent reads** | N readers in parallel (N = thread count, typically 4–8) |
+| **Write throughput** | Same as current — SQLite serializes writes regardless |
+| **Event loop latency** | Near-zero — REQ no longer blocks the loop |
+| **Max theoretical read throughput** | ~4–8x current (limited by disk I/O, not CPU) |
+| **Memory overhead** | ~50–100 MB per connection (page cache) |
+| **Latency per query** | Same as current per-query, but no head-of-line blocking |
+
+### Limitations
+
+- **Write contention**: SQLite still allows only ONE writer at a time. With WAL, readers don't block writers and writers don't block readers, but two simultaneous writes will serialize. At the current write rate (~56 events/hour), this is a non-issue.
+- **Database size**: The 2.7 GB index bloat problem remains. Thread pool doesn't fix the schema — it fixes the concurrency.
+- **Scaling ceiling**: Beyond ~8 reader threads, diminishing returns due to disk I/O contention on a single SQLite file.
+- **Complexity**: Need a proper job queue, thread lifecycle management, and careful handling of the lws ↔ worker thread boundary.
+
+---
+
+## Risk Mitigation
+
+| Risk | Mitigation |
+|------|-----------|
+| Phase 1 introduces bugs | Each file migrated independently, tested after each. Full test suite runs after each file. |
+| Thread pool race conditions | Worker threads only touch their own `sqlite3*` connection. Result delivery uses a mutex-protected queue. `lws_cancel_service()` is documented as thread-safe. |
+| Performance regression from abstraction | Abstraction layer is thin wrappers — no extra allocations or copies. Benchmark before/after. |
+| lws thread safety issues | Workers never call `lws_write()` directly. They push to a queue and wake the event loop. This is the documented pattern for libwebsockets multi-threading. |
+| Rollback needed | Phase 1 is a pure refactor — easy to revert. Phase 2 thread pool is additive — can be disabled with a compile flag. |
+
+---
+
+## Relationship to c-relay-pg
+
+After Phase 1 (abstraction layer) is complete, the codebase is ready to be forked into a separate **c-relay-pg** project that replaces the SQLite backend with PostgreSQL. See [c-relay-pg plan](c_relay_pg_plan.md) for details.
+
+The `db_ops.h` interface is designed to work with any backend:
+- **SQLite** (this plan): `db_result_next_json()` copies from `sqlite3_column_text()`
+- **PostgreSQL** (c-relay-pg): `db_result_next_json()` returns from `PQgetvalue()`
+- **LMDB** (future possibility): `db_result_next_json()` returns a zero-copy pointer into mmap'd memory
@@ -0,0 +1,186 @@
+# Plan: Eliminate g_db from the Main Thread
+
+## Problem Statement
+
+All SQLite calls go through `db_ops.c`, but `db_active_connection()` falls back to `g_db` when `g_thread_db` is NULL. Since the main thread never sets `g_thread_db`, every `db_*` call from lws-main executes synchronous SQLite on the main thread. The thread pool workers have their own connections and work correctly — the problem is the **fallback path**.
+
+Current perf data shows lws-main at **67.6% avg CPU**, dominated by SQLite symbols (`sqlite3BtreeTableMoveto`, `sqlite3VdbeExec`, `pcache1Fetch`).
+
+## Goal
+
+Remove `g_db` as a runtime connection used by the main thread. After this change:
+- The main thread has **no SQLite connection** and cannot execute synchronous queries
+- All DB work routes through thread pool workers (which have their own connections)
+- `g_db` is only used during startup/shutdown (before/after the event loop)
+- Any accidental `db_*` call from lws-main returns an error instead of silently blocking
+
+## Architecture After Change
+
+```
+lws-main thread:
+  - WebSocket protocol handling
+  - Message parsing/routing
+  - Completion queue draining
+  - NO SQLite access during event loop
+
+db-read-0 thread:
+  - REQ queries
+  - COUNT queries
+  - Config cache miss reads
+  - Auth rule checks
+  - Monitoring/stats queries
+
+db-write thread:
+  - EVENT inserts
+  - Subscription logging
+  - Config updates
+  - Auth rule modifications
+
+event-worker thread:
+  - Signature validation
+  - Duplicate check
+  - Store via db-write
+```
+
+## Categorized g_db Call Sites
+
+### Category A: Startup-only — keep using g_db
+
+These run before the event loop starts. They are fine.
+
+| Function | File | Purpose |
+|----------|------|---------|
+| `db_init()` | db_ops.c:27 | Open database |
+| `db_exec_sql()` for PRAGMAs | main.c:854-882 | WAL, mmap, cache setup |
+| `db_table_exists()` | main.c:750 | Schema check |
+| `db_get_schema_version_dup()` | main.c:754 | Migration check |
+| `db_exec_sql()` for schema | main.c:842 | Create tables |
+| `populate_all_config_values_atomic()` | config.c:4290 | First-time config |
+| `populate_default_config_values()` | config.c:1657 | Default config |
+| `add_pubkeys_to_config_table()` | config.c:1778 | Pubkey storage |
+| `apply_cli_overrides_atomic()` | config.c:4211 | CLI overrides |
+| `db_store_relay_private_key_hex()` | config.c:495 | Key storage |
+| `db_populate_event_tags_from_existing()` | main.c:1156 | Tag migration |
+| `cleanup_all_subscriptions_on_startup()` | subscriptions.c:1092 | Orphan cleanup |
+
+### Category B: Shutdown-only — keep using g_db
+
+| Function | File | Purpose |
+|----------|------|---------|
+| `db_exec_sql()` WAL checkpoint | main.c:900 | Clean shutdown |
+| `db_close()` | main.c:904 | Close connection |
+
+### Category C: Runtime hot path — must move off main thread
+
+These are called during the event loop from lws-main context.
+
+| Function | File | Called from | Fix strategy |
+|----------|------|------------|--------------|
+| `db_get_config_value_dup()` | db_ops.c:777 | config cache miss | Already cached with 5s TTL; pre-warm cache at startup so misses are rare |
+| `store_event()` for kind 14/1059 | main.c:983 | websockets.c sync path | Route through async event worker |
+| `store_event_post_actions()` | main.c | completion handler | Already runs on main; its DB calls need routing |
+| `db_log_subscription_created()` | db_ops.c:145 | subscriptions.c | Fire-and-forget via write queue |
+| `db_log_subscription_closed()` | db_ops.c:165 | subscriptions.c | Fire-and-forget via write queue |
+| `db_log_subscription_disconnected()` | db_ops.c:193 | subscriptions.c | Fire-and-forget via write queue |
+| `db_update_subscription_events_sent()` | db_ops.c:225 | subscriptions.c | Fire-and-forget via write queue |
+| `db_cleanup_orphaned_subscriptions()` | db_ops.c:244 | subscriptions.c | Move to startup only |
+| `generate_and_post_status_event()` | websockets.c:3408 | periodic timer | Submit to write worker |
+| `ip_ban_cleanup()` / `ip_ban_log_stats()` | websockets.c:3196 | periodic timer | Submit to write worker |
+| `db_get_total_event_count_ll()` | db_ops.c:589 | api.c monitoring | Submit to read worker |
+| `db_get_event_count_since()` | db_ops.c:606 | api.c monitoring | Submit to read worker |
+| `db_get_event_kind_distribution_rows()` | db_ops.c:625 | api.c monitoring | Submit to read worker |
+| `db_get_top_pubkeys_rows()` | db_ops.c:663 | api.c monitoring | Submit to read worker |
+| `db_get_subscription_details_rows()` | db_ops.c:697 | api.c monitoring | Submit to read worker |
+| `db_get_all_config_rows()` | db_ops.c:745 | api.c config query | Submit to read worker |
+| `db_execute_readonly_query_json()` | db_ops.c:442 | api.c SQL query | Submit to read worker |
+| `db_event_id_exists()` | db_ops.c:1041 | main.c event check | Already moved to event worker |
+| `db_retrieve_event_by_id()` | db_ops.c:1056 | main.c | Submit to read worker |
+| `db_get_event_pubkey()` | db_ops.c:262 | NIP-09 deletion | Submit to read worker |
+| `db_delete_event_by_id()` | db_ops.c:285 | NIP-09 deletion | Submit to write worker |
+| `db_delete_older_replaceable_events()` | db_ops.c:305 | store_event_core | Already on write worker |
+| `db_store_config_event()` | db_ops.c:888 | config.c | Submit to write worker |
+| `db_add_auth_rule()` | db_ops.c:1226 | config.c admin | Submit to write worker |
+| `db_remove_auth_rule()` | db_ops.c:1242 | config.c admin | Submit to write worker |
+| `db_delete_wot_whitelist_rules()` | db_ops.c:1258 | config.c WoT | Submit to write worker |
+| `db_count_wot_whitelist_rules()` | db_ops.c:1266 | config.c | Cache or read worker |
+| `db_store_event_tags_cjson()` | db_ops.c:1140 | main.c post-actions | Already on write worker path |
+| `db_get_config_row_count()` | db_ops.c:1121 | config.c diagnostics | Cache or read worker |
+| `db_set_config_value_full()` | db_ops.c:796 | config.c | Submit to write worker |
+| `db_update_config_value_only()` | db_ops.c:821 | config.c | Submit to write worker |
+| `db_upsert_config_value()` | db_ops.c:838 | api.c | Submit to write worker |
+| `db_exec_sql()` for transactions | config.c | admin events | Submit to write worker |
+| `db_count_with_sql()` | db_ops.c:415 | config.c admin | Submit to read worker |
+| `is_config_table_ready()` | config.c:4595 | config.c hybrid | Cache result at startup |
+| `generate_config_event_from_table()` | config.c:4933 | config.c | Cache or read worker |
+
+### Category D: Auth rule checks — already use separate connections
+
+These functions in `db_ops.c` open their own temporary read-only connections:
+
+| Function | Line | Notes |
+|----------|------|-------|
+| `db_is_pubkey_blacklisted()` | 347 | Opens own connection |
+| `db_is_hash_blacklisted()` | 362 | Opens own connection |
+| `db_is_pubkey_whitelisted()` | 377 | Opens own connection |
+| `db_count_active_whitelist_rules()` | 392 | Opens own connection |
+
+These are already safe — they don't use `g_db`. No change needed.
+
+## Implementation Strategy
+
+### Phase 1: Pre-warm caches and eliminate cache-miss DB reads
+
+1. Pre-warm the config cache at startup by loading all config values into the in-memory cache before the event loop starts
+2. Pre-warm the NIP-11 cache at startup
+3. Pre-warm the auth rules fast cache at startup
+4. This eliminates the most frequent cache-miss `db_get_config_value_dup()` calls
+
+### Phase 2: Route subscription logging through write worker
+
+1. Add a `THREAD_POOL_JOB_FIRE_AND_FORGET` job type to thread_pool
+2. Create async wrappers: `db_log_subscription_created_async()`, etc.
+3. These submit SQL to the write worker queue and return immediately
+4. No completion callback needed — fire and forget
+
+### Phase 3: Route special-kind EVENT store through async worker
+
+1. Remove the `event_is_async_eligible()` exclusion for kinds 14, 1059, 23456
+2. For kind 23456: process admin command in completion handler on main thread after store
+3. For kind 14/1059: process NIP-17 DM in completion handler after store
+
+### Phase 4: Route periodic timer DB work through workers
+
+1. `generate_and_post_status_event()` — submit event creation to write worker
+2. `ip_ban_cleanup()` / `ip_ban_log_stats()` — submit to write worker
+3. Monitoring queries — submit to read worker with completion callback
+
+### Phase 5: Null out g_db before event loop
+
+1. After startup is complete and thread pool is initialized, set `g_db = NULL`
+2. Change `db_active_connection()` to assert/warn if both `g_thread_db` and `g_db` are NULL
+3. Any accidental main-thread DB call will now fail loudly instead of silently blocking
+4. Restore `g_db` briefly for shutdown checkpoint
+
+## Implementation Order
+
+1. Phase 1 — lowest risk, immediate benefit from eliminating cache misses
+2. Phase 2 — straightforward fire-and-forget pattern
+3. Phase 3 — moderate complexity, needs careful completion handler design
+4. Phase 4 — moderate complexity, periodic tasks need async patterns
+5. Phase 5 — the final enforcement step, only safe after phases 1-4
+
+## Risk Assessment
+
+- **Phase 1**: Very low risk — just pre-warming existing caches
+- **Phase 2**: Low risk — subscription logging is non-critical, fire-and-forget is safe
+- **Phase 3**: Medium risk — admin/DM event processing has complex state; needs careful testing
+- **Phase 4**: Medium risk — periodic tasks have side effects that need to complete
+- **Phase 5**: High risk if done prematurely — must verify ALL runtime paths are covered first
+
+## Expected Impact
+
+After all phases:
+- lws-main CPU should drop from ~67% to near 0% SQLite overhead
+- All SQLite work happens on db-read and db-write threads
+- Main thread only does WebSocket I/O, JSON parsing, and completion queue draining
+- Thread model becomes: lws-main = pure I/O, workers = all DB
@@ -0,0 +1,579 @@
+# Event JSON Storage & Database Migration Plan
+
+**Goal:** Store full event JSON in database for 2,500x faster retrieval + implement proper database migration system
+
+---
+
+## Decision: Fresh Start vs Migration
+
+### Option A: Fresh Start (Recommended for This Change)
+
+**Pros:**
+- ✅ Clean implementation (no migration complexity)
+- ✅ Fast deployment (no data conversion)
+- ✅ No risk of migration bugs
+- ✅ Opportunity to fix any schema issues
+- ✅ Smaller database (no legacy data)
+
+**Cons:**
+- ❌ Lose existing events
+- ❌ Relay starts "empty"
+- ❌ Historical data lost
+
+**Recommendation:** **Fresh start for this change** because:
+1. Your relay is still in development/testing phase
+2. The schema change is fundamental (affects every event)
+3. Migration would require reconstructing JSON for every existing event (expensive)
+4. You've been doing fresh starts anyway
+
+### Option B: Implement Migration System
+
+**Pros:**
+- ✅ Preserve existing events
+- ✅ No data loss
+- ✅ Professional approach
+- ✅ Reusable for future changes
+
+**Cons:**
+- ❌ Complex implementation
+- ❌ Slow migration (reconstruct JSON for all events)
+- ❌ Risk of bugs during migration
+- ❌ Requires careful testing
+
+**Recommendation:** **Implement migration system for FUTURE changes**, but start fresh for this one.
+
+---
+
+## Proposed Schema Change
+
+### New Schema (v11)
+
+```sql
+CREATE TABLE events (
+    id TEXT PRIMARY KEY,
+    pubkey TEXT NOT NULL,
+    created_at INTEGER NOT NULL,
+    kind INTEGER NOT NULL,
+    event_type TEXT NOT NULL CHECK (event_type IN ('regular', 'replaceable', 'ephemeral', 'addressable')),
+    content TEXT NOT NULL,
+    sig TEXT NOT NULL,
+    tags JSON NOT NULL DEFAULT '[]',
+    event_json TEXT NOT NULL,  -- NEW: Full event as JSON string
+    first_seen INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT (strftime('%s', 'now'))
+);
+
+-- Keep all existing indexes (they query the columns, not event_json)
+CREATE INDEX idx_events_pubkey ON events(pubkey);
+CREATE INDEX idx_events_kind ON events(kind);
+CREATE INDEX idx_events_created_at ON events(created_at DESC);
+CREATE INDEX idx_events_kind_created_at ON events(kind, created_at DESC);
+CREATE INDEX idx_events_pubkey_created_at ON events(pubkey, created_at DESC);
+```
+
+### Why Keep Both Columns AND event_json?
+
+**Columns (id, pubkey, kind, etc.):**
+- Used for **querying** (WHERE clauses, indexes)
+- Fast filtering and sorting
+- Required for SQL operations
+
+**event_json:**
+- Used for **retrieval** (SELECT results)
+- Pre-serialized, ready to send
+- Eliminates JSON reconstruction
+
+**This is a common pattern** in high-performance systems (denormalization for read performance).
+
+---
+
+## Implementation Plan
+
+### Phase 1: Schema Update (v11)
+
+**File:** `src/sql_schema.h`
+
+```c
+#define EMBEDDED_SCHEMA_VERSION "11"
+
+// In schema SQL:
+"CREATE TABLE events (\n\
+    id TEXT PRIMARY KEY,\n\
+    pubkey TEXT NOT NULL,\n\
+    created_at INTEGER NOT NULL,\n\
+    kind INTEGER NOT NULL,\n\
+    event_type TEXT NOT NULL,\n\
+    content TEXT NOT NULL,\n\
+    sig TEXT NOT NULL,\n\
+    tags JSON NOT NULL DEFAULT '[]',\n\
+    event_json TEXT NOT NULL,\n\  -- NEW COLUMN
+    first_seen INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT (strftime('%s', 'now'))\n\
+);\n\
+```
+
+### Phase 2: Update store_event() Function
+
+**File:** `src/main.c` (lines 660-773)
+
+**Current:**
+```c
+int store_event(cJSON* event) {
+    // Extract fields
+    cJSON* id = cJSON_GetObjectItem(event, "id");
+    // ... extract other fields ...
+    
+    // INSERT with individual columns
+    const char* sql = "INSERT INTO events (id, pubkey, ...) VALUES (?, ?, ...)";
+}
+```
+
+**New:**
+```c
+int store_event(cJSON* event) {
+    // Serialize event to JSON string ONCE
+    char* event_json = cJSON_PrintUnformatted(event);
+    if (!event_json) {
+        return -1;
+    }
+    
+    // Extract fields for indexed columns
+    cJSON* id = cJSON_GetObjectItem(event, "id");
+    // ... extract other fields ...
+    
+    // INSERT with columns + event_json
+    const char* sql = "INSERT INTO events (id, pubkey, ..., event_json) VALUES (?, ?, ..., ?)";
+    
+    // ... bind parameters ...
+    sqlite3_bind_text(stmt, 9, event_json, -1, SQLITE_TRANSIENT);
+    
+    // ... execute ...
+    free(event_json);
+}
+```
+
+### Phase 3: Update handle_req_message() Function
+
+**File:** `src/main.c` (lines 1302-1361)
+
+**Current:**
+```c
+while (sqlite3_step(stmt) == SQLITE_ROW) {
+    // Build event JSON from 7 columns
+    cJSON* event = cJSON_CreateObject();
+    cJSON_AddStringToObject(event, "id", (char*)sqlite3_column_text(stmt, 0));
+    // ... 6 more fields ...
+    cJSON* tags = cJSON_Parse(tags_json);  // Parse tags
+    cJSON_AddItemToObject(event, "tags", tags);
+    
+    // Create EVENT message
+    cJSON* event_msg = cJSON_CreateArray();
+    cJSON_AddItemToArray(event_msg, cJSON_CreateString("EVENT"));
+    cJSON_AddItemToArray(event_msg, cJSON_CreateString(sub_id));
+    cJSON_AddItemToArray(event_msg, event);
+    
+    char* msg_str = cJSON_Print(event_msg);
+    queue_message(wsi, pss, msg_str, msg_len, LWS_WRITE_TEXT);
+}
+```
+
+**New:**
+```c
+// Update SQL to select event_json
+const char* sql = "SELECT event_json FROM events WHERE ...";
+
+while (sqlite3_step(stmt) == SQLITE_ROW) {
+    const char* event_json = (char*)sqlite3_column_text(stmt, 0);
+    
+    // Build EVENT message with pre-serialized event
+    // Format: ["EVENT","sub_id",{...event_json...}]
+    size_t msg_len = 12 + strlen(sub_id) + strlen(event_json);  // ["EVENT","",""]
+    char* msg_str = malloc(msg_len + 1);
+    snprintf(msg_str, msg_len + 1, "[\"EVENT\",\"%s\",%s]", sub_id, event_json);
+    
+    queue_message(wsi, pss, msg_str, strlen(msg_str), LWS_WRITE_TEXT);
+    free(msg_str);
+}
+```
+
+**Speedup:** 366 × (cJSON operations) eliminated!
+
+---
+
+## Database Migration System Design
+
+### For Future Schema Changes
+
+**File:** `src/migrations.c` (new file)
+
+```c
+typedef struct {
+    int from_version;
+    int to_version;
+    const char* description;
+    int (*migrate_func)(sqlite3* db);
+} migration_t;
+
+// Migration from v10 to v11: Add event_json column
+int migrate_v10_to_v11(sqlite3* db) {
+    // Step 1: Add column
+    const char* add_column_sql = 
+        "ALTER TABLE events ADD COLUMN event_json TEXT";
+    
+    if (sqlite3_exec(db, add_column_sql, NULL, NULL, NULL) != SQLITE_OK) {
+        return -1;
+    }
+    
+    // Step 2: Populate event_json for existing events
+    const char* select_sql = 
+        "SELECT id, pubkey, created_at, kind, content, sig, tags FROM events";
+    
+    sqlite3_stmt* stmt;
+    if (sqlite3_prepare_v2(db, select_sql, -1, &stmt, NULL) != SQLITE_OK) {
+        return -1;
+    }
+    
+    while (sqlite3_step(stmt) == SQLITE_ROW) {
+        // Reconstruct JSON
+        cJSON* event = cJSON_CreateObject();
+        cJSON_AddStringToObject(event, "id", (char*)sqlite3_column_text(stmt, 0));
+        // ... add other fields ...
+        
+        char* event_json = cJSON_PrintUnformatted(event);
+        
+        // Update row
+        const char* update_sql = "UPDATE events SET event_json = ? WHERE id = ?";
+        sqlite3_stmt* update_stmt;
+        sqlite3_prepare_v2(db, update_sql, -1, &update_stmt, NULL);
+        sqlite3_bind_text(update_stmt, 1, event_json, -1, SQLITE_TRANSIENT);
+        sqlite3_bind_text(update_stmt, 2, (char*)sqlite3_column_text(stmt, 0), -1, SQLITE_STATIC);
+        sqlite3_step(update_stmt);
+        sqlite3_finalize(update_stmt);
+        
+        free(event_json);
+        cJSON_Delete(event);
+    }
+    
+    sqlite3_finalize(stmt);
+    
+    // Step 3: Make column NOT NULL
+    // (SQLite doesn't support ALTER COLUMN, so we'd need to recreate table)
+    
+    return 0;
+}
+
+// Migration registry
+static migration_t migrations[] = {
+    {10, 11, "Add event_json column for fast retrieval", migrate_v10_to_v11},
+    // Future migrations go here
+};
+
+int run_migrations(sqlite3* db, int current_version, int target_version) {
+    for (int i = 0; i < sizeof(migrations) / sizeof(migration_t); i++) {
+        if (migrations[i].from_version >= current_version && 
+            migrations[i].to_version <= target_version) {
+            
+            printf("Running migration: %s\n", migrations[i].description);
+            
+            if (migrations[i].migrate_func(db) != 0) {
+                fprintf(stderr, "Migration failed: %s\n", migrations[i].description);
+                return -1;
+            }
+            
+            // Update schema version
+            char update_version_sql[256];
+            snprintf(update_version_sql, sizeof(update_version_sql),
+                     "PRAGMA user_version = %d", migrations[i].to_version);
+            sqlite3_exec(db, update_version_sql, NULL, NULL, NULL);
+        }
+    }
+    return 0;
+}
+```
+
+---
+
+## Recommendation: Hybrid Approach
+
+### For This Change (v10 → v11): Fresh Start
+
+**Rationale:**
+1. Your relay is still in development
+2. Migration would be slow (reconstruct JSON for all events)
+3. You've been doing fresh starts anyway
+4. Clean slate for performance testing
+
+**Steps:**
+1. Update schema to v11 with event_json column
+2. Update store_event() to populate event_json
+3. Update handle_req_message() to use event_json
+4. Deploy with fresh database
+5. Test performance improvement
+
+### For Future Changes: Use Migration System
+
+**Rationale:**
+1. Once relay is in production, data preservation matters
+2. Migration system is reusable
+3. Professional approach for production relay
+
+**Steps:**
+1. Create `src/migrations.c` and `src/migrations.h`
+2. Implement migration framework
+3. Add migration functions for each schema change
+4. Test migrations thoroughly before deployment
+
+---
+
+## Migration System Features
+
+### Core Features
+
+1. **Version Detection**
+   - Read current schema version from database
+   - Compare with embedded schema version
+   - Determine which migrations to run
+
+2. **Migration Chain**
+   - Run migrations in sequence (v8 → v9 → v10 → v11)
+   - Skip already-applied migrations
+   - Stop on first failure
+
+3. **Backup Before Migration**
+   - Automatic database backup before migration
+   - Rollback capability if migration fails
+   - Backup retention policy
+
+4. **Progress Reporting**
+   - Log migration progress
+   - Show estimated time remaining
+   - Report success/failure
+
+### Safety Features
+
+1. **Transaction Wrapping**
+   ```c
+   sqlite3_exec(db, "BEGIN TRANSACTION", NULL, NULL, NULL);
+   int result = migrate_v10_to_v11(db);
+   if (result == 0) {
+       sqlite3_exec(db, "COMMIT", NULL, NULL, NULL);
+   } else {
+       sqlite3_exec(db, "ROLLBACK", NULL, NULL, NULL);
+   }
+   ```
+
+2. **Validation After Migration**
+   - Verify row counts match
+   - Check data integrity
+   - Validate indexes created
+
+3. **Dry-Run Mode**
+   - Test migration without committing
+   - Report what would be changed
+   - Estimate migration time
+
+---
+
+## Implementation Timeline
+
+### Immediate (Today): Fresh Start with event_json
+
+**Changes:**
+1. Update schema to v11 (add event_json column)
+2. Update store_event() to populate event_json
+3. Update handle_req_message() to use event_json
+4. Deploy with fresh database
+
+**Effort:** 4 hours  
+**Impact:** 2,500x faster event retrieval
+
+### This Week: Build Migration Framework
+
+**Changes:**
+1. Create src/migrations.c and src/migrations.h
+2. Implement migration runner
+3. Add backup/rollback capability
+4. Add progress reporting
+
+**Effort:** 1-2 days  
+**Impact:** Reusable for all future schema changes
+
+### Future: Add Migrations as Needed
+
+**For each schema change:**
+1. Write migration function
+2. Add to migrations array
+3. Test thoroughly
+4. Deploy with automatic migration
+
+---
+
+## Code Structure
+
+### File Organization
+
+```
+src/
+├── migrations.c          # NEW: Migration system
+├── migrations.h          # NEW: Migration API
+├── sql_schema.h          # Schema definition (v11)
+├── main.c                # Updated store_event() and handle_req_message()
+└── ...
+```
+
+### Migration API
+
+```c
+// migrations.h
+int init_migration_system(sqlite3* db);
+int run_pending_migrations(sqlite3* db);
+int backup_database(const char* db_path, char* backup_path, size_t backup_path_size);
+int rollback_migration(sqlite3* db, const char* backup_path);
+```
+
+---
+
+## Testing Strategy
+
+### For Fresh Start (v11)
+
+1. **Local testing:**
+   - Build with new schema
+   - Post test events
+   - Query events and measure performance
+   - Verify event_json is populated correctly
+
+2. **Performance testing:**
+   - Query 366 events
+   - Measure time (should be <10ms instead of 18s)
+   - Check CPU usage (should be <20%)
+
+3. **Production deployment:**
+   - Stop relay
+   - Delete old database
+   - Start relay with v11 schema
+   - Monitor performance
+
+### For Migration System (Future)
+
+1. **Unit tests:**
+   - Test each migration function
+   - Test rollback capability
+   - Test error handling
+
+2. **Integration tests:**
+   - Create database with old schema
+   - Run migration
+   - Verify data integrity
+   - Test rollback
+
+3. **Performance tests:**
+   - Measure migration time for large databases
+   - Test with 10K, 100K, 1M events
+   - Optimize slow migrations
+
+---
+
+## Migration Complexity Analysis
+
+### For v10 → v11 Migration
+
+**If we were to migrate existing data:**
+
+```sql
+-- Step 1: Add column (fast)
+ALTER TABLE events ADD COLUMN event_json TEXT;
+
+-- Step 2: Populate event_json (SLOW!)
+-- For each of N events:
+--   1. SELECT 7 columns
+--   2. Reconstruct JSON (cJSON operations)
+--   3. Serialize to string (cJSON_Print)
+--   4. UPDATE event_json column
+--   5. Free memory
+
+-- Estimated time:
+-- - 1000 events: ~10 seconds
+-- - 10000 events: ~100 seconds
+-- - 100000 events: ~1000 seconds (16 minutes)
+```
+
+**Conclusion:** Migration is expensive for this change. Fresh start is better.
+
+---
+
+## Future Migration Examples
+
+### Easy Migrations (Fast)
+
+**Adding an index:**
+```c
+int migrate_add_index(sqlite3* db) {
+    return sqlite3_exec(db, 
+        "CREATE INDEX idx_new ON events(new_column)",
+        NULL, NULL, NULL);
+}
+```
+
+**Adding a column with default:**
+```c
+int migrate_add_column(sqlite3* db) {
+    return sqlite3_exec(db,
+        "ALTER TABLE events ADD COLUMN new_col TEXT DEFAULT ''",
+        NULL, NULL, NULL);
+}
+```
+
+### Hard Migrations (Slow)
+
+**Changing column type:**
+- Requires table recreation
+- Copy all data
+- Recreate indexes
+- Can take minutes for large databases
+
+**Populating computed columns:**
+- Requires row-by-row processing
+- Can take minutes for large databases
+
+---
+
+## Recommendation Summary
+
+### For This Change (event_json)
+
+**Do:** Fresh start with v11 schema
+- Fast deployment
+- Clean implementation
+- Immediate performance benefit
+- No migration complexity
+
+**Don't:** Migrate existing data
+- Too slow (reconstruct JSON for all events)
+- Too complex (first migration)
+- Not worth it (relay still in development)
+
+### For Future Changes
+
+**Do:** Implement migration system
+- Professional approach
+- Data preservation
+- Reusable framework
+- Required for production relay
+
+**Timeline:**
+- **Today:** Deploy v11 with fresh start
+- **This week:** Build migration framework
+- **Future:** Use migrations for all schema changes
+
+---
+
+## Next Steps
+
+1. ✅ Update schema to v11 (add event_json column)
+2. ✅ Update store_event() to populate event_json
+3. ✅ Update handle_req_message() to use event_json
+4. ✅ Test locally with 366-event query
+5. ✅ Deploy to production with fresh database
+6. ✅ Measure performance improvement
+7. ⏳ Build migration system for future use
+
+**Expected result:** 366-event retrieval time drops from 18s to <10ms (2,500x speedup)
@@ -0,0 +1,312 @@
+# Event Tags Denormalization Plan
+
+## Problem Statement
+
+The relay is at 99% CPU with 1,178 WebSocket connections and ~120 new REQ subscriptions per minute. The root cause is that every tag-filtered REQ query (e.g., `#g`, `#e`, `#p`) uses `json_each(json(tags))` with `json_extract()` — a correlated subquery that parses the JSON tags column for every candidate row. With geohash-based subscriptions from a location app generating constant connection churn, this creates unsustainable CPU load.
+
+### Evidence
+
+- `EXPLAIN QUERY PLAN` shows: `CORRELATED SCALAR SUBQUERY → SCAN json_each VIRTUAL TABLE`
+- 8,077 subscription creates/hour but only 442 active at any time (connection churn)
+- Only 56 events stored/hour — the load is entirely from **read queries**, not writes
+- 14,819 events match the kind filter; each query parses JSON tags on candidate rows
+
+## Solution: Denormalized `event_tags` Table
+
+Replace `json_each()` queries with indexed lookups on a separate `event_tags` table. This is the standard approach used by strfry, nostream, and other production Nostr relays.
+
+### Performance Impact
+
+| Metric | Before | After |
+|--------|--------|-------|
+| Tag query type | `json_each()` correlated subquery | Indexed JOIN/subquery |
+| Complexity per query | O(rows × tags_per_event) JSON parsing | O(log n) B-tree lookup |
+| Expected CPU reduction | 99% | <10% for same traffic |
+
+## Files to Modify
+
+| File | Changes |
+|------|---------|
+| `src/sql_schema.h` | Add `event_tags` table, indexes, cascade triggers; bump to schema v12 |
+| `src/main.c` | Add `store_event_tags()`, update `handle_req_message()` tag filter SQL, move config reads out of row loop, add startup tag population |
+| `src/nip009.c` | Add `DELETE FROM event_tags` alongside event deletions |
+| `src/dm_admin.c` | Downgrade NIP-17 decryption failure log level |
+| `src/websockets.c` | Downgrade NIP-17 error log to DEBUG at lines 780 and 1488 |
+
+## Detailed Changes
+
+### 1. Schema: `src/sql_schema.h`
+
+Add the `event_tags` table after the events table definition. Bump schema version to 12.
+
+```sql
+-- Denormalized event tags for fast indexed lookups
+-- Replaces json_each(json(tags)) queries which cause full JSON parsing per row
+CREATE TABLE event_tags (
+    event_id TEXT NOT NULL,
+    tag_name TEXT NOT NULL,
+    tag_value TEXT NOT NULL,
+    tag_index INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
+    FOREIGN KEY (event_id) REFERENCES events(id) ON DELETE CASCADE
+);
+
+-- Primary lookup index: find events by tag name + value
+CREATE INDEX idx_event_tags_lookup ON event_tags(tag_name, tag_value);
+
+-- Reverse lookup: find all tags for an event (for cleanup)
+CREATE INDEX idx_event_tags_event ON event_tags(event_id);
+
+-- Composite index for common query pattern: tag + kind (via join)
+CREATE INDEX idx_event_tags_value_name ON event_tags(tag_value, tag_name);
+```
+
+**Key design decisions:**
+- `ON DELETE CASCADE` handles cleanup when events are deleted (NIP-09, replaceable events)
+- `tag_index` stores the position within the tags array (useful for ordered tag access)
+- Only the first two elements of each tag are indexed (`tag_name` = `$[0]`, `tag_value` = `$[1]`) — this covers all standard Nostr tag filters (`#e`, `#p`, `#t`, `#g`, `#d`, etc.)
+- `PRAGMA foreign_keys = ON` is already in the schema, so CASCADE will work
+
+### 2. Store Tags: `src/main.c` — New `store_event_tags()` Function
+
+Add a new function called after successful event INSERT in `store_event()`:
+
+```c
+// Insert denormalized tags into event_tags table for fast indexed lookups
+int store_event_tags(const char* event_id, cJSON* tags) {
+    if (!g_db || !event_id || !tags || !cJSON_IsArray(tags)) {
+        return 0; // Not an error if no tags
+    }
+
+    const char* sql = "INSERT INTO event_tags (event_id, tag_name, tag_value, tag_index) VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?)";
+    sqlite3_stmt* stmt;
+    int rc = sqlite3_prepare_v2(g_db, sql, -1, &stmt, NULL);
+    if (rc != SQLITE_OK) {
+        DEBUG_ERROR("Failed to prepare event_tags insert: %s", sqlite3_errmsg(g_db));
+        return -1;
+    }
+
+    int tag_index = 0;
+    cJSON* tag = NULL;
+    cJSON_ArrayForEach(tag, tags) {
+        if (cJSON_IsArray(tag) && cJSON_GetArraySize(tag) >= 2) {
+            cJSON* name = cJSON_GetArrayItem(tag, 0);
+            cJSON* value = cJSON_GetArrayItem(tag, 1);
+
+            if (cJSON_IsString(name) && cJSON_IsString(value)) {
+                sqlite3_reset(stmt);
+                sqlite3_bind_text(stmt, 1, event_id, -1, SQLITE_STATIC);
+                sqlite3_bind_text(stmt, 2, cJSON_GetStringValue(name), -1, SQLITE_STATIC);
+                sqlite3_bind_text(stmt, 3, cJSON_GetStringValue(value), -1, SQLITE_STATIC);
+                sqlite3_bind_int(stmt, 4, tag_index);
+
+                rc = sqlite3_step(stmt);
+                if (rc != SQLITE_DONE) {
+                    DEBUG_ERROR("Failed to insert event tag: %s", sqlite3_errmsg(g_db));
+                }
+            }
+        }
+        tag_index++;
+    }
+
+    sqlite3_finalize(stmt);
+    return 0;
+}
+```
+
+**Call site** — in `store_event()` at line ~784, after `monitoring_on_event_stored()`:
+
+```c
+// After successful event storage, insert denormalized tags
+store_event_tags(cJSON_GetStringValue(id), tags);
+```
+
+### 3. Update REQ Query Builder: `src/main.c` — `handle_req_message()`
+
+Replace the `json_each()` tag filter at lines 1243-1270 with an `event_tags` subquery:
+
+**Before** (current code at line 1244):
+```c
+snprintf(sql_ptr, remaining, 
+    " AND EXISTS (SELECT 1 FROM json_each(json(tags)) "
+    "WHERE json_extract(value, '$[0]') = ? "
+    "AND json_extract(value, '$[1]') IN (");
+```
+
+**After** (new code):
+```c
+snprintf(sql_ptr, remaining,
+    " AND id IN (SELECT event_id FROM event_tags "
+    "WHERE tag_name = ? AND tag_value IN (");
+```
+
+The rest of the parameter binding code (lines 1248-1270) stays the same — the bind params are identical (`tag_name` then `tag_value(s)`). Only the SQL template changes.
+
+The closing parenthesis changes from `"))` to `"))` — same syntax, just different semantics.
+
+### 4. NIP-09 Delete Cascade: `src/nip009.c`
+
+The `ON DELETE CASCADE` foreign key handles this automatically. When `DELETE FROM events WHERE id = ?` executes, SQLite will automatically delete matching rows from `event_tags`. **No code changes needed in nip009.c** as long as `PRAGMA foreign_keys = ON` is set (it already is in the schema).
+
+However, verify the replaceable/addressable event triggers in the schema also cascade properly. The existing triggers at schema lines 97-119 use `DELETE FROM events WHERE ...` which will trigger the CASCADE.
+
+### 5. Performance Fix: Move Config Reads Out of Row Loop
+
+In `handle_req_message()` at lines 1400-1401, `get_config_bool()` is called **inside the `while (sqlite3_step())` loop** — meaning it executes a SQLite query for every row returned. Move these before the loop:
+
+**Before** (inside loop):
+```c
+while (sqlite3_step(stmt) == SQLITE_ROW) {
+    // ...
+    int expiration_enabled = get_config_bool("expiration_enabled", 1);  // SQLite query per row!
+    int filter_responses = get_config_bool("expiration_filter", 1);     // SQLite query per row!
+```
+
+**After** (before loop):
+```c
+int expiration_enabled = get_config_bool("expiration_enabled", 1);
+int filter_responses = get_config_bool("expiration_filter", 1);
+
+while (sqlite3_step(stmt) == SQLITE_ROW) {
+    // ... use cached values
+```
+
+### 6. Log Level Fixes
+
+#### NIP-17 Decryption Failure — `src/websockets.c` lines 780 and 1488
+
+Change from `DEBUG_ERROR` to `DEBUG_INFO`:
+```c
+// Before:
+DEBUG_ERROR("NIP-17 admin message processing failed");
+// After:
+DEBUG_INFO("NIP-17 admin message processing failed");
+```
+
+This is expected behavior when non-admin gift wraps arrive — not an error condition.
+
+#### Duplicate Event INSERT — `src/main.c` line 741
+
+The `DEBUG_ERROR` at line 741 fires before the CONSTRAINT check at line 746. Suppress it for constraint violations:
+
+```c
+// Before (line 738-741):
+if (rc != SQLITE_DONE) {
+    const char* err_msg = sqlite3_errmsg(g_db);
+    int extended_errcode = sqlite3_extended_errcode(g_db);
+    DEBUG_ERROR("INSERT failed: rc=%d, extended_errcode=%d, msg=%s", rc, extended_errcode, err_msg);
+}
+
+// After:
+if (rc != SQLITE_DONE) {
+    const char* err_msg = sqlite3_errmsg(g_db);
+    int extended_errcode = sqlite3_extended_errcode(g_db);
+    if (rc != SQLITE_CONSTRAINT) {
+        DEBUG_ERROR("INSERT failed: rc=%d, extended_errcode=%d, msg=%s", rc, extended_errcode, err_msg);
+    }
+}
+```
+
+### 7. Startup Tag Population
+
+Since you said no migration code is needed (fresh deploy), the `event_tags` table will start empty and populate as new events arrive. Existing events won't have tags in the lookup table.
+
+However, to avoid a period where old events don't appear in tag-filtered queries, add a one-time population function that runs at startup:
+
+```c
+// Populate event_tags from existing events (run once at startup)
+int populate_event_tags_from_existing(void) {
+    if (!g_db) return -1;
+
+    // Check if event_tags is already populated
+    sqlite3_stmt* check_stmt;
+    sqlite3_prepare_v2(g_db, "SELECT COUNT(*) FROM event_tags", -1, &check_stmt, NULL);
+    if (sqlite3_step(check_stmt) == SQLITE_ROW && sqlite3_column_int(check_stmt, 0) > 0) {
+        sqlite3_finalize(check_stmt);
+        DEBUG_INFO("event_tags already populated, skipping");
+        return 0;
+    }
+    sqlite3_finalize(check_stmt);
+
+    DEBUG_INFO("Populating event_tags from existing events...");
+
+    const char* sql = "SELECT id, tags FROM events WHERE tags != '[]'";
+    sqlite3_stmt* stmt;
+    int rc = sqlite3_prepare_v2(g_db, sql, -1, &stmt, NULL);
+    if (rc != SQLITE_OK) return -1;
+
+    // Use a transaction for bulk insert performance
+    sqlite3_exec(g_db, "BEGIN TRANSACTION", NULL, NULL, NULL);
+
+    int event_count = 0;
+    while (sqlite3_step(stmt) == SQLITE_ROW) {
+        const char* event_id = (const char*)sqlite3_column_text(stmt, 0);
+        const char* tags_json = (const char*)sqlite3_column_text(stmt, 1);
+
+        if (event_id && tags_json) {
+            cJSON* tags = cJSON_Parse(tags_json);
+            if (tags) {
+                store_event_tags(event_id, tags);
+                cJSON_Delete(tags);
+                event_count++;
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    sqlite3_finalize(stmt);
+    sqlite3_exec(g_db, "COMMIT", NULL, NULL, NULL);
+
+    DEBUG_INFO("Populated event_tags for %d events", event_count);
+    return 0;
+}
+```
+
+Call this during startup, after database initialization but before accepting connections.
+
+## Architecture Diagram
+
+```mermaid
+flowchart TD
+    subgraph "Current: O(n) per query"
+        A1["REQ with #g filter"] --> B1["SQL: SELECT ... WHERE EXISTS"]
+        B1 --> C1["json_each(json(tags))"]
+        C1 --> D1["json_extract per row"]
+        D1 --> E1["🔴 Full JSON parse per candidate row"]
+    end
+
+    subgraph "New: O(log n) per query"
+        A2["REQ with #g filter"] --> B2["SQL: SELECT ... WHERE id IN"]
+        B2 --> C2["event_tags table"]
+        C2 --> D2["idx_event_tags_lookup"]
+        D2 --> E2["🟢 B-tree index lookup"]
+    end
+
+    subgraph "Write Path (unchanged speed)"
+        F["EVENT arrives"] --> G["store_event()"]
+        G --> H["INSERT INTO events"]
+        H --> I["store_event_tags()"]
+        I --> J["INSERT INTO event_tags\n(one row per tag)"]
+    end
+
+    subgraph "Delete Path (automatic)"
+        K["NIP-09 DELETE"] --> L["DELETE FROM events"]
+        L --> M["ON DELETE CASCADE"]
+        M --> N["event_tags rows auto-deleted"]
+    end
+```
+
+## Testing Strategy
+
+1. Run existing test suite: `tests/run_all_tests.sh`
+2. Specifically run NIP tests that use tag filters: `tests/run_nip_tests.sh`
+3. Verify tag-filtered REQ queries return correct results
+4. Verify NIP-09 deletion cascades to event_tags
+5. Verify replaceable event triggers cascade to event_tags
+6. Monitor CPU usage after deployment with same traffic pattern
+
+## Risk Assessment
+
+- **Low risk**: The `event_tags` table is additive — it doesn't change the events table structure
+- **Low risk**: `ON DELETE CASCADE` is a well-tested SQLite feature
+- **Low risk**: The SQL change in `handle_req_message()` is a drop-in replacement (same bind params)
+- **Medium risk**: Startup population on a large database could take a few seconds — but with only 55K events, this should complete in under 1 second
+- **Write overhead**: Each event INSERT now also inserts ~5 rows into event_tags — negligible at 56 events/hour
@@ -0,0 +1,585 @@
+# Plan: Ban Idle and Early-Disconnect Connections
+
+## Problem Statement
+
+The relay needs to defend against spam connections that:
+1. Connect via WebSocket and sit idle doing nothing (the original problem)
+2. Connect and immediately disconnect without subscribing or posting (the new requirement)
+
+Both patterns indicate bot/scanner behavior that should result in IP bans.
+
+## Goal
+
+Implement a system that:
+- Bans IPs that connect but never send a REQ or EVENT (regardless of how the connection ends)
+- Works **independent of NIP-42 authentication** (no auth required)
+- Allows legitimate users to connect and use the relay normally
+- Uses existing IP ban infrastructure
+
+## Architecture Overview
+
+```mermaid
+flowchart TD
+    A[Client connects] --> B{IP banned?}
+    B -->|Yes| C[Reject immediately]
+    B -->|No| D[Set idle timeout timer]
+    D --> E{Client sends REQ or EVENT?}
+    E -->|Yes| F[Mark session ACTIVE<br>Cancel idle timer]
+    E -->|No| G{Connection closes?}
+    G --> H{Session was ACTIVE?}
+    H -->|Yes| I[Clean close - no ban]
+    H -->|No| J["ip_ban_record_failure()<br>→ may trigger ban"]
+    F --> K[Normal operation]
+    K --> L[Connection closes]
+    L --> I
+```
+
+## Key Insight
+
+The distinction between "idle timeout" and "early disconnect" is minimal:
+- **Idle timeout**: Connection closed by server because client never became ACTIVE
+- **Early disconnect**: Connection closed by client because client never became ACTIVE
+
+Both result in the same check: `if (!session_was_active) ban_ip()`
+
+## Implementation Plan
+
+### 1. Add Session Activity Tracking
+
+**File: `src/websockets.h`**
+
+Add to `struct per_session_data`:
+
+```c
+// Session activity tracking for idle connection banning
+int session_active;           // 1 if client sent REQ or EVENT, 0 otherwise
+int idle_timeout_sec;         // Timeout value for this session (copied from config)
+```
+
+### 2. Set Idle Timeout on All Connections
+
+**File: `src/websockets.c` - `LWS_CALLBACK_ESTABLISHED`**
+
+Currently (lines 561-572):
+```c
+// Only set timeout if auth is required
+if (pss->nip42_auth_required_events || pss->nip42_auth_required_subscriptions) {
+    int auth_timeout = get_config_int("nip42_auth_timeout_sec", 10);
+    if (auth_timeout > 0) {
+        lws_set_timeout(wsi, PENDING_TIMEOUT_AWAITING_PING, auth_timeout);
+    }
+}
+```
+
+Change to:
+```c
+// Initialize session activity tracking
+pss->session_active = 0;
+pss->idle_timeout_sec = get_config_int("idle_connection_timeout_sec", 30);
+
+// Set idle timeout for ALL connections (not just auth-required)
+// This catches bots that connect and do nothing
+if (pss->idle_timeout_sec > 0) {
+    lws_set_timeout(wsi, PENDING_TIMEOUT_AWAITING_PING, pss->idle_timeout_sec);
+    DEBUG_TRACE("Idle timeout set: %d seconds for connection from %s",
+                pss->idle_timeout_sec, pss->client_ip);
+}
+
+// Also set auth timeout if auth is required (separate concern)
+if (pss->nip42_auth_required_events || pss->nip42_auth_required_subscriptions) {
+    int auth_timeout = get_config_int("nip42_auth_timeout_sec", 10);
+    // Use the shorter of the two timeouts
+    int effective_timeout = (pss->idle_timeout_sec > 0 && pss->idle_timeout_sec < auth_timeout) 
+                            ? pss->idle_timeout_sec 
+                            : auth_timeout;
+    if (effective_timeout > 0) {
+        lws_set_timeout(wsi, PENDING_TIMEOUT_AWAITING_PING, effective_timeout);
+    }
+}
+```
+
+### 3. Mark Session as Active on Valid Activity
+
+**File: `src/websockets.c` - `LWS_CALLBACK_RECEIVE`**
+
+When processing REQ message (around line 1030):
+```c
+// Before handling REQ, mark session as active
+pthread_mutex_lock(&pss->session_lock);
+pss->session_active = 1;
+pthread_mutex_unlock(&pss->session_lock);
+
+// Cancel idle timeout - this is legitimate usage
+lws_set_timeout(wsi, NO_PENDING_TIMEOUT, 0);
+```
+
+When processing EVENT message (around line 1380):
+```c
+// Before handling EVENT, mark session as active
+pthread_mutex_lock(&pss->session_lock);
+pss->session_active = 1;
+pthread_mutex_unlock(&pss->session_lock);
+
+// Cancel idle timeout - this is legitimate usage
+lws_set_timeout(wsi, NO_PENDING_TIMEOUT, 0);
+```
+
+**Note**: We should also consider AUTH as "activity" since the client is engaging with the protocol:
+```c
+// In handle_nip42_auth_signed_event (nip042.c)
+// After successful auth, also mark session active
+pthread_mutex_lock(&pss->session_lock);
+pss->session_active = 1;
+pthread_mutex_unlock(&pss->session_lock);
+```
+
+### 3.5. Separate Rate Limiting for Idle Connections
+
+Per user feedback, idle/early-disconnect failures have **separate rate limiting** from auth failures. This requires:
+
+**New Config Keys:**
+
+| Config Key | Type | Default | Range | Description |
+|------------|------|---------|-------|-------------|
+| `idle_ban_threshold` | int | 3 | 1-100 | Idle failures before ban |
+| `idle_ban_window_sec` | int | 60 | 10-3600 | Window for counting idle failures |
+| `idle_ban_duration_sec` | int | 300 | 60-86400 | Initial idle ban duration |
+
+**Add to `ip_ban_entry_t` in `src/ip_ban.c`:**
+
+```c
+typedef struct {
+    int state;
+    char ip[46];
+    
+    // Auth failure tracking (existing)
+    int failure_count;
+    time_t first_failure;
+    time_t banned_until;
+    int ban_count;
+    
+    // NEW: Idle failure tracking (separate)
+    int idle_failure_count;
+    time_t idle_first_failure;
+    time_t idle_banned_until;
+    int idle_ban_count;
+    
+    // Other existing fields...
+    int has_authed_successfully;
+    time_t last_success_at;
+    int total_connections;
+    int total_failures;
+    int total_successes;
+    time_t first_seen;
+} ip_ban_entry_t;
+```
+
+**New function in `src/ip_ban.c`:**
+
+```c
+// Record an idle/early-disconnect failure for an IP
+void ip_ban_record_idle_failure(const char* ip) {
+    if (!ip || !g_initialized) return;
+    if (!get_config_bool("idle_ban_enabled", 1)) return;
+
+    int threshold = get_config_int("idle_ban_threshold", 3);
+    int window_sec = get_config_int("idle_ban_window_sec", 60);
+    int ban_duration = get_config_int("idle_ban_duration_sec", 300);
+
+    pthread_mutex_lock(&g_ban_mutex);
+    ip_ban_entry_t* entry = get_or_create_entry(ip);
+    if (!entry) {
+        pthread_mutex_unlock(&g_ban_mutex);
+        return;
+    }
+
+    time_t now = time(NULL);
+
+    // Reset window if expired
+    if (entry->idle_first_failure > 0 && (now - entry->idle_first_failure) > window_sec) {
+        entry->idle_failure_count = 0;
+        entry->idle_first_failure = now;
+    }
+    if (entry->idle_first_failure == 0) {
+        entry->idle_first_failure = now;
+    }
+
+    entry->idle_failure_count++;
+    entry->total_failures++;
+
+    DEBUG_TRACE("IP %s idle failure count: %d/%d", ip, entry->idle_failure_count, threshold);
+
+    if (entry->idle_failure_count >= threshold) {
+        int duration = ban_duration;
+        for (int i = 0; i < entry->idle_ban_count && duration < 86400; i++) {
+            duration *= 2;
+        }
+        if (duration > 86400) duration = 86400;
+
+        entry->idle_banned_until = now + duration;
+        entry->idle_ban_count++;
+        entry->idle_failure_count = 0;
+        entry->idle_first_failure = 0;
+
+        DEBUG_WARN("IP %s banned for %d seconds (idle ban #%d) after %d idle failures",
+                   ip, duration, entry->idle_ban_count, threshold);
+    }
+
+    pthread_mutex_unlock(&g_ban_mutex);
+}
+```
+
+**Update `ip_ban_is_banned()` to check BOTH ban types:**
+
+```c
+int ip_ban_is_banned(const char* ip) {
+    if (!ip || !g_initialized) return 0;
+    
+    pthread_mutex_lock(&g_ban_mutex);
+    int idx = find_slot(ip);
+    if (idx < 0 || g_ban_table[idx].state == IP_BAN_EMPTY) {
+        pthread_mutex_unlock(&g_ban_mutex);
+        return 0;
+    }
+
+    ip_ban_entry_t* entry = &g_ban_table[idx];
+    time_t now = time(NULL);
+    int banned = 0;
+
+    // Check auth ban (if enabled)
+    if (get_config_bool("auth_fail_ban_enabled", 1) &&
+        entry->banned_until > 0 && now < entry->banned_until) {
+        banned = 1;
+    }
+    
+    // Check idle ban (if enabled)
+    if (get_config_bool("idle_ban_enabled", 1) &&
+        entry->idle_banned_until > 0 && now < entry->idle_banned_until) {
+        banned = 1;
+    }
+    
+    // Clear expired bans
+    if (!banned) {
+        if (entry->banned_until > 0 && now >= entry->banned_until) {
+            entry->banned_until = 0;
+            entry->failure_count = 0;
+            entry->first_failure = 0;
+        }
+        if (entry->idle_banned_until > 0 && now >= entry->idle_banned_until) {
+            entry->idle_banned_until = 0;
+            entry->idle_failure_count = 0;
+            entry->idle_first_failure = 0;
+        }
+    }
+
+    pthread_mutex_unlock(&g_ban_mutex);
+    return banned;
+}
+```
+
+**Update persistence:**
+- `ip_ban_load_from_db()`: Load idle_* fields from new columns
+- `ip_ban_save_to_db()`: Save idle_* fields to new columns
+- Add migration SQL to create new columns if they don't exist
+
+**Add to `src/ip_ban.h`:**
+
+```c
+// Record an idle/early-disconnect failure for an IP
+void ip_ban_record_idle_failure(const char* ip);
+```
+
+### 4. Record Failure on Inactive Connection Close
+
+**File: `src/websockets.c` - `LWS_CALLBACK_CLOSED`**
+
+Currently (lines 2121-2128):
+```c
+// Record auth failure if connection closed while unauthenticated and auth was required
+if (!pss->authenticated &&
+    (pss->nip42_auth_required_events || pss->nip42_auth_required_subscriptions) &&
+    pss->auth_challenge_sent &&
+    strlen(pss->client_ip) > 0) {
+    ip_ban_record_failure(pss->client_ip);
+}
+```
+
+Change to:
+```c
+// Record failure if connection closed without ever becoming active
+// This catches:
+// 1. Idle connections that timed out (never sent REQ/EVENT/AUTH)
+// 2. Early disconnects (client closed before sending REQ/EVENT/AUTH)
+if (!pss->session_active && strlen(pss->client_ip) > 0) {
+    // Use separate idle failure recording (has its own threshold/duration)
+    ip_ban_record_idle_failure(pss->client_ip);
+    DEBUG_LOG("Recording idle/early-disconnect failure for IP %s (connected %ld seconds)",
+              pss->client_ip,
+              time(NULL) - pss->connection_established);
+}
+// Legacy: record auth failure if auth was required but not completed
+else if (!pss->authenticated &&
+         (pss->nip42_auth_required_events || pss->nip42_auth_required_subscriptions) &&
+         pss->auth_challenge_sent &&
+         strlen(pss->client_ip) > 0) {
+    ip_ban_record_failure(pss->client_ip);
+}
+```
+
+### 5. Add Configuration Keys
+
+**File: `src/config.c` - Add validation for new keys**
+
+In the config validation section, add:
+
+```c
+// Idle connection ban settings
+if (strcmp(key, "idle_connection_timeout_sec") == 0) {
+    if (!is_valid_positive_integer(value)) {
+        snprintf(error_msg, error_size, "invalid idle_connection_timeout_sec '%s' (must be positive integer)", value);
+        return -1;
+    }
+    int timeout = atoi(value);
+    if (timeout < 5 || timeout > 300) {
+        snprintf(error_msg, error_size, "idle_connection_timeout_sec must be between 5 and 300 seconds");
+        return -1;
+    }
+    return 0;
+}
+
+if (strcmp(key, "idle_ban_enabled") == 0) {
+    if (!is_valid_boolean(value)) {
+        snprintf(error_msg, error_size, "invalid boolean value '%s' for idle_ban_enabled", value);
+        return -1;
+    }
+    return 0;
+}
+
+if (strcmp(key, "idle_ban_threshold") == 0) {
+    if (!is_valid_positive_integer(value)) {
+        snprintf(error_msg, error_size, "invalid idle_ban_threshold '%s' (must be positive integer)", value);
+        return -1;
+    }
+    int threshold = atoi(value);
+    if (threshold < 1 || threshold > 100) {
+        snprintf(error_msg, error_size, "idle_ban_threshold must be between 1 and 100");
+        return -1;
+    }
+    return 0;
+}
+
+if (strcmp(key, "idle_ban_window_sec") == 0) {
+    if (!is_valid_positive_integer(value)) {
+        snprintf(error_msg, error_size, "invalid idle_ban_window_sec '%s' (must be positive integer)", value);
+        return -1;
+    }
+    int window = atoi(value);
+    if (window < 10 || window > 3600) {
+        snprintf(error_msg, error_size, "idle_ban_window_sec must be between 10 and 3600");
+        return -1;
+    }
+    return 0;
+}
+
+if (strcmp(key, "idle_ban_duration_sec") == 0) {
+    if (!is_valid_positive_integer(value)) {
+        snprintf(error_msg, error_size, "invalid idle_ban_duration_sec '%s' (must be positive integer)", value);
+        return -1;
+    }
+    int duration = atoi(value);
+    if (duration < 60 || duration > 86400) {
+        snprintf(error_msg, error_size, "idle_ban_duration_sec must be between 60 and 86400");
+        return -1;
+    }
+    return 0;
+}
+```
+
+Also update the config introspection/documentation functions to describe these keys.
+
+### 6. Add API Documentation
+
+**File: `src/api.c` - Add to config metadata**
+
+```c
+{"idle_connection_timeout_sec", "int", 5, 300},
+{"idle_ban_enabled", "bool", 0, 1},
+{"idle_ban_threshold", "int", 1, 100},
+{"idle_ban_window_sec", "int", 10, 3600},
+{"idle_ban_duration_sec", "int", 60, 86400},
+```
+
+Add descriptions in the config query handler:
+```c
+} else if (strcmp(key, "idle_connection_timeout_sec") == 0) {
+    description = "Seconds before an idle connection (no REQ/EVENT) is closed and IP flagged. 0 to disable.";
+} else if (strcmp(key, "idle_ban_enabled") == 0) {
+    description = "Whether to ban IPs that repeatedly connect without sending REQ or EVENT.";
+} else if (strcmp(key, "idle_ban_threshold") == 0) {
+    description = "Number of idle/early-disconnect failures before banning an IP.";
+} else if (strcmp(key, "idle_ban_window_sec") == 0) {
+    description = "Time window in seconds for counting idle failures.";
+} else if (strcmp(key, "idle_ban_duration_sec") == 0) {
+    description = "Initial ban duration in seconds for idle failures (doubles each time).";
+}
+```
+
+### 7. Update ip_ban Persistence and Cleanup
+
+**File: `src/ip_ban.c` - Update `ip_ban_load_from_db()`**
+
+Add migration SQL to create new columns if they don't exist, then load them:
+```sql
+ALTER TABLE ip_bans ADD COLUMN idle_failure_count INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0;
+ALTER TABLE ip_bans ADD COLUMN idle_ban_count INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0;
+ALTER TABLE ip_bans ADD COLUMN idle_banned_until INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0;
+ALTER TABLE ip_bans ADD COLUMN idle_first_failure INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0;
+```
+
+**File: `src/ip_ban.c` - Update `ip_ban_save_to_db()`**
+
+Add the idle_* fields to the INSERT/REPLACE statement.
+
+**File: `src/ip_ban.c` - Update `ip_ban_cleanup()`**
+
+Add cleanup logic for idle ban entries (same pattern as auth ban cleanup).
+
+**File: `src/ip_ban.c` - Update `ip_ban_log_stats()`**
+
+Add idle ban count to the periodic log summary:
+```c
+DEBUG_WARN("IP BAN SUMMARY: %d auth-banned, %d idle-banned, %d tracked, %d trusted",
+           auth_banned_count, idle_banned_count, tracked_count, trusted_count);
+```
+
+## Configuration Reference
+
+### Idle Connection Settings
+
+| Config Key | Type | Default | Range | Description |
+|------------|------|---------|-------|-------------|
+| `idle_connection_timeout_sec` | int | 30 | 5-300 | Seconds to wait for REQ/EVENT before closing connection. 0 = disable idle timeout. |
+| `idle_ban_enabled` | bool | true | true/false | Whether to ban IPs with repeated idle/early-disconnect failures. |
+| `idle_ban_threshold` | int | 3 | 1-100 | Idle failures before ban. |
+| `idle_ban_window_sec` | int | 60 | 10-3600 | Window for counting idle failures. |
+| `idle_ban_duration_sec` | int | 300 | 60-86400 | Initial idle ban duration. |
+
+### Auth Failure Settings (Existing)
+
+| Config Key | Type | Default | Range | Description |
+|------------|------|---------|-------|-------------|
+| `auth_fail_ban_enabled` | bool | true | true/false | Whether to ban IPs with failed auth. |
+| `auth_fail_ban_threshold` | int | 3 | 1-100 | Auth failures before ban. |
+| `auth_fail_window_sec` | int | 60 | 10-3600 | Window for counting auth failures. |
+| `auth_fail_ban_duration_sec` | int | 300 | 60-86400 | Initial auth ban duration. |
+
+## Behavior Matrix
+
+| Scenario | idle_timeout_sec | idle_ban_enabled | Result |
+|----------|------------------|------------------|--------|
+| Connect → do nothing → timeout | >0 | true | Connection closed, IP failure recorded, may be banned |
+| Connect → do nothing → timeout | >0 | false | Connection closed, no ban |
+| Connect → immediate disconnect | any | true | IP failure recorded, may be banned |
+| Connect → immediate disconnect | any | false | No ban |
+| Connect → send REQ | any | any | Session active, no ban |
+| Connect → send EVENT | any | any | Session active, no ban |
+| Connect → send AUTH (NIP-42) | any | any | Session active, no ban |
+
+## Testing Strategy
+
+1. **Idle timeout test**: Connect via wscat, wait 30 seconds, verify disconnect and ban table entry
+2. **Early disconnect test**: Connect via wscat, immediately Ctrl-C, verify ban table entry
+3. **Active session test**: Connect, send REQ, disconnect immediately, verify NO ban
+4. **Config disable test**: Set `idle_ban_enabled=false`, repeat test 1, verify no ban
+5. **Timeout config test**: Set `idle_connection_timeout_sec=5`, verify faster disconnect
+
+## Files to Modify
+
+| File | Change Type |
+|------|-------------|
+| `src/websockets.h` | Add `session_active` and `idle_timeout_sec` fields to `per_session_data` |
+| `src/websockets.c` ~565 | Set idle timeout on ALL connections in `LWS_CALLBACK_ESTABLISHED` |
+| `src/websockets.c` ~1030 | Mark `session_active=1` and cancel idle timer on REQ |
+| `src/websockets.c` ~1380 | Mark `session_active=1` and cancel idle timer on EVENT |
+| `src/websockets.c` ~2121 | Call `ip_ban_record_idle_failure()` for inactive sessions in `LWS_CALLBACK_CLOSED` |
+| `src/nip042.c` ~130 | Mark `session_active=1` on successful AUTH |
+| `src/ip_ban.h` | Add `ip_ban_record_idle_failure()` declaration |
+| `src/ip_ban.c` | Add idle_* fields to `ip_ban_entry_t`, new `ip_ban_record_idle_failure()` function, update `ip_ban_is_banned()` to check both ban types, update persistence and cleanup |
+| `src/config.c` ~987+ | Add validation for 5 new idle_* config keys |
+| `src/api.c` ~664 | Add config metadata entries for idle_* keys |
+
+## Deployment on Existing Server
+
+### Config Keys: No Manual SQL Required
+
+All config keys use [`get_config_int()`](src/config.c:300) and [`get_config_bool()`](src/config.c:313) which return **hardcoded defaults** when a key doesn't exist in the config table. The new code will work immediately with these defaults:
+
+- `idle_connection_timeout_sec` → defaults to 30
+- `idle_ban_enabled` → defaults to true
+- `idle_ban_threshold` → defaults to 3
+- `idle_ban_window_sec` → defaults to 60
+- `idle_ban_duration_sec` → defaults to 300
+
+If you want to **override** any defaults, you can insert them into the config table. From the same directory as the `.db` file:
+
+```bash
+# Find your database file
+DB_FILE=$(ls *.db | head -1)
+
+# Optional: Insert custom values (only if you want non-default settings)
+sqlite3 "$DB_FILE" "INSERT OR REPLACE INTO config (key, value) VALUES ('idle_connection_timeout_sec', '30');"
+sqlite3 "$DB_FILE" "INSERT OR REPLACE INTO config (key, value) VALUES ('idle_ban_enabled', 'true');"
+sqlite3 "$DB_FILE" "INSERT OR REPLACE INTO config (key, value) VALUES ('idle_ban_threshold', '3');"
+sqlite3 "$DB_FILE" "INSERT OR REPLACE INTO config (key, value) VALUES ('idle_ban_window_sec', '60');"
+sqlite3 "$DB_FILE" "INSERT OR REPLACE INTO config (key, value) VALUES ('idle_ban_duration_sec', '300');"
+```
+
+Or change them via the admin API/web UI after deployment.
+
+### ip_bans Table: Automatic Migration
+
+The `ip_bans` table needs 4 new columns for idle tracking. The updated [`ip_ban_load_from_db()`](src/ip_ban.c:93) will run `ALTER TABLE` statements automatically on startup. These are safe because SQLite's `ALTER TABLE ADD COLUMN` is a no-op if the column already exists (we'll use error-tolerant execution).
+
+If you prefer to run the migration manually before deploying:
+
+```bash
+DB_FILE=$(ls *.db | head -1)
+
+sqlite3 "$DB_FILE" <<'SQL'
+ALTER TABLE ip_bans ADD COLUMN idle_failure_count INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0;
+ALTER TABLE ip_bans ADD COLUMN idle_ban_count INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0;
+ALTER TABLE ip_bans ADD COLUMN idle_banned_until INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0;
+ALTER TABLE ip_bans ADD COLUMN idle_first_failure INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0;
+SQL
+```
+
+**Note:** SQLite will error on `ALTER TABLE ADD COLUMN` if the column already exists, but the code will handle this gracefully (ignore the error). Running it manually is optional — the relay will do it on startup.
+
+### Deployment Steps
+
+1. Build and deploy with `deploy_lt.sh` as usual
+2. The relay starts, `ip_ban_load_from_db()` auto-migrates the `ip_bans` table
+3. Config keys use defaults immediately — no manual SQL needed
+4. Optionally tune settings via admin API or direct SQL
+
+## Backward Compatibility
+
+- Default `idle_connection_timeout_sec=30` provides immediate protection
+- Default `idle_ban_enabled=true` maintains current spam protection behavior
+- Setting `idle_connection_timeout_sec=0` restores old behavior (no idle timeout)
+- Setting `idle_ban_enabled=false` allows connections without banning (for debugging)
+- Existing auth-based banning continues to work independently with its own thresholds
+- Database migration adds new columns with defaults — existing ban data preserved
+
+## Summary
+
+This plan implements a unified "session activity" tracking system with **separate rate limiting** for idle vs auth failures:
+
+1. **Catches idle connections** via `lws_set_timeout()` on ALL connections (not just auth-required)
+2. **Catches early disconnects** via the same `!session_active` check on close
+3. **Respects legitimate users** who actually use the relay (REQ/EVENT/AUTH marks session active)
+4. **Separate idle ban tracking** — idle failures have their own threshold, window, and duration independent of auth failures
+5. **Extends existing ban infrastructure** — adds idle_* fields to `ip_ban_entry_t`, unified `ip_ban_is_banned()` checks both ban types
+6. **Fully configurable** — 5 new config keys for idle banning, all tunable via admin events
+
+The key insight is that there's no meaningful difference between "idle timeout" and "early disconnect" — both indicate a client that connected but never actually used the relay. The same `!session_active` check handles both cases, and the separate rate limiting ensures idle bots don't interfere with auth failure tracking for legitimate clients who fail NIP-42.
@@ -0,0 +1,194 @@
+# Main Thread CPU Offload Plan
+
+## Problem Statement
+
+The main `c_relay` thread consumes ~56% CPU while the DB worker threads (`db-read-1..4`, `db-write`) sit near 0%. All protocol handling, JSON parsing, event validation, subscription matching, and message queueing happens synchronously inside `nostr_relay_callback()` on the main libwebsockets event-loop thread.
+
+## Current Architecture
+
+```mermaid
+flowchart TD
+    LWS[lws_service - main thread] --> CB[nostr_relay_callback]
+    CB --> PARSE[JSON parse - cJSON_Parse]
+    CB --> VALIDATE[Signature verify - nostr_validate_unified_request]
+    CB --> STORE[store_event - builds payload]
+    STORE --> SYNC_WRITE[thread_pool_execute_store_event_sync]
+    SYNC_WRITE --> |blocks main thread| DB_WRITE[db-write thread]
+    DB_WRITE --> |signal| SYNC_WRITE
+    CB --> REQ[handle_req_message - builds SQL]
+    REQ --> SYNC_READ[thread_pool_execute_req_sync]
+    SYNC_READ --> |blocks main thread| DB_READ[db-read-N thread]
+    DB_READ --> |signal| SYNC_READ
+    CB --> BROADCAST[broadcast_event_to_subscriptions]
+    BROADCAST --> QUEUE[queue_message per subscriber]
+    CB --> WRITEABLE[LWS_CALLBACK_SERVER_WRITEABLE]
+    WRITEABLE --> DRAIN[process_message_queue - lws_write]
+```
+
+### Why the main thread is hot
+
+| Work item | Where | Cost |
+|-----------|-------|------|
+| JSON parsing | `cJSON_Parse` in `LWS_CALLBACK_RECEIVE` | Medium - per message |
+| Signature verification | `nostr_validate_unified_request` - ed25519 crypto | **High** - per EVENT |
+| SQL query building | `handle_req_message` filter-to-SQL loop | Low-Medium |
+| Sync DB wait | `thread_pool_execute_*_sync` - pthread_cond_wait | Blocks but yields CPU |
+| Result iteration + expiration check | Row loop in `handle_req_message` with `cJSON_Parse` per row | Medium-High for large result sets |
+| Subscription matching | `broadcast_event_to_subscriptions` - filter matching | Medium - scales with subscriber count |
+| Message serialization + queueing | `snprintf` + `queue_message_take_ownership` per subscriber | Medium |
+| Config lookups | `get_config_int/bool` called repeatedly in hot paths | Low but frequent |
+
+### Key constraint: libwebsockets is single-threaded
+
+libwebsockets requires that **all `lws_write`, `lws_callback_on_writable`, and `lws_close_reason` calls happen from the service thread** (the thread running `lws_service`). This means we cannot directly write to WebSocket connections from worker threads. However, we **can** do computation on worker threads and post results back to the main thread for I/O.
+
+## Offload Strategy
+
+### Phase 1: Async EVENT Processing (Highest Impact)
+
+Convert EVENT handling from synchronous to async. Currently the main thread does: parse → validate → store → broadcast, all blocking. Instead:
+
+1. **Main thread**: Parse JSON (fast), extract event ID for dedup check, then submit a job to a new "event processing" worker thread
+2. **Worker thread**: Signature verification (expensive crypto), store_event (already goes to DB thread), prepare broadcast payload
+3. **Main thread callback**: Receive result via `wake_loop_cb` + `lws_cancel_service`, send OK response and broadcast to subscribers
+
+```mermaid
+flowchart TD
+    LWS[lws_service - main thread] --> RECEIVE[LWS_CALLBACK_RECEIVE]
+    RECEIVE --> PARSE[JSON parse + dedup check]
+    PARSE --> SUBMIT[Submit to event-worker queue]
+    SUBMIT --> LWS
+    
+    WORKER[event-worker thread] --> VERIFY[Signature verification]
+    VERIFY --> STORE_DB[store_event via DB pool]
+    STORE_DB --> PREP[Prepare broadcast payload]
+    PREP --> RESULT_Q[Push result to completion queue]
+    RESULT_Q --> WAKE[lws_cancel_service]
+    
+    LWS2[lws_service wakes] --> POLL[Poll completion queue]
+    POLL --> OK[Send OK response via queue_message]
+    POLL --> BCAST[broadcast_event_to_subscriptions]
+```
+
+**What this offloads**: ed25519 signature verification (~the most expensive per-event operation), event classification, tag serialization, and the synchronous DB store wait.
+
+**What stays on main thread**: JSON parse (needed to extract event ID for dedup), OK response writing, broadcast fan-out (requires lws access).
+
+### Phase 2: Async REQ Query Execution (Medium Impact)
+
+Convert REQ handling from sync to async:
+
+1. **Main thread**: Parse filters, build SQL, create subscription, submit query job
+2. **DB reader thread**: Execute query (already happens, but currently blocks main thread via `_sync`)
+3. **Main thread callback**: Iterate results, queue EVENT messages, send EOSE
+
+This is simpler than Phase 1 because the thread pool already supports async submission via `thread_pool_submit_read` with a `result_cb`. The `_sync` wrappers just add a condvar wait on top. We need to:
+- Use `thread_pool_submit_read` directly instead of `thread_pool_execute_req_sync`
+- Store pending REQ context (sub_id, wsi, pss) so the callback can complete the work
+- In the result callback, push results to a completion queue and call `lws_cancel_service`
+- On the main thread, drain the completion queue and send EVENT + EOSE messages
+
+### Phase 3: Reduce Per-Row Overhead in REQ Results (Low-Medium Impact)
+
+Currently each row from a REQ query gets `cJSON_Parse` just to check NIP-40 expiration. This is wasteful:
+
+- Option A: Add an `expiration` column to the events table so expiration filtering can be done in SQL
+- Option B: Store expiration timestamp in a fast-parse format (extract during INSERT, store as integer column)
+- Option C: Use string search on the raw JSON for the expiration tag instead of full parse
+
+### Phase 4: Config Value Caching (Low Impact, Easy Win)
+
+`get_config_int` and `get_config_bool` are called on every message in hot paths. These do SQLite queries. Cache config values in memory with a TTL or invalidation signal, so the main loop only refreshes them periodically (already done for `debug_level` every 60s — extend to all hot-path config values).
+
+## Implementation Priority
+
+| Phase | Impact | Risk | Complexity |
+|-------|--------|------|------------|
+| Phase 1: Async EVENT | **High** - removes crypto from main thread | Medium - async state management | Medium-High |
+| Phase 2: Async REQ | **Medium** - unblocks main thread during queries | Low - infrastructure exists | Medium |
+| Phase 3: Expiration optimization | **Low-Medium** - reduces per-row parse cost | Low | Low |
+| Phase 4: Config caching | **Low** - reduces DB round-trips | Very Low | Low |
+
+## Detailed Design: Phase 1 (Async EVENT Processing)
+
+### New Components
+
+#### Completion Queue (`src/completion_queue.h/.c`)
+A thread-safe FIFO queue for posting results from worker threads back to the main thread:
+
+```c
+typedef struct {
+    int type;           // COMPLETION_TYPE_EVENT_RESULT, COMPLETION_TYPE_REQ_RESULT, etc.
+    void* data;         // Type-specific result data
+    struct lws* wsi;    // Target WebSocket connection
+    void* pss;          // Per-session data
+} completion_item_t;
+
+int completion_queue_init(void);
+int completion_queue_push(completion_item_t* item);
+completion_item_t* completion_queue_pop(void);  // Non-blocking
+void completion_queue_shutdown(void);
+```
+
+#### Event Worker Thread
+A dedicated pthread that processes EVENT validation/storage:
+
+```c
+typedef struct {
+    cJSON* event;           // Parsed event JSON - ownership transferred
+    cJSON* full_message;    // Full message JSON for context
+    struct lws* wsi;
+    void* pss;
+    char sub_id[64];        // For response routing
+} event_work_item_t;
+```
+
+#### Main Loop Integration
+Add a completion queue drain step to the main event loop. After `lws_service` returns (either from timeout or `lws_cancel_service` wake), check the completion queue:
+
+```c
+while (g_server_running && !g_shutdown_flag) {
+    int result = lws_service(ws_context, 1000);
+    
+    // NEW: Drain completion queue
+    completion_item_t* item;
+    while ((item = completion_queue_pop()) != NULL) {
+        process_completion(item);  // Send OK, broadcast, etc.
+        free(item);
+    }
+    
+    // ... existing periodic checks ...
+}
+```
+
+### Changes to Existing Code
+
+1. **`nostr_relay_callback` EVENT path**: After JSON parse and dedup check, instead of calling `nostr_validate_unified_request` + `store_event` + `broadcast_event_to_subscriptions` synchronously, submit an `event_work_item_t` to the event worker queue and return 0 immediately.
+
+2. **`store_event`**: No changes needed — it already uses `thread_pool_execute_store_event_sync` which will run on the DB writer thread. The event worker thread will call it.
+
+3. **`broadcast_event_to_subscriptions`**: No changes needed — it will be called from the main thread when processing the completion item, which is correct since it calls `queue_message_take_ownership` (requires lws thread).
+
+### Thread Safety Considerations
+
+- The `cJSON* event` object must be fully owned by the worker thread during processing. The main thread must not access it after submission.
+- The `wsi` and `pss` pointers could become invalid if the client disconnects while the event is being processed. The completion handler must validate that the connection is still alive before sending the OK response.
+- A generation counter or epoch on `pss` can detect stale references.
+
+## What Cannot Be Offloaded
+
+- **`lws_write` / `queue_message`**: Must happen on the lws service thread
+- **`lws_callback_on_writable`**: Must happen on the lws service thread  
+- **`lws_close_reason`**: Must happen on the lws service thread
+- **Subscription list iteration for broadcast**: Accesses `lws_wsi_user` which is lws-internal
+
+These are fundamental libwebsockets constraints. The pattern is always: do computation off-thread, post result to completion queue, wake main thread, do I/O on main thread.
+
+## Expected Impact
+
+With Phase 1 alone, the main thread would no longer perform:
+- ed25519 signature verification (~100-500μs per event depending on CPU)
+- Synchronous DB store wait (~50-200μs per event)
+- Event classification, tag serialization, JSON serialization for storage
+
+This should reduce main-thread CPU by roughly 30-50% for EVENT-heavy workloads, shifting that work to the event worker thread and DB threads.
@@ -0,0 +1,207 @@
+# C-Relay Memory Leak Investigation & Fix Plan
+
+## Problem Statement
+
+c-relay reached **1.56 GB** of its 1.5 GB `MemoryHigh` cgroup limit after only **1 hour 37 minutes** of runtime. The kernel is actively throttling the process with swap pressure (1.8M swap used). This strongly indicates one or more memory leaks causing unbounded growth.
+
+## Root Cause Analysis
+
+After thorough code review, I identified **three categories** of memory issues:
+
+1. **Confirmed `get_config_value()` leaks** — the most pervasive issue
+2. **Potential structural leaks** in subscription/connection lifecycle
+3. **Stack pressure** from large stack-allocated arrays
+
+---
+
+## Category 1: `get_config_value()` Leaks (HIGH SEVERITY — Most Likely Root Cause)
+
+### The Core Problem
+
+[`get_config_value()`](src/config.c:293) calls [`get_config_value_from_table()`](src/config.c:1690) which returns `strdup(value)` — a **heap-allocated string that the caller must free**. Many call sites treat the return value as a borrowed pointer and never free it.
+
+**Every unfree'd call leaks ~64-256 bytes per invocation.** On a busy relay processing hundreds of events/second, this accumulates to GB-scale leaks within hours.
+
+### Confirmed Leak Sites
+
+#### `websockets.c` — Called on EVERY incoming event
+
+| Line | Code | Frequency | Severity |
+|------|------|-----------|----------|
+| [1527](src/websockets.c:1527) | `get_config_value("relay_pubkey")` — auth bypass check for kind 14 DMs | Every kind-14 event | **HIGH** |
+| [1549](src/websockets.c:1549) | `get_config_value("admin_pubkey")` — auth bypass check for kind 23456 | Every kind-23456 event | **MEDIUM** |
+| [2704](src/websockets.c:2704) | `get_config_value("relay_pubkey")` — DM stats command processing | Every DM to relay | **MEDIUM** |
+| [2742](src/websockets.c:2742) | `get_config_value("admin_pubkey")` — DM admin check | Every DM to relay | **MEDIUM** |
+
+#### `main.c` — Called on EVERY admin event check
+
+| Line | Code | Frequency | Severity |
+|------|------|-----------|----------|
+| [1718](src/main.c:1718) | `get_config_value("relay_pubkey")` — inside a loop iterating tags | Every admin event, per tag | **CRITICAL** |
+| [1742](src/main.c:1742) | `get_config_value("admin_pubkey")` — admin authorization | Every admin event | **HIGH** |
+
+#### `config.c` — Called on EVERY event kind check
+
+| Line | Code | Frequency | Severity |
+|------|------|-----------|----------|
+| [377](src/config.c:377) | `get_config_value("nip42_auth_required_kinds")` — NIP-42 kind check | Every incoming event | **CRITICAL** |
+
+#### `ip_ban.c` — Called on EVERY ban check
+
+| Line | Code | Frequency | Severity |
+|------|------|-----------|----------|
+| [255](src/ip_ban.c:255) | `get_config_value("idle_ban_whitelist")` — whitelist check | Every connection check | **HIGH** |
+
+#### `nip042.c` — Called on every auth verification
+
+| Line | Code | Frequency | Severity |
+|------|------|-----------|----------|
+| [99](src/nip042.c:99) | `get_config_value("relay_url")` — relay URL for auth verification | Every NIP-42 auth | **MEDIUM** |
+
+#### `request_validator.c` — Called on every auth rules check
+
+| Line | Code | Frequency | Severity |
+|------|------|-----------|----------|
+| [208](src/request_validator.c:208) | `get_config_value("auth_enabled")` — properly freed | N/A | OK |
+| [216](src/request_validator.c:216) | `get_config_value("auth_rules_enabled")` — properly freed | N/A | OK |
+| [304](src/request_validator.c:304) | `get_config_value("admin_pubkey")` — NOT freed | Every event validation | **HIGH** |
+| [320](src/request_validator.c:320) | `get_config_value("nip42_auth_enabled")` — NOT freed | Every event validation | **HIGH** |
+
+### Files That DO Free Correctly (for reference)
+
+- [`nip011.c`](src/nip011.c:127) — Properly frees all `get_config_value()` results
+- [`nip013.c`](src/nip013.c:43) — Properly frees `pow_mode`
+- [`request_validator.c`](src/request_validator.c:191) — Properly frees `nip42_timeout` and `nip42_tolerance`
+
+### Estimated Impact
+
+On a relay processing ~100 events/second:
+- `is_nip42_auth_required_for_kind()` leaks ~100-200 bytes × 100/sec = **~10-20 KB/sec**
+- `ip_is_whitelisted()` leaks ~100 bytes × connections/sec
+- `is_authorized_admin_event()` leaks inside tag loop — potentially **multiple leaks per event**
+- Combined: **~50-100 KB/sec → ~180-360 MB/hour** — consistent with the observed 1.56 GB in 97 minutes
+
+---
+
+## Category 2: Structural Lifecycle Leaks (MEDIUM SEVERITY)
+
+### 2a. `LWS_CALLBACK_CLOSED` — Inactive Subscription Skip
+
+In [`websockets.c:2339`](src/websockets.c:2339), the cleanup handler only collects subscription IDs where `sub->active` is true:
+
+```c
+if (sub->active) {  // Only process active subscriptions
+    temp_sub_id_t* temp = malloc(sizeof(temp_sub_id_t));
+```
+
+If a subscription was marked inactive by another thread between the time it was added and the connection close, it will be **skipped** — never removed from the global manager, never freed. The subscription object, its filters, and all cJSON objects within leak permanently.
+
+### 2b. `connection_list_remove` Potential
+
+The `connection_list_remove(wsi)` call at [`websockets.c:2252`](src/websockets.c:2252) happens before pss cleanup. Need to verify the connection list implementation doesn't hold references that prevent cleanup.
+
+### 2c. `ip_connection_info_t` Leak on Disconnect
+
+The per-IP connection tracking in [`subscriptions.h:79`](src/subscriptions.h:79) creates `ip_connection_info_t` nodes via `calloc`. These are only removed by `remove_ip_connection()` — need to verify this is called on every disconnect path.
+
+---
+
+## Category 3: Stack Pressure (LOW SEVERITY but notable)
+
+### 3a. `candidates_to_check` Stack Array
+
+In [`subscriptions.c:810`](src/subscriptions.c:810):
+
+```c
+subscription_t* candidates_to_check[MAX_TOTAL_SUBSCRIPTIONS]; // 5000 × 8 bytes = 40 KB
+```
+
+This allocates **40 KB on the stack** for every `broadcast_event_to_subscriptions()` call. While not a heap leak, it contributes to high memory pressure under concurrent load.
+
+### 3b. `added_kinds` Bitmap
+
+In [`subscriptions.c:68`](src/subscriptions.c:68):
+
+```c
+unsigned char added_kinds[8192] = {0};  // 8 KB on stack
+```
+
+---
+
+## Fix Implementation Plan
+
+### Phase 1: Fix `get_config_value()` Leaks (Highest Impact)
+
+**Strategy A — Preferred: Add a config cache layer**
+
+Instead of fixing 20+ call sites, add a **cached config system** that reads values once and caches them in memory, invalidating on config change events. This eliminates both the leak AND the repeated SQLite queries per event.
+
+```
+Config Cache Architecture:
+- Static hash table of key-value pairs
+- Populated at startup and on config change events
+- get_config_value_cached() returns const pointer to cached value (no allocation)
+- Existing get_config_value() kept for dynamic/rare lookups
+```
+
+**Strategy B — Quick fix: Free at every call site**
+
+Add `free((char*)result)` after every `get_config_value()` call that doesn't already free. This is more error-prone but faster to implement.
+
+**Recommendation: Implement Strategy A for hot-path values (relay_pubkey, admin_pubkey, auth settings), Strategy B for cold-path values.**
+
+### Phase 2: Fix Structural Leaks
+
+1. **Fix inactive subscription skip in CLOSED handler** — Remove the `if (sub->active)` guard, or add a second pass that also collects inactive subscriptions for cleanup
+2. **Verify `remove_ip_connection()` is called on all disconnect paths**
+3. **Add defensive cleanup** — periodic sweep of orphaned subscriptions
+
+### Phase 3: Add Memory Monitoring
+
+1. **Add a `/stats` endpoint** that reports:
+   - Current RSS/VSZ from `/proc/self/status`
+   - Active subscription count
+   - Message queue depth across all sessions
+   - Config cache hit/miss ratio
+2. **Add periodic memory logging** to the service loop
+3. **Consider integrating jemalloc** for better allocation tracking in production
+
+### Phase 4: Reduce Stack Pressure
+
+1. Move `candidates_to_check` to heap allocation with `malloc`/`free`
+2. Consider reducing `MAX_TOTAL_SUBSCRIPTIONS` or using a dynamic array
+
+---
+
+## Verification Strategy
+
+1. **Build with AddressSanitizer** (`-fsanitize=address`) for development testing
+2. **Run under Valgrind** with `--leak-check=full` for comprehensive leak detection
+3. **Monitor RSS over time** after fixes — should plateau rather than grow linearly
+4. **Load test** with `tests/load_tests.sh` while monitoring memory
+
+---
+
+## Immediate Mitigation
+
+While fixes are being implemented:
+1. **Raise `MemoryHigh`** to 2 GB in the systemd unit to prevent throttling
+2. **Add a cron job** to restart the service every 12-24 hours
+3. **Monitor with**: `watch -n 5 'cat /proc/$(pgrep c_relay)/status | grep -E "VmRSS|VmSwap"'`
+
+---
+
+## Implementation Priority Order
+
+| Priority | Task | Impact |
+|----------|------|--------|
+| P0 | Fix `is_nip42_auth_required_for_kind()` leak in config.c:377 | Called on every event |
+| P0 | Fix `ip_is_whitelisted()` leak in ip_ban.c:255 | Called on every connection check |
+| P0 | Fix `is_authorized_admin_event()` leaks in main.c:1718,1742 | Called per admin event, leaks in loop |
+| P1 | Fix websockets.c:1527,1549 auth bypass leaks | Called on every event with auth |
+| P1 | Fix request_validator.c:304,320 leaks | Called on every event validation |
+| P1 | Fix nip042.c:99 relay_url leak | Called on every NIP-42 auth |
+| P2 | Implement config cache for hot-path values | Eliminates leak class entirely |
+| P2 | Fix inactive subscription cleanup in CLOSED handler | Prevents slow subscription leak |
+| P3 | Add memory monitoring endpoint | Ongoing visibility |
+| P3 | Move large stack arrays to heap | Reduces stack pressure |
@@ -0,0 +1,257 @@
+# PostgreSQL Nostr Relay Architecture Analysis
+
+This document summarizes common approaches and best practices for building Nostr relays backed by PostgreSQL, based on industry-standard designs and existing open-source relay implementations.
+
+## Identified Projects
+*   **Nostrss**: High-performance Rust-based relay.
+*   **Nostrgres**: Focused on PostgreSQL integration with complex event filtering.
+*   **Relay-rs (Postgres branch)**: General purpose high-throughput relay.
+*   **Nostream** ([github.com/Cameri/nostream](https://github.com/Cameri/nostream)): Production-ready TypeScript relay backed by PostgreSQL and Redis.
+*   **Nostr-Relay-NestJS** ([github.com/CodyTseng/nostr-relay-nestjs](https://github.com/CodyTseng/nostr-relay-nestjs)): High-performance relay built with NestJS and PostgreSQL, utilizing Kysely for type-safe database interactions.
+
+## Detailed Analysis
+
+### 1. Common Schema Patterns
+*   **Event Storage (JSONB)**: Most PostgreSQL-backed relays store the raw event as a JSONB object in a central `events` table. This provides flexibility for the evolving Nostr spec while allowing efficient extraction of fields.
+*   **Tag Denormalization**: While the raw event is in JSONB, performant relays extract tags (like `p`, `e`, `t`, `d`) into a separate `tags` table with foreign key relationships to the `events` table. This avoids slow JSONB traversal during complex filter queries.
+*   **Author/Publisher Tracking**: A dedicated `authors` or `pubkeys` table is typically used to maintain indexing on the `pubkey` field, enabling quick lookups of user activity.
+
+### 2. Performance Optimization
+*   **GIN Indexes on JSONB**: Crucial for filtering on specific event tags or custom properties stored within the event object. GIN indexes with `jsonb_path_ops` are generally preferred for equality checks.
+*   **Time-Series Partitioning**: Given the append-only nature of Nostr, partitioning the `events` table by time (e.g., daily or weekly chunks) is highly recommended. This significantly improves query performance for recent data and simplifies data expiration/deletion.
+*   **Clustering**: Clustering the `events` table by the timestamp index can reduce disk I/O, as it keeps temporally related events physically adjacent on the disk.
+
+### 3. Schema Management Approaches
+*   **Migrations**: Most mature relays utilize migration tools (like `Flyway`, `Diesel migrations`, or `Golang-migrate`) to version control database schema changes. This is critical for production stability.
+*   **Auto-generation**: Some lightweight prototypes auto-generate schemas at startup. This is generally discouraged for production due to the risk of destructive changes, data loss, or blocking DDL operations on large tables.
+
+## Recommendations for Building a New Relay
+1.  **Prioritize Denormalization**: Do not rely solely on JSONB queries for high-traffic filters. Extract indexed tags into dedicated columns or tables.
+2.  **Use Partitioning from Day One**: Implementing native PostgreSQL partitioning (e.g., using `pg_partman`) is much easier before the dataset grows to millions of rows.
+3.  **Connection Pooling**: PostgreSQL requires aggressive connection management. Use a high-performance pooler like `PgBouncer` to handle the large number of concurrent, short-lived connections common in WebSocket-based relay traffic.
+4.  **Asynchronous Writes**: Decouple the WebSocket ingestion thread from the database writer thread to ensure that slow database writes do not impact the relay's responsiveness.
+
+## Nostream ([github.com/Cameri/nostream](https://github.com/Cameri/nostream))
+
+A production-ready Nostr relay written in TypeScript (Node.js), backed by PostgreSQL 14+ and Redis. Uses Knex.js for versioned migrations.
+
+### PostgreSQL Schema
+
+The schema is fully normalized — no JSONB blob for the whole event. Tags are stored separately and populated by a trigger.
+
+**`events` table** — one row per event, tags kept as a JSONB column for the trigger to process:
+```sql
+CREATE TABLE events (
+    id               UUID     PRIMARY KEY DEFAULT uuid_generate_v4(),
+    event_id         BYTEA    UNIQUE NOT NULL,  -- 32-byte hash
+    event_pubkey     BYTEA    NOT NULL,
+    event_kind       INTEGER  UNSIGNED NOT NULL,
+    event_created_at INTEGER  UNSIGNED NOT NULL,
+    event_content    TEXT     NOT NULL,
+    event_tags       JSONB,                     -- raw tags array, source of truth for trigger
+    event_signature  BYTEA    NOT NULL,
+    remote_address   TEXT,
+    expires_at       INTEGER,
+    deleted_at       TIMESTAMP,
+    event_deduplication JSONB,                 -- used for replaceable event conflict key
+    first_seen       TIMESTAMP DEFAULT now()
+);
+
+-- Indexes
+CREATE INDEX ON events (event_pubkey);
+CREATE INDEX ON events (event_kind);
+CREATE INDEX ON events (event_created_at);
+CREATE INDEX ON events (expires_at);
+CREATE INDEX event_tags_idx ON events USING GIN (event_tags);  -- GIN on raw JSONB
+
+-- Unique index enforcing NIP-16 replaceable event semantics
+CREATE UNIQUE INDEX replaceable_events_idx ON events (event_pubkey, event_kind)
+    WHERE event_kind = 0 OR event_kind = 3
+       OR (event_kind >= 10000 AND event_kind < 20000);
+```
+
+**`event_tags` table** — denormalized single-letter tags, populated by a PostgreSQL trigger on `events`:
+```sql
+CREATE TABLE event_tags (
+    id         UUID  PRIMARY KEY DEFAULT uuid_generate_v4(),
+    event_id   BYTEA NOT NULL,
+    tag_name   TEXT  NOT NULL,   -- single-letter only (e.g. 'e', 'p', 't')
+    tag_value  TEXT  NOT NULL
+);
+
+CREATE INDEX ON event_tags (event_id);
+CREATE INDEX ON event_tags (tag_name, tag_value);
+
+-- Trigger: on INSERT/UPDATE/DELETE to events, repopulate event_tags
+CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION process_event_tags() RETURNS TRIGGER AS $$
+DECLARE
+  tag_element jsonb;
+BEGIN
+  DELETE FROM event_tags WHERE event_id = OLD.event_id;
+  IF TG_OP = 'INSERT' OR TG_OP = 'UPDATE' THEN
+    FOR tag_element IN SELECT jsonb_array_elements(NEW.event_tags) LOOP
+      IF length(trim('"' FROM (tag_element->0)::text)) = 1
+         AND (tag_element->1)::text IS NOT NULL THEN
+        INSERT INTO event_tags (event_id, tag_name, tag_value)
+        VALUES (NEW.event_id,
+                trim('"' FROM (tag_element->0)::text),
+                trim('"' FROM (tag_element->1)::text));
+      END IF;
+    END LOOP;
+  END IF;
+  RETURN NEW;
+END;
+$$ LANGUAGE plpgsql;
+
+CREATE TRIGGER insert_event_tags
+AFTER INSERT OR UPDATE OR DELETE ON events
+FOR EACH ROW EXECUTE FUNCTION process_event_tags();
+```
+
+Tag queries (`#e`, `#p`, etc.) join `event_tags` rather than traversing the JSONB array.
+
+**`users` and `invoices` tables** — for paid relay admission (Lightning payments):
+```sql
+CREATE TABLE users (
+    pubkey          BYTEA    PRIMARY KEY,
+    is_admitted     BOOLEAN  DEFAULT FALSE,
+    balance         BIGINT   DEFAULT 0,      -- in msats
+    tos_accepted_at DATETIME
+);
+
+CREATE TABLE invoices (
+    id               UUID PRIMARY KEY DEFAULT uuid_generate_v4(),
+    pubkey           BYTEA NOT NULL,
+    bolt11           TEXT  NOT NULL,
+    amount_requested BIGINT UNSIGNED NOT NULL,
+    amount_paid      BIGINT UNSIGNED,
+    unit             ENUM('msats','sats','btc'),
+    status           ENUM('pending','completed','expired'),
+    description      TEXT,
+    confirmed_at     DATETIME,
+    expires_at       DATETIME
+);
+```
+
+### How Redis Is Used
+
+Redis is **not** used for subscription fan-out. Subscription delivery is handled entirely in-process: each `WebSocketAdapter` holds a `Map<subscriptionId, filters[]>`, and a broadcast event walks all connected clients and filters locally.
+
+Redis has two actual roles:
+
+1. **Sliding-window rate limiting** — The `SlidingWindowRateLimiter` uses Redis sorted sets to track request timestamps per key (pubkey, IP, etc.) within a rolling time window:
+   - `ZREMRANGEBYSCORE key 0 (now - period)` — evict old entries
+   - `ZADD key timestamp member` — record this hit
+   - `ZRANGE key 0 -1` — count hits in window
+   - `EXPIRE key period` — auto-cleanup
+   - Keys follow the pattern `<pubkey>:events:<period>` or `<ip>:message:<period>`
+
+2. **General-purpose cache** — A `RedisAdapter` wraps the client with `get`/`set`/`hasKey` helpers, used for caching admission checks (e.g. `<pubkey>:is-admitted`). The event handler has a `TODO` comment noting that the `userRepository.findByPubkey()` call should be replaced with a cache lookup — meaning this is partially implemented.
+
+---
+
+## Schema Definitions
+
+### Relay-rs (Postgres)
+```sql
+-- Events table
+CREATE TABLE "event" (
+	id bytea NOT NULL,
+	pub_key bytea NOT NULL,
+	created_at timestamp with time zone NOT NULL,
+	kind integer NOT NULL,
+	"content" bytea NOT NULL,
+	hidden bit(1) NOT NULL DEFAULT 0::bit(1),
+	delegated_by bytea NULL,
+	first_seen timestamp with time zone NOT NULL DEFAULT now(),
+	expires_at timestamp(0) with time zone,
+	CONSTRAINT event_pkey PRIMARY KEY (id)
+);
+CREATE INDEX event_created_at_idx ON "event" (created_at,kind);
+CREATE INDEX event_pub_key_idx ON "event" (pub_key);
+CREATE INDEX event_delegated_by_idx ON "event" (delegated_by);
+CREATE INDEX event_expires_at_idx ON "event" (expires_at);
+
+-- Tags table
+CREATE TABLE "tag" (
+	id int8 NOT NULL GENERATED BY DEFAULT AS IDENTITY,
+	event_id bytea NOT NULL,
+	"name" varchar NOT NULL,
+	value bytea NULL,
+	value_hex bytea NULL,
+	CONSTRAINT tag_fk FOREIGN KEY (event_id) REFERENCES "event"(id) ON DELETE CASCADE,
+	CONSTRAINT unique_constraint_name UNIQUE (event_id, "name", value, value_hex)
+);
+CREATE INDEX tag_event_id_idx ON tag USING btree (event_id, name);
+CREATE INDEX tag_value_idx ON tag USING btree (value);
+CREATE INDEX tag_value_hex_idx ON tag USING btree (value_hex);
+
+-- Account table
+CREATE TABLE "account" (
+    pubkey varchar NOT NULL,
+    is_admitted BOOLEAN NOT NULL DEFAULT FALSE,
+    balance BIGINT NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
+    tos_accepted_at TIMESTAMP,
+    CONSTRAINT account_pkey PRIMARY KEY (pubkey)
+);
+
+-- Invoice table
+CREATE TYPE status AS ENUM ('Paid', 'Unpaid', 'Expired');
+CREATE TABLE "invoice" (
+    payment_hash varchar NOT NULL,
+    pubkey varchar NOT NULL,
+    invoice varchar NOT NULL,
+    amount BIGINT NOT NULL,
+    status status NOT NULL DEFAULT 'Unpaid',
+    description varchar,
+    created_at timestamp,
+    confirmed_at timestamp,
+    CONSTRAINT invoice_payment_hash PRIMARY KEY (payment_hash),
+    CONSTRAINT invoice_pubkey_fkey FOREIGN KEY (pubkey) REFERENCES account (pubkey) ON DELETE CASCADE
+);
+```
+
+### Nostr-Relay-NestJS (PostgreSQL via Kysely)
+```sql
+-- Events table
+CREATE TABLE events (
+    id            CHAR(64) PRIMARY KEY,
+    pubkey        CHAR(64) NOT NULL,
+    created_at    BIGINT   NOT NULL,
+    kind          INTEGER  NOT NULL,
+    tags          JSONB    NOT NULL DEFAULT '[]',
+    generic_tags  TEXT[]   NOT NULL DEFAULT '{}',
+    content       TEXT     NOT NULL DEFAULT '',
+    sig           CHAR(128) NOT NULL,
+    expired_at    BIGINT,
+    d_tag_value   TEXT,
+    delegator     CHAR(64),
+    create_date   TIMESTAMP NOT NULL DEFAULT now(),
+    update_date   TIMESTAMP NOT NULL DEFAULT now(),
+    delete_date   TIMESTAMP
+);
+
+-- Indices
+CREATE EXTENSION IF NOT EXISTS btree_gin;
+CREATE INDEX generic_tags_kind_idx ON events USING gin (generic_tags, kind);
+CREATE INDEX pubkey_kind_created_at_idx ON events (pubkey, kind, created_at);
+CREATE INDEX delegator_kind_created_at_idx ON events (delegator, kind, created_at);
+CREATE INDEX created_at_kind_idx ON events (created_at, kind);
+
+-- Generic tags table (for optimized tag queries)
+CREATE TABLE generic_tags (
+    id         SERIAL PRIMARY KEY,
+    tag        TEXT    NOT NULL,
+    author     CHAR(64) NOT NULL,
+    kind       INTEGER  NOT NULL,
+    event_id   CHAR(64) NOT NULL REFERENCES events(id),
+    created_at BIGINT   NOT NULL
+);
+
+-- Indices for tag filtering
+CREATE UNIQUE INDEX g_tag_event_id_idx ON generic_tags (tag, event_id);
+CREATE INDEX g_tag_kind_created_at_idx ON generic_tags (tag, kind, created_at);
+CREATE INDEX g_tag_created_at_idx ON generic_tags (tag, created_at);
+```
+Nostr-Relay-NestJS features a hybrid storage model where tags are stored both in a JSONB field (for general lookup) and a normalized `generic_tags` table (for optimized tag query performance). The schema uses Kysely for type-safe interaction.
+
@@ -0,0 +1,342 @@
+# Database Query Performance Analysis Report
+
+**Analysis Date:** 2026-02-02  
+**Log Duration:** ~6 minutes (15:24:50 - 15:30:58)  
+**Total Queries:** 366 queries  
+**Data Source:** serverlog.txt
+
+---
+
+## Executive Summary
+
+The relay is experiencing moderate performance issues with an average query time of **10.4ms** and a maximum query time of **672ms**. The primary bottlenecks are:
+
+1. **Tag-based searches using `json_each()`** - 53% of all queries (194/366)
+2. **Monitoring system queries** - Taking 540-550ms each
+3. **Multiple pubkey lookups** - Kind 10002 queries with 15-50 pubkeys
+
+---
+
+## Query Performance Metrics
+
+### Overall Statistics
+- **Total Queries:** 366
+- **Average Query Time:** 10,440 μs (10.4 ms)
+- **Minimum Query Time:** 14 μs
+- **Maximum Query Time:** 672,846 μs (672.8 ms)
+- **Slow Queries (>10ms):** 8 queries (2.2%)
+
+### Query Type Breakdown
+| Type | Count | Percentage |
+|------|-------|------------|
+| REQ | 359 | 98.1% |
+| MONITOR | 7 | 1.9% |
+
+---
+
+## Critical Performance Issues
+
+### 1. **SLOWEST QUERY: 672ms Tag Search (IP: 192.42.116.178)**
+
+```sql
+SELECT id, pubkey, created_at, kind, content, sig, tags 
+FROM events 
+WHERE 1=1 
+  AND (kind < 20000 OR kind >= 30000) 
+  AND kind IN (5,6300,7000,2004,1622) 
+  AND EXISTS (
+    SELECT 1 FROM json_each(json(tags)) 
+    WHERE json_extract(value, '$[0]') = ? 
+      AND json_extract(value, '$[1]') IN (?)
+  ) 
+ORDER BY created_at DESC 
+LIMIT 100
+```
+
+**Problem:** Full table scan with JSON parsing for every row  
+**Impact:** 672ms for 0 results (wasted computation)  
+**Root Cause:** No index on tag values, requires scanning all events
+
+---
+
+### 2. **Monitoring System Queries: 540-550ms Each**
+
+```sql
+SELECT * FROM active_subscriptions_log 
+ORDER BY created_at DESC
+```
+
+**Occurrences:** 4 queries in 6 minutes  
+**Average Time:** 545ms  
+**Rows Returned:** 20-52 rows  
+**Problem:** Extremely slow for small result sets  
+**Root Cause:** Likely missing index on `created_at` column
+
+---
+
+### 3. **Tag-Based Searches (json_each) - 53% of All Queries**
+
+- **Total:** 194 queries (53% of all queries)
+- **Pattern:** `EXISTS (SELECT 1 FROM json_each(json(tags)) WHERE ...)`
+- **Most Common:** Kind 1984 (105 queries), Kind 1111 (47 queries)
+- **Problem:** Every tag search requires full JSON parsing
+
+**Example Pattern:**
+```sql
+WHERE kind IN (1984) 
+  AND pubkey IN (?) 
+  AND EXISTS (
+    SELECT 1 FROM json_each(json(tags)) 
+    WHERE json_extract(value, '$[0]') = ? 
+      AND json_extract(value, '$[1]') IN (?,?,?,?,?,?,?,?,?,?,?)
+  )
+```
+
+---
+
+### 4. **Multiple Pubkey Lookups (Kind 10002)**
+
+- **Total:** 64 queries for kind 10002
+- **Average Time:** 2,500-3,300 μs (2.5-3.3ms)
+- **Pattern:** Queries with 15-50 pubkeys in `IN` clause
+- **Problem:** Large `IN` clauses without proper indexing
+
+**Example:**
+```sql
+WHERE kind IN (10002) 
+  AND pubkey IN (?,?,?,?,?,?,?,?,?,?,?,?,?,?,?,?,?,?,?,?,?,?,?,?,?,?,?,?,?,?,?,?)
+```
+
+---
+
+## Client Activity Analysis
+
+### Top Query Sources (by IP)
+| IP Address | Query Count | Percentage | Notes |
+|------------|-------------|------------|-------|
+| 45.84.107.222 | 101 | 27.6% | **Highest activity** |
+| 23.234.109.54 | 69 | 18.9% | Second highest |
+| 185.220.101.38 | 56 | 15.3% | Third highest |
+| 192.42.116.178 | 51 | 13.9% | **Source of 672ms query** |
+| 149.22.80.85 | 34 | 9.3% | |
+| 174.138.53.241 | 24 | 6.6% | |
+| Others | 31 | 8.5% | 6 other IPs |
+
+**Observation:** Top 3 IPs account for 61.8% of all queries
+
+---
+
+## Most Common Query Patterns
+
+| Kind Filter | Query Count | Percentage |
+|-------------|-------------|------------|
+| kind IN (1984) | 105 | 28.7% |
+| kind IN (10002) | 64 | 17.5% |
+| kind IN (1111) | 47 | 12.8% |
+| kind IN (0,2,3,10002) | 24 | 6.6% |
+| kind IN (9735) | 23 | 6.3% |
+| kind IN (0,30315,10002,10050) | 20 | 5.5% |
+| Others | 83 | 22.7% |
+
+---
+
+## Optimization Recommendations
+
+### Priority 1: Critical (Immediate Action Required)
+
+#### 1.1 Add Index on `active_subscriptions_log.created_at`
+**Impact:** Will reduce monitoring queries from 540ms to <10ms  
+**Effort:** Low  
+**SQL:**
+```sql
+CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_active_subscriptions_created_at 
+ON active_subscriptions_log(created_at DESC);
+```
+
+#### 1.2 Implement Tag Indexing System
+**Impact:** Will reduce tag searches from 100-600ms to <10ms  
+**Effort:** High  
+**Options:**
+- **Option A:** Create separate `event_tags` table with indexes
+  ```sql
+  CREATE TABLE event_tags (
+    event_id TEXT NOT NULL,
+    tag_name TEXT NOT NULL,
+    tag_value TEXT NOT NULL,
+    FOREIGN KEY (event_id) REFERENCES events(id)
+  );
+  CREATE INDEX idx_event_tags_lookup ON event_tags(tag_name, tag_value);
+  ```
+- **Option B:** Use SQLite JSON1 extension with generated columns (if available)
+- **Option C:** Implement application-level tag caching
+
+**Recommended:** Option A (most reliable and performant)
+
+---
+
+### Priority 2: High (Implement Within Week)
+
+#### 2.1 Optimize Multiple Pubkey Queries
+**Current:** `pubkey IN (?,?,?,?,?,?,?,?,?,?,?,?,?,?,?,?)`  
+**Problem:** Large IN clauses are inefficient  
+**Solution:** 
+- Add composite index: `CREATE INDEX idx_events_kind_pubkey ON events(kind, pubkey, created_at DESC);`
+- Consider query rewriting for >10 pubkeys
+
+#### 2.2 Add Query Result Caching
+**Target Queries:**
+- Kind 0 (profile) lookups - frequently repeated
+- Kind 10002 (relay lists) - relatively static
+- Kind 1984 (reports) - can be cached for 30-60 seconds
+
+**Implementation:**
+- Use in-memory LRU cache (e.g., 1000 entries)
+- Cache key: hash of SQL + parameters
+- TTL: 30-60 seconds for most queries
+
+---
+
+### Priority 3: Medium (Optimize Over Time)
+
+#### 3.1 Disable or Throttle Monitoring Queries
+**Current:** Monitoring queries run every ~60 seconds  
+**Impact:** Each query takes 540ms  
+**Options:**
+- Increase throttle to 300 seconds (5 minutes)
+- Disable monitoring entirely if not actively used
+- Optimize `active_subscriptions_log` table structure
+
+#### 3.2 Implement Query Complexity Limits
+**Problem:** Some queries scan entire table (e.g., 672ms query returned 0 results)  
+**Solution:**
+- Reject queries without time bounds (require `since` or `until`)
+- Limit number of kinds in single query (max 10)
+- Limit number of pubkeys in single query (max 20)
+
+#### 3.3 Add Composite Indexes for Common Patterns
+```sql
+-- For kind + created_at queries (most common pattern)
+CREATE INDEX idx_events_kind_created ON events(kind, created_at DESC);
+
+-- For kind + pubkey + created_at queries
+CREATE INDEX idx_events_kind_pubkey_created ON events(kind, pubkey, created_at DESC);
+```
+
+---
+
+## Database Schema Recommendations
+
+### Current Issues
+1. **No tag indexing** - Forces full table scans with JSON parsing
+2. **Missing created_at indexes** - Monitoring queries are extremely slow
+3. **No composite indexes** - Multi-condition queries inefficient
+
+### Recommended Schema Changes
+
+```sql
+-- 1. Add tag indexing table
+CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS event_tags (
+    event_id TEXT NOT NULL,
+    tag_name TEXT NOT NULL,
+    tag_value TEXT NOT NULL,
+    FOREIGN KEY (event_id) REFERENCES events(id) ON DELETE CASCADE
+);
+
+CREATE INDEX idx_event_tags_lookup ON event_tags(tag_name, tag_value);
+CREATE INDEX idx_event_tags_event_id ON event_tags(event_id);
+
+-- 2. Add monitoring table index
+CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_active_subscriptions_created_at 
+ON active_subscriptions_log(created_at DESC);
+
+-- 3. Add composite indexes for common query patterns
+CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_events_kind_created 
+ON events(kind, created_at DESC);
+
+CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_events_kind_pubkey_created 
+ON events(kind, pubkey, created_at DESC);
+
+-- 4. Add index for pubkey lookups
+CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_events_pubkey_created 
+ON events(pubkey, created_at DESC);
+```
+
+---
+
+## Expected Performance Improvements
+
+| Optimization | Current Avg | Expected Avg | Improvement |
+|--------------|-------------|--------------|-------------|
+| Tag searches (with event_tags table) | 100-600ms | 5-20ms | **95-97%** |
+| Monitoring queries (with index) | 540ms | 5-10ms | **98%** |
+| Multiple pubkey queries (with index) | 2.5-3.3ms | 0.5-1ms | **70-80%** |
+| Overall average query time | 10.4ms | 2-3ms | **70-80%** |
+
+---
+
+## Client Behavior Analysis
+
+### Potentially Abusive Patterns
+
+#### IP: 192.42.116.178 (51 queries)
+- **Issue:** Generated the slowest query (672ms)
+- **Pattern:** Complex tag searches with multiple kinds
+- **Recommendation:** Monitor for repeated expensive queries
+
+#### IP: 45.84.107.222 (101 queries - 27.6% of total)
+- **Issue:** Highest query volume
+- **Pattern:** Mix of kind 10002, 1984, and various other kinds
+- **Recommendation:** Acceptable if queries are efficient; monitor for abuse
+
+### Normal Behavior
+- Most queries are <1ms (fast)
+- Majority return 0-10 rows (reasonable)
+- Query patterns match typical Nostr client behavior
+
+---
+
+## Action Plan
+
+### Immediate (Today)
+1. ✅ Add index on `active_subscriptions_log.created_at`
+2. ✅ Increase monitoring throttle from 60s to 300s (or disable)
+3. ✅ Monitor IP 192.42.116.178 for repeated expensive queries
+
+### This Week
+1. ⏳ Design and implement `event_tags` table
+2. ⏳ Add composite indexes for common query patterns
+3. ⏳ Implement query complexity limits (require time bounds)
+
+### This Month
+1. ⏳ Implement query result caching (LRU cache)
+2. ⏳ Add query cost estimation and rejection
+3. ⏳ Optimize subscription matching algorithm
+
+---
+
+## Monitoring Recommendations
+
+### Key Metrics to Track
+1. **Average query time** - Target: <5ms
+2. **P95 query time** - Target: <50ms
+3. **P99 query time** - Target: <100ms
+4. **Queries >100ms** - Target: <1% of queries
+5. **Tag search percentage** - Target: <30% after optimization
+
+### Alert Thresholds
+- **Critical:** Average query time >20ms for 5 minutes
+- **Warning:** Any single query >1000ms (1 second)
+- **Info:** Client making >100 queries/minute
+
+---
+
+## Conclusion
+
+The relay is experiencing performance issues primarily due to:
+1. **Lack of tag indexing** (53% of queries affected)
+2. **Missing indexes on monitoring tables** (540ms queries)
+3. **Inefficient multiple pubkey lookups**
+
+Implementing the recommended optimizations will reduce average query time from **10.4ms to 2-3ms** (70-80% improvement) and eliminate the 500-600ms slow queries entirely.
+
+**Priority:** Implement tag indexing system and add missing indexes within 1 week to prevent performance degradation as database grows.
@@ -0,0 +1,204 @@
+# Remaining Implementation Plan — Zero SQLite on Main Thread + PG Fork Readiness
+
+## Overview
+
+This plan covers all remaining work to achieve two goals:
+1. **Zero direct SQLite calls on lws-main** during the event loop
+2. **Clean `db_ops` abstraction boundary** so the PG fork has no raw `sqlite3_*` calls outside `db_ops.c`
+
+## Current State
+
+### Completed (Fixes 1-5, 7 + Phases 1-3, 5)
+- Global config cache with 5s TTL
+- Dedup check moved to event worker
+- Async COUNT queries via thread pool
+- WoT auth rules cached per-session
+- Special-kind EVENT store through async worker
+- Subscription logging via fire-and-forget write queue
+- IP ban periodic save via write queue
+- g_db nulled before event loop
+
+### Remaining
+- Fix 6: Reduce reader threads (trivial)
+- Fix 8: Move periodic tasks off main thread (partial — IP ban save done, monitoring/status not)
+- Fix 9: Cache NIP-11 response
+- Sync `store_event()` calls from admin/DM/NIP-09 paths
+- Raw `sqlite3_*` calls in `thread_pool.c` and `websockets.c`
+- COUNT query path in `websockets.c` still uses `json_each()` instead of `event_tags`
+
+---
+
+## Phase A: Move Remaining Periodic Tasks Off Main Thread
+
+**Goal:** Eliminate the last regular SQLite calls from the lws-main event loop timer.
+
+### A1: Move `generate_and_post_status_event()` to write worker
+
+Currently called synchronously from the main event loop at `websockets.c:3455`.
+
+**Changes:**
+- Add `THREAD_POOL_JOB_STATUS_POST` to `thread_pool.h` job type enum
+- Add executor in `thread_pool.c` that calls `generate_and_post_status_event()`
+- In `websockets.c` main loop, replace direct call with `thread_pool_submit_write()` job
+- The write worker has a DB connection, so `generate_stats_json()` → `store_event()` → `broadcast_event_to_subscriptions()` all work naturally
+- Note: `broadcast_event_to_subscriptions()` is thread-safe (uses its own mutex)
+
+**Files:** `thread_pool.h`, `thread_pool.c`, `websockets.c`
+
+### A2: Move monitoring queries to read/write worker
+
+`monitoring_on_event_stored()` and `monitoring_on_subscription_change()` in `api.c` call `generate_event_driven_monitoring()` / `generate_subscription_driven_monitoring()` which do DB queries and then broadcast ephemeral events.
+
+**Changes:**
+- Add `THREAD_POOL_JOB_MONITORING` job type
+- Submit monitoring generation as a read job (it mostly does SELECTs)
+- The completion broadcasts the ephemeral event via `lws_cancel_service()` + completion queue
+- Alternative simpler approach: since these are throttled (default 5s) and only fire when kind 24567 subscribers exist, they could run on the write worker as fire-and-forget
+
+**Files:** `thread_pool.h`, `thread_pool.c`, `api.c`, `websockets.c`
+
+### A3: Move `ip_ban_cleanup()` and `ip_ban_log_stats()` to write worker
+
+Currently called from the 60-second periodic timer at `websockets.c:3479-3480`.
+
+**Changes:**
+- Add `THREAD_POOL_JOB_IP_BAN_CLEANUP` job type (or reuse a generic callback job)
+- Submit as fire-and-forget write job from the periodic timer
+- `ip_ban_cleanup()` does in-memory cleanup + optional DB writes
+- `ip_ban_log_stats()` is purely logging, no DB
+
+**Files:** `thread_pool.h`, `thread_pool.c`, `ip_ban.c`, `websockets.c`
+
+---
+
+## Phase B: Route Remaining Sync `store_event()` Calls Through Async Worker
+
+**Goal:** Eliminate all synchronous `store_event()` calls from lws-main context.
+
+### Current sync `store_event()` call sites on main thread
+
+| Call site | File | Context | Frequency |
+|-----------|------|---------|-----------|
+| Kind 1059 gift wrap store | `websockets.c:1795,1803,1819` | NIP-17 DM processing | Low |
+| Kind 14 DM store | `websockets.c:1843` | NIP-17 DM processing | Low |
+| Regular event fallback | `websockets.c:1862,1876` | Non-async-eligible events | Low |
+| Kind 1059 (auth path) | `websockets.c:2594,2602,2618` | NIP-42 auth + DM | Low |
+| Kind 14 (auth path) | `websockets.c:2642` | NIP-42 auth + DM | Low |
+| Regular (auth path) | `websockets.c:2661,2675` | NIP-42 auth fallback | Low |
+| Admin response store | `config.c:2585` | Admin API response | Very low |
+| DM admin gift wrap | `dm_admin.c:389` | Admin DM response | Very low |
+| NIP-09 deletion store | `nip009.c:135` | Deletion events | Low |
+| Status event store | `api.c:595` | Periodic status post | Very low (handled by Phase A1) |
+| Admin response event | `api.c:908` | Admin API | Very low |
+| DM chat response | `api.c:1377` | Admin DM chat | Very low |
+| Relay-generated event | `api.c:2350` | Relay metadata | Very low |
+| DM stats response | `websockets.c:3648` | DM stats command | Very low |
+
+### Strategy
+
+Rather than converting each call site individually, create a **synchronous-to-async bridge**:
+
+**Changes:**
+- Create `store_event_async(cJSON* event, store_event_callback_t cb, void* ctx)` that submits the event to the write worker
+- For call sites that need the result (e.g., to broadcast after store), use a completion callback
+- For fire-and-forget sites (admin responses, DM responses), use NULL callback
+- The existing `store_event()` wrapper becomes: submit to write worker + block on completion (for backward compat during transition)
+- Eventually, all callers migrate to the async version
+
+**Alternative simpler approach:** Since these are all low-frequency paths, and the write worker already has a DB connection, we can submit them as generic write jobs with a callback that does the store + broadcast. The main thread just needs to hand off the event JSON.
+
+**Files:** `main.c`, `websockets.c`, `api.c`, `config.c`, `dm_admin.c`, `nip009.c`, `thread_pool.h`, `thread_pool.c`
+
+---
+
+## Phase C: `db_ops` Abstraction Cleanup for PG Fork
+
+**Goal:** Ensure all raw `sqlite3_*` calls are inside `db_ops.c` only. External code uses only `db_ops.h` functions.
+
+### C1: Add `db_open_worker_connection()` / `db_close_worker_connection()` to `db_ops.h`
+
+Currently, `thread_pool.c:208` and `websockets.c:537` call `sqlite3_open_v2()` directly.
+
+**Changes:**
+- Add to `db_ops.h`:
+  ```c
+  void* db_open_worker_connection(void);    // Returns opaque connection handle
+  void db_close_worker_connection(void* conn);
+  ```
+- Implementation in `db_ops.c`: opens a new SQLite connection with WAL + busy timeout
+- `thread_pool.c` worker init calls `db_open_worker_connection()` instead of raw `sqlite3_open_v2()`
+- `websockets.c` event-worker calls `db_open_worker_connection()` instead of raw `sqlite3_open_v2()`
+- Remove `#include <sqlite3.h>` from `thread_pool.c` and `websockets.c`
+
+**Files:** `db_ops.h`, `db_ops.c`, `thread_pool.c`, `websockets.c`
+
+### C2: Audit and remove remaining `sqlite3` includes outside `db_ops.c`
+
+After C1, grep for any remaining `sqlite3` references outside `db_ops.c` and eliminate them.
+
+**Files:** All `.c` files
+
+### C3: Unify COUNT query tag path
+
+The COUNT query builder in `websockets.c:3849` still uses `json_each(json(tags))` while the REQ query builder in `main.c:1604` uses the indexed `event_tags` table. Unify to use `event_tags` for consistency.
+
+**Files:** `websockets.c`
+
+---
+
+## Phase D: Quick Wins
+
+### D1: Fix 6 — Reduce reader threads from 4 to 1
+
+Change default in `thread_pool_init()` or make configurable. With all reads going through the pool, a single reader is sufficient unless profiling shows otherwise.
+
+**Files:** `thread_pool.c` or config default
+
+### D2: Fix 9 — Cache NIP-11 response
+
+Cache the serialized NIP-11 JSON string with a 60-second TTL. Invalidate on admin config change.
+
+**Files:** `nip011.c`
+
+---
+
+## Implementation Order
+
+| # | Task | Risk | Dependencies |
+|---|------|------|-------------|
+| 1 | A3: ip_ban_cleanup to write worker | Very Low | None |
+| 2 | A1: status post to write worker | Low | None |
+| 3 | A2: monitoring to worker | Low | None |
+| 4 | D1: reduce reader threads to 1 | Very Low | None |
+| 5 | D2: cache NIP-11 response | Very Low | None |
+| 6 | C1: db_open/close_worker_connection | Low | None |
+| 7 | C3: unify COUNT tag query path | Low | None |
+| 8 | C2: audit/remove sqlite3 includes | Very Low | C1 |
+| 9 | B: route sync store_event through async | Medium | A1 (status post already handled) |
+
+## Expected Outcome
+
+After all phases:
+- **lws-main has zero SQLite calls** during the event loop
+- **All `sqlite3_*` calls are inside `db_ops.c`** — clean abstraction boundary
+- **PG fork can replace `db_ops.c`** without touching any other file
+- Thread model is fully realized:
+  - `lws-main` = WebSocket I/O + JSON parse + subscription match + completion drain
+  - `event-worker` = signature verify + dedup + store submission
+  - `db-read` = REQ queries + COUNT queries + monitoring reads
+  - `db-write` = event INSERTs + subscription logging + periodic tasks + admin writes
+
+```mermaid
+flowchart LR
+    CLIENT[Nostr Clients] --> LWS[lws-main<br/>Zero SQLite<br/>WS I/O + JSON + Sub Match]
+    
+    LWS -->|EVENT| EW[event-worker<br/>Verify + Dedup]
+    EW -->|store job| DW[db-write<br/>INSERT events<br/>Sub logging<br/>Periodic tasks<br/>Admin writes]
+    EW -->|completion| LWS
+    DW -->|completion| LWS
+    
+    LWS -->|REQ/COUNT| DR[db-read<br/>SELECT queries<br/>Monitoring reads]
+    DR -->|completion| LWS
+    
+    LWS -->|OK/EVENT/EOSE/COUNT| CLIENT
+```
@@ -0,0 +1,379 @@
+# Plan: Remove All SQLite from lws-main Thread
+
+## Problem Statement
+
+After implementing the 4 offload fixes (v2.1.4), `lws-main` still consumes **53.87% avg CPU** (down from 68.71%). Perf profiling shows **100% of the top symbols are SQLite** — B-tree traversal, page cache, VFS reads. The worker threads (`db-read`, `db-write`, `event-worker`) are nearly idle at 0.0–0.1%.
+
+The goal is to eliminate all synchronous SQLite access from `lws-main` so it only does: JSON parsing, WebSocket I/O, subscription matching (in-memory), and message queuing.
+
+## Thread Architecture Change
+
+Reduce from 7 threads to 4:
+
+```
+Current:  lws-main, db-read-1, db-read-2, db-read-3, db-read-4, db-write, event-worker
+Proposed: lws-main, db-read, db-write, event-worker
+```
+
+The 4 reader threads are overkill — they average 0.07–0.10% CPU each. A single `db-read` thread is sufficient for the current workload. This can be made configurable later if needed.
+
+## Remaining SQLite Calls on lws-main
+
+Every synchronous SQLite call that currently runs on `lws-main`:
+
+### Hot Path — Per-Event (every incoming EVENT message)
+
+| Call | Location | Frequency | Cost |
+|------|----------|-----------|------|
+| `event_id_exists_in_db()` | websockets.c:1324, 2134 | Every EVENT | ~10-50us per B-tree lookup |
+| `get_config_value("relay_pubkey")` | websockets.c:2050 | Every kind-14 EVENT | SQLite SELECT |
+| `get_config_value("admin_pubkey")` | websockets.c:2073 | Every kind-23456 EVENT | SQLite SELECT |
+
+### Hot Path — Per-Connection (every new WebSocket connection)
+
+| Call | Location | Frequency | Cost |
+|------|----------|-----------|------|
+| `get_config_bool("trust_proxy_headers")` | websockets.c:1071 | Every connection | SQLite SELECT |
+| `get_config_bool("nip42_auth_required_events")` | websockets.c:1134 | Every connection | SQLite SELECT |
+| `get_config_bool("nip42_auth_required_subscriptions")` | websockets.c:1135 | Every connection | SQLite SELECT |
+
+### Hot Path — Per-REQ (every subscription request)
+
+| Call | Location | Frequency | Cost |
+|------|----------|-----------|------|
+| `get_config_bool("expiration_enabled")` | main.c:1424 | Every REQ | SQLite SELECT |
+| `get_config_bool("expiration_filter")` | main.c:1425 | Every REQ | SQLite SELECT |
+| `check_database_auth_rules()` | websockets.c:1706 | Every REQ when WoT enabled | SQLite SELECT |
+
+### Medium Path — Per-COUNT (NIP-45)
+
+| Call | Location | Frequency | Cost |
+|------|----------|-----------|------|
+| `thread_pool_execute_count_sync()` | websockets.c:3689 | Every COUNT message | Blocks main thread waiting for db-read |
+
+### Low Path — Periodic (every 60s or on timer)
+
+| Call | Location | Frequency | Cost |
+|------|----------|-----------|------|
+| `refresh_hot_config_if_needed()` | websockets.c:228-247 | Every 5s | 8 SQLite SELECTs |
+| `generate_and_post_status_event()` | websockets.c:3213 | Every N hours | store_event + broadcast |
+| `ip_ban_cleanup/log_stats` | websockets.c:3004-3005 | Every 60s | SQLite reads/writes |
+
+### Per-EVENT — Validator Path (called from event-worker AND sync path)
+
+| Call | Location | Frequency | Cost |
+|------|----------|-----------|------|
+| `get_config_value("admin_pubkey")` | request_validator.c:308 | Every kind-23456 EVENT | SQLite SELECT |
+| `get_config_value("nip42_auth_enabled")` | request_validator.c:326 | Every EVENT | SQLite SELECT |
+| `get_config_bool("pow_enabled")` | request_validator.c:370 | Every EVENT | SQLite SELECT |
+| `get_config_int("pow_min_difficulty")` | request_validator.c:371 | Every EVENT | SQLite SELECT |
+| `get_config_int("pow_validation_flags")` | request_validator.c:372 | Every EVENT | SQLite SELECT |
+| `get_config_int("nip40_expiration_grace_period")` | request_validator.c:432 | Every EVENT with expiration | SQLite SELECT |
+| `get_config_value("auth_enabled")` | request_validator.c:212 | Every EVENT (reload_auth_config) | SQLite SELECT |
+| `get_config_value("auth_rules_enabled")` | request_validator.c:220 | Every EVENT (reload_auth_config) | SQLite SELECT |
+| `db_count_active_whitelist_rules()` | request_validator.c:536 | Every 5s (cached) | Opens separate SQLite connection |
+
+**Note:** These run on the **event-worker** thread for async-eligible events, but on **lws-main** for special kinds (14, 1059, 23456) that go through the sync validation path. They also run on lws-main for the `nostr_validate_unified_request()` call in the sync fallback.
+
+### Per-EVENT — NIP-13 PoW Validation
+
+| Call | Location | Frequency | Cost |
+|------|----------|-----------|------|
+| `get_config_bool("pow_enabled")` | nip013.c:27 | Every EVENT | SQLite SELECT |
+| `get_config_int("pow_min_difficulty")` | nip013.c:28 | Every EVENT | SQLite SELECT |
+| `get_config_value("pow_mode")` | nip013.c:29 | Every EVENT | SQLite SELECT |
+
+### Per-Broadcast — NIP-40 Expiration Check
+
+| Call | Location | Frequency | Cost |
+|------|----------|-----------|------|
+| `get_config_bool("expiration_enabled")` | subscriptions.c:764 | Every broadcast | SQLite SELECT |
+| `get_config_bool("expiration_filter")` | subscriptions.c:765 | Every broadcast | SQLite SELECT |
+
+### Per-NIP-11 Request (HTTP, not WebSocket)
+
+| Call | Location | Frequency | Cost |
+|------|----------|-----------|------|
+| 15+ `get_config_value()` calls | nip011.c:96-110 | Every NIP-11 HTTP request | 15 SQLite SELECTs |
+| 10+ `get_config_int()`/`get_config_bool()` calls | nip011.c:113-123 | Every NIP-11 HTTP request | 10 SQLite SELECTs |
+
+### Per-NIP-42 Auth Event
+
+| Call | Location | Frequency | Cost |
+|------|----------|-----------|------|
+| `get_config_value("relay_url")` | nip042.c:99 | Every AUTH event | SQLite SELECT |
+| `get_config_int("relay_port")` | nip042.c:103 | Every AUTH event (fallback) | SQLite SELECT |
+
+### Per-NIP-40 Expiration Check (EVENT submission)
+
+| Call | Location | Frequency | Cost |
+|------|----------|-----------|------|
+| 5 `get_config_bool()`/`get_config_int()` calls | nip040.c:37-41 | Every EVENT with expiration tag | 5 SQLite SELECTs |
+
+### Subscription Lifecycle (per sub create/close/disconnect)
+
+| Call | Location | Frequency | Cost |
+|------|----------|-----------|------|
+| `db_log_subscription_created()` | subscriptions.c:1043 | Every REQ | SQLite INSERT |
+| `db_log_subscription_closed()` | subscriptions.c:1053 | Every CLOSE | SQLite INSERT + UPDATE |
+| `db_log_subscription_disconnected()` | subscriptions.c:1060 | Every disconnect | SQLite UPDATE + INSERT |
+| `db_update_subscription_events_sent()` | subscriptions.c:1088 | Every broadcast match | SQLite UPDATE |
+| `db_cleanup_orphaned_subscriptions()` | subscriptions.c:1100 | Startup only | SQLite DELETE |
+
+### IP Ban System (per-connection and periodic)
+
+| Call | Location | Frequency | Cost |
+|------|----------|-----------|------|
+| `get_config_value("idle_ban_whitelist")` | ip_ban.c:254 | Every ban check | SQLite SELECT |
+| `get_config_bool("auth_fail_ban_enabled")` | ip_ban.c:301, 343 | Every ban check + failure | SQLite SELECT |
+| `get_config_bool("idle_ban_enabled")` | ip_ban.c:307, 394 | Every ban check + idle failure | SQLite SELECT |
+| 6+ `get_config_int()` calls | ip_ban.c:345-399, 464-465 | Every failure recording | SQLite SELECTs |
+| `db_prepare()`/`db_step_stmt()` for ip_bans | ip_ban.c:141-238 | Load at startup + periodic save | SQLite reads/writes |
+
+### Special Kind Sync Path (kinds 14, 1059, 23456)
+
+| Call | Location | Frequency | Cost |
+|------|----------|-----------|------|
+| `store_event()` | websockets.c:1548-1629 | Every special-kind EVENT | Full sync store |
+| `process_admin_event_in_config()` | websockets.c:1468 | Every kind-23456 | Config DB writes |
+| `process_nip17_admin_message()` | websockets.c:1523 | Every kind-1059 when enabled | Decrypt + DB |
+| `process_dm_stats_command()` | websockets.c:3240 | Admin DM stats | Decrypt + query + encrypt |
+| `generate_stats_json()` | api.c:1167 (via dm_admin.c:805) | Admin stats command | Multiple SQLite queries |
+
+### DM Admin Path (called from lws-main for kind 1059/14)
+
+| Call | Location | Frequency | Cost |
+|------|----------|-----------|------|
+| `get_config_value("relay_pubkey")` | dm_admin.c:358, 451 | Every admin DM | SQLite SELECT |
+| `get_config_value("admin_pubkey")` | dm_admin.c:504 | Every admin DM | SQLite SELECT |
+| `get_config_int("nip59_timestamp_max_delay_sec")` | dm_admin.c:373 | Every admin DM | SQLite SELECT |
+| `get_config_int("wot_enabled")` | dm_admin.c:613, 640, 660 | WoT commands | SQLite SELECT |
+
+### API/Monitoring (called from lws-main periodic timer)
+
+| Call | Location | Frequency | Cost |
+|------|----------|-----------|------|
+| `generate_stats_json()` | api.c:1167 | Status post + admin stats | ~10 SQLite queries |
+| `query_time_based_statistics()` | api.c:102 | Monitoring events | SQLite queries |
+| `query_subscription_details()` | api.c:197 | Monitoring events | SQLite queries |
+| `get_config_value("relay_pubkey")` | api.c:419, 821, 1291 | Every monitoring event | SQLite SELECT |
+| `get_config_int("kind_1_status_posts_hours")` | api.c:547 | Status post check | SQLite SELECT |
+| `get_config_int("kind_24567_reporting_throttle_sec")` | api.c:60 | Monitoring throttle | SQLite SELECT |
+
+## Implementation Plan
+
+### Fix 1: Create Global Config Cache — Eliminate ALL get_config_* SQLite Calls
+
+**Impact: Very High** — eliminates 50+ distinct `get_config_value/int/bool` call sites across 8 source files
+
+The audit found `get_config_value/int/bool` calls in: `websockets.c`, `main.c`, `subscriptions.c`, `request_validator.c`, `nip011.c`, `nip013.c`, `nip040.c`, `nip042.c`, `ip_ban.c`, `dm_admin.c`, `api.c`, `config.c`. Every single one does a `SELECT value FROM config WHERE key=?` SQLite query.
+
+**Approach:** Replace `get_config_value_from_table()` with an in-memory hash map that is loaded once at startup and refreshed periodically (every 5s) or on admin config change events.
+
+**Changes:**
+
+1. **New: `config_cache` in config.c** — A simple hash map or fixed array of key-value pairs loaded from the config table:
+   ```c
+   typedef struct {
+       char key[64];
+       char value[512];
+   } config_cache_entry_t;
+   
+   static config_cache_entry_t g_config_cache[256];
+   static int g_config_cache_count = 0;
+   static time_t g_config_cache_last_refresh = 0;
+   static pthread_mutex_t g_config_cache_mutex;
+   #define CONFIG_CACHE_TTL_SEC 5
+   ```
+
+2. **Modify `get_config_value_from_table()`** — Instead of querying SQLite, look up in the in-memory cache. If cache is stale, refresh from SQLite (but only once per TTL period, not per call).
+
+3. **Add `config_cache_refresh()`** — Loads all rows from `SELECT key, value FROM config` into the hash map. Called:
+   - Once at startup after config table is populated
+   - Every 5 seconds from the existing `refresh_hot_config_if_needed()` timer
+   - Immediately after `process_admin_event_in_config()` modifies config
+
+4. **Thread safety:** The cache is read from lws-main and event-worker threads. Use a read-write lock or double-buffer pattern. Since config changes are rare, a simple mutex with short hold time is fine.
+
+5. **Remove the existing `hot_config_cache_t`** in websockets.c — it becomes redundant since the global config cache serves the same purpose with broader coverage.
+
+This single change eliminates SQLite calls from:
+- Per-connection: `trust_proxy_headers`, `nip42_auth_required_*` (websockets.c)
+- Per-REQ: `expiration_enabled`, `expiration_filter` (main.c)
+- Per-EVENT: `admin_pubkey`, `relay_pubkey`, `nip42_auth_enabled`, `pow_*` (request_validator.c, nip013.c)
+- Per-broadcast: `expiration_enabled`, `expiration_filter` (subscriptions.c)
+- Per-NIP-11: 25+ config values (nip011.c)
+- Per-NIP-42: `relay_url`, `relay_port` (nip042.c)
+- Per-NIP-40: 5 expiration config values (nip040.c)
+- Per-IP-ban: `idle_ban_*`, `auth_fail_*` config values (ip_ban.c)
+- Per-admin-DM: `relay_pubkey`, `admin_pubkey`, `wot_enabled` (dm_admin.c)
+- Per-monitoring: `relay_pubkey`, throttle values (api.c)
+
+### Fix 2: Move Duplicate Check to Event Worker Thread
+
+**Impact: High** — eliminates the most frequent per-EVENT SQLite call from lws-main
+
+Currently `event_id_exists_in_db()` runs on lws-main before async submission. Move it into the `async_event_worker_main()` function, which already has its own SQLite connection.
+
+**Changes:**
+- Remove `event_id_exists_in_db()` calls from both EVENT paths in websockets.c (lines 1324 and 2134)
+- Add the duplicate check at the start of `async_event_worker_main()` before `nostr_validate_unified_request()`
+- If duplicate found, set `completion->success = 1` and `completion->error_message = "duplicate: already have this event"` and skip crypto
+- The completion handler already sends OK responses, so this works seamlessly
+
+**Trade-off:** Without the early dedup check on lws-main, duplicate events will be submitted to the event worker queue and consume a queue slot + thread wakeup before being detected. This is acceptable because:
+- The worker thread dedup check is still fast (B-tree index lookup)
+- It avoids the much larger cost of running SQLite on lws-main for every event
+- Queue depth is 4096, so even under heavy duplicate traffic this won't overflow
+
+### Fix 3: Make COUNT Queries Async
+
+**Impact: Medium** — eliminates blocking wait on lws-main for NIP-45 COUNT
+
+Currently `handle_count_message()` calls `thread_pool_execute_count_sync()` which blocks lws-main waiting for the db-read worker. Convert to the same async pattern used for REQ queries.
+
+**Changes:**
+- Create `count_async_state_t` similar to `req_async_state_t`
+- Create `count_async_completion_t` with count result
+- Add `submit_count_query_async()` that uses `thread_pool_submit_read()` with a callback
+- The callback pushes to a count completion queue
+- Add `process_count_async_completions()` to drain the queue on lws-main and send COUNT responses
+- Call it from the main event loop alongside `process_req_async_completions()`
+
+### Fix 4: Cache Auth Rules Check Result
+
+**Impact: Low-Medium** — eliminates per-REQ SQLite when WoT is enabled
+
+`check_database_auth_rules()` at websockets.c:1706 runs a SQLite query for every REQ when `wot_enabled == 2`. Cache the result per-session.
+
+**Changes:**
+- Add `wot_checked` and `wot_allowed` fields to `per_session_data`
+- On first REQ, call `check_database_auth_rules()` and cache the result
+- On subsequent REQs from the same session, use the cached value
+- Reset cache when auth state changes (e.g., after NIP-42 AUTH)
+
+### Fix 5: Move Special-Kind EVENT Store to Event Worker
+
+**Impact: Low** — special kinds are rare but currently do full sync store on lws-main
+
+Kinds 14, 1059, and 23456 are currently excluded from async processing because they have special handling. However, the `store_event()` call within those paths still blocks lws-main.
+
+**Changes:**
+- For kind 1059 and kind 14: after special processing completes, submit the store to the event worker instead of calling `store_event()` synchronously
+- For kind 23456: admin events are not stored (processed by admin API), so no change needed
+- This requires the special processing (decryption, admin check) to still happen on lws-main (it needs `pss` context), but the final DB write goes async
+
+### Fix 6: Reduce Reader Threads from 4 to 1
+
+**Impact: Resource savings** — 3 fewer threads, 3 fewer SQLite connections
+
+**Changes:**
+- Change default `reader_threads` in `thread_pool_init()` from 4 to 1
+- Or make it configurable via config with default 1
+- The single `db-read` thread handles all REQ and COUNT queries sequentially
+- If future profiling shows the read thread becoming a bottleneck, increase back to 2+
+
+### Fix 7: Move Subscription Logging Off Main Thread
+
+**Impact: Medium** — eliminates per-REQ INSERT, per-CLOSE UPDATE, per-broadcast UPDATE
+
+The subscription lifecycle functions in subscriptions.c do synchronous SQLite writes on lws-main:
+- `db_log_subscription_created()` — INSERT on every REQ
+- `db_log_subscription_closed()` — INSERT + UPDATE on every CLOSE
+- `db_log_subscription_disconnected()` — UPDATE + INSERT on every disconnect
+- `db_update_subscription_events_sent()` — UPDATE on every broadcast match
+
+**Changes:**
+- Submit these as fire-and-forget write jobs to the db-write thread via `thread_pool_submit_write()`
+- Create a new job type `THREAD_POOL_JOB_SUBSCRIPTION_LOG` or simply use a generic callback job
+- The main thread doesn't need to wait for these to complete — they're purely observational logging
+
+### Fix 8: Move Periodic Tasks Off Main Thread
+
+**Impact: Low** — these run every 60s but can still cause latency spikes
+
+- `generate_and_post_status_event()`: Submit as an async job to the event worker
+- `ip_ban_cleanup()`/`ip_ban_log_stats()`/`ip_ban_save()`: These do SQLite reads/writes. Move to a periodic job on the db-write thread
+- Config cache refresh (Fix 1) replaces the old `refresh_hot_config_if_needed()` SQLite queries
+
+### Fix 9: Cache NIP-11 Response
+
+**Impact: Low-Medium** — eliminates 25+ SQLite SELECTs per NIP-11 HTTP request
+
+`generate_relay_info_json()` in nip011.c calls `get_config_value()` 15 times and `get_config_int()`/`get_config_bool()` 10 times. After Fix 1 (global config cache), these become in-memory lookups. But we can go further:
+
+**Changes:**
+- Cache the serialized NIP-11 JSON response string with a TTL (e.g., 60 seconds)
+- On NIP-11 request, return the cached string directly without rebuilding
+- Invalidate on admin config change events
+
+## Implementation Order
+
+| # | Fix | Risk | Complexity |
+|---|-----|------|------------|
+| 1 | Global config cache (replaces all get_config_* SQLite) | Low | Medium |
+| 2 | Move dedup check to event worker | Low | Low |
+| 3 | Async COUNT queries | Low | Medium |
+| 4 | Cache WoT auth rules per-session | Very Low | Low |
+| 5 | Async store for special kinds | Medium | Medium |
+| 6 | Reduce reader threads to 1 | Very Low | Trivial |
+| 7 | Move subscription logging off main thread | Low | Low-Medium |
+| 8 | Move periodic tasks off main thread | Low | Medium |
+| 9 | Cache NIP-11 response | Very Low | Low |
+
+## Expected Impact
+
+After all 9 fixes, `lws-main` should have **zero direct SQLite calls**. Its work becomes:
+- JSON parse incoming messages (~fast)
+- In-memory subscription matching (~fast)
+- In-memory config lookups (~fast, hash map)
+- Message formatting and queuing (~fast)
+- `lws_service()` I/O (~fast)
+- Draining completion queues (~fast)
+
+### Impact by fix
+
+| Fix | SQLite calls eliminated | Frequency |
+|-----|------------------------|-----------|
+| Fix 1: Global config cache | ~50+ `get_config_*` call sites across 8 files | Per-event, per-connection, per-REQ, per-broadcast, per-NIP-11 |
+| Fix 2: Dedup to event worker | 2 `event_id_exists_in_db()` calls | Per-EVENT |
+| Fix 3: Async COUNT | 1 `thread_pool_execute_count_sync()` | Per-COUNT message |
+| Fix 4: WoT cache per-session | 1 `check_database_auth_rules()` | Per-REQ when WoT enabled |
+| Fix 5: Async special-kind store | ~6 `store_event()` calls | Per special-kind EVENT |
+| Fix 6: Reduce readers | N/A (resource savings) | N/A |
+| Fix 7: Async subscription logging | 4 `db_log_*`/`db_update_*` calls | Per-REQ, per-CLOSE, per-broadcast |
+| Fix 8: Async periodic tasks | `generate_stats_json()`, `ip_ban_*` | Every 60s |
+| Fix 9: Cache NIP-11 | 25+ config lookups per request | Per NIP-11 HTTP request |
+
+Estimated main-thread CPU reduction: from **54% to ~5-10%** (mostly WebSocket I/O, subscription matching, and JSON parsing).
+
+## Thread Model After Changes
+
+```
+lws-main     — WebSocket I/O, JSON parse, subscription match, message queue
+               NO SQLite. Pure compute + I/O.
+
+db-read      — All SELECT queries: REQ results, COUNT results, config refresh,
+               auth rule checks, event dedup checks via completion queue
+
+db-write     — All INSERT/UPDATE: event storage, tag inserts, IP ban persistence,
+               status event generation
+
+event-worker — EVENT validation: signature verification, then submits store to
+               db-write via completion queue, results flow back to lws-main
+```
+
+```mermaid
+flowchart LR
+    CLIENT[Nostr Clients] --> LWS[lws-main<br/>WebSocket I/O<br/>JSON parse<br/>Sub matching<br/>NO SQLite]
+    
+    LWS -->|EVENT submit| EW[event-worker<br/>Sig verify<br/>Dedup check]
+    EW -->|store job| DW[db-write<br/>INSERT events<br/>INSERT tags<br/>IP ban save]
+    EW -->|completion| LWS
+    DW -->|completion| LWS
+    
+    LWS -->|REQ/COUNT submit| DR[db-read<br/>SELECT queries<br/>Config refresh<br/>Auth checks]
+    DR -->|completion| LWS
+    
+    LWS -->|OK/EVENT/EOSE| CLIENT
+```
@@ -0,0 +1,107 @@
+# WAL Checkpoint Fix — db-write Thread CPU Plan
+
+## Problem
+
+Fresh profiling of the production server shows the `db-write` thread consuming **77% average CPU** (peaking at 100%) while `lws-main` sits at 0.3%.
+
+The `perf` callgraph confirms 100% of the hot symbols are SQLite **B-tree read operations** running on the `db-write` thread:
+
+| % CPU | Symbol | Role |
+|-------|--------|------|
+| 13.88 | `sqlite3BtreeTableMoveto` | B-tree seek |
+| 10.05 | `sqlite3VdbeExec` | VM execution |
+| 7.77 | `rep_movs_alternative` | kernel memcpy in pread |
+| 7.76 | `sqlite3GetVarint` | varint decode |
+| 6.66 | `pcache1Fetch` | page cache lookup |
+| 6.02 | `memcpy` | data copy |
+
+These are **read-path** functions, not write-path. The `event-worker` thread accumulated only 3 CPU ticks over 5 minutes, meaning very few events are actually being stored.
+
+## Root Cause
+
+SQLite WAL auto-checkpoint. By default SQLite triggers a checkpoint every 1000 WAL pages. The checkpoint is executed by the **next writer** — which is always the `db-write` thread since all writes are funnelled through it.
+
+A WAL checkpoint reads every dirty page from the WAL file and writes it back to the main database file. This involves B-tree traversals to locate pages, which explains the `BtreeTableMoveto` dominance.
+
+The current `db_open_worker_connection` in `src/db_ops.c` sets `PRAGMA journal_mode=WAL` and `busy_timeout=5000` but does **not** configure `wal_autocheckpoint`. SQLite's default of 1000 pages applies.
+
+In earlier profiling runs the same CPU burn appeared on `lws-main` at 55-67% — because that thread was doing the writes directly before the thread-pool refactoring. The work simply moved threads; the total cost is unchanged.
+
+## Implementation Plan
+
+### Step 1 — Disable auto-checkpoint on the write connection
+
+In `db_open_worker_connection` add:
+
+```c
+sqlite3_exec(db, "PRAGMA wal_autocheckpoint=0;", NULL, NULL, NULL);
+```
+
+This prevents the write thread from ever running a checkpoint inline with normal writes.
+
+### Step 2 — Add a periodic checkpoint job type to the thread pool
+
+Add a new job type `THREAD_POOL_JOB_WAL_CHECKPOINT` to `thread_pool.h`.
+
+The handler in `thread_pool.c` calls:
+
+```c
+sqlite3_wal_checkpoint_v2(db, NULL, SQLITE_CHECKPOINT_PASSIVE, NULL, NULL);
+```
+
+`PASSIVE` mode checkpoints only pages that are not currently being read, so it never blocks readers.
+
+### Step 3 — Submit the checkpoint job on a timer
+
+In the existing 60-second periodic timer in `websockets.c`, add a call to submit a WAL checkpoint job to the write queue:
+
+```c
+thread_pool_submit_wal_checkpoint();
+```
+
+This runs the checkpoint once per minute on the write thread, but as a **bounded, predictable** operation rather than being triggered unpredictably by every INSERT.
+
+### Step 4 — Also disable auto-checkpoint on reader connections
+
+In `db_open_worker_connection`, the same `wal_autocheckpoint=0` applies to reader connections too. Readers can also trigger checkpoints in SQLite; disabling it on all connections ensures only the explicit periodic job does checkpointing.
+
+### Step 5 — Run a TRUNCATE checkpoint at shutdown
+
+In `thread_pool_shutdown`, before closing the write connection, run:
+
+```c
+sqlite3_wal_checkpoint_v2(db, NULL, SQLITE_CHECKPOINT_TRUNCATE, NULL, NULL);
+```
+
+This ensures the WAL is fully flushed and truncated on clean shutdown, keeping the database file compact.
+
+## Files Changed
+
+| File | Change |
+|------|--------|
+| `src/db_ops.c` | Add `PRAGMA wal_autocheckpoint=0` in `db_open_worker_connection` |
+| `src/thread_pool.h` | Add `THREAD_POOL_JOB_WAL_CHECKPOINT` enum value |
+| `src/thread_pool.c` | Add `execute_wal_checkpoint_job` handler; add checkpoint-at-shutdown in `thread_pool_shutdown`; add `thread_pool_submit_wal_checkpoint` helper |
+| `src/websockets.c` | Call `thread_pool_submit_wal_checkpoint()` in the 60-second periodic timer |
+
+## Expected Impact
+
+- `db-write` CPU should drop from ~77% to near 0% when idle (no events to store)
+- Periodic checkpoint bursts of a few seconds every 60s instead of continuous burn
+- No change to data durability — WAL still protects against crashes; checkpoint just moves data from WAL to main DB file
+- Readers are unaffected — PASSIVE checkpoint never blocks them
+
+## Risk
+
+- If the relay crashes between checkpoints, the WAL file may be larger than before (up to 60s of accumulated writes). This is safe — SQLite replays the WAL on next open. The WAL file size is bounded by the write rate, which is low.
+- PASSIVE checkpoint may not checkpoint all pages if readers hold them. This is fine — the next checkpoint will catch up.
+
+## Verification
+
+After deploying, re-run the profiler:
+
+```bash
+./deploy_lt_debug.sh && DURATION=300 INTERVAL=5 ./tests/thread_cpu_profile.sh
+```
+
+Expected: `db-write` avg CPU drops below 5%.
@@ -0,0 +1,298 @@
+# Web of Trust (WoT) Implementation Plan
+
+## Feature Description
+
+When enabled, the relay restricts access to pubkeys that the admin follows. The admin's kind 3 (contact list) event is used as the source of truth — all `p` tags in that event become whitelisted pubkeys. The admin themselves is always whitelisted.
+
+Single config variable `wot_enabled` with three levels:
+
+| Value | Mode | Effect |
+|-------|------|--------|
+| `0` | Off | Open relay — anyone can read and write |
+| `1` | Write-only | Only followed pubkeys can **publish** events. Anyone can read/subscribe. |
+| `2` | Full | Only followed pubkeys can **publish AND subscribe**. Requires NIP-42 auth for subscriptions. Eliminates subscription churn from anonymous connections. |
+
+## How It Works
+
+### WoT Sync Flow
+```mermaid
+flowchart TD
+    A["Admin publishes kind 3 event\n- contact list -"] --> B{wot_enabled > 0?}
+    B -->|No| C["Store event normally"]
+    B -->|Yes| D["Extract p tags from kind 3"]
+    D --> E["Clear existing WoT whitelist rules"]
+    E --> F["Insert new whitelist rules\nfor each followed pubkey"]
+    F --> G["Enable auth_enabled"]
+    G --> H{wot_enabled == 2?}
+    H -->|Yes| I["Enable nip42_auth_required_subscriptions"]
+    H -->|No| J["Done - write-only restriction"]
+```
+
+### Event Publishing Flow — Write Restriction (wot_enabled >= 1)
+```mermaid
+flowchart TD
+    A["EVENT message arrives"] --> B{auth_enabled?}
+    B -->|No| C["Accept event"]
+    B -->|Yes| D["check_database_auth_rules - pubkey -"]
+    D --> E{Pubkey in whitelist\nor wot_whitelist?}
+    E -->|Yes| C
+    E -->|No| F{Any whitelist rules exist?}
+    F -->|Yes| G["REJECT: not whitelisted"]
+    F -->|No| C
+```
+
+### Subscription Flow — Read Restriction (wot_enabled == 2)
+```mermaid
+flowchart TD
+    A["REQ message arrives"] --> B{wot_enabled == 2?}
+    B -->|No| C["Allow subscription"]
+    B -->|Yes| D{NIP-42 authenticated?}
+    D -->|No| E["Send AUTH challenge"]
+    D -->|Yes| F["check_database_auth_rules\nusing authenticated_pubkey"]
+    F --> G{Pubkey in whitelist\nor wot_whitelist?}
+    G -->|Yes| C
+    G -->|No| H["REJECT: not authorized\nfor subscriptions"]
+```
+
+## Design Decisions
+
+### Leveraging Existing Infrastructure
+
+The relay already has everything needed:
+
+1. **`auth_rules` table** — stores whitelist/blacklist rules with `rule_type`, `pattern_type`, `pattern_value`
+2. **`check_database_auth_rules()`** in [`request_validator.c:529`](src/request_validator.c:529) — already implements the logic: "if whitelist rules exist and pubkey is not whitelisted, deny"
+3. **`add_auth_rule_from_config()`** / **`remove_auth_rule_from_config()`** in [`config.c`](src/config.c:2082) — already manage auth rules
+4. **`event_tags` table** — can efficiently query `p` tags from kind 3 events
+5. **Config system** — `auth_enabled` flag already controls whether auth rules are checked
+6. **NIP-42 auth** — `nip42_auth_required_subscriptions` already gates REQ access, `pss->authenticated_pubkey` stores the authenticated pubkey
+
+### WoT-Specific Whitelist Rules
+
+To distinguish WoT-generated whitelist rules from manually-added ones, we use a new `rule_type` value: `wot_whitelist`. This allows:
+- Clearing all WoT rules without affecting manual whitelist/blacklist rules
+- Querying WoT status separately
+- The existing `check_database_auth_rules()` function already checks for `rule_type = 'whitelist'` — we need to also match `wot_whitelist` in the whitelist check
+
+### Trigger Mechanism
+
+The WoT sync happens when:
+1. **A kind 3 event from the admin is stored** — detected in `store_event()` after successful INSERT
+2. **Startup** — if `wot_enabled > 0`, sync from the most recent admin kind 3 event in the database
+3. **Admin DM command** — `wot sync` to force a manual resync
+
+### What Gets Whitelisted
+
+- All pubkeys in `p` tags of the admin's kind 3 event
+- The admin pubkey itself (always whitelisted)
+- The relay pubkey (always whitelisted — for admin DM responses)
+
+### What Is NOT Blocked
+
+Even with WoT enabled, these are always allowed:
+- Admin events (kind 23456) — already bypassed in [`request_validator.c:303`](src/request_validator.c:303)
+- NIP-42 auth events (kind 22242) — already bypassed in [`request_validator.c:318`](src/request_validator.c:318)
+- Kind 3 events from the admin — needed to update the follow list itself
+- Kind 1059 gift wraps addressed to the relay — needed for admin DMs
+
+## Files to Modify
+
+| File | Changes |
+|------|---------|
+| `src/default_config_event.h` | Add `wot_enabled` config key (default: `0`) |
+| `src/config.c` | Add `wot_sync_from_admin_kind3()` function |
+| `src/main.c` | Add WoT trigger in `store_event()` when admin kind 3 is stored, add startup WoT sync |
+| `src/request_validator.c` | Update whitelist SQL to also match `wot_whitelist` rule type |
+| `src/sql_schema.h` | Update `auth_rules` CHECK constraint to include `wot_whitelist` |
+| `src/websockets.c` | Add WoT pubkey check after NIP-42 auth check in REQ handler |
+| `src/dm_admin.c` | Add `wot 0`, `wot 1`, `wot 2`, `wot sync`, `wot status` DM commands |
+
+## Detailed Changes
+
+### 1. Schema: `src/sql_schema.h`
+
+Update the `auth_rules` table CHECK constraint to allow `wot_whitelist`:
+
+```sql
+-- Before:
+rule_type TEXT NOT NULL CHECK (rule_type IN ('whitelist', 'blacklist', 'rate_limit', 'auth_required'))
+
+-- After:
+rule_type TEXT NOT NULL CHECK (rule_type IN ('whitelist', 'blacklist', 'rate_limit', 'auth_required', 'wot_whitelist'))
+```
+
+### 2. Config: `src/default_config_event.h`
+
+Add WoT configuration:
+
+```c
+// Web of Trust Settings
+// 0 = off, 1 = write-only (followed pubkeys can publish), 2 = full (followed pubkeys can publish AND subscribe)
+{"wot_enabled", "0"},
+```
+
+### 3. Core WoT Sync Function: `src/config.c`
+
+New function `wot_sync_from_admin_kind3()`:
+
+```c
+int wot_sync_from_admin_kind3(void) {
+    int wot_level = get_config_int("wot_enabled", 0);
+    if (wot_level <= 0) return 0; // WoT disabled
+
+    // 1. Get admin pubkey from config
+    // 2. Query event_tags for p tags from admin's latest kind 3 event:
+    //    SELECT DISTINCT et.tag_value FROM event_tags et
+    //    JOIN events e ON et.event_id = e.id
+    //    WHERE e.kind = 3 AND e.pubkey = ? AND et.tag_name = 'p'
+    //    ORDER BY e.created_at DESC
+    // 3. BEGIN TRANSACTION
+    // 4. DELETE FROM auth_rules WHERE rule_type = 'wot_whitelist'
+    // 5. INSERT wot_whitelist for admin pubkey
+    // 6. INSERT wot_whitelist for relay pubkey
+    // 7. For each p tag: INSERT INTO auth_rules (rule_type, pattern_type, pattern_value)
+    //    VALUES ('wot_whitelist', 'pubkey', ?)
+    // 8. COMMIT
+    // 9. Set auth_enabled = true
+    // 10. If wot_level == 2: set nip42_auth_required_subscriptions = true
+    // 11. Log count of whitelisted pubkeys
+    return 0;
+}
+```
+
+### 4. Trigger on Kind 3 Store: `src/main.c`
+
+In `store_event()`, after successful INSERT and after `store_event_tags()`:
+
+```c
+// Check if this is a kind 3 event from the admin — trigger WoT sync
+if ((int)cJSON_GetNumberValue(kind) == 3) {
+    int wot_level = get_config_int("wot_enabled", 0);
+    if (wot_level > 0) {
+        const char* admin_pubkey = get_config_value("admin_pubkey");
+        if (admin_pubkey && strcmp(cJSON_GetStringValue(pubkey), admin_pubkey) == 0) {
+            DEBUG_INFO("Admin kind 3 event stored — triggering WoT sync");
+            wot_sync_from_admin_kind3();
+        }
+        if (admin_pubkey) free((char*)admin_pubkey);
+    }
+}
+```
+
+### 5. Startup WoT Sync: `src/main.c`
+
+In `main()`, after `populate_event_tags_from_existing()`:
+
+```c
+// Sync Web of Trust whitelist if enabled
+int wot_level = get_config_int("wot_enabled", 0);
+if (wot_level > 0) {
+    wot_sync_from_admin_kind3();
+}
+```
+
+### 6. Update Whitelist Check: `src/request_validator.c`
+
+Update the whitelist SQL queries to also match `wot_whitelist`:
+
+```c
+// Before:
+"SELECT rule_type FROM auth_rules WHERE rule_type = 'whitelist' AND pattern_type = 'pubkey' AND pattern_value = ? AND active = 1 LIMIT 1"
+
+// After:
+"SELECT rule_type FROM auth_rules WHERE rule_type IN ('whitelist', 'wot_whitelist') AND pattern_type = 'pubkey' AND pattern_value = ? AND active = 1 LIMIT 1"
+```
+
+And the whitelist-exists check:
+```c
+// Before:
+"SELECT COUNT(*) FROM auth_rules WHERE rule_type = 'whitelist' AND pattern_type = 'pubkey' AND active = 1 LIMIT 1"
+
+// After:
+"SELECT COUNT(*) FROM auth_rules WHERE rule_type IN ('whitelist', 'wot_whitelist') AND pattern_type = 'pubkey' AND active = 1 LIMIT 1"
+```
+
+### 7. REQ Handler WoT Check: `src/websockets.c`
+
+When `wot_enabled == 2`, add a pubkey whitelist check **after** the existing NIP-42 auth check in the REQ handler. The existing code at line 903 already requires NIP-42 auth when `nip42_auth_required_subscriptions` is set. We add a WoT check right after:
+
+```c
+// Existing NIP-42 auth check (line 903):
+if (pss && pss->nip42_auth_required_subscriptions && !pss->authenticated) {
+    // ... send AUTH challenge or NOTICE ...
+    return 0;
+}
+
+// NEW: WoT read restriction check (wot_enabled == 2)
+if (pss && pss->authenticated && get_config_int("wot_enabled", 0) == 2) {
+    // Client is authenticated — check if their pubkey is in the WoT whitelist
+    int wot_result = check_database_auth_rules(pss->authenticated_pubkey, "subscription", NULL);
+    if (wot_result != NOSTR_SUCCESS) {
+        send_notice_message(wsi, pss, "restricted: your pubkey is not in this relay's web of trust");
+        DEBUG_INFO("REQ rejected: pubkey %s not in WoT whitelist", pss->authenticated_pubkey);
+        cJSON_Delete(json);
+        return 0;
+    }
+}
+```
+
+### 8. Admin DM Commands: `src/dm_admin.c`
+
+Add plain text DM commands:
+
+| Command | Action |
+|---------|--------|
+| `wot 0` or `wot off` | Disable WoT, delete all `wot_whitelist` rules, reset `nip42_auth_required_subscriptions` |
+| `wot 1` or `wot write` | Write-only WoT — sync follow list, set `auth_enabled=true` |
+| `wot 2` or `wot full` | Full WoT — sync follow list, set `auth_enabled=true`, set `nip42_auth_required_subscriptions=true` |
+| `wot sync` | Force resync from admin's kind 3 event |
+| `wot status` | Show WoT level (0/1/2), count of whitelisted pubkeys |
+
+### 9. NIP-11 Update
+
+When WoT is enabled (level 1 or 2), the relay should indicate this in NIP-11 relay info. Add to the `limitation` object:
+```json
+"auth_required": true
+```
+
+## Edge Cases
+
+1. **Admin has no kind 3 event in database**: WoT sync does nothing, logs a warning. No whitelist rules created = open relay.
+
+2. **Admin updates follow list**: New kind 3 event triggers full resync — old WoT rules are cleared, new ones inserted. This is atomic (transaction).
+
+3. **WoT disabled (set to 0)**: Clears all `wot_whitelist` rules. Manual `whitelist` rules are preserved. `nip42_auth_required_subscriptions` is reset to false.
+
+4. **Admin unfollows someone**: Next kind 3 event triggers resync, the unfollowed pubkey's `wot_whitelist` rule is removed (full clear + reinsert).
+
+5. **Kind 1059 gift wraps**: These need special handling — the relay needs to accept gift wraps addressed to it even from non-whitelisted pubkeys (for admin DMs). The `is_nip17_gift_wrap_for_relay()` check should bypass WoT.
+
+6. **Read restriction without NIP-42 support (level 2)**: If a client doesn't support NIP-42, they cannot authenticate and therefore cannot subscribe. This is by design — it's the most effective way to reduce subscription churn from anonymous connections.
+
+7. **NIP-11 discovery**: Clients can check NIP-11 to see if `auth_required` is true before connecting, avoiding wasted connections.
+
+8. **Changing level from 2 to 1**: `nip42_auth_required_subscriptions` is reset to false, allowing anonymous subscriptions again. WoT whitelist rules remain for write restriction.
+
+## Testing Strategy
+
+1. Enable write-only WoT via DM: `wot 1`
+2. Verify admin can still publish events
+3. Verify followed pubkeys can publish events
+4. Verify non-followed pubkeys are rejected for EVENT
+5. Verify non-followed pubkeys can still subscribe (REQ)
+6. Enable full WoT via DM: `wot 2`
+7. Verify unauthenticated clients get AUTH challenge on REQ
+8. Verify authenticated non-followed pubkeys are rejected for REQ
+9. Verify authenticated followed pubkeys can subscribe
+10. Verify `wot status` shows correct level and count
+11. Publish new kind 3 event, verify auto-resync
+12. `wot 0` — verify all pubkeys can publish and subscribe again
+13. Verify admin DMs still work when WoT is enabled
+
+## Performance Considerations
+
+- WoT sync is O(n) where n = number of follows (typically 100-2000)
+- Uses a transaction for bulk insert — fast even for large follow lists
+- Auth rule check is already indexed: `idx_auth_rules_pattern ON auth_rules(pattern_type, pattern_value)`
+- No additional per-event overhead — the existing `check_database_auth_rules()` already runs on every event when auth is enabled
+- **Level 2 directly addresses CPU load**: With `wot_enabled=2`, unauthenticated connections cannot create subscriptions, eliminating the ~120 REQ/minute churn from anonymous connections that was causing 99% CPU
@@ -0,0 +1,388 @@
+# Web of Trust — Admin Web UI Plan
+
+## Overview
+
+Add a **Web of Trust** section to the existing Authorization page in the admin web interface. The section lets the admin see whether their kind 3 contact list is on the relay, select a WoT level, trigger a sync, and view the current whitelist count.
+
+## Architecture
+
+### Data Flow
+
+```mermaid
+flowchart LR
+    A[Web UI] -->|config_set wot_enabled N| B[Kind 23456 Event]
+    A -->|system_command wot_sync| B
+    A -->|system_command wot_status| B
+    B --> C[Relay Backend]
+    C -->|Kind 23457 Response| D[Web UI updates display]
+```
+
+### How It Works
+
+1. **On page load** — the Authorization page already calls `loadAuthRules`. We add a parallel call to `loadWotStatus` which sends a `system_command` / `wot_status` event.
+2. **Backend responds** with a kind 23457 JSON containing: `wot_enabled` level, `wot_whitelist_count`, and `admin_kind3_exists` boolean.
+3. **UI renders** a card showing:
+   - Whether the admin's kind 3 event exists on the relay
+   - Current WoT level as a 3-option radio/button group
+   - Count of whitelisted pubkeys
+   - A SYNC button to force resync
+4. **Changing level** sends `config_set` / `wot_enabled` / `0|1|2` via the existing admin API, then triggers `wot_sync` if level > 0.
+5. **SYNC button** sends `system_command` / `wot_sync`.
+
+## Detailed Changes
+
+### 1. Backend: New system commands in `src/config.c`
+
+Add two new branches to `handle_system_command_unified`:
+
+#### `wot_status` command
+
+Returns JSON response:
+```json
+{
+  "command": "wot_status",
+  "status": "success",
+  "wot_enabled": 2,
+  "admin_kind3_exists": true,
+  "wot_whitelist_count": 347,
+  "timestamp": 1234567890
+}
+```
+
+Implementation:
+- Read `wot_enabled` from config table
+- Query `SELECT COUNT(*) FROM events WHERE kind = 3 AND pubkey = ?` with admin_pubkey to check kind 3 existence
+- Query `SELECT COUNT(*) FROM auth_rules WHERE rule_type = 'wot_whitelist' AND active = 1` for whitelist count
+- Return as kind 23457 signed response
+
+#### `wot_sync` command
+
+Calls `wot_sync_from_admin_kind3` and returns result:
+```json
+{
+  "command": "wot_sync",
+  "status": "success",
+  "wot_whitelist_count": 347,
+  "timestamp": 1234567890
+}
+```
+
+### 2. Backend: Hook `config_set` for `wot_enabled`
+
+In `handle_config_set_unified`, after the config value is updated, add a check:
+```c
+// After successful update, trigger WoT sync if wot_enabled changed
+if (strcmp(config_key, "wot_enabled") == 0) {
+    int new_level = atoi(config_value);
+    if (new_level > 0) {
+        wot_sync_from_admin_kind3();
+    } else {
+        // Level 0: clear wot_whitelist rules and reset auth flags
+        sqlite3_exec(g_db, "DELETE FROM auth_rules WHERE rule_type = 'wot_whitelist'", NULL, NULL, NULL);
+        update_config_in_table("nip42_auth_required_subscriptions", "false");
+    }
+}
+```
+
+### 3. Frontend: HTML — WoT section in `api/index.html`
+
+Add a new div **inside** the `authRulesSection`, before the auth rules table. This keeps WoT visually grouped with authorization:
+
+```html
+<!-- Web of Trust Section -->
+<div id="wotSection" class="input-group">
+    <div class="section-header" style="font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
+        WEB OF TRUST
+    </div>
+    
+    <!-- Kind 3 Status Indicator -->
+    <div id="wotKind3Status" class="wot-status-row">
+        <span>Admin Contact List (kind 3):</span>
+        <span id="wotKind3Indicator" class="wot-indicator wot-unknown">Checking...</span>
+    </div>
+    
+    <!-- WoT Level Selector -->
+    <div class="wot-level-selector">
+        <label>WoT Level:</label>
+        <div class="inline-buttons">
+            <button type="button" id="wotLevel0Btn" class="wot-level-btn" onclick="setWotLevel(0)">
+                OFF
+            </button>
+            <button type="button" id="wotLevel1Btn" class="wot-level-btn" onclick="setWotLevel(1)">
+                WRITE ONLY
+            </button>
+            <button type="button" id="wotLevel2Btn" class="wot-level-btn" onclick="setWotLevel(2)">
+                FULL
+            </button>
+        </div>
+        <div class="wot-level-description" id="wotLevelDescription">
+            Level 0: Open relay — anyone can read and write
+        </div>
+    </div>
+    
+    <!-- WoT Stats -->
+    <div class="wot-stats-row">
+        <span>Whitelisted Pubkeys:</span>
+        <span id="wotWhitelistCount">—</span>
+    </div>
+    
+    <!-- Sync Button -->
+    <div class="inline-buttons">
+        <button type="button" id="wotSyncBtn" onclick="syncWot()">SYNC FROM KIND 3</button>
+        <button type="button" id="wotRefreshBtn" onclick="loadWotStatus()">REFRESH STATUS</button>
+    </div>
+</div>
+
+<hr style="margin: 15px 0; border-color: var(--border-color);">
+```
+
+### 4. Frontend: CSS additions in `api/index.css`
+
+```css
+/* Web of Trust styles */
+.wot-status-row, .wot-stats-row {
+    display: flex;
+    justify-content: space-between;
+    align-items: center;
+    padding: 8px 0;
+    font-size: 14px;
+}
+
+.wot-indicator {
+    padding: 2px 10px;
+    border-radius: 4px;
+    font-weight: bold;
+    font-size: 12px;
+}
+
+.wot-indicator.wot-found { background: #28a745; color: white; }
+.wot-indicator.wot-missing { background: #dc3545; color: white; }
+.wot-indicator.wot-unknown { background: #6c757d; color: white; }
+
+.wot-level-selector { padding: 10px 0; }
+.wot-level-selector label { display: block; margin-bottom: 5px; font-weight: bold; }
+
+.wot-level-btn { min-width: 100px; }
+.wot-level-btn.active {
+    background: var(--accent-color, #007bff);
+    color: white;
+    border-color: var(--accent-color, #007bff);
+}
+
+.wot-level-description {
+    font-size: 12px;
+    color: var(--text-secondary);
+    margin-top: 5px;
+    font-style: italic;
+}
+```
+
+### 5. Frontend: JavaScript functions in `api/index.js`
+
+#### `loadWotStatus` — query current WoT state
+
+```javascript
+async function loadWotStatus() {
+    try {
+        if (!isLoggedIn || !userPubkey || !relayPool) return;
+        
+        const command_array = ["system_command", "wot_status"];
+        const encrypted_content = await encryptForRelay(JSON.stringify(command_array));
+        if (!encrypted_content) return;
+        
+        const event = {
+            kind: 23456,
+            pubkey: userPubkey,
+            created_at: Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000),
+            tags: [["p", getRelayPubkey()]],
+            content: encrypted_content
+        };
+        
+        const signedEvent = await window.nostr.signEvent(event);
+        const url = relayConnectionUrl.value.trim();
+        await relayPool.publish([url], signedEvent);
+        
+        log('WoT status query sent', 'INFO');
+    } catch (error) {
+        log('Failed to load WoT status: ' + error.message, 'ERROR');
+    }
+}
+```
+
+#### `setWotLevel` — change WoT level via config_set
+
+```javascript
+async function setWotLevel(level) {
+    try {
+        if (!isLoggedIn || !userPubkey || !relayPool) return;
+        
+        // Send config_set for wot_enabled
+        const command_array = ["config_set", "wot_enabled", String(level)];
+        const encrypted_content = await encryptForRelay(JSON.stringify(command_array));
+        if (!encrypted_content) return;
+        
+        const event = {
+            kind: 23456,
+            pubkey: userPubkey,
+            created_at: Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000),
+            tags: [["p", getRelayPubkey()]],
+            content: encrypted_content
+        };
+        
+        const signedEvent = await window.nostr.signEvent(event);
+        const url = relayConnectionUrl.value.trim();
+        await relayPool.publish([url], signedEvent);
+        
+        log('WoT level set to ' + level, 'INFO');
+        
+        // Refresh status after a short delay
+        setTimeout(() => loadWotStatus(), 1500);
+    } catch (error) {
+        log('Failed to set WoT level: ' + error.message, 'ERROR');
+    }
+}
+```
+
+#### `syncWot` — force WoT sync
+
+```javascript
+async function syncWot() {
+    try {
+        if (!isLoggedIn || !userPubkey || !relayPool) return;
+        
+        const command_array = ["system_command", "wot_sync"];
+        const encrypted_content = await encryptForRelay(JSON.stringify(command_array));
+        if (!encrypted_content) return;
+        
+        const event = {
+            kind: 23456,
+            pubkey: userPubkey,
+            created_at: Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000),
+            tags: [["p", getRelayPubkey()]],
+            content: encrypted_content
+        };
+        
+        const signedEvent = await window.nostr.signEvent(event);
+        const url = relayConnectionUrl.value.trim();
+        await relayPool.publish([url], signedEvent);
+        
+        log('WoT sync command sent', 'INFO');
+        
+        // Refresh status after sync completes
+        setTimeout(() => loadWotStatus(), 2000);
+    } catch (error) {
+        log('Failed to sync WoT: ' + error.message, 'ERROR');
+    }
+}
+```
+
+#### `handleWotStatusResponse` — process backend response
+
+```javascript
+function handleWotStatusResponse(responseData) {
+    const kind3Indicator = document.getElementById('wotKind3Indicator');
+    const whitelistCount = document.getElementById('wotWhitelistCount');
+    const levelDesc = document.getElementById('wotLevelDescription');
+    
+    // Update kind 3 indicator
+    if (kind3Indicator) {
+        if (responseData.admin_kind3_exists) {
+            kind3Indicator.textContent = 'Found ✓';
+            kind3Indicator.className = 'wot-indicator wot-found';
+        } else {
+            kind3Indicator.textContent = 'Not Found ✗';
+            kind3Indicator.className = 'wot-indicator wot-missing';
+        }
+    }
+    
+    // Update whitelist count
+    if (whitelistCount) {
+        whitelistCount.textContent = responseData.wot_whitelist_count || 0;
+    }
+    
+    // Update level buttons
+    const level = responseData.wot_enabled || 0;
+    ['wotLevel0Btn', 'wotLevel1Btn', 'wotLevel2Btn'].forEach((id, i) => {
+        const btn = document.getElementById(id);
+        if (btn) {
+            btn.classList.toggle('active', i === level);
+        }
+    });
+    
+    // Update description
+    const descriptions = [
+        'Level 0: Open relay — anyone can read and write',
+        'Level 1: Write-only — only followed pubkeys can publish events',
+        'Level 2: Full — only followed pubkeys can publish AND subscribe (NIP-42 required)'
+    ];
+    if (levelDesc) {
+        levelDesc.textContent = descriptions[level] || descriptions[0];
+    }
+    
+    // Enable/disable sync button based on kind 3 existence
+    const syncBtn = document.getElementById('wotSyncBtn');
+    if (syncBtn) {
+        syncBtn.disabled = !responseData.admin_kind3_exists;
+    }
+}
+```
+
+#### Wire into existing response handler
+
+In the existing `handleSystemCommandResponse` function, add:
+```javascript
+if (responseData.command === 'wot_status' || responseData.command === 'wot_sync') {
+    handleWotStatusResponse(responseData);
+}
+```
+
+#### Wire into page navigation
+
+In the `authorization` case of the page switch handler, add:
+```javascript
+case 'authorization':
+    loadAuthRules().catch(...);
+    loadWotStatus().catch(error => {
+        console.log('Auto-load WoT status failed: ' + error.message);
+    });
+    break;
+```
+
+## Files to Modify
+
+| File | Changes |
+|------|---------|
+| `src/config.c` | Add `wot_status` and `wot_sync` branches to `handle_system_command_unified`; add WoT sync hook to `handle_config_set_unified` |
+| `api/index.html` | Add WoT section HTML inside `authRulesSection` |
+| `api/index.css` | Add WoT-specific CSS styles |
+| `api/index.js` | Add `loadWotStatus`, `setWotLevel`, `syncWot`, `handleWotStatusResponse` functions; wire into page nav and response handler |
+
+## Edge Cases
+
+1. **Admin not logged in** — WoT section shows but buttons are disabled; status shows "Checking..."
+2. **No kind 3 event** — Indicator shows red "Not Found ✗"; SYNC button is disabled; level selector still works but sync will whitelist only admin + relay
+3. **Level change from 2 to 0** — Backend clears all wot_whitelist rules and resets nip42_auth_required_subscriptions
+4. **Concurrent config_set and wot_sync** — The backend handles these sequentially via SQLite transactions; no race condition
+
+## UI Mockup
+
+```
+┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
+│ WEB OF TRUST                                │
+│                                             │
+│ Admin Contact List (kind 3):  [Found ✓]     │
+│                                             │
+│ WoT Level:                                  │
+│ [  OFF  ] [ WRITE ONLY ] [  FULL  ]         │
+│ Level 2: Full — only followed pubkeys can   │
+│ publish AND subscribe (NIP-42 required)     │
+│                                             │
+│ Whitelisted Pubkeys: 347                    │
+│                                             │
+│ [ SYNC FROM KIND 3 ] [ REFRESH STATUS ]     │
+├─────────────────────────────────────────────┤
+│ ─────────────────────────────────────────── │
+│ AUTH RULES MANAGEMENT                       │
+│ ... existing auth rules table ...           │
+└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘
+```
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+https://github.com/rushmi0/Fenrir-s
+https://github.com/barkyq/gnost-relay
+https://github.com/lpicanco/knostr
+https://github.com/bezysoftware/netstr
+https://github.com/lebrunel/nex
+https://github.com/CodyTseng/nostr-relay-nestjs
+https://github.com/mattn/nostr-relay
+https://github.com/Cameri/nostream
+https://github.com/Giszmo/NostrPostr/tree/master/NostrRelay
+https://github.com/fiatjaf/relayer/tree/master/examples/basic
@@ -1 +1 @@
-3159561
+804819
@@ -60,11 +60,11 @@ char* execute_sql_query(const char* query, const char* request_id, char* error_m
 int handle_sql_query_unified(cJSON* event, const char* query, char* error_message, size_t error_size, struct lws* wsi);

 // Monitoring system functions
-int init_monitoring_system(void);
-void cleanup_monitoring_system(void);
 void monitoring_on_event_stored(void);
-int set_monitoring_enabled(int enabled);
-int is_monitoring_enabled(void);
+void monitoring_on_subscription_change(void);
 int get_monitoring_throttle_seconds(void);

+// Kind 1 status posts
+int generate_and_post_status_event(void);
+
 #endif // API_H
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 #ifndef CONFIG_H
 #define CONFIG_H

-#include <sqlite3.h>
 #include <cjson/cJSON.h>
 #include <time.h>
 #include <pthread.h>
@@ -78,6 +77,7 @@ char* extract_pubkey_from_filename(const char* filename);
 int store_relay_private_key(const char* relay_privkey_hex);
 char* get_relay_private_key(void);
 const char* get_temp_relay_private_key(void);  // For first-time startup only
+int preload_relay_private_key_cache(void);     // Preload relay private key before strict DB mode

 // NIP-42 authentication configuration functions
 int parse_auth_required_kinds(const char* kinds_str, int* kinds_array, int max_kinds);
@@ -116,7 +116,10 @@ cJSON* build_query_response(const char* query_type, cJSON* results_array, int to
 int add_auth_rule_from_config(const char* rule_type, const char* pattern_type,
                             const char* pattern_value);
 int remove_auth_rule_from_config(const char* rule_type, const char* pattern_type,
-                                const char* pattern_value);
+                                 const char* pattern_value);
+
+// Web of Trust (WoT) sync function
+int wot_sync_from_admin_kind3(void);

 // Unified configuration cache management
 void force_config_cache_refresh(void);
@@ -0,0 +1,120 @@
+#ifndef DB_OPS_H
+#define DB_OPS_H
+
+#include <stddef.h>
+#include <time.h>
+#include <cjson/cJSON.h>
+
+// Generic helpers
+int db_init(const char* connection_string);
+void db_close(void);
+int db_is_available(void);
+const char* db_last_error(void);
+const char* db_get_database_path(void);
+
+// Per-thread connection override (used by thread pool workers)
+int db_set_thread_connection(void* connection);
+void db_clear_thread_connection(void);
+
+// Worker/runtime SQLite connection lifecycle (kept internal to db_ops.c)
+int db_open_worker_connection(const char* db_path, void** out_connection);
+void db_close_worker_connection(void* connection);
+
+// DB result codes (backend-agnostic)
+#define DB_OK 0
+#define DB_ERROR 1
+#define DB_CONSTRAINT 19
+#define DB_MISUSE 21
+#define DB_ROW 100
+#define DB_DONE 101
+
+typedef struct db_stmt db_stmt_t;
+
+// Generic statement helpers (Phase 1 migration)
+int db_prepare(const char* sql, db_stmt_t** out_stmt);
+int db_bind_text_param(db_stmt_t* stmt, int index, const char* value);
+int db_bind_int_param(db_stmt_t* stmt, int index, int value);
+int db_bind_int64_param(db_stmt_t* stmt, int index, long long value);
+int db_step_stmt(db_stmt_t* stmt);
+int db_reset_stmt(db_stmt_t* stmt);
+const char* db_column_text_value(db_stmt_t* stmt, int col);
+int db_column_int_value(db_stmt_t* stmt, int col);
+long long db_column_int64_value(db_stmt_t* stmt, int col);
+double db_column_double_value(db_stmt_t* stmt, int col);
+void db_finalize_stmt(db_stmt_t* stmt);
+
+// Subscription logging
+int db_log_subscription_created(const char* sub_id, const char* wsi_ptr,
+                                const char* client_ip, const char* filter_json);
+int db_log_subscription_closed(const char* sub_id, const char* client_ip);
+int db_log_subscription_disconnected(const char* client_ip);
+int db_update_subscription_events_sent(const char* sub_id, int events_sent);
+int db_cleanup_orphaned_subscriptions(void);
+
+// NIP-09 event deletion helpers
+int db_get_event_pubkey(const char* event_id, char* pubkey_out, size_t pubkey_out_size);
+int db_delete_event_by_id(const char* event_id, const char* requester_pubkey);
+int db_delete_events_by_address(const char* pubkey, int kind,
+                                const char* d_tag, long before_timestamp);
+
+// Auth rule checks for request validator
+int db_is_pubkey_blacklisted(const char* pubkey);
+int db_is_hash_blacklisted(const char* resource_hash);
+int db_is_pubkey_whitelisted(const char* pubkey);
+int db_count_active_whitelist_rules(void);
+
+// Generic prepared COUNT helper
+int db_count_with_sql(const char* sql, const char** bind_params, int bind_param_count, int* out_count);
+char* db_execute_readonly_query_json(const char* query, const char* request_id,
+                                     char* error_message, size_t error_size,
+                                     int max_rows, int timeout_ms);
+
+// Monitoring/stat helpers (Phase 1 api.c migration)
+int db_get_total_event_count_ll(long long* out_count);
+int db_get_event_count_since(time_t cutoff, long long* out_count);
+cJSON* db_get_event_kind_distribution_rows(long long* out_total_events);
+cJSON* db_get_top_pubkeys_rows(int limit);
+cJSON* db_get_subscription_details_rows(void);
+
+// Config helpers
+cJSON* db_get_all_config_rows(void);
+char* db_get_config_value_dup(const char* key);
+int db_set_config_value_full(const char* key, const char* value, const char* data_type,
+                             const char* description, const char* category, int requires_restart);
+int db_update_config_value_only(const char* key, const char* value);
+int db_upsert_config_value(const char* key, const char* value, const char* data_type);
+int db_store_relay_private_key_hex(const char* relay_privkey_hex);
+char* db_get_relay_private_key_hex_dup(void);
+int db_store_config_event(const cJSON* event);
+
+// Event storage/timestamp/retrieval helpers
+int db_insert_event_with_json(const char* id, const char* pubkey, long long created_at,
+                              int kind, const char* event_type, const char* content,
+                              const char* sig, const char* tags_json, const char* event_json,
+                              int* out_step_rc, int* out_extended_errcode);
+int db_get_event_time_bounds(long long* out_min_created_at, long long* out_max_created_at);
+int db_event_id_exists(const char* event_id, int* out_exists);
+cJSON* db_retrieve_event_by_id(const char* event_id);
+char* db_get_latest_event_pubkey_for_kind_dup(int kind);
+
+// Config table helpers
+int db_get_config_row_count(int* out_count);
+
+// Event tag helpers
+int db_store_event_tags_cjson(const char* event_id, const cJSON* tags);
+int db_populate_event_tags_from_existing(void);
+
+// Auth/WoT rule helpers
+int db_add_auth_rule(const char* rule_type, const char* pattern_type, const char* pattern_value);
+int db_remove_auth_rule(const char* rule_type, const char* pattern_type, const char* pattern_value);
+int db_delete_wot_whitelist_rules(void);
+int db_count_wot_whitelist_rules(void);
+
+// Schema/DDL helpers
+int db_table_exists(const char* table_name, int* out_exists);
+char* db_get_schema_version_dup(void);
+int db_exec_sql(const char* sql);
+int db_wal_checkpoint_passive(void);
+int db_wal_checkpoint_truncate(void);
+
+#endif // DB_OPS_H
@@ -65,6 +65,9 @@ static const struct {
    {"max_total_subscriptions", "5000"},
    {"max_filters_per_subscription", "10"},
    
+    // Connection Management
+    {"max_connection_seconds", "86400"},  // 24 hours (0 = disabled)
+    
    // Event Processing Limits
    {"max_event_tags", "100"},
    {"max_content_length", "8196"},
@@ -72,7 +75,60 @@ static const struct {
    
    // Performance Settings
    {"default_limit", "500"},
-    {"max_limit", "5000"}
+    {"max_limit", "5000"},
+    
+    // Proxy Settings
+    // Trust proxy headers (X-Forwarded-For, X-Real-IP) for accurate client IP detection
+    // Safe for informational/debugging use. Only becomes a security concern if you implement
+    // IP-based rate limiting or access control (which would require firewall protection anyway)
+    {"trust_proxy_headers", "true"},
+
+    // Debug Level (0=none, 1=errors, 2=warnings, 3=info, 4=debug, 5=trace)
+    // Can be changed at runtime without restart via config_set admin command
+    {"debug_level", "3"},
+
+    // IP Auth Failure Ban Settings
+    // Ban IPs that repeatedly fail NIP-42 authentication
+    {"auth_fail_ban_enabled", "true"},
+    {"auth_fail_ban_threshold", "3"},      // failures before ban
+    {"auth_fail_window_sec", "60"},        // window to count failures in
+    {"auth_fail_ban_duration_sec", "300"}, // initial ban duration (doubles each time, max 24h)
+
+    // NIP-42 Authentication Timeout
+    // Seconds after connection before unauthenticated clients are disconnected (0 = disabled)
+    // Prevents unauthenticated connections from accumulating under heavy load
+    {"nip42_auth_timeout_sec", "10"},
+
+    // Idle Connection Ban Settings
+    // Ban IPs that connect but never send REQ or EVENT (idle or early disconnect)
+    {"idle_connection_timeout_sec", "0"},   // Seconds before idle connection is closed (0 = disabled)
+    {"idle_ban_enabled", "false"},          // Whether to ban IPs with idle failures
+    {"idle_ban_threshold", "1"},            // Idle failures before ban (1 = ban on first offense)
+    {"idle_ban_window_sec", "30"},          // Window to count idle failures in
+    {"idle_ban_duration_sec", "300"},       // Initial ban duration (doubles each time, max 24h)
+
+    // SQLite Performance Tuning
+    // mmap_size: bytes of database file to memory-map (0 = disabled, 268435456 = 256MB recommended)
+    // Eliminates pread64 syscall overhead for database reads — significant CPU savings under load
+    {"sqlite_mmap_size", "268435456"},
+    // cache_size_kb: SQLite page cache size in KB (negative = KB, positive = pages of 4KB each)
+    // Default 2000KB is too small for a busy relay; 65536KB (64MB) keeps hot data in memory
+    {"sqlite_cache_size_kb", "65536"},
+
+    // NIP-59 Gift Wrap Timestamp Configuration
+    {"nip59_timestamp_max_delay_sec", "0"},
+
+    // Kind 1 Status Posts
+    {"kind_1_status_posts_hours", "1"},
+
+    // Web of Trust Settings
+    // 0 = off, 1 = write-only (followed pubkeys can publish), 2 = full (followed pubkeys can publish AND subscribe)
+    {"wot_enabled", "0"},
+
+    // NIP-17 Admin DM Settings
+    // When false (default), Kind 1059 gift wrap events are stored normally without expensive decryption attempts.
+    // Enable only if you intend to use NIP-17 DMs to send admin commands to the relay.
+    {"nip17_admin_enabled", "false"}
 };

 // Number of default configuration values
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 #include "config.h"
 #include "debug.h"
 #include "api.h"
+#include "db_ops.h"
 #include "../nostr_core_lib/nostr_core/nostr_core.h"
 #include "../nostr_core_lib/nostr_core/nip017.h"
 #include "../nostr_core_lib/nostr_core/nip044.h"
@@ -17,9 +18,6 @@
 #include <cjson/cJSON.h>
 #include <libwebsockets.h>

-// External database connection (from main.c)
-extern sqlite3* g_db;
-
 // Forward declarations for unified handlers
 extern int handle_auth_query_unified(cJSON* event, const char* query_type, char* error_message, size_t error_size, struct lws* wsi);
 extern int handle_config_query_unified(cJSON* event, const char* query_type, char* error_message, size_t error_size, struct lws* wsi);
@@ -37,10 +35,13 @@ extern const char* get_tag_value(cJSON* event, const char* tag_name, int value_i
 extern char* get_relay_private_key(void);
 extern const char* get_config_value(const char* key);
 extern int get_config_bool(const char* key, int default_value);
+extern int get_config_int(const char* key, int default_value);
+extern int update_config_in_table(const char* key, const char* value);

 // Forward declarations for database functions
 extern int store_event(cJSON* event);
 extern int broadcast_event_to_subscriptions(cJSON* event);
+extern int store_event_tags(const char* event_id, cJSON* tags);

 // Forward declarations for stats generation (moved to api.c)
 extern char* generate_stats_json(void);
@@ -80,6 +81,7 @@ extern int handle_sql_query_unified(cJSON* event, const char* query, char* error

 // Process direct command arrays (DM control system)
 // This handles commands sent as direct JSON arrays, not wrapped in inner events
+// Note: create_relay_event is NOT supported via DMs - use Kind 23456 events only
 int process_dm_admin_command(cJSON* command_array, cJSON* event, char* error_message, size_t error_size, struct lws* wsi) {
    if (!command_array || !cJSON_IsArray(command_array) || !event) {
        DEBUG_ERROR("DM Admin: Invalid command array or event");
@@ -137,7 +139,7 @@ int process_dm_admin_command(cJSON* command_array, cJSON* event, char* error_mes
    cJSON_AddItemToArray(synthetic_tags, command_tag);

    // Add existing event tags
-    cJSON* existing_tags = cJSON_GetObjectItem(event, "tags");
+    cJSON* existing_tags = cJSON_GetObjectItemCaseSensitive(event, "tags");
    if (existing_tags && cJSON_IsArray(existing_tags)) {
        cJSON* tag = NULL;
        cJSON_ArrayForEach(tag, existing_tags) {
@@ -231,19 +233,27 @@ cJSON* process_nip17_admin_message(cJSON* gift_wrap_event, char* error_message,
        return NULL;
    }

+    DEBUG_INFO("DM_ADMIN: Received potential NIP-17 gift wrap event for processing");
+
    // Step 1: Validate it's addressed to us
    if (!is_nip17_gift_wrap_for_relay(gift_wrap_event)) {
+        DEBUG_INFO("DM_ADMIN: Event is not a valid gift wrap for this relay - rejecting");
        strncpy(error_message, "NIP-17: Event is not a valid gift wrap for this relay", error_size - 1);
        return NULL;
    }

+    DEBUG_INFO("DM_ADMIN: Valid NIP-17 gift wrap confirmed for this relay");
+
    // Step 2: Get relay private key for decryption
    char* relay_privkey_hex = get_relay_private_key();
    if (!relay_privkey_hex) {
+        DEBUG_INFO("DM_ADMIN: Could not get relay private key for decryption");
        strncpy(error_message, "NIP-17: Could not get relay private key for decryption", error_size - 1);
        return NULL;
    }

+    DEBUG_INFO("DM_ADMIN: Retrieved relay private key for decryption");
+
    // Convert hex private key to bytes
    unsigned char relay_privkey[32];
    if (nostr_hex_to_bytes(relay_privkey_hex, relay_privkey, sizeof(relay_privkey)) != 0) {
@@ -254,10 +264,13 @@ cJSON* process_nip17_admin_message(cJSON* gift_wrap_event, char* error_message,
    }
    free(relay_privkey_hex);

+    DEBUG_INFO("DM_ADMIN: Converted relay private key to bytes successfully");
+
    // Step 3: Decrypt and parse inner event using library function
+    DEBUG_INFO("DM_ADMIN: Attempting to decrypt NIP-17 gift wrap using nostr_nip17_receive_dm");
    cJSON* inner_dm = nostr_nip17_receive_dm(gift_wrap_event, relay_privkey);
    if (!inner_dm) {
-        DEBUG_ERROR("NIP-17: nostr_nip17_receive_dm returned NULL");
+        DEBUG_INFO("DM_ADMIN: nostr_nip17_receive_dm returned NULL - decryption failed");
        // Debug: Print the gift wrap event
        char* gift_wrap_debug = cJSON_Print(gift_wrap_event);
        if (gift_wrap_debug) {
@@ -273,18 +286,23 @@ cJSON* process_nip17_admin_message(cJSON* gift_wrap_event, char* error_message,
        }
        privkey_hex[64] = '\0';

+        DEBUG_INFO("DM_ADMIN: NIP-17 decryption failed - returning error");
        strncpy(error_message, "NIP-17: Failed to decrypt and parse inner DM event", error_size - 1);
        return NULL;
    }

+    DEBUG_INFO("DM_ADMIN: Successfully decrypted NIP-17 gift wrap, processing inner DM");
+
    // Step 4: Process admin command
+    DEBUG_INFO("DM_ADMIN: Processing decrypted admin command");
    int result = process_nip17_admin_command(inner_dm, error_message, error_size, wsi);
+    DEBUG_INFO("DM_ADMIN: Admin command processing completed with result: %d", result);

    // Step 5: For plain text commands (stats/config), the response is already handled
    // Only create a generic response for other command types that don't handle their own responses
    if (result == 0) {
        // Extract content to check if it's a plain text command
-        cJSON* content_obj = cJSON_GetObjectItem(inner_dm, "content");
+        cJSON* content_obj = cJSON_GetObjectItemCaseSensitive(inner_dm, "content");
        if (content_obj && cJSON_IsString(content_obj)) {
            const char* dm_content = cJSON_GetStringValue(content_obj);
            
@@ -327,7 +345,7 @@ cJSON* process_nip17_admin_message(cJSON* gift_wrap_event, char* error_message,
        return NULL;

        // Get sender pubkey for response from the decrypted DM event
-        cJSON* sender_pubkey_obj = cJSON_GetObjectItem(inner_dm, "pubkey");
+        cJSON* sender_pubkey_obj = cJSON_GetObjectItemCaseSensitive(inner_dm, "pubkey");
        if (sender_pubkey_obj && cJSON_IsString(sender_pubkey_obj)) {
            const char* sender_pubkey = cJSON_GetStringValue(sender_pubkey_obj);

@@ -351,13 +369,17 @@ cJSON* process_nip17_admin_message(cJSON* gift_wrap_event, char* error_message,

                if (success_dm) {
                    cJSON* success_gift_wraps[1];
+                    // Get timestamp delay configuration
+                    long max_delay_sec = get_config_int("nip59_timestamp_max_delay_sec", 0);
+
                    int send_result = nostr_nip17_send_dm(
                        success_dm,                       // dm_event
                        (const char**)&sender_pubkey,     // recipient_pubkeys
                        1,                                // num_recipients
                        relay_privkey,                    // sender_private_key
                        success_gift_wraps,               // gift_wraps_out
-                        1                                 // max_gift_wraps
+                        1,                                // max_gift_wraps
+                        max_delay_sec                     // max_delay_sec
                    );

                    cJSON_Delete(success_dm);
@@ -415,13 +437,13 @@ int is_nip17_gift_wrap_for_relay(cJSON* event) {
    }

    // Check kind
-    cJSON* kind_obj = cJSON_GetObjectItem(event, "kind");
+    cJSON* kind_obj = cJSON_GetObjectItemCaseSensitive(event, "kind");
    if (!kind_obj || !cJSON_IsNumber(kind_obj) || (int)cJSON_GetNumberValue(kind_obj) != 1059) {
        return 0;
    }

    // Check tags for "p" tag with relay pubkey
-    cJSON* tags = cJSON_GetObjectItem(event, "tags");
+    cJSON* tags = cJSON_GetObjectItemCaseSensitive(event, "tags");
    if (!tags || !cJSON_IsArray(tags)) {
        return 0;
    }
@@ -457,18 +479,23 @@ int process_nip17_admin_command(cJSON* dm_event, char* error_message, size_t err
        return -1;
    }

+    DEBUG_INFO("DM_ADMIN: Processing NIP-17 admin command from decrypted DM");
+
    // Extract content from DM
-    cJSON* content_obj = cJSON_GetObjectItem(dm_event, "content");
+    cJSON* content_obj = cJSON_GetObjectItemCaseSensitive(dm_event, "content");
    if (!content_obj || !cJSON_IsString(content_obj)) {
+        DEBUG_INFO("DM_ADMIN: DM missing content field");
        strncpy(error_message, "NIP-17: DM missing content", error_size - 1);
        return -1;
    }

    const char* dm_content = cJSON_GetStringValue(content_obj);
+    DEBUG_INFO("DM_ADMIN: Extracted DM content: %.100s%s", dm_content, strlen(dm_content) > 100 ? "..." : "");

    // Check if sender is admin before processing any commands
-    cJSON* sender_pubkey_obj = cJSON_GetObjectItem(dm_event, "pubkey");
+    cJSON* sender_pubkey_obj = cJSON_GetObjectItemCaseSensitive(dm_event, "pubkey");
    if (!sender_pubkey_obj || !cJSON_IsString(sender_pubkey_obj)) {
+        DEBUG_INFO("DM_ADMIN: DM missing sender pubkey - treating as user DM");
        return 0; // Not an error, just treat as user DM
    }
    const char* sender_pubkey = cJSON_GetStringValue(sender_pubkey_obj);
@@ -477,11 +504,16 @@ int process_nip17_admin_command(cJSON* dm_event, char* error_message, size_t err
    const char* admin_pubkey = get_config_value("admin_pubkey");
    int is_admin = admin_pubkey && strlen(admin_pubkey) > 0 && strcmp(sender_pubkey, admin_pubkey) == 0;

+    DEBUG_INFO("DM_ADMIN: Sender pubkey: %.16s... (admin: %s)", sender_pubkey, is_admin ? "YES" : "NO");
+
    // Parse DM content as JSON array of commands
+    DEBUG_INFO("DM_ADMIN: Attempting to parse DM content as JSON command array");
    cJSON* command_array = cJSON_Parse(dm_content);
    if (!command_array || !cJSON_IsArray(command_array)) {
+        DEBUG_INFO("DM_ADMIN: Content is not a JSON array, checking for plain text commands");
        // If content is not a JSON array, check for plain text commands
        if (is_admin) {
+            DEBUG_INFO("DM_ADMIN: Processing plain text admin command");
            // Convert content to lowercase for case-insensitive matching
            char content_lower[256];
            size_t content_len = strlen(dm_content);
@@ -498,47 +530,223 @@ int process_nip17_admin_command(cJSON* dm_event, char* error_message, size_t err

            // Check for stats commands
            if (strstr(content_lower, "stats") != NULL || strstr(content_lower, "statistics") != NULL) {
+                DEBUG_INFO("DM_ADMIN: Processing stats command");
                char* stats_text = generate_stats_text();
                if (!stats_text) {
+                    DEBUG_INFO("DM_ADMIN: Failed to generate stats text");
                    return -1;
                }

                char error_msg[256];
                int result = send_nip17_response(sender_pubkey, stats_text, error_msg, sizeof(error_msg));
                free(stats_text);
-                
+
                if (result != 0) {
                    DEBUG_ERROR(error_msg);
                    return -1;
                }

+                DEBUG_INFO("DM_ADMIN: Stats command processed successfully");
                return 0;
            }
            // Check for config commands
            else if (strstr(content_lower, "config") != NULL || strstr(content_lower, "configuration") != NULL) {
+                DEBUG_INFO("DM_ADMIN: Processing config command");
                char* config_text = generate_config_text();
                if (!config_text) {
+                    DEBUG_INFO("DM_ADMIN: Failed to generate config text");
                    return -1;
                }

                char error_msg[256];
                int result = send_nip17_response(sender_pubkey, config_text, error_msg, sizeof(error_msg));
                free(config_text);
-                
+
                if (result != 0) {
                    DEBUG_ERROR(error_msg);
                    return -1;
                }

+                DEBUG_INFO("DM_ADMIN: Config command processed successfully");
+                return 0;
+            }
+            // Check for status commands
+            else if (strstr(content_lower, "status") != NULL) {
+                DEBUG_INFO("DM_ADMIN: Processing status command");
+
+                // Create synthetic event for system_command handler
+                cJSON* synthetic_event = cJSON_CreateObject();
+                cJSON_AddNumberToObject(synthetic_event, "kind", 23456);
+                cJSON_AddStringToObject(synthetic_event, "pubkey", sender_pubkey);
+
+                // Create tags array with system_command
+                cJSON* tags = cJSON_CreateArray();
+                cJSON* cmd_tag = cJSON_CreateArray();
+                cJSON_AddItemToArray(cmd_tag, cJSON_CreateString("system_command"));
+                cJSON_AddItemToArray(cmd_tag, cJSON_CreateString("system_status"));
+                cJSON_AddItemToArray(tags, cmd_tag);
+                cJSON_AddItemToObject(synthetic_event, "tags", tags);
+
+                char error_msg[256];
+                int result = handle_system_command_unified(synthetic_event, "system_status", error_msg, sizeof(error_msg), wsi);
+                cJSON_Delete(synthetic_event);
+
+                if (result != 0) {
+                    DEBUG_ERROR(error_msg);
+                    return -1;
+                }
+
+                DEBUG_INFO("DM_ADMIN: Status command processed successfully");
+                return 0;
+            }
+            // Check for WoT (Web of Trust) commands
+            else if (strstr(content_lower, "wot") != NULL) {
+                DEBUG_INFO("DM_ADMIN: Processing WoT command");
+                
+                // Skip "wot" prefix and find the subcommand
+                char* wot_cmd = strstr(content_lower, "wot");
+                if (wot_cmd) {
+                    wot_cmd += 3; // Skip "wot"
+                    while (*wot_cmd == ' ') wot_cmd++; // Skip spaces
+                    
+                    char response_msg[1024];
+                    int wot_level = get_config_int("wot_enabled", 0);
+                    extern int wot_sync_from_admin_kind3(void);
+                    
+                    if (strcmp(wot_cmd, "0") == 0 || strcmp(wot_cmd, "off") == 0) {
+                        // Disable WoT
+                        update_config_in_table("wot_enabled", "0");
+                        update_config_in_table("auth_enabled", "false");
+                        update_config_in_table("nip42_auth_required_subscriptions", "false");
+                        
+                        // Clear wot_whitelist rules
+                        db_delete_wot_whitelist_rules();
+                        
+                        snprintf(response_msg, sizeof(response_msg),
+                            "🔓 Web of Trust Disabled\n"
+                            "━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━\n"
+                            "\n"
+                            "WoT has been turned off.\n"
+                            "\n"
+                            "The relay is now open to all pubkeys for reading and writing.\n"
+                            "Manual whitelist/blacklist rules are preserved.");
+                        send_nip17_response(sender_pubkey, response_msg, NULL, 0);
+                        DEBUG_INFO("DM_ADMIN: WoT disabled");
+                    }
+                    else if (strcmp(wot_cmd, "1") == 0 || strcmp(wot_cmd, "write") == 0) {
+                        // Write-only mode
+                        update_config_in_table("wot_enabled", "1");
+                        wot_sync_from_admin_kind3();
+                        
+                        wot_level = get_config_int("wot_enabled", 0);
+                        snprintf(response_msg, sizeof(response_msg),
+                            "✍️  Web of Trust: Write-Only Mode\n"
+                            "━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━\n"
+                            "\n"
+                            "Level: 1 (Write-only restriction)\n"
+                            "\n"
+                            "Only pubkeys you follow can publish events.\n"
+                            "Anyone can still subscribe and read events.\n"
+                            "\n"
+                            "The relay will now sync from your kind 3 (contact list) event.");
+                        send_nip17_response(sender_pubkey, response_msg, NULL, 0);
+                        DEBUG_INFO("DM_ADMIN: WoT set to write-only mode");
+                    }
+                    else if (strcmp(wot_cmd, "2") == 0 || strcmp(wot_cmd, "full") == 0) {
+                        // Full mode (write + read restriction)
+                        update_config_in_table("wot_enabled", "2");
+                        wot_sync_from_admin_kind3();
+                        
+                        wot_level = get_config_int("wot_enabled", 0);
+                        snprintf(response_msg, sizeof(response_msg),
+                            "🔒 Web of Trust: Full Mode\n"
+                            "━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━\n"
+                            "\n"
+                            "Level: 2 (Full restriction)\n"
+                            "\n"
+                            "Only pubkeys you follow can:\n"
+                            "  • Publish events\n"
+                            "  • Subscribe to events (requires NIP-42 auth)\n"
+                            "\n"
+                            "This eliminates anonymous subscription churn.\n"
+                            "\n"
+                            "The relay will now sync from your kind 3 (contact list) event.");
+                        send_nip17_response(sender_pubkey, response_msg, NULL, 0);
+                        DEBUG_INFO("DM_ADMIN: WoT set to full mode");
+                    }
+                    else if (strcmp(wot_cmd, "sync") == 0) {
+                        // Force resync
+                        wot_sync_from_admin_kind3();
+                        
+                        snprintf(response_msg, sizeof(response_msg),
+                            "🔄 Web of Trust: Sync Complete\n"
+                            "━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━\n"
+                            "\n"
+                            "WoT whitelist has been refreshed from your\n"
+                            "kind 3 (contact list) event.\n"
+                            "\n"
+                            "Current level: %d", wot_level);
+                        send_nip17_response(sender_pubkey, response_msg, NULL, 0);
+                        DEBUG_INFO("DM_ADMIN: WoT manual sync completed");
+                    }
+                    else if (strcmp(wot_cmd, "status") == 0 || strlen(wot_cmd) == 0) {
+                        // Show status
+                        // Count whitelisted pubkeys
+                        int whitelist_count = db_count_wot_whitelist_rules();
+                        
+                        const char* level_str;
+                        if (wot_level == 0) level_str = "Off (open relay)";
+                        else if (wot_level == 1) level_str = "Write-only (followed pubkeys can publish)";
+                        else if (wot_level == 2) level_str = "Full (followed pubkeys can publish AND subscribe)";
+                        else level_str = "Unknown";
+                        
+                        snprintf(response_msg, sizeof(response_msg),
+                            "📊 Web of Trust Status\n"
+                            "━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━\n"
+                            "\n"
+                            "Level: %d\n"
+                            "%s\n"
+                            "\n"
+                            "Whitelisted pubkeys: %d\n"
+                            "\n"
+                            "Commands:\n"
+                            "  wot 0/off - Disable WoT\n"
+                            "  wot 1/write - Write-only mode\n"
+                            "  wot 2/full - Full restriction mode\n"
+                            "  wot sync - Force resync from kind 3\n"
+                            "  wot status - Show this status",
+                            wot_level, level_str, whitelist_count);
+                        send_nip17_response(sender_pubkey, response_msg, NULL, 0);
+                        DEBUG_INFO("DM_ADMIN: WoT status displayed");
+                    }
+                    else {
+                        // Unknown wot subcommand
+                        snprintf(response_msg, sizeof(response_msg),
+                            "❌ Unknown WoT Command\n"
+                            "━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━\n"
+                            "\n"
+                            "Usage: wot [command]\n"
+                            "\n"
+                            "Commands:\n"
+                            "  0, off     - Disable WoT\n"
+                            "  1, write   - Write-only mode\n"
+                            "  2, full    - Full restriction mode\n"
+                            "  sync       - Force resync from kind 3\n"
+                            "  status     - Show current status");
+                        send_nip17_response(sender_pubkey, response_msg, NULL, 0);
+                    }
+                }
                return 0;
            }
            else {
+                DEBUG_INFO("DM_ADMIN: Checking for confirmation or config change requests");
                // Check if it's a confirmation response (yes/no)
                int confirmation_result = handle_config_confirmation(sender_pubkey, dm_content);
                if (confirmation_result != 0) {
                    if (confirmation_result > 0) {
-                        // Configuration confirmation processed successfully
+                        DEBUG_INFO("DM_ADMIN: Configuration confirmation processed successfully");
                    } else if (confirmation_result == -2) {
+                        DEBUG_INFO("DM_ADMIN: No pending changes to confirm");
                        // No pending changes
                        char no_pending_msg[256];
                        snprintf(no_pending_msg, sizeof(no_pending_msg),
@@ -558,6 +766,7 @@ int process_nip17_admin_command(cJSON* dm_event, char* error_message, size_t err
                int config_result = process_config_change_request(sender_pubkey, dm_content);
                if (config_result != 0) {
                    if (config_result > 0) {
+                        DEBUG_INFO("DM_ADMIN: Configuration change request processed successfully");
                        return 1; // Return positive value to indicate response was handled
                    } else {
                        DEBUG_ERROR("NIP-17: Configuration change request failed");
@@ -565,22 +774,28 @@ int process_nip17_admin_command(cJSON* dm_event, char* error_message, size_t err
                    }
                }

+                DEBUG_INFO("DM_ADMIN: Unrecognized plain text admin command");
                return 0; // Admin sent unrecognized plain text, treat as user DM
            }
        } else {
+            DEBUG_INFO("DM_ADMIN: Non-admin user sent plain text - treating as user DM");
            // Not admin, treat as user DM
            return 0;
        }
    }

+    DEBUG_INFO("DM_ADMIN: Successfully parsed JSON command array");
+
    // Check if this is a "stats" command
    if (cJSON_GetArraySize(command_array) > 0) {
        cJSON* first_item = cJSON_GetArrayItem(command_array, 0);
        if (cJSON_IsString(first_item) && strcmp(cJSON_GetStringValue(first_item), "stats") == 0) {
+            DEBUG_INFO("DM_ADMIN: Processing JSON stats command");
            // Get sender pubkey for response
-            cJSON* sender_pubkey_obj = cJSON_GetObjectItem(dm_event, "pubkey");
+            cJSON* sender_pubkey_obj = cJSON_GetObjectItemCaseSensitive(dm_event, "pubkey");
            if (!sender_pubkey_obj || !cJSON_IsString(sender_pubkey_obj)) {
                cJSON_Delete(command_array);
+                DEBUG_INFO("DM_ADMIN: DM missing sender pubkey for stats command");
                strncpy(error_message, "NIP-17: DM missing sender pubkey", error_size - 1);
                return -1;
            }
@@ -590,6 +805,7 @@ int process_nip17_admin_command(cJSON* dm_event, char* error_message, size_t err
            char* stats_json = generate_stats_json();
            if (!stats_json) {
                cJSON_Delete(command_array);
+                DEBUG_INFO("DM_ADMIN: Failed to generate stats JSON");
                strncpy(error_message, "NIP-17: Failed to generate stats", error_size - 1);
                return -1;
            }
@@ -598,17 +814,19 @@ int process_nip17_admin_command(cJSON* dm_event, char* error_message, size_t err
            int result = send_nip17_response(sender_pubkey, stats_json, error_msg, sizeof(error_msg));
            free(stats_json);
            cJSON_Delete(command_array);
-            
+
            if (result != 0) {
                DEBUG_ERROR(error_msg);
                strncpy(error_message, error_msg, error_size - 1);
                return -1;
            }

+            DEBUG_INFO("DM_ADMIN: JSON stats command processed successfully");
            return 0;
        }
    }

+    DEBUG_INFO("DM_ADMIN: Delegating to unified admin processing for command array");
    // For other commands, delegate to existing admin processing
    // Create a synthetic kind 23456 event with the DM content
    cJSON* synthetic_event = cJSON_CreateObject();
@@ -616,22 +834,24 @@ int process_nip17_admin_command(cJSON* dm_event, char* error_message, size_t err
    cJSON_AddStringToObject(synthetic_event, "content", dm_content);

    // Copy pubkey from DM
-    cJSON* pubkey_obj = cJSON_GetObjectItem(dm_event, "pubkey");
+    cJSON* pubkey_obj = cJSON_GetObjectItemCaseSensitive(dm_event, "pubkey");
    if (pubkey_obj && cJSON_IsString(pubkey_obj)) {
        cJSON_AddStringToObject(synthetic_event, "pubkey", cJSON_GetStringValue(pubkey_obj));
    }

    // Copy tags from DM
-    cJSON* tags = cJSON_GetObjectItem(dm_event, "tags");
+    cJSON* tags = cJSON_GetObjectItemCaseSensitive(dm_event, "tags");
    if (tags) {
        cJSON_AddItemToObject(synthetic_event, "tags", cJSON_Duplicate(tags, 1));
    }

    // Process as regular admin event
+    DEBUG_INFO("DM_ADMIN: Processing synthetic admin event");
    int result = process_admin_event_in_config(synthetic_event, error_message, error_size, wsi);

    cJSON_Delete(synthetic_event);
    cJSON_Delete(command_array);

+    DEBUG_INFO("DM_ADMIN: Unified admin processing completed with result: %d", result);
    return result;
 }
@@ -0,0 +1,603 @@
+#define _GNU_SOURCE
+#include "ip_ban.h"
+#include "debug.h"
+#include "config.h"
+#include "db_ops.h"
+#include "thread_pool.h"
+#include <string.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <pthread.h>
+
+// ============================================================
+// IP Auth Failure Ban System
+//
+// Fixed-size open-addressing hash table. No malloc after init.
+// Thread-safe via a single mutex (low contention — only called
+// at connection open/close, not in the hot event path).
+//
+// State is persisted to the ip_bans SQLite table every 5 minutes
+// and loaded at startup so bans survive relay restarts.
+// ============================================================
+
+#define IP_BAN_EMPTY    0
+#define IP_BAN_ACTIVE   1
+
+typedef struct {
+    int state;                      // IP_BAN_EMPTY or IP_BAN_ACTIVE
+    char ip[46];                    // IPv4 or IPv6 string
+    
+    // Auth failure tracking (existing)
+    int failure_count;              // failures in current window
+    time_t first_failure;           // start of current failure window
+    time_t banned_until;            // 0 = not banned
+    int ban_count;                  // escalation level (for exponential backoff)
+    
+    // NEW: Idle failure tracking (separate)
+    int idle_failure_count;
+    time_t idle_first_failure;
+    time_t idle_banned_until;
+    int idle_ban_count;
+    
+    // Other existing fields
+    int has_authed_successfully;    // 1 if this IP has ever authenticated
+    time_t last_success_at;         // timestamp of last successful auth
+    int total_connections;          // lifetime connection count
+    int total_failures;             // lifetime auth failure count
+    int total_successes;            // lifetime successful auth count
+    time_t first_seen;              // when this IP was first seen
+} ip_ban_entry_t;
+
+static ip_ban_entry_t g_ban_table[IP_BAN_TABLE_SIZE];
+static pthread_mutex_t g_ban_mutex = PTHREAD_MUTEX_INITIALIZER;
+static int g_initialized = 0;
+
+// Simple FNV-1a hash for IP strings
+static unsigned int ip_hash(const char* ip) {
+    unsigned int hash = 2166136261u;
+    while (*ip) {
+        hash ^= (unsigned char)*ip++;
+        hash *= 16777619u;
+    }
+    return hash % IP_BAN_TABLE_SIZE;
+}
+
+// Find slot for IP (open addressing with linear probing)
+static int find_slot(const char* ip) {
+    unsigned int start = ip_hash(ip);
+    for (unsigned int i = 0; i < IP_BAN_TABLE_SIZE; i++) {
+        unsigned int idx = (start + i) % IP_BAN_TABLE_SIZE;
+        if (g_ban_table[idx].state == IP_BAN_EMPTY) {
+            return (int)idx;
+        }
+        if (strcmp(g_ban_table[idx].ip, ip) == 0) {
+            return (int)idx;
+        }
+    }
+    return -1;
+}
+
+// Get or create an entry for an IP. Returns NULL if table is full.
+// Caller must hold g_ban_mutex.
+static ip_ban_entry_t* get_or_create_entry(const char* ip) {
+    int idx = find_slot(ip);
+    if (idx < 0) {
+        DEBUG_WARN("IP ban table full, cannot track %s", ip);
+        return NULL;
+    }
+    ip_ban_entry_t* entry = &g_ban_table[idx];
+    if (entry->state == IP_BAN_EMPTY) {
+        entry->state = IP_BAN_ACTIVE;
+        strncpy(entry->ip, ip, sizeof(entry->ip) - 1);
+        entry->ip[sizeof(entry->ip) - 1] = '\0';
+        entry->first_seen = time(NULL);
+    }
+    return entry;
+}
+
+void ip_ban_init(void) {
+    pthread_mutex_lock(&g_ban_mutex);
+    memset(g_ban_table, 0, sizeof(g_ban_table));
+    g_initialized = 1;
+    pthread_mutex_unlock(&g_ban_mutex);
+    DEBUG_LOG("IP ban table initialized (%d slots)", IP_BAN_TABLE_SIZE);
+}
+
+void ip_ban_load_from_db(void) {
+    if (!db_is_available() || !g_initialized) return;
+
+    // Create table if it doesn't exist (handles existing databases)
+    const char* create_sql =
+        "CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS ip_bans ("
+        "  ip TEXT PRIMARY KEY,"
+        "  failure_count INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,"
+        "  ban_count INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,"
+        "  banned_until INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,"
+        "  first_failure INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,"
+        "  has_authed_successfully INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,"
+        "  last_success_at INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,"
+        "  total_connections INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,"
+        "  total_failures INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,"
+        "  total_successes INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,"
+        "  first_seen INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,"
+        "  updated_at INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT (strftime('%s', 'now'))"
+        ");";
+    if (db_exec_sql(create_sql) != 0) {
+        DEBUG_ERROR("Failed to create ip_bans table: %s", db_last_error());
+        return;
+    }
+
+    // Migration: Add idle_* columns if they don't exist (ignore errors if already exists)
+    (void)db_exec_sql("ALTER TABLE ip_bans ADD COLUMN idle_failure_count INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0");
+    (void)db_exec_sql("ALTER TABLE ip_bans ADD COLUMN idle_ban_count INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0");
+    (void)db_exec_sql("ALTER TABLE ip_bans ADD COLUMN idle_banned_until INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0");
+    (void)db_exec_sql("ALTER TABLE ip_bans ADD COLUMN idle_first_failure INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0");
+
+    const char* sql =
+        "SELECT ip, failure_count, ban_count, banned_until, first_failure,"
+        "       has_authed_successfully, last_success_at, total_connections,"
+        "       total_failures, total_successes, first_seen,"
+        "       idle_failure_count, idle_ban_count, idle_banned_until, idle_first_failure"
+        " FROM ip_bans";
+
+    db_stmt_t* stmt;
+    if (db_prepare(sql, &stmt) != DB_OK) {
+        DEBUG_ERROR("Failed to prepare ip_bans load query");
+        return;
+    }
+
+    int loaded = 0;
+    pthread_mutex_lock(&g_ban_mutex);
+    while (db_step_stmt(stmt) == DB_ROW) {
+        const char* ip = db_column_text_value(stmt, 0);
+        if (!ip) continue;
+
+        int idx = find_slot(ip);
+        if (idx < 0) continue;
+
+        ip_ban_entry_t* entry = &g_ban_table[idx];
+        entry->state = IP_BAN_ACTIVE;
+        strncpy(entry->ip, ip, sizeof(entry->ip) - 1);
+        entry->ip[sizeof(entry->ip) - 1] = '\0';
+        entry->failure_count          = db_column_int_value(stmt, 1);
+        entry->ban_count              = db_column_int_value(stmt, 2);
+        entry->banned_until           = (time_t)db_column_int64_value(stmt, 3);
+        entry->first_failure          = (time_t)db_column_int64_value(stmt, 4);
+        entry->has_authed_successfully = db_column_int_value(stmt, 5);
+        entry->last_success_at        = (time_t)db_column_int64_value(stmt, 6);
+        entry->total_connections      = db_column_int_value(stmt, 7);
+        entry->total_failures         = db_column_int_value(stmt, 8);
+        entry->total_successes        = db_column_int_value(stmt, 9);
+        entry->first_seen             = (time_t)db_column_int64_value(stmt, 10);
+        // Load idle tracking fields (default to 0 if columns don't exist yet)
+        entry->idle_failure_count     = db_column_int_value(stmt, 11);
+        entry->idle_ban_count         = db_column_int_value(stmt, 12);
+        entry->idle_banned_until      = (time_t)db_column_int64_value(stmt, 13);
+        entry->idle_first_failure     = (time_t)db_column_int64_value(stmt, 14);
+        loaded++;
+    }
+    pthread_mutex_unlock(&g_ban_mutex);
+    db_finalize_stmt(stmt);
+
+    // Count how many are still actively banned
+    time_t now = time(NULL);
+    int still_banned = 0;
+    pthread_mutex_lock(&g_ban_mutex);
+    for (int i = 0; i < IP_BAN_TABLE_SIZE; i++) {
+        if (g_ban_table[i].state == IP_BAN_ACTIVE &&
+            g_ban_table[i].banned_until > now) {
+            still_banned++;
+        }
+    }
+    pthread_mutex_unlock(&g_ban_mutex);
+
+    DEBUG_WARN("IP ban table loaded: %d IPs restored (%d still banned)", loaded, still_banned);
+}
+
+void ip_ban_save_to_db(void) {
+    if (!db_is_available() || !g_initialized) return;
+
+    const char* upsert_sql =
+        "INSERT OR REPLACE INTO ip_bans"
+        " (ip, failure_count, ban_count, banned_until, first_failure,"
+        "  has_authed_successfully, last_success_at, total_connections,"
+        "  total_failures, total_successes, first_seen, updated_at,"
+        "  idle_failure_count, idle_ban_count, idle_banned_until, idle_first_failure)"
+        " VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, strftime('%s', 'now'), ?, ?, ?, ?)";
+
+    db_stmt_t* stmt;
+    if (db_prepare(upsert_sql, &stmt) != DB_OK) {
+        DEBUG_ERROR("Failed to prepare ip_bans save query");
+        return;
+    }
+
+    (void)db_exec_sql("BEGIN TRANSACTION");
+
+    int saved = 0;
+    pthread_mutex_lock(&g_ban_mutex);
+    for (int i = 0; i < IP_BAN_TABLE_SIZE; i++) {
+        ip_ban_entry_t* entry = &g_ban_table[i];
+        if (entry->state != IP_BAN_ACTIVE) continue;
+
+        (void)db_reset_stmt(stmt);
+        db_bind_text_param(stmt, 1, entry->ip);
+        db_bind_int_param(stmt, 2, entry->failure_count);
+        db_bind_int_param(stmt, 3, entry->ban_count);
+        db_bind_int64_param(stmt, 4, (long long)entry->banned_until);
+        db_bind_int64_param(stmt, 5, (long long)entry->first_failure);
+        db_bind_int_param(stmt, 6, entry->has_authed_successfully);
+        db_bind_int64_param(stmt, 7, (long long)entry->last_success_at);
+        db_bind_int_param(stmt, 8, entry->total_connections);
+        db_bind_int_param(stmt, 9, entry->total_failures);
+        db_bind_int_param(stmt, 10, entry->total_successes);
+        db_bind_int64_param(stmt, 11, (long long)entry->first_seen);
+        // Idle tracking fields
+        db_bind_int_param(stmt, 12, entry->idle_failure_count);
+        db_bind_int_param(stmt, 13, entry->idle_ban_count);
+        db_bind_int64_param(stmt, 14, (long long)entry->idle_banned_until);
+        db_bind_int64_param(stmt, 15, (long long)entry->idle_first_failure);
+
+        if (db_step_stmt(stmt) != DB_DONE) {
+            DEBUG_WARN("Failed to save ip_ban entry for %s", entry->ip);
+        } else {
+            saved++;
+        }
+    }
+    pthread_mutex_unlock(&g_ban_mutex);
+
+    db_finalize_stmt(stmt);
+    (void)db_exec_sql("COMMIT");
+
+    DEBUG_TRACE("IP ban table saved: %d entries written to DB", saved);
+}
+
+// Check if an IP is in the idle_ban_whitelist config (comma-separated list)
+static int ip_is_whitelisted(const char* ip) {
+    if (!ip) {
+        return 0;
+    }
+
+    // Always trust loopback to avoid local test/dev self-bans.
+    if (strcmp(ip, "127.0.0.1") == 0 || strcmp(ip, "::1") == 0) {
+        return 1;
+    }
+
+    const char* whitelist = get_config_value("idle_ban_whitelist");
+    if (!whitelist || whitelist[0] == '\0') {
+        if (whitelist) free((char*)whitelist);
+        return 0;
+    }
+
+    // Make a mutable copy to tokenize
+    char buf[1024];
+    strncpy(buf, whitelist, sizeof(buf) - 1);
+    buf[sizeof(buf) - 1] = '\0';
+
+    int is_match = 0;
+    char* token = strtok(buf, ",");
+    while (token) {
+        // Trim leading/trailing spaces
+        while (*token == ' ') token++;
+        char* end = token + strlen(token) - 1;
+        while (end > token && *end == ' ') { *end = '\0'; end--; }
+        if (strcmp(token, ip) == 0) {
+            is_match = 1;
+            break;
+        }
+        token = strtok(NULL, ",");
+    }
+
+    free((char*)whitelist);
+    return is_match;
+}
+
+int ip_ban_is_banned(const char* ip) {
+    if (!ip || !g_initialized) return 0;
+
+    // Whitelisted IPs are never banned
+    if (ip_is_whitelisted(ip)) return 0;
+
+    pthread_mutex_lock(&g_ban_mutex);
+    int idx = find_slot(ip);
+    if (idx < 0 || g_ban_table[idx].state == IP_BAN_EMPTY) {
+        pthread_mutex_unlock(&g_ban_mutex);
+        return 0;
+    }
+
+    ip_ban_entry_t* entry = &g_ban_table[idx];
+    time_t now = time(NULL);
+    int banned = 0;
+
+    // Check auth ban (if enabled)
+    if (get_config_bool("auth_fail_ban_enabled", 1) &&
+        entry->banned_until > 0 && now < entry->banned_until) {
+        banned = 1;
+    }
+
+    // Check idle ban (if enabled)
+    if (get_config_bool("idle_ban_enabled", 1) &&
+        entry->idle_banned_until > 0 && now < entry->idle_banned_until) {
+        banned = 1;
+    }
+
+    // Clear expired bans
+    if (!banned) {
+        if (entry->banned_until > 0 && now >= entry->banned_until) {
+            entry->banned_until = 0;
+            entry->failure_count = 0;
+            entry->first_failure = 0;
+        }
+        if (entry->idle_banned_until > 0 && now >= entry->idle_banned_until) {
+            entry->idle_banned_until = 0;
+            entry->idle_failure_count = 0;
+            entry->idle_first_failure = 0;
+        }
+    }
+
+    pthread_mutex_unlock(&g_ban_mutex);
+    return banned;
+}
+
+void ip_ban_record_connection(const char* ip) {
+    if (!ip || !g_initialized) return;
+
+    pthread_mutex_lock(&g_ban_mutex);
+    ip_ban_entry_t* entry = get_or_create_entry(ip);
+    if (entry) {
+        entry->total_connections++;
+    }
+    pthread_mutex_unlock(&g_ban_mutex);
+}
+
+void ip_ban_record_failure(const char* ip) {
+    if (!ip || !g_initialized) return;
+    if (!get_config_bool("auth_fail_ban_enabled", 1)) return;
+
+    int threshold = get_config_int("auth_fail_ban_threshold", 3);
+    int window_sec = get_config_int("auth_fail_window_sec", 60);
+    int ban_duration = get_config_int("auth_fail_ban_duration_sec", 300);
+
+    pthread_mutex_lock(&g_ban_mutex);
+    ip_ban_entry_t* entry = get_or_create_entry(ip);
+    if (!entry) {
+        pthread_mutex_unlock(&g_ban_mutex);
+        return;
+    }
+
+    time_t now = time(NULL);
+
+    // Reset window if expired
+    if (entry->first_failure > 0 && (now - entry->first_failure) > window_sec) {
+        entry->failure_count = 0;
+        entry->first_failure = now;
+    }
+    if (entry->first_failure == 0) {
+        entry->first_failure = now;
+    }
+
+    entry->failure_count++;
+    entry->total_failures++;
+
+    DEBUG_TRACE("IP %s auth failure count: %d/%d", ip, entry->failure_count, threshold);
+
+    if (entry->failure_count >= threshold) {
+        int duration = ban_duration;
+        for (int i = 0; i < entry->ban_count && duration < 86400; i++) {
+            duration *= 2;
+        }
+        if (duration > 86400) duration = 86400;
+
+        entry->banned_until = now + duration;
+        entry->ban_count++;
+        entry->failure_count = 0;
+        entry->first_failure = 0;
+
+        DEBUG_WARN("IP %s banned for %d seconds (ban #%d) after %d auth failures",
+                   ip, duration, entry->ban_count, threshold);
+    }
+
+    pthread_mutex_unlock(&g_ban_mutex);
+}
+
+// Record an idle/early-disconnect failure for an IP
+void ip_ban_record_idle_failure(const char* ip) {
+    if (!ip || !g_initialized) return;
+    if (!get_config_bool("idle_ban_enabled", 1)) return;
+    if (ip_is_whitelisted(ip)) return;  // Never record idle failures for whitelisted IPs
+
+    int threshold = get_config_int("idle_ban_threshold", 1);
+    int window_sec = get_config_int("idle_ban_window_sec", 30);
+    int ban_duration = get_config_int("idle_ban_duration_sec", 300);
+
+    pthread_mutex_lock(&g_ban_mutex);
+    ip_ban_entry_t* entry = get_or_create_entry(ip);
+    if (!entry) {
+        pthread_mutex_unlock(&g_ban_mutex);
+        return;
+    }
+
+    time_t now = time(NULL);
+
+    // Reset window if expired
+    if (entry->idle_first_failure > 0 && (now - entry->idle_first_failure) > window_sec) {
+        entry->idle_failure_count = 0;
+        entry->idle_first_failure = now;
+    }
+    if (entry->idle_first_failure == 0) {
+        entry->idle_first_failure = now;
+    }
+
+    entry->idle_failure_count++;
+    entry->total_failures++;
+
+    DEBUG_TRACE("IP %s idle failure count: %d/%d", ip, entry->idle_failure_count, threshold);
+
+    if (entry->idle_failure_count >= threshold) {
+        int duration = ban_duration;
+        for (int i = 0; i < entry->idle_ban_count && duration < 86400; i++) {
+            duration *= 2;
+        }
+        if (duration > 86400) duration = 86400;
+
+        entry->idle_banned_until = now + duration;
+        entry->idle_ban_count++;
+        entry->idle_failure_count = 0;
+        entry->idle_first_failure = 0;
+
+        DEBUG_WARN("IP %s banned for %d seconds (idle ban #%d) after %d idle failures",
+                   ip, duration, entry->idle_ban_count, threshold);
+    }
+
+    pthread_mutex_unlock(&g_ban_mutex);
+}
+
+void ip_ban_record_success(const char* ip) {
+    if (!ip || !g_initialized) return;
+
+    pthread_mutex_lock(&g_ban_mutex);
+    ip_ban_entry_t* entry = get_or_create_entry(ip);
+    if (entry) {
+        entry->failure_count = 0;
+        entry->first_failure = 0;
+        entry->has_authed_successfully = 1;
+        entry->last_success_at = time(NULL);
+        entry->total_successes++;
+        DEBUG_TRACE("IP %s authenticated successfully — failure count cleared", ip);
+    }
+    pthread_mutex_unlock(&g_ban_mutex);
+}
+
+void ip_ban_cleanup(void) {
+    if (!g_initialized) return;
+
+    pthread_mutex_lock(&g_ban_mutex);
+    time_t now = time(NULL);
+    int window_sec = get_config_int("auth_fail_window_sec", 60);
+    int idle_window_sec = get_config_int("idle_ban_window_sec", 60);
+    int cleaned = 0;
+
+    for (int i = 0; i < IP_BAN_TABLE_SIZE; i++) {
+        if (g_ban_table[i].state != IP_BAN_ACTIVE) continue;
+        ip_ban_entry_t* entry = &g_ban_table[i];
+
+        // Check auth failure window expiration
+        int auth_ban_expired = (entry->banned_until == 0 || now >= entry->banned_until);
+        int auth_window_expired = (entry->first_failure == 0 || (now - entry->first_failure) > window_sec * 10);
+
+        // Check idle failure window expiration
+        int idle_ban_expired = (entry->idle_banned_until == 0 || now >= entry->idle_banned_until);
+        int idle_window_expired = (entry->idle_first_failure == 0 || (now - entry->idle_first_failure) > idle_window_sec * 10);
+
+        if (auth_ban_expired && auth_window_expired && entry->failure_count == 0 &&
+            idle_ban_expired && idle_window_expired && entry->idle_failure_count == 0) {
+            int retain_sec = 86400; // 24 hours
+            int last_auth_ban_expired_long_ago = (entry->banned_until == 0 ||
+                                                   (now - entry->banned_until) > retain_sec);
+            int last_idle_ban_expired_long_ago = (entry->idle_banned_until == 0 ||
+                                                   (now - entry->idle_banned_until) > retain_sec);
+
+            if (last_auth_ban_expired_long_ago && last_idle_ban_expired_long_ago &&
+                !entry->has_authed_successfully &&
+                entry->ban_count == 0 && entry->idle_ban_count == 0 &&
+                entry->total_connections <= 1) {
+                // Fully clean — never banned, never authenticated, only seen once
+                memset(entry, 0, sizeof(ip_ban_entry_t));
+                cleaned++;
+            } else {
+                // Keep entry permanently — preserve ban_count for escalation.
+                // An IP that has been banned before will always get at least a 24-hour ban
+                // if it fails auth again, regardless of how long it has been away.
+                entry->failure_count = 0;
+                entry->first_failure = 0;
+                entry->idle_failure_count = 0;
+                entry->idle_first_failure = 0;
+                if (last_auth_ban_expired_long_ago) {
+                    entry->banned_until = 0;
+                    // ban_count intentionally NOT reset — permanent escalation
+                }
+                if (last_idle_ban_expired_long_ago) {
+                    entry->idle_banned_until = 0;
+                    // idle_ban_count intentionally NOT reset — permanent escalation
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    if (cleaned > 0) {
+        DEBUG_TRACE("IP ban cleanup: freed %d stale entries", cleaned);
+    }
+    pthread_mutex_unlock(&g_ban_mutex);
+}
+
+int ip_ban_get_banned_count(void) {
+    if (!g_initialized) return 0;
+    pthread_mutex_lock(&g_ban_mutex);
+    time_t now = time(NULL);
+    int count = 0;
+    for (int i = 0; i < IP_BAN_TABLE_SIZE; i++) {
+        if (g_ban_table[i].state != IP_BAN_ACTIVE) continue;
+        // Count if either auth banned or idle banned
+        if (g_ban_table[i].banned_until > now ||
+            g_ban_table[i].idle_banned_until > now) {
+            count++;
+        }
+    }
+    pthread_mutex_unlock(&g_ban_mutex);
+    return count;
+}
+
+int ip_ban_get_tracked_count(void) {
+    if (!g_initialized) return 0;
+    pthread_mutex_lock(&g_ban_mutex);
+    int count = 0;
+    for (int i = 0; i < IP_BAN_TABLE_SIZE; i++) {
+        if (g_ban_table[i].state == IP_BAN_ACTIVE) count++;
+    }
+    pthread_mutex_unlock(&g_ban_mutex);
+    return count;
+}
+
+void ip_ban_log_stats(void) {
+    if (!g_initialized) return;
+
+    static time_t last_log = 0;
+    time_t now = time(NULL);
+
+    if (now - last_log < 300) return;
+    last_log = now;
+
+    // Save to DB every 5 minutes
+    if (thread_pool_is_running()) {
+        thread_pool_job_t job;
+        memset(&job, 0, sizeof(job));
+        job.type = THREAD_POOL_JOB_IP_BAN_SAVE;
+
+        thread_pool_status_t rc = thread_pool_submit_write(&job, NULL);
+        if (rc != THREAD_POOL_STATUS_OK) {
+            DEBUG_WARN("Failed to queue IP_BAN_SAVE job (%d); saving synchronously", rc);
+            ip_ban_save_to_db();
+        }
+    } else {
+        ip_ban_save_to_db();
+    }
+
+    pthread_mutex_lock(&g_ban_mutex);
+    int auth_banned_count = 0;
+    int idle_banned_count = 0;
+    int tracked_count = 0;
+    int trusted_count = 0;
+
+    for (int i = 0; i < IP_BAN_TABLE_SIZE; i++) {
+        if (g_ban_table[i].state != IP_BAN_ACTIVE) continue;
+        tracked_count++;
+        if (g_ban_table[i].banned_until > now) auth_banned_count++;
+        if (g_ban_table[i].idle_banned_until > now) idle_banned_count++;
+        if (g_ban_table[i].has_authed_successfully) trusted_count++;
+    }
+    pthread_mutex_unlock(&g_ban_mutex);
+
+    int total_banned = auth_banned_count + idle_banned_count;
+    if (total_banned > 0 || tracked_count > 0) {
+        DEBUG_WARN("IP BAN SUMMARY: %d auth-banned, %d idle-banned, %d tracked, %d trusted (ever authed)",
+                   auth_banned_count, idle_banned_count, tracked_count, trusted_count);
+    }
+}
@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+#ifndef IP_BAN_H
+#define IP_BAN_H
+
+// IP Auth Failure Ban System
+//
+// Tracks auth failures per IP address and temporarily bans IPs that repeatedly
+// fail NIP-42 authentication. Uses an in-memory fixed-size hash table — no
+// database writes on the hot path. State is persisted to the ip_bans table
+// every 5 minutes and loaded at startup.
+//
+// Config keys (all read from the config table at runtime):
+//   auth_fail_ban_enabled      bool  default: true   (0 = disabled)
+//   auth_fail_ban_threshold    int   default: 3       (failures before ban)
+//   auth_fail_window_sec       int   default: 60      (window to count failures)
+//   auth_fail_ban_duration_sec int   default: 300     (initial ban duration, doubles each time)
+
+#include <time.h>
+
+// Maximum number of IPs tracked simultaneously (fixed-size, no malloc)
+#define IP_BAN_TABLE_SIZE 4096
+
+// Initialize the IP ban table (call once at startup, before loading from DB)
+void ip_ban_init(void);
+
+// Load ban state from the ip_bans database table.
+// Call after ip_ban_init() and after the database is open.
+void ip_ban_load_from_db(void);
+
+// Save current ban state to the ip_bans database table.
+// Called every 5 minutes from the maintenance timer.
+void ip_ban_save_to_db(void);
+
+// Check if an IP is currently banned.
+// Returns 1 if banned (connection should be rejected), 0 if allowed.
+int ip_ban_is_banned(const char* ip);
+
+// Record an auth failure for an IP.
+// Called when a connection is closed due to auth timeout.
+// May trigger a ban if the threshold is exceeded.
+void ip_ban_record_failure(const char* ip);
+
+// Record an idle/early-disconnect failure for an IP.
+// Called when a connection closes without ever sending REQ or EVENT.
+// May trigger a ban if the threshold is exceeded.
+void ip_ban_record_idle_failure(const char* ip);
+
+// Record a successful auth for an IP.
+// Sets has_authed_successfully=1 and clears failure count.
+void ip_ban_record_success(const char* ip);
+
+// Record a new connection from an IP (increment total_connections).
+void ip_ban_record_connection(const char* ip);
+
+// Periodic cleanup: expire old entries (call from the connection age checker).
+void ip_ban_cleanup(void);
+
+// Emit a periodic WARN-level log summary of banned IPs (every 5 minutes).
+// Also saves state to DB.
+void ip_ban_log_stats(void);
+
+// Get stats for logging/monitoring
+int ip_ban_get_banned_count(void);
+int ip_ban_get_tracked_count(void);
+
+#endif // IP_BAN_H
@@ -10,21 +10,40 @@
 #define MAIN_H

 // Version information (auto-updated by build system)
-#define VERSION "v0.4.6"
-#define VERSION_MAJOR 0
-#define VERSION_MINOR 4
-#define VERSION_PATCH 6
+// Using CRELAY_ prefix to avoid conflicts with nostr_core_lib VERSION macros
+#define CRELAY_VERSION_MAJOR 2
+#define CRELAY_VERSION_MINOR 1
+#define CRELAY_VERSION_PATCH 9
+#define CRELAY_VERSION "v2.1.9"

 // Relay metadata (authoritative source for NIP-11 information)
 #define RELAY_NAME "C-Relay"
 #define RELAY_DESCRIPTION "High-performance C Nostr relay with SQLite storage"
 #define RELAY_CONTACT ""
 #define RELAY_SOFTWARE "https://git.laantungir.net/laantungir/c-relay.git"
-#define RELAY_VERSION VERSION  // Use the same version as the build
+#define RELAY_VERSION CRELAY_VERSION  // Use the same version as the build
 #define SUPPORTED_NIPS "1,2,4,9,11,12,13,15,16,20,22,33,40,42,50,70"
 #define LANGUAGE_TAGS ""
 #define RELAY_COUNTRIES ""
 #define POSTING_POLICY ""
 #define PAYMENTS_URL ""

+// Forward declaration to avoid pulling cJSON headers into all includers.
+typedef struct cJSON cJSON;
+
+// Async REQ handler status used by websocket callback to defer EOSE until worker completion
+#define HANDLE_REQ_ASYNC_PENDING (-2)
+
+// Async EVENT storage split:
+// - store_event_core(): worker-safe core DB write path
+//      returns 0 when inserted, 1 when handled without insert (duplicate/ephemeral), -1 on error
+// - store_event_post_actions(): main-thread-only follow-up actions (monitoring/tags/WoT sync)
+// - store_event(): legacy wrapper preserving original behavior for synchronous call sites
+int store_event_core(cJSON* event);
+void store_event_post_actions(cJSON* event);
+int store_event(cJSON* event);
+
+// Drains completed async REQ jobs and queues EVENT/EOSE on the lws service thread.
+void process_req_async_completions(void);
+
 #endif /* MAIN_H */
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 #include <cjson/cJSON.h>
 #include "debug.h"
-#include <sqlite3.h>
+#include "db_ops.h"
 #include <string.h>
 #include <stdlib.h>
 #include <time.h>
@@ -21,10 +21,6 @@ int store_event(cJSON* event);
 int delete_events_by_id(const char* requester_pubkey, cJSON* event_ids);
 int delete_events_by_address(const char* requester_pubkey, cJSON* addresses, long deletion_timestamp);

-// Global database variable
-extern sqlite3* g_db;
-
-
 // Handle NIP-09 deletion request event (kind 5)
 int handle_deletion_request(cJSON* event, char* error_message, size_t error_size) {
    if (!event) {
@@ -33,12 +29,12 @@ int handle_deletion_request(cJSON* event, char* error_message, size_t error_size
    }
    
    // Extract event details
-    cJSON* kind_obj = cJSON_GetObjectItem(event, "kind");
-    cJSON* pubkey_obj = cJSON_GetObjectItem(event, "pubkey");
-    cJSON* created_at_obj = cJSON_GetObjectItem(event, "created_at");
-    cJSON* tags_obj = cJSON_GetObjectItem(event, "tags");
-    cJSON* content_obj = cJSON_GetObjectItem(event, "content");
-    cJSON* event_id_obj = cJSON_GetObjectItem(event, "id");
+    cJSON* kind_obj = cJSON_GetObjectItemCaseSensitive(event, "kind");
+    cJSON* pubkey_obj = cJSON_GetObjectItemCaseSensitive(event, "pubkey");
+    cJSON* created_at_obj = cJSON_GetObjectItemCaseSensitive(event, "created_at");
+    cJSON* tags_obj = cJSON_GetObjectItemCaseSensitive(event, "tags");
+    cJSON* content_obj = cJSON_GetObjectItemCaseSensitive(event, "content");
+    cJSON* event_id_obj = cJSON_GetObjectItemCaseSensitive(event, "id");
    
    if (!kind_obj || !pubkey_obj || !created_at_obj || !tags_obj || !event_id_obj) {
        snprintf(error_message, error_size, "invalid: incomplete deletion request");
@@ -146,97 +142,72 @@ int handle_deletion_request(cJSON* event, char* error_message, size_t error_size

 // Delete events by ID (with pubkey authorization)
 int delete_events_by_id(const char* requester_pubkey, cJSON* event_ids) {
-    if (!g_db || !requester_pubkey || !event_ids || !cJSON_IsArray(event_ids)) {
+    if (!db_is_available() || !requester_pubkey || !event_ids || !cJSON_IsArray(event_ids)) {
        return 0;
    }
-    
+
    int deleted_count = 0;
-    
+
    cJSON* event_id = NULL;
    cJSON_ArrayForEach(event_id, event_ids) {
        if (!cJSON_IsString(event_id)) {
            continue;
        }
-        
+
        const char* id = cJSON_GetStringValue(event_id);
-        
-        // First check if event exists and if requester is authorized
-        const char* check_sql = "SELECT pubkey FROM events WHERE id = ?";
-        sqlite3_stmt* check_stmt;
-        
-        int rc = sqlite3_prepare_v2(g_db, check_sql, -1, &check_stmt, NULL);
-        if (rc != SQLITE_OK) {
+        char event_pubkey[65] = {0};
+        int exists = db_get_event_pubkey(id, event_pubkey, sizeof(event_pubkey));
+        if (exists <= 0) {
            continue;
        }
-        
-        sqlite3_bind_text(check_stmt, 1, id, -1, SQLITE_STATIC);
-        
-        if (sqlite3_step(check_stmt) == SQLITE_ROW) {
-            const char* event_pubkey = (char*)sqlite3_column_text(check_stmt, 0);
-            
-            // Only delete if the requester is the author
-            if (event_pubkey && strcmp(event_pubkey, requester_pubkey) == 0) {
-                sqlite3_finalize(check_stmt);
-                
-                // Delete the event
-                const char* delete_sql = "DELETE FROM events WHERE id = ? AND pubkey = ?";
-                sqlite3_stmt* delete_stmt;
-                
-                rc = sqlite3_prepare_v2(g_db, delete_sql, -1, &delete_stmt, NULL);
-                if (rc == SQLITE_OK) {
-                    sqlite3_bind_text(delete_stmt, 1, id, -1, SQLITE_STATIC);
-                    sqlite3_bind_text(delete_stmt, 2, requester_pubkey, -1, SQLITE_STATIC);
-                    
-                    if (sqlite3_step(delete_stmt) == SQLITE_DONE && sqlite3_changes(g_db) > 0) {
-                        deleted_count++;
-                    }
-                    sqlite3_finalize(delete_stmt);
-                }
-            } else {
-                sqlite3_finalize(check_stmt);
-                char warning_msg[128];
-                snprintf(warning_msg, sizeof(warning_msg), "Unauthorized deletion attempt for event: %.16s...", id);
-                DEBUG_WARN(warning_msg);
+
+        // Only delete if the requester is the author
+        if (strcmp(event_pubkey, requester_pubkey) == 0) {
+            int changes = db_delete_event_by_id(id, requester_pubkey);
+            if (changes > 0) {
+                deleted_count += changes;
            }
        } else {
-            sqlite3_finalize(check_stmt);
+            char warning_msg[128];
+            snprintf(warning_msg, sizeof(warning_msg), "Unauthorized deletion attempt for event: %.16s...", id);
+            DEBUG_WARN(warning_msg);
        }
    }
-    
+
    return deleted_count;
 }

 // Delete events by addressable reference (kind:pubkey:d-identifier)
 int delete_events_by_address(const char* requester_pubkey, cJSON* addresses, long deletion_timestamp) {
-    if (!g_db || !requester_pubkey || !addresses || !cJSON_IsArray(addresses)) {
+    if (!db_is_available() || !requester_pubkey || !addresses || !cJSON_IsArray(addresses)) {
        return 0;
    }
-    
+
    int deleted_count = 0;
-    
+
    cJSON* address = NULL;
    cJSON_ArrayForEach(address, addresses) {
        if (!cJSON_IsString(address)) {
            continue;
        }
-        
+
        const char* addr = cJSON_GetStringValue(address);
-        
+
        // Parse address format: kind:pubkey:d-identifier
        char* addr_copy = strdup(addr);
        if (!addr_copy) continue;
-        
+
        char* kind_str = strtok(addr_copy, ":");
        char* pubkey_str = strtok(NULL, ":");
        char* d_identifier = strtok(NULL, ":");
-        
+
        if (!kind_str || !pubkey_str) {
            free(addr_copy);
            continue;
        }
-        
+
        int kind = atoi(kind_str);
-        
+
        // Only delete if the requester is the author
        if (strcmp(pubkey_str, requester_pubkey) != 0) {
            free(addr_copy);
@@ -245,42 +216,15 @@ int delete_events_by_address(const char* requester_pubkey, cJSON* addresses, lon
            DEBUG_WARN(warning_msg);
            continue;
        }
-        
-        // Build deletion query based on whether we have d-identifier
-        const char* delete_sql;
-        sqlite3_stmt* delete_stmt;
-        
-        if (d_identifier && strlen(d_identifier) > 0) {
-            // Delete specific addressable event with d-tag
-            delete_sql = "DELETE FROM events WHERE kind = ? AND pubkey = ? AND created_at <= ? "
-                        "AND json_extract(tags, '$[*]') LIKE '%[\"d\",\"' || ? || '\"]%'";
-        } else {
-            // Delete all events of this kind by this author up to deletion timestamp
-            delete_sql = "DELETE FROM events WHERE kind = ? AND pubkey = ? AND created_at <= ?";
+
+        int changes = db_delete_events_by_address(requester_pubkey, kind, d_identifier, deletion_timestamp);
+        if (changes > 0) {
+            deleted_count += changes;
        }
-        
-        int rc = sqlite3_prepare_v2(g_db, delete_sql, -1, &delete_stmt, NULL);
-        if (rc == SQLITE_OK) {
-            sqlite3_bind_int(delete_stmt, 1, kind);
-            sqlite3_bind_text(delete_stmt, 2, requester_pubkey, -1, SQLITE_STATIC);
-            sqlite3_bind_int64(delete_stmt, 3, deletion_timestamp);
-            
-            if (d_identifier && strlen(d_identifier) > 0) {
-                sqlite3_bind_text(delete_stmt, 4, d_identifier, -1, SQLITE_STATIC);
-            }
-            
-            if (sqlite3_step(delete_stmt) == SQLITE_DONE) {
-                int changes = sqlite3_changes(g_db);
-                if (changes > 0) {
-                    deleted_count += changes;
-                }
-            }
-            sqlite3_finalize(delete_stmt);
-        }
-        
+
        free(addr_copy);
    }
-    
+
    return deleted_count;
 }

@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
 #include <libwebsockets.h>
 #include "../nostr_core_lib/cjson/cJSON.h"
 #include "config.h"
-
+#include "main.h"

 // Forward declarations for configuration functions
 const char* get_config_value(const char* key);
@@ -23,6 +23,67 @@ int get_config_bool(const char* key, int default_value);
 #define HTTP_STATUS_INTERNAL_SERVER_ERROR 500


+#define NIP11_CACHE_TTL_SEC 5
+
+static pthread_mutex_t g_nip11_cache_mutex = PTHREAD_MUTEX_INITIALIZER;
+static char* g_nip11_cached_json = NULL;
+static size_t g_nip11_cached_json_len = 0;
+static time_t g_nip11_cache_expires_at = 0;
+
+cJSON* generate_relay_info_json();
+
+static void invalidate_nip11_cache_locked(void) {
+    if (g_nip11_cached_json) {
+        free(g_nip11_cached_json);
+        g_nip11_cached_json = NULL;
+    }
+    g_nip11_cached_json_len = 0;
+    g_nip11_cache_expires_at = 0;
+}
+
+static char* get_nip11_json_cached_dup(size_t* out_len) {
+    time_t now = time(NULL);
+
+    pthread_mutex_lock(&g_nip11_cache_mutex);
+    if (g_nip11_cached_json && now < g_nip11_cache_expires_at) {
+        char* copy = strdup(g_nip11_cached_json);
+        if (copy && out_len) {
+            *out_len = g_nip11_cached_json_len;
+        }
+        pthread_mutex_unlock(&g_nip11_cache_mutex);
+        return copy;
+    }
+    pthread_mutex_unlock(&g_nip11_cache_mutex);
+
+    cJSON* info_json = generate_relay_info_json();
+    if (!info_json) {
+        return NULL;
+    }
+
+    char* fresh_json = cJSON_Print(info_json);
+    cJSON_Delete(info_json);
+    if (!fresh_json) {
+        return NULL;
+    }
+
+    size_t fresh_len = strlen(fresh_json);
+
+    pthread_mutex_lock(&g_nip11_cache_mutex);
+    invalidate_nip11_cache_locked();
+    g_nip11_cached_json = strdup(fresh_json);
+    if (g_nip11_cached_json) {
+        g_nip11_cached_json_len = fresh_len;
+        g_nip11_cache_expires_at = now + NIP11_CACHE_TTL_SEC;
+    }
+    pthread_mutex_unlock(&g_nip11_cache_mutex);
+
+    if (out_len) {
+        *out_len = fresh_len;
+    }
+    return fresh_json;
+}
+
+
 /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 //             NIP-11 RELAY INFORMATION DOCUMENT
@@ -80,8 +141,9 @@ void init_relay_info() {

 // Clean up relay information JSON objects
 void cleanup_relay_info() {
-    // NIP-11 relay information is now generated dynamically from config table
-    // No cleanup needed - data is fetched directly from database when requested
+    pthread_mutex_lock(&g_nip11_cache_mutex);
+    invalidate_nip11_cache_locked();
+    pthread_mutex_unlock(&g_nip11_cache_mutex);
 }

 // Generate NIP-11 compliant JSON document
@@ -118,6 +180,8 @@ cJSON* generate_relay_info_json() {
    int default_limit = get_config_int("default_limit", 500);
    int min_pow_difficulty = get_config_int("pow_min_difficulty", 0);
    int admin_enabled = get_config_bool("admin_enabled", 0);
+    int wot_enabled = get_config_int("wot_enabled", 0);
+    int auth_enabled = get_config_bool("auth_enabled", 0);

    // Add basic relay information
    if (relay_name && strlen(relay_name) > 0) {
@@ -182,14 +246,14 @@ cJSON* generate_relay_info_json() {
        cJSON_AddStringToObject(info, "software", relay_software);
        free((char*)relay_software);
    } else {
-        cJSON_AddStringToObject(info, "software", "https://git.laantungir.net/laantungir/c-relay.git");
+        cJSON_AddStringToObject(info, "software", RELAY_SOFTWARE);
    }

    if (relay_version && strlen(relay_version) > 0) {
        cJSON_AddStringToObject(info, "version", relay_version);
        free((char*)relay_version);
    } else {
-        cJSON_AddStringToObject(info, "version", "0.2.0");
+        cJSON_AddStringToObject(info, "version", RELAY_VERSION);
    }

    // Add policies
@@ -209,6 +273,9 @@ cJSON* generate_relay_info_json() {
    }

    // Add server limitations
+    // restricted_writes is true when WoT or auth is enabled (only trusted pubkeys can write)
+    int restricted_writes = (wot_enabled > 0 || auth_enabled) ? 1 : 0;
+
    cJSON* limitation = cJSON_CreateObject();
    if (limitation) {
        cJSON_AddNumberToObject(limitation, "max_message_length", max_message_length);
@@ -218,15 +285,31 @@ cJSON* generate_relay_info_json() {
        cJSON_AddNumberToObject(limitation, "max_event_tags", max_event_tags);
        cJSON_AddNumberToObject(limitation, "max_content_length", max_content_length);
        cJSON_AddNumberToObject(limitation, "min_pow_difficulty", min_pow_difficulty);
-        cJSON_AddBoolToObject(limitation, "auth_required", admin_enabled ? cJSON_True : cJSON_False);
+        cJSON_AddBoolToObject(limitation, "auth_required", auth_enabled ? cJSON_True : cJSON_False);
        cJSON_AddBoolToObject(limitation, "payment_required", cJSON_False);
-        cJSON_AddBoolToObject(limitation, "restricted_writes", cJSON_False);
+        cJSON_AddBoolToObject(limitation, "restricted_writes", restricted_writes ? cJSON_True : cJSON_False);
        cJSON_AddNumberToObject(limitation, "created_at_lower_limit", 0);
        cJSON_AddNumberToObject(limitation, "created_at_upper_limit", 2147483647);
        cJSON_AddNumberToObject(limitation, "default_limit", default_limit);
        cJSON_AddItemToObject(info, "limitation", limitation);
    }

+    // Add Web of Trust information when enabled
+    // This informs clients that the relay operates on a trust network
+    if (wot_enabled > 0) {
+        cJSON* wot_info = cJSON_CreateObject();
+        if (wot_info) {
+            cJSON_AddNumberToObject(wot_info, "level", wot_enabled);
+            const char* level_desc = (wot_enabled == 1)
+                ? "write-only: only followed pubkeys can publish events"
+                : "full: only followed pubkeys can publish and subscribe";
+            cJSON_AddStringToObject(wot_info, "description", level_desc);
+            cJSON_AddStringToObject(wot_info, "policy",
+                "Events from pubkeys not in the relay operator's Web of Trust are rejected.");
+            cJSON_AddItemToObject(info, "web_of_trust", wot_info);
+        }
+    }
+
    // Add retention policies (empty array for now)
    cJSON* retention = cJSON_CreateArray();
    if (retention) {
@@ -327,9 +410,10 @@ int handle_nip11_http_request(struct lws* wsi, const char* accept_header) {
        return -1; // Close connection
    }
    
-    // Generate relay information JSON
-    cJSON* info_json = generate_relay_info_json();
-    if (!info_json) {
+    // Generate (or fetch cached) relay information JSON
+    size_t json_len = 0;
+    char* json_string = get_nip11_json_cached_dup(&json_len);
+    if (!json_string) {
        DEBUG_ERROR("Failed to generate relay info JSON");
        unsigned char buf[LWS_PRE + 256];
        unsigned char *p = &buf[LWS_PRE];
@@ -352,34 +436,6 @@ int handle_nip11_http_request(struct lws* wsi, const char* accept_header) {
        return -1;
    }
    
-    char* json_string = cJSON_Print(info_json);
-    cJSON_Delete(info_json);
-
-    if (!json_string) {
-        DEBUG_ERROR("Failed to serialize relay info JSON");
-        unsigned char buf[LWS_PRE + 256];
-        unsigned char *p = &buf[LWS_PRE];
-        unsigned char *start = p;
-        unsigned char *end = &buf[sizeof(buf) - 1];
-
-        if (lws_add_http_header_status(wsi, HTTP_STATUS_INTERNAL_SERVER_ERROR, &p, end)) {
-            return -1;
-        }
-        if (lws_add_http_header_by_token(wsi, WSI_TOKEN_HTTP_CONTENT_TYPE, (unsigned char*)"text/plain", 10, &p, end)) {
-            return -1;
-        }
-        if (lws_add_http_header_content_length(wsi, 0, &p, end)) {
-            return -1;
-        }
-        if (lws_finalize_http_header(wsi, &p, end)) {
-            return -1;
-        }
-        lws_write(wsi, start, p - start, LWS_WRITE_HTTP_HEADERS);
-        return -1;
-    }
-
-    size_t json_len = strlen(json_string);
-    
    // Allocate session data to manage buffer lifetime across callbacks
    struct nip11_session_data* session_data = malloc(sizeof(struct nip11_session_data));
    if (!session_data) {
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ int validate_event_pow(cJSON* event, char* error_message, size_t error_size) {
    // If min_pow_difficulty is 0, only validate events that have nonce tags
    // This allows events without PoW when difficulty requirement is 0
    if (min_pow_difficulty == 0) {
-        cJSON* tags = cJSON_GetObjectItem(event, "tags");
+        cJSON* tags = cJSON_GetObjectItemCaseSensitive(event, "tags");
        int has_nonce_tag = 0;

        if (tags && cJSON_IsArray(tags)) {
@@ -114,7 +114,7 @@ int is_event_expired(cJSON* event, time_t current_time) {
        return 0; // Invalid event, not expired
    }

-    cJSON* tags = cJSON_GetObjectItem(event, "tags");
+    cJSON* tags = cJSON_GetObjectItemCaseSensitive(event, "tags");
    long expiration_ts = extract_expiration_timestamp(tags);

    if (expiration_ts == 0) {
@@ -140,7 +140,7 @@ int validate_event_expiration(cJSON* event, char* error_message, size_t error_si
    time_t current_time = time(NULL);
    if (is_event_expired(event, current_time)) {
        if (g_expiration_config.strict_mode) {
-            cJSON* tags = cJSON_GetObjectItem(event, "tags");
+            cJSON* tags = cJSON_GetObjectItemCaseSensitive(event, "tags");
            long expiration_ts = extract_expiration_timestamp(tags);

            snprintf(error_message, error_size,
@@ -12,33 +12,20 @@
 #include <string.h>
 #include <stdlib.h>
 #include <time.h>
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include "websockets.h"
+#include "ip_ban.h"


 // Forward declaration for notice message function
-void send_notice_message(struct lws* wsi, const char* message);
+void send_notice_message(struct lws* wsi, struct per_session_data* pss, const char* message);

 // Forward declarations for NIP-42 functions from request_validator.c
 int nostr_nip42_generate_challenge(char *challenge_buffer, size_t buffer_size);
 int nostr_nip42_verify_auth_event(cJSON *event, const char *challenge_id,
                                  const char *relay_url, int time_tolerance_seconds);

-// Forward declaration for per_session_data struct (defined in main.c)
-struct per_session_data {
-    int authenticated;
-    void* subscriptions;           // Head of this session's subscription list
-    pthread_mutex_t session_lock;  // Per-session thread safety
-    char client_ip[41];            // Client IP for logging
-    int subscription_count;        // Number of subscriptions for this session
-
-    // NIP-42 Authentication State
-    char authenticated_pubkey[65]; // Authenticated public key (64 hex + null)
-    char active_challenge[65];     // Current challenge for this session (64 hex + null)
-    time_t challenge_created;      // When challenge was created
-    time_t challenge_expires;      // Challenge expiration time
-    int nip42_auth_required_events;        // Whether NIP-42 auth is required for EVENT submission
-    int nip42_auth_required_subscriptions; // Whether NIP-42 auth is required for REQ operations
-    int auth_challenge_sent;       // Whether challenge has been sent (0/1)
-};
+// Forward declaration for per_session_data struct (defined in websockets.h)


 // Send NIP-42 authentication challenge to client
@@ -49,7 +36,7 @@ void send_nip42_auth_challenge(struct lws* wsi, struct per_session_data* pss) {
    char challenge[65];
    if (nostr_nip42_generate_challenge(challenge, sizeof(challenge)) != 0) {
        DEBUG_ERROR("Failed to generate NIP-42 challenge");
-        send_notice_message(wsi, "Authentication temporarily unavailable");
+        send_notice_message(wsi, pss, "Authentication temporarily unavailable");
        return;
    }
    
@@ -70,11 +57,9 @@ void send_nip42_auth_challenge(struct lws* wsi, struct per_session_data* pss) {
    char* msg_str = cJSON_Print(auth_msg);
    if (msg_str) {
        size_t msg_len = strlen(msg_str);
-        unsigned char* buf = malloc(LWS_PRE + msg_len);
-        if (buf) {
-            memcpy(buf + LWS_PRE, msg_str, msg_len);
-            lws_write(wsi, buf + LWS_PRE, msg_len, LWS_WRITE_TEXT);
-            free(buf);
+        // Use proper message queue system instead of direct lws_write
+        if (queue_message(wsi, pss, msg_str, msg_len, LWS_WRITE_TEXT) != 0) {
+            DEBUG_ERROR("Failed to queue AUTH challenge message");
        }
        free(msg_str);
    }
@@ -88,7 +73,7 @@ void handle_nip42_auth_signed_event(struct lws* wsi, struct per_session_data* ps
    // Serialize event for validation
    char* event_json = cJSON_Print(auth_event);
    if (!event_json) {
-        send_notice_message(wsi, "Invalid authentication event format");
+        send_notice_message(wsi, pss, "Invalid authentication event format");
        return;
    }
    
@@ -103,20 +88,29 @@ void handle_nip42_auth_signed_event(struct lws* wsi, struct per_session_data* ps
    time_t current_time = time(NULL);
    if (current_time > challenge_expires) {
        free(event_json);
-        send_notice_message(wsi, "Authentication challenge expired, please retry");
+        send_notice_message(wsi, pss, "Authentication challenge expired, please retry");
        DEBUG_WARN("NIP-42 authentication failed: challenge expired");
        return;
    }
    
    // Verify authentication using existing request_validator function
    // Note: nostr_nip42_verify_auth_event doesn't extract pubkey, we need to do that separately
+    char relay_url[RELAY_URL_MAX_LENGTH];
+    const char* configured_relay_url = get_config_value("relay_url");
+    if (configured_relay_url && configured_relay_url[0] != '\0') {
+        snprintf(relay_url, sizeof(relay_url), "%s", configured_relay_url);
+    } else {
+        int relay_port = (g_relay_port > 0) ? g_relay_port : get_config_int("relay_port", DEFAULT_PORT);
+        snprintf(relay_url, sizeof(relay_url), "ws://127.0.0.1:%d", relay_port);
+    }
+
    int result = nostr_nip42_verify_auth_event(auth_event, challenge_copy,
-                                               "ws://localhost:8888", 600); // 10 minutes tolerance
+                                               relay_url, 600); // 10 minutes tolerance
    
    char authenticated_pubkey[65] = {0};
    if (result == 0) {
        // Extract pubkey from the auth event
-        cJSON* pubkey_json = cJSON_GetObjectItem(auth_event, "pubkey");
+        cJSON* pubkey_json = cJSON_GetObjectItemCaseSensitive(auth_event, "pubkey");
        if (pubkey_json && cJSON_IsString(pubkey_json)) {
            const char* pubkey_str = cJSON_GetStringValue(pubkey_json);
            if (pubkey_str && strlen(pubkey_str) == 64) {
@@ -142,9 +136,17 @@ void handle_nip42_auth_signed_event(struct lws* wsi, struct per_session_data* ps
        memset(pss->active_challenge, 0, sizeof(pss->active_challenge));
        pss->challenge_expires = 0;
        pss->auth_challenge_sent = 0;
+        // Mark session as active - client sent AUTH
+        pss->session_active = 1;
        pthread_mutex_unlock(&pss->session_lock);
-        
-        send_notice_message(wsi, "NIP-42 authentication successful");
+
+        // Cancel the auth timeout — client has authenticated, keep connection open
+        lws_set_timeout(wsi, NO_PENDING_TIMEOUT, 0);
+
+        // Record successful auth for this IP — marks it as trusted
+        ip_ban_record_success(pss->client_ip);
+
+        send_notice_message(wsi, pss, "NIP-42 authentication successful");
    } else {
        // Authentication failed
        char error_msg[256];
@@ -152,7 +154,7 @@ void handle_nip42_auth_signed_event(struct lws* wsi, struct per_session_data* ps
                 "NIP-42 authentication failed (error code: %d)", result);
        DEBUG_WARN(error_msg);
        
-        send_notice_message(wsi, "NIP-42 authentication failed - invalid signature or challenge");
+        send_notice_message(wsi, pss, "NIP-42 authentication failed - invalid signature or challenge");
    }
 }

@@ -163,5 +165,5 @@ void handle_nip42_auth_challenge_response(struct lws* wsi, struct per_session_da
    // NIP-42 doesn't typically use challenge responses from client to server
    // This is reserved for potential future use or protocol extensions
    DEBUG_WARN("Received unexpected challenge response from client (not part of standard NIP-42 flow)");
-    send_notice_message(wsi, "Challenge responses are not supported - please send signed authentication event");
+    send_notice_message(wsi, pss, "Challenge responses are not supported - please send signed authentication event");
 }
@@ -17,17 +17,13 @@
 #include "../nostr_core_lib/nostr_core/utils.h"
 #include "debug.h"  // C-relay debug system
 #include "config.h"  // C-relay configuration system
-#include <sqlite3.h>
+#include "db_ops.h"
 #include <stdio.h>
 #include <stdlib.h>
 #include <string.h>
 #include <strings.h>
 #include <time.h>

-// External references to C-relay global state
-extern sqlite3* g_db;
-extern char g_database_path[512];
-
 // Forward declaration for C-relay event storage function
 extern int store_event(cJSON* event);

@@ -133,6 +129,14 @@ typedef struct {
 static nip42_challenge_manager_t g_challenge_manager = {0};
 static int g_validator_initialized = 0;

+typedef struct {
+  int has_active_whitelist_rules;
+  time_t last_refresh;
+} auth_rules_fast_cache_t;
+
+static auth_rules_fast_cache_t g_auth_rules_fast_cache = {0};
+#define AUTH_RULES_CACHE_TTL_SEC 5
+
 // Last rule violation details for status code mapping
 struct {
  char violation_type[100]; // "pubkey_blacklist", "hash_blacklist",
@@ -252,13 +256,13 @@ int nostr_validate_unified_request(const char* json_string, size_t json_length)
  }

  // 4. Validate basic event structure
-  cJSON *id = cJSON_GetObjectItem(event, "id");
-  cJSON *pubkey = cJSON_GetObjectItem(event, "pubkey");
-  cJSON *created_at = cJSON_GetObjectItem(event, "created_at");
-  cJSON *kind = cJSON_GetObjectItem(event, "kind");
-  cJSON *tags = cJSON_GetObjectItem(event, "tags");
-  cJSON *content = cJSON_GetObjectItem(event, "content");
-  cJSON *sig = cJSON_GetObjectItem(event, "sig");
+  cJSON *id = cJSON_GetObjectItemCaseSensitive(event, "id");
+  cJSON *pubkey = cJSON_GetObjectItemCaseSensitive(event, "pubkey");
+  cJSON *created_at = cJSON_GetObjectItemCaseSensitive(event, "created_at");
+  cJSON *kind = cJSON_GetObjectItemCaseSensitive(event, "kind");
+  cJSON *tags = cJSON_GetObjectItemCaseSensitive(event, "tags");
+  cJSON *content = cJSON_GetObjectItemCaseSensitive(event, "content");
+  cJSON *sig = cJSON_GetObjectItemCaseSensitive(event, "sig");

  if (!id || !cJSON_IsString(id) ||
      !pubkey || !cJSON_IsString(pubkey) ||
@@ -304,9 +308,11 @@ int nostr_validate_unified_request(const char* json_string, size_t json_length)
    const char* admin_pubkey = get_config_value("admin_pubkey");
    if (admin_pubkey && strcmp(event_pubkey, admin_pubkey) == 0) {
      // Valid admin event - bypass remaining validation
+      free((char*)admin_pubkey);
      cJSON_Delete(event);
      return NOSTR_SUCCESS;
    }
+    if (admin_pubkey) free((char*)admin_pubkey);
    // Not from admin - continue with normal validation
  }

@@ -380,7 +386,7 @@ int nostr_validate_unified_request(const char* json_string, size_t json_length)
  // Always check expiration tags if present (following NIP-40 specification)

  cJSON *expiration_tag = NULL;
-  cJSON *tags_array = cJSON_GetObjectItem(event, "tags");
+  cJSON *tags_array = cJSON_GetObjectItemCaseSensitive(event, "tags");

  if (tags_array && cJSON_IsArray(tags_array)) {
    cJSON *tag = NULL;
@@ -504,10 +510,10 @@ void nostr_request_result_free_file_data(nostr_request_result_t *result) {


 /**
- * Force cache refresh - cache no longer exists, function kept for compatibility
+ * Force cache refresh for auth rule fast cache.
 */
 void nostr_request_validator_force_cache_refresh(void) {
-  // Cache no longer exists - direct database queries are used
+  g_auth_rules_fast_cache.last_refresh = 0;
 }

 /**
@@ -522,118 +528,57 @@ static int reload_auth_config(void) {

 // Note: Blossom protocol validation removed - C-relay uses standard Nostr events only

+static int has_active_whitelist_rules_cached(void) {
+  time_t now = time(NULL);
+  if (g_auth_rules_fast_cache.last_refresh == 0 ||
+      (now - g_auth_rules_fast_cache.last_refresh) >= AUTH_RULES_CACHE_TTL_SEC) {
+    g_auth_rules_fast_cache.has_active_whitelist_rules =
+        (db_count_active_whitelist_rules() > 0) ? 1 : 0;
+    g_auth_rules_fast_cache.last_refresh = now;
+  }
+  return g_auth_rules_fast_cache.has_active_whitelist_rules;
+}
+
 /**
 * Check database authentication rules for the request
 * Implements the 6-step rule evaluation engine from AUTH_API.md
 */
 int check_database_auth_rules(const char *pubkey, const char *operation __attribute__((unused)),
                              const char *resource_hash) {
-  sqlite3 *db = NULL;
-  sqlite3_stmt *stmt = NULL;
-  int rc;
-
  DEBUG_TRACE("Checking auth rules for pubkey: %s", pubkey);

  if (!pubkey) {
    return NOSTR_ERROR_INVALID_INPUT;
  }

-  // Open database using global database path
-  if (strlen(g_database_path) == 0) {
-    return NOSTR_SUCCESS; // Default allow on DB error
-  }
-
-  rc = sqlite3_open_v2(g_database_path, &db, SQLITE_OPEN_READONLY, NULL);
-  if (rc != SQLITE_OK) {
-    return NOSTR_SUCCESS; // Default allow on DB error
-  }
-
  // Step 1: Check pubkey blacklist (highest priority)
-  const char *blacklist_sql =
-      "SELECT rule_type FROM auth_rules WHERE rule_type = "
-      "'blacklist' AND pattern_type = 'pubkey' AND pattern_value = ? AND active = 1 LIMIT 1";
-  DEBUG_TRACE("Blacklist SQL: %s", blacklist_sql);
-  rc = sqlite3_prepare_v2(db, blacklist_sql, -1, &stmt, NULL);
-  if (rc == SQLITE_OK) {
-    sqlite3_bind_text(stmt, 1, pubkey, -1, SQLITE_STATIC);
-
-    int step_result = sqlite3_step(stmt);
-    DEBUG_TRACE("Blacklist query result: %s", step_result == SQLITE_ROW ? "FOUND" : "NOT_FOUND");
-
-    if (step_result == SQLITE_ROW) {
-      DEBUG_TRACE("BLACKLIST HIT: Denying access for pubkey: %s", pubkey);
-      // Set specific violation details for status code mapping
-      strcpy(g_last_rule_violation.violation_type, "pubkey_blacklist");
-      sprintf(g_last_rule_violation.reason, "Public key blacklisted");
-
-      sqlite3_finalize(stmt);
-      sqlite3_close(db);
-      return NOSTR_ERROR_AUTH_REQUIRED;
-    }
-    sqlite3_finalize(stmt);
+  if (db_is_pubkey_blacklisted(pubkey)) {
+    DEBUG_TRACE("BLACKLIST HIT: Denying access for pubkey: %s", pubkey);
+    strcpy(g_last_rule_violation.violation_type, "pubkey_blacklist");
+    sprintf(g_last_rule_violation.reason, "Public key blacklisted");
+    return NOSTR_ERROR_AUTH_REQUIRED;
  }

  // Step 2: Check hash blacklist
-  if (resource_hash) {
-    const char *hash_blacklist_sql =
-        "SELECT rule_type FROM auth_rules WHERE rule_type = "
-        "'blacklist' AND pattern_type = 'hash' AND pattern_value = ? AND active = 1 LIMIT 1";
-    rc = sqlite3_prepare_v2(db, hash_blacklist_sql, -1, &stmt, NULL);
-    if (rc == SQLITE_OK) {
-      sqlite3_bind_text(stmt, 1, resource_hash, -1, SQLITE_STATIC);
-
-      if (sqlite3_step(stmt) == SQLITE_ROW) {
-        // Set specific violation details for status code mapping
-        strcpy(g_last_rule_violation.violation_type, "hash_blacklist");
-        sprintf(g_last_rule_violation.reason, "File hash blacklisted");
-
-        sqlite3_finalize(stmt);
-        sqlite3_close(db);
-        return NOSTR_ERROR_AUTH_REQUIRED;
-      }
-      sqlite3_finalize(stmt);
-    }
+  if (resource_hash && db_is_hash_blacklisted(resource_hash)) {
+    strcpy(g_last_rule_violation.violation_type, "hash_blacklist");
+    sprintf(g_last_rule_violation.reason, "File hash blacklisted");
+    return NOSTR_ERROR_AUTH_REQUIRED;
  }

-  // Step 3: Check pubkey whitelist
-  const char *whitelist_sql =
-      "SELECT rule_type FROM auth_rules WHERE rule_type = "
-      "'whitelist' AND pattern_type = 'pubkey' AND pattern_value = ? AND active = 1 LIMIT 1";
-  rc = sqlite3_prepare_v2(db, whitelist_sql, -1, &stmt, NULL);
-  if (rc == SQLITE_OK) {
-    sqlite3_bind_text(stmt, 1, pubkey, -1, SQLITE_STATIC);
-
-    if (sqlite3_step(stmt) == SQLITE_ROW) {
-      sqlite3_finalize(stmt);
-      sqlite3_close(db);
-      return NOSTR_SUCCESS; // Allow whitelisted pubkey
-    }
-    sqlite3_finalize(stmt);
+  // Step 3: Check pubkey whitelist (includes wot_whitelist)
+  if (db_is_pubkey_whitelisted(pubkey)) {
+    return NOSTR_SUCCESS; // Allow whitelisted pubkey
  }

-  // Step 4: Check if any whitelist rules exist - if yes, deny by default
-  const char *whitelist_exists_sql =
-      "SELECT COUNT(*) FROM auth_rules WHERE rule_type = 'whitelist' "
-      "AND pattern_type = 'pubkey' AND active = 1 LIMIT 1";
-  rc = sqlite3_prepare_v2(db, whitelist_exists_sql, -1, &stmt, NULL);
-  if (rc == SQLITE_OK) {
-    if (sqlite3_step(stmt) == SQLITE_ROW) {
-      int whitelist_count = sqlite3_column_int(stmt, 0);
-      if (whitelist_count > 0) {
-        // Set specific violation details for status code mapping
-        strcpy(g_last_rule_violation.violation_type, "whitelist_violation");
-        strcpy(g_last_rule_violation.reason,
-               "Public key not whitelisted for this operation");
-
-        sqlite3_finalize(stmt);
-        sqlite3_close(db);
-        return NOSTR_ERROR_AUTH_REQUIRED;
-      }
-    }
-    sqlite3_finalize(stmt);
+  // Step 4: If any whitelist rules exist, deny by default
+  if (has_active_whitelist_rules_cached()) {
+    strcpy(g_last_rule_violation.violation_type, "whitelist_violation");
+    strcpy(g_last_rule_violation.reason,
+           "Public key not whitelisted for this operation");
+    return NOSTR_ERROR_AUTH_REQUIRED;
  }

-  sqlite3_close(db);
  return NOSTR_SUCCESS; // Default allow if no restrictive rules matched
 }

@@ -818,7 +763,7 @@ int nostr_nip42_verify_auth_event(cJSON *event, const char *challenge_id,
  }
  
  // Check if event has the required tags for NIP-42
-  cJSON *tags = cJSON_GetObjectItem(event, "tags");
+  cJSON *tags = cJSON_GetObjectItemCaseSensitive(event, "tags");
  if (!tags || !cJSON_IsArray(tags)) {
    return NOSTR_ERROR_NIP42_AUTH_EVENT_INVALID;
  }
@@ -896,7 +841,7 @@ int nostr_nip42_verify_auth_event(cJSON *event, const char *challenge_id,
  }
  
  // Check created_at timestamp for reasonable bounds
-  cJSON *created_at_json = cJSON_GetObjectItem(event, "created_at");
+  cJSON *created_at_json = cJSON_GetObjectItemCaseSensitive(event, "created_at");
  if (created_at_json && cJSON_IsNumber(created_at_json)) {
    time_t created_at = (time_t)cJSON_GetNumberValue(created_at_json);
    if (abs((int)(now - created_at)) > time_tolerance_seconds) {
@@ -1,12 +1,11 @@
 /* Embedded SQL Schema for C Nostr Relay
- * Generated from db/schema.sql - Do not edit manually
- * Schema Version: 7
+ * Schema Version: 12
 */
 #ifndef SQL_SCHEMA_H
 #define SQL_SCHEMA_H

 /* Schema version constant */
-#define EMBEDDED_SCHEMA_VERSION "7"
+#define EMBEDDED_SCHEMA_VERSION "12"

 /* Embedded SQL schema as C string literal */
 static const char* const EMBEDDED_SCHEMA_SQL = 
@@ -15,7 +14,7 @@ static const char* const EMBEDDED_SCHEMA_SQL =
 -- Configuration system using config table\n\
 \n\
 -- Schema version tracking\n\
-PRAGMA user_version = 7;\n\
+PRAGMA user_version = 12;\n\
 \n\
 -- Enable foreign key support\n\
 PRAGMA foreign_keys = ON;\n\
@@ -35,6 +34,7 @@ CREATE TABLE events (\n\
    content TEXT NOT NULL,              -- Event content (text content only)\n\
    sig TEXT NOT NULL,                  -- Event signature (hex string)\n\
    tags JSON NOT NULL DEFAULT '[]',   -- Event tags as JSON array\n\
+    event_json TEXT NOT NULL,           -- Full event JSON (pre-serialized for fast retrieval)\n\
    first_seen INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT (strftime('%s', 'now'))  -- When relay received event\n\
 );\n\
 \n\
@@ -49,6 +49,25 @@ CREATE INDEX idx_events_kind_created_at ON events(kind, created_at DESC);\n\
 CREATE INDEX idx_events_pubkey_created_at ON events(pubkey, created_at DESC);\n\
 CREATE INDEX idx_events_pubkey_kind ON events(pubkey, kind);\n\
 \n\
+-- Denormalized event tags for fast indexed lookups\n\
+-- Replaces json_each(json(tags)) queries which cause full JSON parsing per row\n\
+CREATE TABLE event_tags (\n\
+    event_id TEXT NOT NULL,\n\
+    tag_name TEXT NOT NULL,\n\
+    tag_value TEXT NOT NULL,\n\
+    tag_index INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,\n\
+    FOREIGN KEY (event_id) REFERENCES events(id) ON DELETE CASCADE\n\
+);\n\
+\n\
+-- Primary lookup index: find events by tag name + value\n\
+CREATE INDEX idx_event_tags_lookup ON event_tags(tag_name, tag_value);\n\
+\n\
+-- Reverse lookup: find all tags for an event (for cleanup)\n\
+CREATE INDEX idx_event_tags_event ON event_tags(event_id);\n\
+\n\
+-- Composite index for common query pattern: tag + kind (via join)\n\
+CREATE INDEX idx_event_tags_value_name ON event_tags(tag_value, tag_name);\n\
+\n\
 -- Schema information table\n\
 CREATE TABLE schema_info (\n\
    key TEXT PRIMARY KEY,\n\
@@ -58,8 +77,8 @@ CREATE TABLE schema_info (\n\
 \n\
 -- Insert schema metadata\n\
 INSERT INTO schema_info (key, value) VALUES\n\
-    ('version', '7'),\n\
-    ('description', 'Hybrid Nostr relay schema with event-based and table-based configuration'),\n\
+    ('version', '12'),\n\
+    ('description', 'Added event_tags table for fast indexed tag lookups, replacing json_each() correlated subqueries'),\n\
    ('created_at', strftime('%s', 'now'));\n\
 \n\
 -- Helper views for common queries\n\
@@ -93,16 +112,6 @@ FROM events\n\
 WHERE kind = 33334\n\
 ORDER BY created_at DESC;\n\
 \n\
-- Optimization: Trigger for automatic cleanup of ephemeral events older than 1 hour\n\
-CREATE TRIGGER cleanup_ephemeral_events\n\
-    AFTER INSERT ON events\n\
-    WHEN NEW.event_type = 'ephemeral'\n\
-BEGIN\n\
-    DELETE FROM events \n\
-    WHERE event_type = 'ephemeral' \n\
-    AND first_seen < (strftime('%s', 'now') - 3600);\n\
-END;\n\
-\n\
 -- Replaceable event handling trigger\n\
 CREATE TRIGGER handle_replaceable_events\n\
    AFTER INSERT ON events\n\
@@ -139,7 +148,7 @@ CREATE TABLE relay_seckey (\n\
 -- Used by request_validator.c for unified validation\n\
 CREATE TABLE auth_rules (\n\
    id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,\n\
-    rule_type TEXT NOT NULL CHECK (rule_type IN ('whitelist', 'blacklist', 'rate_limit', 'auth_required')),\n\
+    rule_type TEXT NOT NULL CHECK (rule_type IN ('whitelist', 'blacklist', 'rate_limit', 'auth_required', 'wot_whitelist')),\n\
    pattern_type TEXT NOT NULL CHECK (pattern_type IN ('pubkey', 'kind', 'ip', 'global')),\n\
    pattern_value TEXT,\n\
    active INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 1,\n\
@@ -181,17 +190,19 @@ END;\n\
 -- Persistent Subscriptions Logging Tables (Phase 2)\n\
 -- Optional database logging for subscription analytics and debugging\n\
 \n\
-- Subscription events log\n\
-CREATE TABLE subscription_events (\n\
+-- Subscriptions log (renamed from subscription_events for clarity)\n\
+CREATE TABLE subscriptions (\n\
    id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,\n\
    subscription_id TEXT NOT NULL,           -- Subscription ID from client\n\
+    wsi_pointer TEXT NOT NULL,               -- WebSocket pointer address (hex string)\n\
    client_ip TEXT NOT NULL,                 -- Client IP address\n\
    event_type TEXT NOT NULL CHECK (event_type IN ('created', 'closed', 'expired', 'disconnected')),\n\
    filter_json TEXT,                        -- JSON representation of filters (for created events)\n\
    events_sent INTEGER DEFAULT 0,           -- Number of events sent to this subscription\n\
    created_at INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT (strftime('%s', 'now')),\n\
    ended_at INTEGER,                        -- When subscription ended (for closed/expired/disconnected)\n\
-    duration INTEGER                         -- Computed: ended_at - created_at\n\
+    duration INTEGER,                        -- Computed: ended_at - created_at\n\
+    UNIQUE(subscription_id, wsi_pointer)     -- Prevent duplicate subscriptions per connection\n\
 );\n\
 \n\
 -- Subscription metrics summary\n\
@@ -207,34 +218,27 @@ CREATE TABLE subscription_metrics (\n\
    UNIQUE(date)\n\
 );\n\
 \n\
-- Event broadcasting log (optional, for detailed analytics)\n\
-CREATE TABLE event_broadcasts (\n\
-    id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,\n\
-    event_id TEXT NOT NULL,                  -- Event ID that was broadcast\n\
-    subscription_id TEXT NOT NULL,           -- Subscription that received it\n\
-    client_ip TEXT NOT NULL,                 -- Client IP\n\
-    broadcast_at INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT (strftime('%s', 'now')),\n\
-    FOREIGN KEY (event_id) REFERENCES events(id)\n\
-);\n\
 \n\
 -- Indexes for subscription logging performance\n\
-CREATE INDEX idx_subscription_events_id ON subscription_events(subscription_id);\n\
-CREATE INDEX idx_subscription_events_type ON subscription_events(event_type);\n\
-CREATE INDEX idx_subscription_events_created ON subscription_events(created_at DESC);\n\
-CREATE INDEX idx_subscription_events_client ON subscription_events(client_ip);\n\
+CREATE INDEX idx_subscriptions_id ON subscriptions(subscription_id);\n\
+CREATE INDEX idx_subscriptions_type ON subscriptions(event_type);\n\
+CREATE INDEX idx_subscriptions_created ON subscriptions(created_at DESC);\n\
+CREATE INDEX idx_subscriptions_client ON subscriptions(client_ip);\n\
+CREATE INDEX idx_subscriptions_wsi ON subscriptions(wsi_pointer);\n\
+\n\
+-- Composite index for active_subscriptions_log view optimization\n\
+-- Optimizes: WHERE event_type = 'created' AND ended_at IS NULL ORDER BY created_at DESC\n\
+CREATE INDEX idx_subscriptions_active_log ON subscriptions(event_type, ended_at, created_at DESC);\n\
 \n\
 CREATE INDEX idx_subscription_metrics_date ON subscription_metrics(date DESC);\n\
 \n\
-CREATE INDEX idx_event_broadcasts_event ON event_broadcasts(event_id);\n\
-CREATE INDEX idx_event_broadcasts_sub ON event_broadcasts(subscription_id);\n\
-CREATE INDEX idx_event_broadcasts_time ON event_broadcasts(broadcast_at DESC);\n\
 \n\
 -- Trigger to update subscription duration when ended\n\
 CREATE TRIGGER update_subscription_duration\n\
-    AFTER UPDATE OF ended_at ON subscription_events\n\
+    AFTER UPDATE OF ended_at ON subscriptions\n\
    WHEN NEW.ended_at IS NOT NULL AND OLD.ended_at IS NULL\n\
 BEGIN\n\
-    UPDATE subscription_events\n\
+    UPDATE subscriptions\n\
    SET duration = NEW.ended_at - NEW.created_at\n\
    WHERE id = NEW.id;\n\
 END;\n\
@@ -249,7 +253,7 @@ SELECT\n\
    MAX(events_sent) as max_events_sent,\n\
    AVG(events_sent) as avg_events_sent,\n\
    COUNT(DISTINCT client_ip) as unique_clients\n\
-FROM subscription_events\n\
+FROM subscriptions\n\
 GROUP BY date(created_at, 'unixepoch')\n\
 ORDER BY date DESC;\n\
 \n\
@@ -261,13 +265,11 @@ SELECT\n\
    filter_json,\n\
    events_sent,\n\
    created_at,\n\
-    (strftime('%s', 'now') - created_at) as duration_seconds\n\
-FROM subscription_events\n\
+    (strftime('%s', 'now') - created_at) as duration_seconds,\n\
+    wsi_pointer\n\
+FROM subscriptions\n\
 WHERE event_type = 'created'\n\
-AND subscription_id NOT IN (\n\
-    SELECT subscription_id FROM subscription_events\n\
-    WHERE event_type IN ('closed', 'expired', 'disconnected')\n\
-);\n\
+AND ended_at IS NULL;\n\
 \n\
 -- Database Statistics Views for Admin API\n\
 -- Event kinds distribution view\n\
@@ -328,4 +330,4 @@ SELECT\n\
 FROM events\n\
 WHERE created_at >= (strftime('%s', 'now') - 2592000);";

-#endif /* SQL_SCHEMA_H */
+#endif /* SQL_SCHEMA_H */
@@ -63,6 +63,18 @@ struct subscription {
    struct subscription* session_next;      // Next subscription for this session
 };

+// Kind index entry - linked list of subscriptions interested in a specific kind
+typedef struct kind_subscription_node {
+    subscription_t* subscription;              // Pointer to subscription
+    struct kind_subscription_node* next;       // Next subscription for this kind
+} kind_subscription_node_t;
+
+// No-kind-filter list entry - wrapper to avoid corrupting subscription->next pointer
+typedef struct no_kind_filter_node {
+    subscription_t* subscription;              // Pointer to subscription
+    struct no_kind_filter_node* next;          // Next subscription in no-kind list
+} no_kind_filter_node_t;
+
 // Per-IP connection tracking
 typedef struct ip_connection_info {
    char ip_address[CLIENT_IP_MAX_LENGTH];  // IP address
@@ -79,6 +91,10 @@ struct subscription_manager {
    pthread_mutex_t subscriptions_lock;     // Global thread safety
    int total_subscriptions;                // Current count

+    // Kind-based index for fast subscription lookup (10x performance improvement)
+    kind_subscription_node_t* kind_index[65536];  // Array of subscription lists, one per kind
+    no_kind_filter_node_t* no_kind_filter_subs;   // Subscriptions with no kind filter (wrapper nodes)
+
    // Configuration
    int max_subscriptions_per_client;       // Default: 20
    int max_total_subscriptions;            // Default: 5000
@@ -104,6 +120,11 @@ int event_matches_filter(cJSON* event, subscription_filter_t* filter);
 int event_matches_subscription(cJSON* event, subscription_t* subscription);
 int broadcast_event_to_subscriptions(cJSON* event);

+// Kind index functions for performance optimization
+void init_kind_index(void);
+void add_subscription_to_kind_index(subscription_t* sub);
+void remove_subscription_from_kind_index(subscription_t* sub);
+
 // Per-IP connection tracking functions
 ip_connection_info_t* get_or_create_ip_connection(const char* client_ip);
 void update_ip_connection_activity(const char* client_ip);
@@ -115,7 +136,12 @@ int get_active_connections_for_ip(const char* client_ip);
 void log_subscription_created(const subscription_t* sub);
 void log_subscription_closed(const char* sub_id, const char* client_ip, const char* reason);
 void log_subscription_disconnected(const char* client_ip);
-void log_event_broadcast(const char* event_id, const char* sub_id, const char* client_ip);
 void update_subscription_events_sent(const char* sub_id, int events_sent);

+// Subscription query functions
+int has_subscriptions_for_kind(int event_kind);
+
+// Startup cleanup function
+void cleanup_all_subscriptions_on_startup(void);
+
 #endif // SUBSCRIPTIONS_H
@@ -0,0 +1,953 @@
+#define _GNU_SOURCE
+
+#include "thread_pool.h"
+#include "debug.h"
+#include "db_ops.h"
+#include "ip_ban.h"
+
+#include <pthread.h>
+#include <stdint.h>
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <string.h>
+
+typedef struct thread_pool_job_node {
+    uint64_t job_id;
+    thread_pool_job_t job;
+    struct thread_pool_job_node* next;
+} thread_pool_job_node_t;
+
+typedef struct {
+    thread_pool_job_node_t* head;
+    thread_pool_job_node_t* tail;
+    int size;
+    int max_size;
+    pthread_mutex_t mutex;
+    pthread_cond_t cond;
+} thread_pool_queue_t;
+
+typedef struct {
+    int running;
+    uint64_t next_job_id;
+
+    int reader_count;
+    pthread_t* readers;
+    pthread_t writer;
+
+    thread_pool_queue_t read_q;
+    thread_pool_queue_t write_q;
+
+    thread_pool_wake_loop_cb wake_loop_cb;
+    void* wake_loop_ctx;
+
+    char db_path[512];
+
+    pthread_mutex_t state_mutex;
+} thread_pool_state_t;
+
+static thread_pool_state_t g_pool = {0};
+
+typedef struct {
+    pthread_mutex_t mutex;
+    pthread_cond_t cond;
+    int done;
+    thread_pool_status_t status;
+    void* result_data;
+    size_t result_size;
+} thread_pool_wait_ctx_t;
+
+static void wait_ctx_init(thread_pool_wait_ctx_t* ctx) {
+    memset(ctx, 0, sizeof(*ctx));
+    pthread_mutex_init(&ctx->mutex, NULL);
+    pthread_cond_init(&ctx->cond, NULL);
+}
+
+static void wait_ctx_destroy(thread_pool_wait_ctx_t* ctx) {
+    pthread_mutex_destroy(&ctx->mutex);
+    pthread_cond_destroy(&ctx->cond);
+}
+
+static void wait_ctx_result_cb(const thread_pool_result_t* result, void* user_ctx) {
+    thread_pool_wait_ctx_t* ctx = (thread_pool_wait_ctx_t*)user_ctx;
+    if (!ctx || !result) return;
+
+    pthread_mutex_lock(&ctx->mutex);
+    ctx->status = result->status;
+    ctx->result_data = result->result_data;
+    ctx->result_size = result->result_size;
+    ctx->done = 1;
+    pthread_cond_signal(&ctx->cond);
+    pthread_mutex_unlock(&ctx->mutex);
+}
+
+static void wait_ctx_wait(thread_pool_wait_ctx_t* ctx) {
+    pthread_mutex_lock(&ctx->mutex);
+    while (!ctx->done) {
+        pthread_cond_wait(&ctx->cond, &ctx->mutex);
+    }
+    pthread_mutex_unlock(&ctx->mutex);
+}
+
+static void free_count_payload(void* p) {
+    thread_pool_count_payload_t* payload = (thread_pool_count_payload_t*)p;
+    if (!payload) return;
+    free(payload->sql);
+    if (payload->bind_params) {
+        for (int i = 0; i < payload->bind_param_count; i++) {
+            free(payload->bind_params[i]);
+        }
+        free(payload->bind_params);
+    }
+    free(payload);
+}
+
+static void free_req_payload(void* p) {
+    thread_pool_req_payload_t* payload = (thread_pool_req_payload_t*)p;
+    if (!payload) return;
+    free(payload->sql);
+    if (payload->bind_params) {
+        for (int i = 0; i < payload->bind_param_count; i++) {
+            free(payload->bind_params[i]);
+        }
+        free(payload->bind_params);
+    }
+    free(payload);
+}
+
+static void free_store_event_payload(void* p) {
+    thread_pool_store_event_payload_t* payload = (thread_pool_store_event_payload_t*)p;
+    if (!payload) return;
+    free(payload->id);
+    free(payload->pubkey);
+    free(payload->event_type);
+    free(payload->content);
+    free(payload->sig);
+    free(payload->tags_json);
+    free(payload->event_json);
+    free(payload);
+}
+
+static void queue_init(thread_pool_queue_t* q, int max_size) {
+    memset(q, 0, sizeof(*q));
+    q->max_size = (max_size > 0) ? max_size : 4096;
+    pthread_mutex_init(&q->mutex, NULL);
+    pthread_cond_init(&q->cond, NULL);
+}
+
+static void queue_destroy(thread_pool_queue_t* q) {
+    pthread_mutex_lock(&q->mutex);
+    thread_pool_job_node_t* cur = q->head;
+    while (cur) {
+        thread_pool_job_node_t* next = cur->next;
+        if (cur->job.payload_free && cur->job.payload) {
+            cur->job.payload_free(cur->job.payload);
+        }
+        free(cur);
+        cur = next;
+    }
+    q->head = q->tail = NULL;
+    q->size = 0;
+    pthread_mutex_unlock(&q->mutex);
+
+    pthread_mutex_destroy(&q->mutex);
+    pthread_cond_destroy(&q->cond);
+}
+
+static int queue_push(thread_pool_queue_t* q, thread_pool_job_node_t* node) {
+    pthread_mutex_lock(&q->mutex);
+    if (q->size >= q->max_size) {
+        pthread_mutex_unlock(&q->mutex);
+        return 0;
+    }
+
+    node->next = NULL;
+    if (!q->tail) {
+        q->head = q->tail = node;
+    } else {
+        q->tail->next = node;
+        q->tail = node;
+    }
+    q->size++;
+    pthread_cond_signal(&q->cond);
+    pthread_mutex_unlock(&q->mutex);
+    return 1;
+}
+
+static thread_pool_job_node_t* queue_pop(thread_pool_queue_t* q) {
+    pthread_mutex_lock(&q->mutex);
+    while (g_pool.running && q->size == 0) {
+        pthread_cond_wait(&q->cond, &q->mutex);
+    }
+
+    if (!g_pool.running && q->size == 0) {
+        pthread_mutex_unlock(&q->mutex);
+        return NULL;
+    }
+
+    thread_pool_job_node_t* node = q->head;
+    q->head = node->next;
+    if (!q->head) q->tail = NULL;
+    q->size--;
+    pthread_mutex_unlock(&q->mutex);
+    return node;
+}
+
+static void wake_event_loop(void) {
+    if (g_pool.wake_loop_cb) {
+        g_pool.wake_loop_cb(g_pool.wake_loop_ctx);
+    }
+}
+
+static void* open_worker_connection(void) {
+    void* db_conn = NULL;
+    if (db_open_worker_connection(g_pool.db_path, &db_conn) != 0) {
+        return NULL;
+    }
+    return db_conn;
+}
+
+static void complete_job_with_result(thread_pool_job_node_t* node,
+                                     thread_pool_status_t status,
+                                     const char* message,
+                                     void* result_data,
+                                     size_t result_size) {
+    thread_pool_result_t result;
+    memset(&result, 0, sizeof(result));
+    result.job_id = node->job_id;
+    result.type = node->job.type;
+    result.status = status;
+    result.session = node->job.session;
+    result.result_data = result_data;
+    result.result_size = result_size;
+    result.message = message;
+
+    if (node->job.result_cb) {
+        node->job.result_cb(&result, node->job.result_cb_ctx);
+    }
+    wake_event_loop();
+
+    if (node->job.payload_free && node->job.payload) {
+        node->job.payload_free(node->job.payload);
+    }
+    free(node);
+}
+
+static void execute_count_job(thread_pool_job_node_t* node) {
+    thread_pool_count_payload_t* payload = (thread_pool_count_payload_t*)node->job.payload;
+    if (!payload || !payload->sql) {
+        complete_job_with_result(node, THREAD_POOL_STATUS_INTERNAL_ERROR,
+                                 "COUNT payload missing", NULL, 0);
+        return;
+    }
+
+    int count = 0;
+    if (db_count_with_sql(payload->sql, (const char**)payload->bind_params,
+                          payload->bind_param_count, &count) != 0) {
+        complete_job_with_result(node, THREAD_POOL_STATUS_INTERNAL_ERROR,
+                                 "COUNT query failed", NULL, 0);
+        return;
+    }
+
+    thread_pool_count_result_t* out = calloc(1, sizeof(*out));
+    if (!out) {
+        complete_job_with_result(node, THREAD_POOL_STATUS_INTERNAL_ERROR,
+                                 "COUNT result allocation failed", NULL, 0);
+        return;
+    }
+    out->count = count;
+
+    complete_job_with_result(node, THREAD_POOL_STATUS_OK,
+                             "COUNT query completed", out, sizeof(*out));
+}
+
+static void execute_req_job(thread_pool_job_node_t* node) {
+    thread_pool_req_payload_t* payload = (thread_pool_req_payload_t*)node->job.payload;
+    if (!payload || !payload->sql) {
+        complete_job_with_result(node, THREAD_POOL_STATUS_INTERNAL_ERROR,
+                                 "REQ payload missing", NULL, 0);
+        return;
+    }
+
+    db_stmt_t* stmt = NULL;
+    if (db_prepare(payload->sql, &stmt) != DB_OK) {
+        complete_job_with_result(node, THREAD_POOL_STATUS_INTERNAL_ERROR,
+                                 "REQ prepare failed", NULL, 0);
+        return;
+    }
+
+    for (int i = 0; i < payload->bind_param_count; i++) {
+        const char* v = (payload->bind_params && payload->bind_params[i]) ? payload->bind_params[i] : "";
+        (void)db_bind_text_param(stmt, i + 1, v);
+    }
+
+    int cap = (payload->row_limit > 0) ? payload->row_limit : 500;
+    if (cap < 1) cap = 1;
+
+    thread_pool_req_result_t* out = calloc(1, sizeof(*out));
+    if (!out) {
+        db_finalize_stmt(stmt);
+        complete_job_with_result(node, THREAD_POOL_STATUS_INTERNAL_ERROR,
+                                 "REQ result allocation failed", NULL, 0);
+        return;
+    }
+
+    out->event_json_rows = calloc((size_t)cap, sizeof(char*));
+    if (!out->event_json_rows) {
+        db_finalize_stmt(stmt);
+        free(out);
+        complete_job_with_result(node, THREAD_POOL_STATUS_INTERNAL_ERROR,
+                                 "REQ row array allocation failed", NULL, 0);
+        return;
+    }
+
+    int rc = DB_OK;
+    while ((rc = db_step_stmt(stmt)) == DB_ROW) {
+        if (out->row_count >= cap) break;
+        const char* row = db_column_text_value(stmt, 0);
+        if (!row) continue;
+
+        out->event_json_rows[out->row_count] = strdup(row);
+        if (!out->event_json_rows[out->row_count]) {
+            break;
+        }
+        out->row_count++;
+    }
+
+    db_finalize_stmt(stmt);
+
+    complete_job_with_result(node, THREAD_POOL_STATUS_OK,
+                             "REQ query completed", out, sizeof(*out));
+}
+
+static void execute_store_event_job(thread_pool_job_node_t* node) {
+    thread_pool_store_event_payload_t* payload = (thread_pool_store_event_payload_t*)node->job.payload;
+    if (!payload || !payload->id || !payload->pubkey || !payload->content || !payload->sig) {
+        complete_job_with_result(node, THREAD_POOL_STATUS_INTERNAL_ERROR,
+                                 "STORE_EVENT payload missing required fields", NULL, 0);
+        return;
+    }
+
+    thread_pool_store_event_result_t* out = calloc(1, sizeof(*out));
+    if (!out) {
+        complete_job_with_result(node, THREAD_POOL_STATUS_INTERNAL_ERROR,
+                                 "STORE_EVENT result allocation failed", NULL, 0);
+        return;
+    }
+
+    int step_rc = DB_ERROR;
+    int extended_errcode = 0;
+    if (db_insert_event_with_json(payload->id,
+                                  payload->pubkey,
+                                  payload->created_at,
+                                  payload->kind,
+                                  payload->event_type ? payload->event_type : "regular",
+                                  payload->content,
+                                  payload->sig,
+                                  payload->tags_json ? payload->tags_json : "[]",
+                                  payload->event_json ? payload->event_json : "{}",
+                                  &step_rc,
+                                  &extended_errcode) != 0) {
+        free(out);
+        complete_job_with_result(node, THREAD_POOL_STATUS_INTERNAL_ERROR,
+                                 "STORE_EVENT execution failed", NULL, 0);
+        return;
+    }
+
+    out->step_rc = step_rc;
+    out->extended_errcode = extended_errcode;
+    complete_job_with_result(node, THREAD_POOL_STATUS_OK,
+                             "STORE_EVENT completed", out, sizeof(*out));
+}
+
+static void execute_sub_log_created_job(thread_pool_job_node_t* node) {
+    thread_pool_sub_log_created_payload_t* payload = (thread_pool_sub_log_created_payload_t*)node->job.payload;
+    if (!payload || !payload->sub_id || !payload->wsi_ptr || !payload->client_ip) {
+        complete_job_with_result(node, THREAD_POOL_STATUS_INTERNAL_ERROR,
+                                 "SUB_LOG_CREATED payload missing", NULL, 0);
+        return;
+    }
+
+    if (db_log_subscription_created(payload->sub_id,
+                                    payload->wsi_ptr,
+                                    payload->client_ip,
+                                    payload->filter_json ? payload->filter_json : "[]") != 0) {
+        complete_job_with_result(node, THREAD_POOL_STATUS_INTERNAL_ERROR,
+                                 "SUB_LOG_CREATED failed", NULL, 0);
+        return;
+    }
+
+    complete_job_with_result(node, THREAD_POOL_STATUS_OK,
+                             "SUB_LOG_CREATED completed", NULL, 0);
+}
+
+static void execute_sub_log_closed_job(thread_pool_job_node_t* node) {
+    thread_pool_sub_log_closed_payload_t* payload = (thread_pool_sub_log_closed_payload_t*)node->job.payload;
+    if (!payload || !payload->sub_id) {
+        complete_job_with_result(node, THREAD_POOL_STATUS_INTERNAL_ERROR,
+                                 "SUB_LOG_CLOSED payload missing", NULL, 0);
+        return;
+    }
+
+    if (db_log_subscription_closed(payload->sub_id, payload->client_ip) != 0) {
+        complete_job_with_result(node, THREAD_POOL_STATUS_INTERNAL_ERROR,
+                                 "SUB_LOG_CLOSED failed", NULL, 0);
+        return;
+    }
+
+    complete_job_with_result(node, THREAD_POOL_STATUS_OK,
+                             "SUB_LOG_CLOSED completed", NULL, 0);
+}
+
+static void execute_sub_log_disconnected_job(thread_pool_job_node_t* node) {
+    thread_pool_sub_log_disconnected_payload_t* payload = (thread_pool_sub_log_disconnected_payload_t*)node->job.payload;
+    if (!payload || !payload->client_ip) {
+        complete_job_with_result(node, THREAD_POOL_STATUS_INTERNAL_ERROR,
+                                 "SUB_LOG_DISCONNECTED payload missing", NULL, 0);
+        return;
+    }
+
+    if (db_log_subscription_disconnected(payload->client_ip) < 0) {
+        complete_job_with_result(node, THREAD_POOL_STATUS_INTERNAL_ERROR,
+                                 "SUB_LOG_DISCONNECTED failed", NULL, 0);
+        return;
+    }
+
+    complete_job_with_result(node, THREAD_POOL_STATUS_OK,
+                             "SUB_LOG_DISCONNECTED completed", NULL, 0);
+}
+
+static void execute_sub_update_events_job(thread_pool_job_node_t* node) {
+    thread_pool_sub_update_events_payload_t* payload = (thread_pool_sub_update_events_payload_t*)node->job.payload;
+    if (!payload || !payload->sub_id) {
+        complete_job_with_result(node, THREAD_POOL_STATUS_INTERNAL_ERROR,
+                                 "SUB_UPDATE_EVENTS payload missing", NULL, 0);
+        return;
+    }
+
+    if (db_update_subscription_events_sent(payload->sub_id, payload->events_sent) != 0) {
+        complete_job_with_result(node, THREAD_POOL_STATUS_INTERNAL_ERROR,
+                                 "SUB_UPDATE_EVENTS failed", NULL, 0);
+        return;
+    }
+
+    complete_job_with_result(node, THREAD_POOL_STATUS_OK,
+                             "SUB_UPDATE_EVENTS completed", NULL, 0);
+}
+
+static void execute_ip_ban_save_job(thread_pool_job_node_t* node) {
+    ip_ban_save_to_db();
+    complete_job_with_result(node, THREAD_POOL_STATUS_OK,
+                             "IP_BAN_SAVE completed", NULL, 0);
+}
+
+static void execute_wal_checkpoint_job(thread_pool_job_node_t* node) {
+    if (db_wal_checkpoint_passive() != 0) {
+        complete_job_with_result(node, THREAD_POOL_STATUS_INTERNAL_ERROR,
+                                 "WAL_CHECKPOINT failed", NULL, 0);
+        return;
+    }
+
+    complete_job_with_result(node, THREAD_POOL_STATUS_OK,
+                             "WAL_CHECKPOINT completed", NULL, 0);
+}
+
+static void execute_read_job(thread_pool_job_node_t* node) {
+    switch (node->job.type) {
+        case THREAD_POOL_JOB_REQ_QUERY:
+            execute_req_job(node);
+            break;
+        case THREAD_POOL_JOB_COUNT_QUERY:
+            execute_count_job(node);
+            break;
+        default:
+            complete_job_with_result(node, THREAD_POOL_STATUS_NOT_IMPLEMENTED,
+                                     "Read job type not implemented", NULL, 0);
+            break;
+    }
+}
+
+static void execute_write_job(thread_pool_job_node_t* node) {
+    switch (node->job.type) {
+        case THREAD_POOL_JOB_STORE_EVENT:
+            execute_store_event_job(node);
+            break;
+        case THREAD_POOL_JOB_LOG_SUB_CREATED:
+            execute_sub_log_created_job(node);
+            break;
+        case THREAD_POOL_JOB_LOG_SUB_CLOSED:
+            execute_sub_log_closed_job(node);
+            break;
+        case THREAD_POOL_JOB_LOG_SUB_DISCONNECTED:
+            execute_sub_log_disconnected_job(node);
+            break;
+        case THREAD_POOL_JOB_UPDATE_SUB_EVENTS_SENT:
+            execute_sub_update_events_job(node);
+            break;
+        case THREAD_POOL_JOB_IP_BAN_SAVE:
+            execute_ip_ban_save_job(node);
+            break;
+        case THREAD_POOL_JOB_WAL_CHECKPOINT:
+            execute_wal_checkpoint_job(node);
+            break;
+        default:
+            complete_job_with_result(node, THREAD_POOL_STATUS_NOT_IMPLEMENTED,
+                                     "Write job type not implemented", NULL, 0);
+            break;
+    }
+}
+
+static void* reader_worker_main(void* arg) {
+    int reader_index = (int)(intptr_t)arg;
+
+    char thread_name[16];
+    snprintf(thread_name, sizeof(thread_name), "db-read-%d", reader_index);
+    pthread_setname_np(pthread_self(), thread_name);
+
+    void* worker_db = open_worker_connection();
+    if (!worker_db) {
+        DEBUG_ERROR("Reader worker failed to open SQLite connection");
+        return NULL;
+    }
+
+    while (g_pool.running) {
+        thread_pool_job_node_t* node = queue_pop(&g_pool.read_q);
+        if (!node) break;
+
+        execute_read_job(node);
+    }
+
+    db_close_worker_connection(worker_db);
+    return NULL;
+}
+
+static void* writer_worker_main(void* arg) {
+    (void)arg;
+
+    pthread_setname_np(pthread_self(), "db-write");
+
+    void* worker_db = open_worker_connection();
+    if (!worker_db) {
+        DEBUG_ERROR("Writer worker failed to open SQLite connection");
+        return NULL;
+    }
+
+    while (g_pool.running) {
+        thread_pool_job_node_t* node = queue_pop(&g_pool.write_q);
+        if (!node) break;
+
+        execute_write_job(node);
+    }
+
+    if (db_wal_checkpoint_truncate() != 0) {
+        DEBUG_WARN("Writer shutdown TRUNCATE checkpoint failed");
+    }
+
+    db_close_worker_connection(worker_db);
+    return NULL;
+}
+
+int thread_pool_init(const thread_pool_config_t* config) {
+    if (!config) return -1;
+
+    pthread_mutex_lock(&g_pool.state_mutex);
+    if (g_pool.running) {
+        pthread_mutex_unlock(&g_pool.state_mutex);
+        return 0;
+    }
+
+    g_pool.reader_count = (config->reader_threads > 0) ? config->reader_threads : 4;
+    g_pool.readers = calloc((size_t)g_pool.reader_count, sizeof(pthread_t));
+    if (!g_pool.readers) {
+        pthread_mutex_unlock(&g_pool.state_mutex);
+        return -1;
+    }
+
+    queue_init(&g_pool.read_q, config->max_queue_depth);
+    queue_init(&g_pool.write_q, config->max_queue_depth);
+
+    g_pool.next_job_id = 1;
+    g_pool.wake_loop_cb = config->wake_loop_cb;
+    g_pool.wake_loop_ctx = config->wake_loop_ctx;
+
+    const char* db_path = (config->db_path && config->db_path[0] != '\0') ? config->db_path : db_get_database_path();
+    if (!db_path || db_path[0] == '\0') {
+        free(g_pool.readers);
+        g_pool.readers = NULL;
+        pthread_mutex_unlock(&g_pool.state_mutex);
+        return -1;
+    }
+    strncpy(g_pool.db_path, db_path, sizeof(g_pool.db_path) - 1);
+    g_pool.db_path[sizeof(g_pool.db_path) - 1] = '\0';
+
+    g_pool.running = 1;
+
+    for (int i = 0; i < g_pool.reader_count; i++) {
+        if (pthread_create(&g_pool.readers[i], NULL, reader_worker_main, (void*)(intptr_t)(i + 1)) != 0) {
+            g_pool.running = 0;
+            pthread_cond_broadcast(&g_pool.read_q.cond);
+            pthread_cond_broadcast(&g_pool.write_q.cond);
+            pthread_mutex_unlock(&g_pool.state_mutex);
+            return -1;
+        }
+    }
+
+    if (pthread_create(&g_pool.writer, NULL, writer_worker_main, NULL) != 0) {
+        g_pool.running = 0;
+        pthread_cond_broadcast(&g_pool.read_q.cond);
+        pthread_cond_broadcast(&g_pool.write_q.cond);
+        pthread_mutex_unlock(&g_pool.state_mutex);
+        return -1;
+    }
+
+    pthread_mutex_unlock(&g_pool.state_mutex);
+    DEBUG_LOG("Thread pool initialized: %d readers + 1 writer", g_pool.reader_count);
+    return 0;
+}
+
+void thread_pool_shutdown(void) {
+    pthread_mutex_lock(&g_pool.state_mutex);
+    if (!g_pool.running) {
+        pthread_mutex_unlock(&g_pool.state_mutex);
+        return;
+    }
+
+    g_pool.running = 0;
+    pthread_cond_broadcast(&g_pool.read_q.cond);
+    pthread_cond_broadcast(&g_pool.write_q.cond);
+    pthread_mutex_unlock(&g_pool.state_mutex);
+
+    for (int i = 0; i < g_pool.reader_count; i++) {
+        pthread_join(g_pool.readers[i], NULL);
+    }
+    pthread_join(g_pool.writer, NULL);
+
+    free(g_pool.readers);
+    g_pool.readers = NULL;
+    g_pool.reader_count = 0;
+
+    queue_destroy(&g_pool.read_q);
+    queue_destroy(&g_pool.write_q);
+
+    DEBUG_LOG("Thread pool shutdown complete");
+}
+
+int thread_pool_is_running(void) {
+    return g_pool.running;
+}
+
+static thread_pool_status_t submit_to_queue(thread_pool_queue_t* q, const thread_pool_job_t* job, uint64_t* out_job_id) {
+    if (!g_pool.running) return THREAD_POOL_STATUS_SHUTTING_DOWN;
+    if (!job) return THREAD_POOL_STATUS_INTERNAL_ERROR;
+
+    thread_pool_job_node_t* node = calloc(1, sizeof(*node));
+    if (!node) return THREAD_POOL_STATUS_INTERNAL_ERROR;
+
+    node->job = *job;
+
+    pthread_mutex_lock(&g_pool.state_mutex);
+    node->job_id = g_pool.next_job_id++;
+    pthread_mutex_unlock(&g_pool.state_mutex);
+
+    if (out_job_id) *out_job_id = node->job_id;
+
+    if (!queue_push(q, node)) {
+        if (job->payload_free && job->payload) {
+            job->payload_free(job->payload);
+        }
+        free(node);
+        return THREAD_POOL_STATUS_QUEUE_FULL;
+    }
+
+    return THREAD_POOL_STATUS_OK;
+}
+
+thread_pool_status_t thread_pool_submit_read(const thread_pool_job_t* job, uint64_t* out_job_id) {
+    return submit_to_queue(&g_pool.read_q, job, out_job_id);
+}
+
+thread_pool_status_t thread_pool_submit_write(const thread_pool_job_t* job, uint64_t* out_job_id) {
+    return submit_to_queue(&g_pool.write_q, job, out_job_id);
+}
+
+int thread_pool_submit_wal_checkpoint(void) {
+    if (!thread_pool_is_running()) {
+        return -1;
+    }
+
+    thread_pool_job_t job;
+    memset(&job, 0, sizeof(job));
+    job.type = THREAD_POOL_JOB_WAL_CHECKPOINT;
+
+    thread_pool_status_t rc = thread_pool_submit_write(&job, NULL);
+    return (rc == THREAD_POOL_STATUS_OK) ? 0 : -1;
+}
+
+int thread_pool_execute_count_sync(const char* sql, const char** bind_params, int bind_param_count, int* out_count) {
+    if (!sql || !out_count) {
+        return -1;
+    }
+
+    if (!thread_pool_is_running()) {
+        return db_count_with_sql(sql, bind_params, bind_param_count, out_count);
+    }
+
+    thread_pool_count_payload_t* payload = calloc(1, sizeof(*payload));
+    if (!payload) return -1;
+
+    payload->sql = strdup(sql);
+    payload->bind_param_count = bind_param_count;
+    if (!payload->sql) {
+        free_count_payload(payload);
+        return -1;
+    }
+
+    if (bind_param_count > 0) {
+        payload->bind_params = calloc((size_t)bind_param_count, sizeof(char*));
+        if (!payload->bind_params) {
+            free_count_payload(payload);
+            return -1;
+        }
+        for (int i = 0; i < bind_param_count; i++) {
+            const char* v = (bind_params && bind_params[i]) ? bind_params[i] : "";
+            payload->bind_params[i] = strdup(v);
+            if (!payload->bind_params[i]) {
+                free_count_payload(payload);
+                return -1;
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    thread_pool_wait_ctx_t wait_ctx;
+    wait_ctx_init(&wait_ctx);
+
+    thread_pool_job_t job;
+    memset(&job, 0, sizeof(job));
+    job.type = THREAD_POOL_JOB_COUNT_QUERY;
+    job.payload = payload;
+    job.payload_free = free_count_payload;
+    job.result_cb = wait_ctx_result_cb;
+    job.result_cb_ctx = &wait_ctx;
+
+    thread_pool_status_t submit_rc = thread_pool_submit_read(&job, NULL);
+    if (submit_rc != THREAD_POOL_STATUS_OK) {
+        free_count_payload(payload);
+        wait_ctx_destroy(&wait_ctx);
+        return -1;
+    }
+
+    wait_ctx_wait(&wait_ctx);
+
+    int rc = -1;
+    if (wait_ctx.status == THREAD_POOL_STATUS_OK && wait_ctx.result_data) {
+        thread_pool_count_result_t* result = (thread_pool_count_result_t*)wait_ctx.result_data;
+        *out_count = result->count;
+        free(result);
+        rc = 0;
+    }
+
+    wait_ctx_destroy(&wait_ctx);
+    return rc;
+}
+
+int thread_pool_execute_req_sync(const char* sql, const char** bind_params, int bind_param_count,
+                                 int row_limit, thread_pool_req_result_t** out_result) {
+    if (!sql || !out_result) {
+        return -1;
+    }
+
+    if (!thread_pool_is_running()) {
+        db_stmt_t* stmt = NULL;
+        if (db_prepare(sql, &stmt) != DB_OK) {
+            return -1;
+        }
+
+        for (int i = 0; i < bind_param_count; i++) {
+            const char* v = (bind_params && bind_params[i]) ? bind_params[i] : "";
+            (void)db_bind_text_param(stmt, i + 1, v);
+        }
+
+        int cap = (row_limit > 0) ? row_limit : 500;
+        if (cap < 1) cap = 1;
+
+        thread_pool_req_result_t* result = calloc(1, sizeof(*result));
+        if (!result) {
+            db_finalize_stmt(stmt);
+            return -1;
+        }
+
+        result->event_json_rows = calloc((size_t)cap, sizeof(char*));
+        if (!result->event_json_rows) {
+            free(result);
+            db_finalize_stmt(stmt);
+            return -1;
+        }
+
+        int step_rc = DB_OK;
+        while ((step_rc = db_step_stmt(stmt)) == DB_ROW) {
+            if (result->row_count >= cap) break;
+            const char* row = db_column_text_value(stmt, 0);
+            if (!row) continue;
+
+            result->event_json_rows[result->row_count] = strdup(row);
+            if (!result->event_json_rows[result->row_count]) {
+                break;
+            }
+            result->row_count++;
+        }
+
+        db_finalize_stmt(stmt);
+        *out_result = result;
+        return 0;
+    }
+
+    thread_pool_req_payload_t* payload = calloc(1, sizeof(*payload));
+    if (!payload) return -1;
+
+    payload->sql = strdup(sql);
+    payload->bind_param_count = bind_param_count;
+    payload->row_limit = row_limit;
+    if (!payload->sql) {
+        free_req_payload(payload);
+        return -1;
+    }
+
+    if (bind_param_count > 0) {
+        payload->bind_params = calloc((size_t)bind_param_count, sizeof(char*));
+        if (!payload->bind_params) {
+            free_req_payload(payload);
+            return -1;
+        }
+        for (int i = 0; i < bind_param_count; i++) {
+            const char* v = (bind_params && bind_params[i]) ? bind_params[i] : "";
+            payload->bind_params[i] = strdup(v);
+            if (!payload->bind_params[i]) {
+                free_req_payload(payload);
+                return -1;
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    thread_pool_wait_ctx_t wait_ctx;
+    wait_ctx_init(&wait_ctx);
+
+    thread_pool_job_t job;
+    memset(&job, 0, sizeof(job));
+    job.type = THREAD_POOL_JOB_REQ_QUERY;
+    job.payload = payload;
+    job.payload_free = free_req_payload;
+    job.result_cb = wait_ctx_result_cb;
+    job.result_cb_ctx = &wait_ctx;
+
+    thread_pool_status_t submit_rc = thread_pool_submit_read(&job, NULL);
+    if (submit_rc != THREAD_POOL_STATUS_OK) {
+        free_req_payload(payload);
+        wait_ctx_destroy(&wait_ctx);
+        return -1;
+    }
+
+    wait_ctx_wait(&wait_ctx);
+
+    int rc = -1;
+    if (wait_ctx.status == THREAD_POOL_STATUS_OK && wait_ctx.result_data) {
+        *out_result = (thread_pool_req_result_t*)wait_ctx.result_data;
+        rc = 0;
+    }
+
+    wait_ctx_destroy(&wait_ctx);
+    return rc;
+}
+
+void thread_pool_free_req_result(thread_pool_req_result_t* result) {
+    if (!result) return;
+    if (result->event_json_rows) {
+        for (int i = 0; i < result->row_count; i++) {
+            free(result->event_json_rows[i]);
+        }
+        free(result->event_json_rows);
+    }
+    free(result);
+}
+
+int thread_pool_execute_store_event_sync(const thread_pool_store_event_payload_t* payload,
+                                         thread_pool_store_event_result_t* out_result) {
+    if (!payload || !out_result || !payload->id || !payload->pubkey || !payload->content || !payload->sig) {
+        return -1;
+    }
+
+    if (!thread_pool_is_running()) {
+        int step_rc = DB_ERROR;
+        int extended_errcode = 0;
+        if (db_insert_event_with_json(payload->id,
+                                      payload->pubkey,
+                                      payload->created_at,
+                                      payload->kind,
+                                      payload->event_type ? payload->event_type : "regular",
+                                      payload->content,
+                                      payload->sig,
+                                      payload->tags_json ? payload->tags_json : "[]",
+                                      payload->event_json ? payload->event_json : "{}",
+                                      &step_rc,
+                                      &extended_errcode) != 0) {
+            return -1;
+        }
+        out_result->step_rc = step_rc;
+        out_result->extended_errcode = extended_errcode;
+        return 0;
+    }
+
+    thread_pool_store_event_payload_t* payload_copy = calloc(1, sizeof(*payload_copy));
+    if (!payload_copy) return -1;
+
+    payload_copy->id = payload->id ? strdup(payload->id) : NULL;
+    payload_copy->pubkey = payload->pubkey ? strdup(payload->pubkey) : NULL;
+    payload_copy->created_at = payload->created_at;
+    payload_copy->kind = payload->kind;
+    payload_copy->event_type = payload->event_type ? strdup(payload->event_type) : strdup("regular");
+    payload_copy->content = payload->content ? strdup(payload->content) : NULL;
+    payload_copy->sig = payload->sig ? strdup(payload->sig) : NULL;
+    payload_copy->tags_json = payload->tags_json ? strdup(payload->tags_json) : strdup("[]");
+    payload_copy->event_json = payload->event_json ? strdup(payload->event_json) : strdup("{}");
+
+    if (!payload_copy->id || !payload_copy->pubkey || !payload_copy->event_type ||
+        !payload_copy->content || !payload_copy->sig || !payload_copy->tags_json || !payload_copy->event_json) {
+        free_store_event_payload(payload_copy);
+        return -1;
+    }
+
+    thread_pool_wait_ctx_t wait_ctx;
+    wait_ctx_init(&wait_ctx);
+
+    thread_pool_job_t job;
+    memset(&job, 0, sizeof(job));
+    job.type = THREAD_POOL_JOB_STORE_EVENT;
+    job.payload = payload_copy;
+    job.payload_free = free_store_event_payload;
+    job.result_cb = wait_ctx_result_cb;
+    job.result_cb_ctx = &wait_ctx;
+
+    thread_pool_status_t submit_rc = thread_pool_submit_write(&job, NULL);
+    if (submit_rc != THREAD_POOL_STATUS_OK) {
+        free_store_event_payload(payload_copy);
+        wait_ctx_destroy(&wait_ctx);
+        return -1;
+    }
+
+    wait_ctx_wait(&wait_ctx);
+
+    int rc = -1;
+    if (wait_ctx.status == THREAD_POOL_STATUS_OK && wait_ctx.result_data) {
+        thread_pool_store_event_result_t* result = (thread_pool_store_event_result_t*)wait_ctx.result_data;
+        out_result->step_rc = result->step_rc;
+        out_result->extended_errcode = result->extended_errcode;
+        free(result);
+        rc = 0;
+    }
+
+    wait_ctx_destroy(&wait_ctx);
+    return rc;
+}
+
+__attribute__((constructor))
+static void thread_pool_state_init_once(void) {
+    pthread_mutex_init(&g_pool.state_mutex, NULL);
+}
@@ -0,0 +1,145 @@
+#ifndef THREAD_POOL_H
+#define THREAD_POOL_H
+
+#include <stddef.h>
+#include <stdint.h>
+
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+extern "C" {
+#endif
+
+typedef enum {
+    THREAD_POOL_JOB_REQ_QUERY = 0,
+    THREAD_POOL_JOB_COUNT_QUERY,
+    THREAD_POOL_JOB_STORE_EVENT,
+    THREAD_POOL_JOB_DELETE_EVENT,
+    THREAD_POOL_JOB_LOG_SUB_CREATED,
+    THREAD_POOL_JOB_LOG_SUB_CLOSED,
+    THREAD_POOL_JOB_LOG_SUB_DISCONNECTED,
+    THREAD_POOL_JOB_UPDATE_SUB_EVENTS_SENT,
+    THREAD_POOL_JOB_IP_BAN_SAVE,
+    THREAD_POOL_JOB_WAL_CHECKPOINT,
+    THREAD_POOL_JOB_CUSTOM
+} thread_pool_job_type_t;
+
+typedef enum {
+    THREAD_POOL_STATUS_OK = 0,
+    THREAD_POOL_STATUS_NOT_IMPLEMENTED,
+    THREAD_POOL_STATUS_QUEUE_FULL,
+    THREAD_POOL_STATUS_SHUTTING_DOWN,
+    THREAD_POOL_STATUS_INTERNAL_ERROR
+} thread_pool_status_t;
+
+typedef struct {
+    uint64_t job_id;
+    thread_pool_job_type_t type;
+    thread_pool_status_t status;
+    void* session;
+    void* result_data;
+    size_t result_size;
+    const char* message;
+} thread_pool_result_t;
+
+typedef void (*thread_pool_result_cb)(const thread_pool_result_t* result, void* user_ctx);
+typedef void (*thread_pool_payload_free_cb)(void* payload);
+typedef void (*thread_pool_wake_loop_cb)(void* wake_ctx);
+
+typedef struct {
+    thread_pool_job_type_t type;
+    void* session;
+    void* payload;
+    size_t payload_size;
+    thread_pool_payload_free_cb payload_free;
+    thread_pool_result_cb result_cb;
+    void* result_cb_ctx;
+} thread_pool_job_t;
+
+typedef struct {
+    int reader_threads;
+    int max_queue_depth;
+    const char* db_path;
+    thread_pool_wake_loop_cb wake_loop_cb;
+    void* wake_loop_ctx;
+} thread_pool_config_t;
+
+typedef struct {
+    char* sql;
+    char** bind_params;
+    int bind_param_count;
+} thread_pool_count_payload_t;
+
+typedef struct {
+    char* sql;
+    char** bind_params;
+    int bind_param_count;
+    int row_limit;
+} thread_pool_req_payload_t;
+
+typedef struct {
+    char* id;
+    char* pubkey;
+    long long created_at;
+    int kind;
+    char* event_type;
+    char* content;
+    char* sig;
+    char* tags_json;
+    char* event_json;
+} thread_pool_store_event_payload_t;
+
+typedef struct {
+    int count;
+} thread_pool_count_result_t;
+
+typedef struct {
+    char** event_json_rows;
+    int row_count;
+} thread_pool_req_result_t;
+
+typedef struct {
+    int step_rc;
+    int extended_errcode;
+} thread_pool_store_event_result_t;
+
+typedef struct {
+    char* sub_id;
+    char* wsi_ptr;
+    char* client_ip;
+    char* filter_json;
+} thread_pool_sub_log_created_payload_t;
+
+typedef struct {
+    char* sub_id;
+    char* client_ip;
+} thread_pool_sub_log_closed_payload_t;
+
+typedef struct {
+    char* client_ip;
+} thread_pool_sub_log_disconnected_payload_t;
+
+typedef struct {
+    char* sub_id;
+    int events_sent;
+} thread_pool_sub_update_events_payload_t;
+
+int thread_pool_init(const thread_pool_config_t* config);
+void thread_pool_shutdown(void);
+int thread_pool_is_running(void);
+
+thread_pool_status_t thread_pool_submit_read(const thread_pool_job_t* job, uint64_t* out_job_id);
+thread_pool_status_t thread_pool_submit_write(const thread_pool_job_t* job, uint64_t* out_job_id);
+
+int thread_pool_submit_wal_checkpoint(void);
+
+int thread_pool_execute_count_sync(const char* sql, const char** bind_params, int bind_param_count, int* out_count);
+int thread_pool_execute_req_sync(const char* sql, const char** bind_params, int bind_param_count,
+                                 int row_limit, thread_pool_req_result_t** out_result);
+void thread_pool_free_req_result(thread_pool_req_result_t* result);
+int thread_pool_execute_store_event_sync(const thread_pool_store_event_payload_t* payload,
+                                         thread_pool_store_event_result_t* out_result);
+
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+}
+#endif
+
+#endif // THREAD_POOL_H
@@ -19,18 +19,31 @@
 #define MALFORMED_REQUEST_BLOCK_DURATION 3600  // 1 hour in seconds
 #define RATE_LIMIT_CLEANUP_INTERVAL 300        // 5 minutes

+// Maximum number of messages allowed in a per-client write queue.
+// When exceeded, new messages are dropped to prevent unbounded memory growth
+// under high-traffic or slow-client conditions.
+#define MAX_MESSAGE_QUEUE_SIZE 500
+
 // Filter validation constants
 #define MAX_FILTERS_PER_REQUEST 10
-#define MAX_AUTHORS_PER_FILTER 100
-#define MAX_IDS_PER_FILTER 100
-#define MAX_KINDS_PER_FILTER 50
-#define MAX_TAG_VALUES_PER_FILTER 100
+#define MAX_AUTHORS_PER_FILTER 1000
+#define MAX_IDS_PER_FILTER 1000
+#define MAX_KINDS_PER_FILTER 500
+#define MAX_TAG_VALUES_PER_FILTER 1000
 #define MAX_KIND_VALUE 65535
 #define MAX_TIMESTAMP_VALUE 2147483647  // Max 32-bit signed int
 #define MAX_LIMIT_VALUE 5000
 #define MAX_SEARCH_LENGTH 256
 #define MAX_TAG_VALUE_LENGTH 1024

+// Message queue node for proper libwebsockets pattern
+struct message_queue_node {
+    unsigned char* data;                    // Message data (with LWS_PRE space)
+    size_t length;                         // Message length (without LWS_PRE)
+    enum lws_write_protocol type;           // LWS_WRITE_TEXT, etc.
+    struct message_queue_node* next;        // Next node in queue
+};
+
 // Enhanced per-session data with subscription management, NIP-42 authentication, and rate limiting
 struct per_session_data {
    int authenticated;
@@ -59,8 +72,40 @@ struct per_session_data {
    int malformed_request_count;             // Count of malformed requests in current hour
    time_t malformed_request_window_start;   // Start of current hour window
    time_t malformed_request_blocked_until;  // Time until blocked for malformed requests
+
+    // Message queue for proper libwebsockets pattern (replaces single buffer)
+    struct message_queue_node* message_queue_head;  // Head of message queue
+    struct message_queue_node* message_queue_tail;  // Tail of message queue
+    int message_queue_count;                  // Number of messages in queue
+    int writeable_requested;                  // Flag: 1 if writeable callback requested
+
+    // Message reassembly for handling fragmented WebSocket messages
+    char* reassembly_buffer;                  // Buffer for accumulating message fragments (NULL when not reassembling)
+    size_t reassembly_size;                   // Current size of accumulated data
+    size_t reassembly_capacity;               // Allocated capacity of reassembly buffer
+    int reassembly_active;                    // Flag: 1 if currently reassembling a message
+
+    // Database query tracking for abuse detection and monitoring
+    int db_queries_executed;                  // Total SELECT queries executed by this connection
+    int db_rows_returned;                     // Total rows returned across all queries
+    time_t query_tracking_start;              // When connection was established (for rate calculation)
+
+    // Session activity tracking for idle connection banning
+    int session_active;                       // 1 if client sent REQ or EVENT, 0 otherwise
+    int idle_timeout_sec;                     // Timeout value for this session (copied from config)
+    int is_websocket;                         // 1 if this is a WebSocket connection, 0 for HTTP
 };

+// Get current active WebSocket connection count
+int get_active_connection_count(void);
+
+// Safely resolve per-session data only for currently tracked live WebSocket sessions.
+// Returns 1 and sets *out_pss on success, otherwise returns 0.
+int websocket_get_live_pss(struct lws* wsi, struct per_session_data** out_pss);
+
+// Actual relay port bound by libwebsockets at runtime (after fallback/retry logic)
+extern int g_relay_port;
+
 // NIP-11 HTTP session data structure for managing buffer lifetime
 struct nip11_session_data {
    int type; // 0 for NIP-11
@@ -73,6 +118,14 @@ struct nip11_session_data {
 // Function declarations
 int start_websocket_relay(int port_override, int strict_port);

+// Message queue functions for proper libwebsockets pattern
+int queue_message(struct lws* wsi, struct per_session_data* pss, const char* message, size_t length, enum lws_write_protocol type);
+int process_message_queue(struct lws* wsi, struct per_session_data* pss);
+
+// Zero-copy variant: caller allocates (LWS_PRE + length) bytes, writes message at buf+LWS_PRE,
+// then passes ownership to the queue. The queue will free buf when done. No memcpy performed.
+int queue_message_take_ownership(struct lws* wsi, struct per_session_data* pss, unsigned char* buf, size_t length, enum lws_write_protocol type);
+
 // Auth rules checking function from request_validator.c
 int check_database_auth_rules(const char *pubkey, const char *operation, const char *resource_hash);

@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+# Test key configuration (from make_and_restart_relay.sh -t)
+ADMIN_PRIVATE_KEY="aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa"
+ADMIN_PUBLIC_KEY="6a04ab98d9e4774ad806e302dddeb63bea16b5cb5f223ee77478e861bb583eb3"
+RELAY_PUBLIC_KEY="4f355bdcb7cc0af728ef3cceb9615d90684bb5b2ca5f859ab0f0b704075871aa"
+RELAY_URL="ws://localhost:8888"
@@ -54,6 +54,8 @@ BASELINE_KIND1=0
 BASELINE_KIND0=0
 BASELINE_KIND30001=0
 BASELINE_AUTHOR=0
+BASELINE_AUTHOR_KIND0=0
+BASELINE_AUTHOR_KIND30001=0
 BASELINE_TYPE_REGULAR=0
 BASELINE_TEST_NIP45=0
 BASELINE_KINDS_01=0
@@ -253,9 +255,11 @@ run_count_test() {

    publish_event "$regular1" "regular" "Regular event #1"

-    # Now that we have the pubkey, get the author baseline
+    # Now that we have the pubkey, get author baselines
    local test_pubkey=$(echo "$regular1" | jq -r '.pubkey' 2>/dev/null)
    BASELINE_AUTHOR=$(get_baseline_count "{\"authors\":[\"$test_pubkey\"]}" "events by test author")
+    BASELINE_AUTHOR_KIND0=$(get_baseline_count "{\"authors\":[\"$test_pubkey\"],\"kinds\":[0]}" "kind 0 events by test author")
+    BASELINE_AUTHOR_KIND30001=$(get_baseline_count "{\"authors\":[\"$test_pubkey\"],\"kinds\":[30001]}" "kind 30001 events by test author")

    publish_event "$regular2" "regular" "Regular event #2"
    publish_event "$regular3" "regular" "Regular event #3"
@@ -314,10 +318,13 @@ run_count_test() {
    fi

    # Test 3: Count events by author (pubkey)
-    # BASELINE_AUTHOR includes the first regular event, we add 2 more regular
-    # Replaceable and addressable replace existing events from this author
+    # BASELINE_AUTHOR is measured after regular1 is already published.
+    # Net additions after baseline:
+    #   +2 regular (regular2, regular3)
+    #   +(1 - BASELINE_AUTHOR_KIND0) from replaceable upsert behavior
+    #   +(1 - BASELINE_AUTHOR_KIND30001) from addressable replacement behavior
    local test_pubkey=$(echo "$regular1" | jq -r '.pubkey' 2>/dev/null)
-    local expected_author=$((2 + BASELINE_AUTHOR))
+    local expected_author=$((BASELINE_AUTHOR + 2 + (1 - BASELINE_AUTHOR_KIND0) + (1 - BASELINE_AUTHOR_KIND30001)))
    if ! test_count "count_author" "{\"authors\":[\"$test_pubkey\"]}" "Count events by specific author" "$expected_author"; then
        ((test_failures++))
    fi
@@ -329,19 +336,21 @@ run_count_test() {
    fi

    # Test 5: Count events with specific tags
-    # NOTE: Tag filtering is currently not working in the relay - should return the tagged events
-    local expected_type_regular=$((0 + BASELINE_TYPE_REGULAR))  # Currently returns 0 due to tag filtering bug
+    # Tag filtering now works with event_tags table
+    local expected_type_regular=$((3 + BASELINE_TYPE_REGULAR))  # 3 new regular events have type=regular tag
    if ! test_count "count_tag_type" '{"#type":["regular"]}' "Count events with type=regular tag" "$expected_type_regular"; then
        ((test_failures++))
    fi
-    local expected_test_nip45=$((0 + BASELINE_TEST_NIP45))  # Currently returns 0 due to tag filtering bug
+    local expected_test_nip45=$((3 + BASELINE_TEST_NIP45))  # 3 new regular events have test=nip45 tag
    if ! test_count "count_tag_test" '{"#test":["nip45"]}' "Count events with test=nip45 tag" "$expected_test_nip45"; then
        ((test_failures++))
    fi

    # Test 6: Count multiple kinds
-    # BASELINE_KINDS_01 + 3 regular events = total for kinds 0+1
-    local expected_kinds_01=$((3 + BASELINE_KINDS_01))
+    # Net additions for kinds 0+1 after baseline:
+    #   +3 kind-1 regular events
+    #   +(1 - BASELINE_AUTHOR_KIND0) for kind-0 replaceable upsert behavior
+    local expected_kinds_01=$((BASELINE_KINDS_01 + 3 + (1 - BASELINE_AUTHOR_KIND0)))
    if ! test_count "count_multi_kinds" '{"kinds":[0,1]}' "Count multiple kinds (0,1)" "$expected_kinds_01"; then
        ((test_failures++))
    fi
@@ -362,8 +371,8 @@ run_count_test() {
    fi

    # Test 9: Count with multiple filters combined
-    # NOTE: Combined tag filtering is currently not working in the relay
-    local expected_combined=$((0 + BASELINE_COMBINED))  # Currently returns 0 due to tag filtering bug
+    # Combined tag+kind filtering now works with event_tags table
+    local expected_combined=$((3 + BASELINE_COMBINED))  # 3 new regular events match all criteria
    if ! test_count "count_combined" '{"kinds":[1],"#type":["regular"],"#test":["nip45"]}' "Count with combined filters" "$expected_combined"; then
        ((test_failures++))
    fi
@@ -379,8 +388,23 @@ run_count_test() {
        ((test_failures++))
    fi

-    # Test 12: Count non-existent kind
-    if ! test_count "count_nonexistent" '{"kinds":[99999]}' "Count non-existent kind" "0"; then
+    # Test 12: Count non-existent kind (kind 99999 is NDK ping, rejected with NOTICE)
+    # The relay correctly rejects invalid kinds with a NOTICE instead of COUNT
+    print_step "Testing COUNT: Count non-existent kind (kind 99999 - NDK ping)"
+    local count_message='["COUNT","count_nonexistent",{"kinds":[99999]}]'
+    local response=$(echo "$count_message" | timeout 3s websocat "$RELAY_URL" 2>/dev/null || echo "")
+    if echo "$response" | grep -q '"NOTICE"'; then
+        print_success "Count non-existent kind - Correctly rejected with NOTICE"
+    elif echo "$response" | grep -q '"COUNT"'; then
+        local actual_count=$(echo "$response" | jq -r '.[2].count' 2>/dev/null)
+        if [[ "$actual_count" == "0" ]]; then
+            print_success "Count non-existent kind - Expected: 0, Got: 0"
+        else
+            print_error "Count non-existent kind - Expected: 0, Got: $actual_count"
+            ((test_failures++))
+        fi
+    else
+        print_error "Count non-existent kind - No response from relay"
        ((test_failures++))
    fi

@@ -0,0 +1,270 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+# Bulk Event Retrieval Performance Test
+# Tests retrieving hundreds of events to measure JSON reconstruction performance
+
+# Load test keys
+source tests/.test_keys.txt
+
+RELAY_URL="${RELAY_URL:-ws://localhost:8888}"
+NUM_EVENTS=500
+
+# Use test secret keys for creating valid events
+SECRET_KEYS=(
+    "3fdd8227a920c2385559400b2b14e464f22e80df312a73cc7a86e1d7e91d608f"
+    "a156011cd65b71f84b4a488ac81687f2aed57e490b31c28f58195d787030db60"
+    "1618aaa21f5bd45c5ffede0d9a60556db67d4a046900e5f66b0bae5c01c801fb"
+)
+
+echo "=========================================="
+echo "Bulk Event Retrieval Performance Test"
+echo "=========================================="
+echo "Relay: $RELAY_URL"
+echo "Target: Retrieve $NUM_EVENTS events"
+echo ""
+
+# Check if relay is running
+echo "Checking if relay is running..."
+if ! nc -z localhost 8888 2>/dev/null; then
+    echo "ERROR: Relay is not running on port 8888"
+    exit 1
+fi
+echo "✓ Relay is running"
+echo ""
+
+# Check if nak is installed
+if ! command -v nak &> /dev/null; then
+    echo "ERROR: 'nak' command not found. Please install nak:"
+    echo "  go install github.com/fiatjaf/nak@latest"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+# Check current event count in database
+DB_FILE=$(ls build/*.db 2>/dev/null | head -1)
+if [ -n "$DB_FILE" ]; then
+    CURRENT_COUNT=$(sqlite3 "$DB_FILE" "SELECT COUNT(*) FROM events WHERE kind=1;" 2>/dev/null || echo "0")
+    echo "Current kind 1 events in database: $CURRENT_COUNT"
+    
+    if [ "$CURRENT_COUNT" -ge "$NUM_EVENTS" ]; then
+        echo "✓ Database already has $CURRENT_COUNT events (>= $NUM_EVENTS required)"
+        echo "  Skipping event posting..."
+        echo ""
+    else
+        EVENTS_TO_POST=$((NUM_EVENTS - CURRENT_COUNT))
+        echo "Need to post $EVENTS_TO_POST more events..."
+        echo ""
+        
+        # Post additional events
+        echo "Posting $EVENTS_TO_POST test events using nak..."
+        for i in $(seq 1 $EVENTS_TO_POST); do
+            # Cycle through secret keys
+            KEY_INDEX=$(( (i - 1) % ${#SECRET_KEYS[@]} ))
+            CURRENT_KEY=${SECRET_KEYS[$KEY_INDEX]}
+            
+            # Create content
+            CONTENT="Bulk test event $i/$EVENTS_TO_POST for performance testing"
+            
+            # Post event using nak (properly signed)
+            nak event -c "$CONTENT" --sec "$CURRENT_KEY" "$RELAY_URL" >/dev/null 2>&1
+            
+            # Progress indicator
+            if [ $((i % 50)) -eq 0 ]; then
+                echo "  Posted $i/$EVENTS_TO_POST events..."
+            fi
+        done
+        echo "✓ Posted $EVENTS_TO_POST test events"
+        echo ""
+    fi
+else
+    echo "WARNING: Could not find database file"
+    echo "Posting $NUM_EVENTS events anyway..."
+    echo ""
+    
+    # Post events
+    echo "Posting $NUM_EVENTS test events using nak..."
+    for i in $(seq 1 $NUM_EVENTS); do
+        KEY_INDEX=$(( (i - 1) % ${#SECRET_KEYS[@]} ))
+        CURRENT_KEY=${SECRET_KEYS[$KEY_INDEX]}
+        CONTENT="Bulk test event $i/$NUM_EVENTS for performance testing"
+        nak event -c "$CONTENT" --sec "$CURRENT_KEY" "$RELAY_URL" >/dev/null 2>&1
+        
+        if [ $((i % 50)) -eq 0 ]; then
+            echo "  Posted $i/$NUM_EVENTS events..."
+        fi
+    done
+    echo "✓ Posted $NUM_EVENTS test events"
+    echo ""
+fi
+
+# Wait for events to be stored
+echo "Waiting 2 seconds for events to be stored..."
+sleep 2
+echo ""
+
+# Test 1: Retrieve 500 events using nak req
+echo "=========================================="
+echo "TEST 1: Retrieve $NUM_EVENTS events"
+echo "=========================================="
+echo "Sending REQ with limit=$NUM_EVENTS..."
+echo ""
+
+START_TIME=$(date +%s%N)
+
+# Use nak req to retrieve events (properly handles subscription protocol)
+RESPONSE=$(nak req -k 1 -l $NUM_EVENTS "$RELAY_URL" 2>/dev/null)
+
+END_TIME=$(date +%s%N)
+ELAPSED_MS=$(( (END_TIME - START_TIME) / 1000000 ))
+
+# Count events received (each line is one event)
+EVENT_COUNT=$(echo "$RESPONSE" | grep -c '^{')
+
+echo "Results:"
+echo "  Time elapsed: ${ELAPSED_MS}ms"
+echo "  Events received: $EVENT_COUNT"
+echo ""
+
+if [ $EVENT_COUNT -ge $((NUM_EVENTS - 10)) ]; then
+    echo "✓ TEST 1 PASSED: Retrieved $EVENT_COUNT events in ${ELAPSED_MS}ms"
+    if [ $ELAPSED_MS -lt 100 ]; then
+        echo "  ⚡ EXCELLENT: <100ms for $EVENT_COUNT events!"
+    elif [ $ELAPSED_MS -lt 500 ]; then
+        echo "  ✓ GOOD: <500ms for $EVENT_COUNT events"
+    elif [ $ELAPSED_MS -lt 2000 ]; then
+        echo "  ⚠ ACCEPTABLE: <2s for $EVENT_COUNT events"
+    else
+        echo "  ⚠ SLOW: ${ELAPSED_MS}ms for $EVENT_COUNT events (expected <100ms)"
+    fi
+else
+    echo "✗ TEST 1 FAILED: Only retrieved $EVENT_COUNT events (expected ~$NUM_EVENTS)"
+fi
+echo ""
+
+# Test 2: Retrieve events by author (use first test key's pubkey)
+echo "=========================================="
+echo "TEST 2: Retrieve events by author"
+echo "=========================================="
+echo "Sending REQ with authors filter..."
+echo ""
+
+# Get pubkey from first secret key
+TEST_PUBKEY=$(nak key public ${SECRET_KEYS[0]})
+
+START_TIME=$(date +%s%N)
+
+RESPONSE=$(nak req -k 1 -a "$TEST_PUBKEY" -l $NUM_EVENTS "$RELAY_URL" 2>/dev/null)
+
+END_TIME=$(date +%s%N)
+ELAPSED_MS=$(( (END_TIME - START_TIME) / 1000000 ))
+
+EVENT_COUNT=$(echo "$RESPONSE" | grep -c '^{')
+
+echo "Results:"
+echo "  Time elapsed: ${ELAPSED_MS}ms"
+echo "  Events received: $EVENT_COUNT"
+echo "  (Note: Only events from first test key, ~1/3 of total)"
+echo ""
+
+if [ $EVENT_COUNT -ge $((NUM_EVENTS / 3 - 20)) ]; then
+    echo "✓ TEST 2 PASSED: Retrieved $EVENT_COUNT events in ${ELAPSED_MS}ms"
+else
+    echo "⚠ TEST 2 WARNING: Only retrieved $EVENT_COUNT events (expected ~$((NUM_EVENTS / 3)))"
+fi
+echo ""
+
+# Test 3: Retrieve events with time filter
+echo "=========================================="
+echo "TEST 3: Retrieve events with time filter"
+echo "=========================================="
+echo "Sending REQ with since filter (last hour)..."
+echo ""
+
+SINCE_TIME=$(($(date +%s) - 3600))
+
+START_TIME=$(date +%s%N)
+
+RESPONSE=$(nak req -k 1 --since "$SINCE_TIME" -l $NUM_EVENTS "$RELAY_URL" 2>/dev/null)
+
+END_TIME=$(date +%s%N)
+ELAPSED_MS=$(( (END_TIME - START_TIME) / 1000000 ))
+
+EVENT_COUNT=$(echo "$RESPONSE" | grep -c '^{')
+
+echo "Results:"
+echo "  Time elapsed: ${ELAPSED_MS}ms"
+echo "  Events received: $EVENT_COUNT"
+echo ""
+
+if [ $EVENT_COUNT -ge $((NUM_EVENTS - 10)) ]; then
+    echo "✓ TEST 3 PASSED: Retrieved $EVENT_COUNT events in ${ELAPSED_MS}ms"
+else
+    echo "⚠ TEST 3 WARNING: Only retrieved $EVENT_COUNT events (expected ~$NUM_EVENTS)"
+fi
+echo ""
+
+# Test 4: Multiple small retrievals (simulating real-world usage)
+echo "=========================================="
+echo "TEST 4: Multiple small retrievals (50 events × 10 times)"
+echo "=========================================="
+echo "Simulating real-world client behavior..."
+echo ""
+
+TOTAL_TIME=0
+TOTAL_EVENTS=0
+for i in $(seq 1 10); do
+    START_TIME=$(date +%s%N)
+    
+    RESPONSE=$(nak req -k 1 -l 50 "$RELAY_URL" 2>/dev/null)
+    
+    END_TIME=$(date +%s%N)
+    ELAPSED_MS=$(( (END_TIME - START_TIME) / 1000000 ))
+    TOTAL_TIME=$((TOTAL_TIME + ELAPSED_MS))
+    
+    EVENT_COUNT=$(echo "$RESPONSE" | grep -c '^{')
+    TOTAL_EVENTS=$((TOTAL_EVENTS + EVENT_COUNT))
+    echo "  Request $i: ${ELAPSED_MS}ms ($EVENT_COUNT events)"
+done
+
+AVG_TIME=$((TOTAL_TIME / 10))
+
+echo ""
+echo "Results:"
+echo "  Total time: ${TOTAL_TIME}ms"
+echo "  Total events: $TOTAL_EVENTS"
+echo "  Average time per request: ${AVG_TIME}ms"
+echo ""
+
+if [ $AVG_TIME -lt 50 ]; then
+    echo "✓ TEST 4 PASSED: Average retrieval time ${AVG_TIME}ms (excellent)"
+elif [ $AVG_TIME -lt 200 ]; then
+    echo "✓ TEST 4 PASSED: Average retrieval time ${AVG_TIME}ms (good)"
+else
+    echo "⚠ TEST 4 WARNING: Average retrieval time ${AVG_TIME}ms (slow)"
+fi
+echo ""
+
+# Performance Summary
+echo "=========================================="
+echo "PERFORMANCE SUMMARY"
+echo "=========================================="
+echo ""
+echo "Expected performance with event_json optimization:"
+echo "  - 366 events: <10ms (previously 18 seconds)"
+echo "  - 500 events: <15ms"
+echo "  - Per-event overhead: ~0.02ms (vs 50ms before)"
+echo ""
+
+if [ -n "$DB_FILE" ]; then
+    FINAL_COUNT=$(sqlite3 "$DB_FILE" "SELECT COUNT(*) FROM events WHERE kind=1;" 2>/dev/null || echo "0")
+    echo "Final database stats:"
+    echo "  Total kind 1 events: $FINAL_COUNT"
+    echo "  Database file: $DB_FILE"
+    echo ""
+fi
+
+echo "Check relay logs for [QUERY] entries to see actual query times:"
+echo "  journalctl -u c-relay -n 100 | grep QUERY"
+echo ""
+
+echo "=========================================="
+echo "Test Complete"
+echo "=========================================="
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+
+=== NOSTR WebSocket Debug Log Started ===
+[14:13:42.079] SEND localhost:8888: ["EVENT", {
+		"pubkey":	"e74e808f64b82fe4671b92cdf83f6dd5f5f44dbcb67fbd0e044f34a6193e0994",
+		"created_at":	1761499244,
+		"kind":	1059,
+		"tags":	[["p", "4f355bdcb7cc0af728ef3cceb9615d90684bb5b2ca5f859ab0f0b704075871aa"]],
+		"content":	"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",
+		"id":	"75c178ee47aac3ab9e984ddb85bdf9d8c68ade0d97e9cd86bb39e3110218a589",
+		"sig":	"aba8382cc8d6ba6bba467109d2ddc19718732fe803d71e73fd2db62c1cbbb1b4527447240906e01755139067a71c75d8c03271826ca5d0226c818cb7fb495fe2"
+	}]
+[14:13:42.083] RECV localhost:8888: ["OK", "75c178ee47aac3ab9e984ddb85bdf9d8c68ade0d97e9cd86bb39e3110218a589", true, ""]
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+# Simplified Ephemeral Event Test
+# Tests that ephemeral events are broadcast to active subscriptions
+
+echo "=== Generating Ephemeral Event (kind 20000) ==="
+event=$(nak event --kind 20000 --content "test ephemeral event")
+echo "$event"
+echo ""
+
+echo "=== Testing Ephemeral Event Broadcast ==="
+subscription='["REQ","test_sub",{"kinds":[20000],"limit":10}]'
+echo "Subscription Filter:"
+echo "$subscription"
+echo ""
+
+event_msg='["EVENT",'"$event"']'
+echo "Event Message:"
+echo "$event_msg"
+echo ""
+
+echo "=== Relay Responses ==="
+(
+    # Send subscription
+    printf "%s\n" "$subscription"
+    # Wait for subscription to establish
+    sleep 1
+    # Send ephemeral event on same connection
+    printf "%s\n" "$event_msg"
+    # Wait for responses
+    sleep 2
+) | timeout 5 websocat ws://127.0.0.1:8888
+
+echo ""
+echo "Test complete!"
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ set -e
 # Configuration
 RELAY_HOST="127.0.0.1"
 RELAY_PORT="8888"
-TEST_TIMEOUT=5
+TEST_TIMEOUT=10

 # Colors for output
 RED='\033[0;31m'
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ test_websocket_message() {

    # Send message via websocat and capture response
    local response
-    response=$(echo "$message" | timeout $TEST_TIMEOUT websocat -B 1048576 ws://$RELAY_HOST:$RELAY_PORT 2>/dev/null || echo 'CONNECTION_FAILED')
+    response=$(echo "$message" | timeout $TEST_TIMEOUT websocat -B 1048576 ws://$RELAY_HOST:$RELAY_PORT 2>/dev/null | head -1 || echo 'CONNECTION_FAILED')

    if [[ "$response" == "CONNECTION_FAILED" ]]; then
        echo -e "${RED}FAILED${NC} - Could not connect to relay"
@@ -42,8 +42,8 @@ test_websocket_message() {
        return 1
    fi

-    if [[ "$response" == "TIMEOUT" ]]; then
-        echo -e "${RED}FAILED${NC} - Connection timeout"
+    if [[ -z "$response" ]]; then
+        echo -e "${RED}FAILED${NC} - Empty response"
        FAILED_TESTS=$((FAILED_TESTS + 1))
        return 1
    fi
@@ -119,8 +119,9 @@ test_websocket_message "Invalid author type" '["REQ","sub1",{"authors":[123]}]'
 # Test 6: Invalid author hex
 test_websocket_message "Invalid author hex" '["REQ","sub1",{"authors":["invalid-hex"]}]' "error: invalid author hex string"

-# Test 7: Too many authors
-test_websocket_message "Too many authors" '["REQ","sub1",{"authors":["a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a"]}]' "error: too many authors"
+# Test 7: Too many authors (exceed MAX_AUTHORS_PER_FILTER with compact payload)
+too_many_authors=$(yes '"a"' | head -n 1001 | paste -sd, -)
+test_websocket_message "Too many authors" "[\"REQ\",\"sub1\",{\"authors\":[${too_many_authors}]}]" "error: too many authors"

 echo
 echo "=== Testing IDs Validation ==="
@@ -131,8 +132,9 @@ test_websocket_message "Invalid ID type" '["REQ","sub1",{"ids":[123]}]' "error:
 # Test 9: Invalid ID hex
 test_websocket_message "Invalid ID hex" '["REQ","sub1",{"ids":["invalid-hex"]}]' "error: invalid id hex string"

-# Test 10: Too many IDs
-test_websocket_message "Too many IDs" '["REQ","sub1",{"ids":["a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a","a"]}]' "error: too many ids"
+# Test 10: Too many IDs (exceed MAX_IDS_PER_FILTER with compact payload)
+too_many_ids=$(yes '"a"' | head -n 1001 | paste -sd, -)
+test_websocket_message "Too many IDs" "[\"REQ\",\"sub1\",{\"ids\":[${too_many_ids}]}]" "error: too many ids"

 echo
 echo "=== Testing Kinds Validation ==="
@@ -146,8 +148,9 @@ test_websocket_message "Negative kind" '["REQ","sub1",{"kinds":[-1]}]' "error: i
 # Test 13: Too large kind
 test_websocket_message "Too large kind" '["REQ","sub1",{"kinds":[70000]}]' "error: invalid kind value"

-# Test 14: Too many kinds
-test_websocket_message "Too many kinds" '["REQ","sub1",{"kinds":[1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31,32,33,34,35,36,37,38,39,40,41,42,43,44,45,46,47,48,49,50,51,52]}]' "error: too many kinds"
+# Test 14: Too many kinds (exceed MAX_KINDS_PER_FILTER=500)
+too_many_kinds=$(seq -s, 1 501)
+test_websocket_message "Too many kinds" "[\"REQ\",\"sub1\",{\"kinds\":[${too_many_kinds}]}]" "error: too many kinds"

 echo
 echo "=== Testing Timestamp Validation ==="
@@ -194,8 +197,9 @@ echo "=== Testing Tag Filter Validation ==="
 # Test 25: Invalid tag filter type
 test_websocket_message "Invalid tag filter type" '["REQ","sub1",{"#e":"not-an-array"}]' "error: #e must be an array"

-# Test 26: Too many tag values
-test_websocket_message "Too many tag values" '["REQ","sub1",{"#e":['$(printf '"a%.0s",' {1..101})'"a"]}]' "error: too many #e values"
+# Test 26: Too many tag values (exceed MAX_TAG_VALUES_PER_FILTER=1000)
+too_many_tag_values=$(yes '"a"' | head -n 1001 | paste -sd, -)
+test_websocket_message "Too many tag values" "[\"REQ\",\"sub1\",{\"#e\":[${too_many_tag_values}]}]" "error: too many #e values"

 # Test 27: Tag value too long
 test_websocket_message "Tag value too long" '["REQ","sub1",{"#e":["'$(printf 'a%.0s' {1..1025})'"]}]' "error: #e value too long"
@@ -0,0 +1,101 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+# Test for invalid kind filter validation and NOTICE response
+# This test verifies that the relay properly responds with a NOTICE message
+# when a REQ contains an invalid kind value (> 65535 per NIP-01)
+
+RELAY_URL="ws://localhost:8888"
+TEST_NAME="Invalid Kind Filter Test"
+
+echo "=========================================="
+echo "$TEST_NAME"
+echo "=========================================="
+echo ""
+
+# Test 1: Send REQ with invalid kind (99999 > 65535)
+echo "Test 1: REQ with invalid kind 99999 (should receive NOTICE)"
+echo "---"
+
+RESPONSE=$(timeout 3 websocat "$RELAY_URL" <<EOF
+["REQ","test-invalid-kind",{"kinds":[99999],"limit":0}]
+EOF
+)
+
+echo "Response: $RESPONSE"
+
+if echo "$RESPONSE" | grep -q "NOTICE"; then
+    echo "✓ PASS: Received NOTICE for invalid kind"
+    if echo "$RESPONSE" | grep -qi "kind"; then
+        echo "✓ PASS: NOTICE mentions kind validation"
+    else
+        echo "⚠ WARNING: NOTICE doesn't mention kind (but NOTICE was sent)"
+    fi
+else
+    echo "✗ FAIL: No NOTICE received for invalid kind"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+echo ""
+
+# Test 2: Send REQ with valid kind (should receive EOSE)
+echo "Test 2: REQ with valid kind 1 (should receive EOSE)"
+echo "---"
+
+RESPONSE=$(timeout 3 websocat "$RELAY_URL" <<EOF
+["REQ","test-valid-kind",{"kinds":[1],"limit":0}]
+EOF
+)
+
+echo "Response: $RESPONSE"
+
+if echo "$RESPONSE" | grep -q "EOSE"; then
+    echo "✓ PASS: Received EOSE for valid kind"
+else
+    echo "✗ FAIL: No EOSE received for valid kind"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+echo ""
+
+# Test 3: Send REQ with kind at boundary (65535 - should be valid)
+echo "Test 3: REQ with boundary kind 65535 (should receive EOSE)"
+echo "---"
+
+RESPONSE=$(timeout 3 websocat "$RELAY_URL" <<EOF
+["REQ","test-boundary-kind",{"kinds":[65535],"limit":0}]
+EOF
+)
+
+echo "Response: $RESPONSE"
+
+if echo "$RESPONSE" | grep -q "EOSE"; then
+    echo "✓ PASS: Received EOSE for boundary kind 65535"
+else
+    echo "✗ FAIL: No EOSE received for boundary kind"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+echo ""
+
+# Test 4: Send REQ with kind just over boundary (65536 - should receive NOTICE)
+echo "Test 4: REQ with over-boundary kind 65536 (should receive NOTICE)"
+echo "---"
+
+RESPONSE=$(timeout 3 websocat "$RELAY_URL" <<EOF
+["REQ","test-over-boundary",{"kinds":[65536],"limit":0}]
+EOF
+)
+
+echo "Response: $RESPONSE"
+
+if echo "$RESPONSE" | grep -q "NOTICE"; then
+    echo "✓ PASS: Received NOTICE for over-boundary kind"
+else
+    echo "✗ FAIL: No NOTICE received for over-boundary kind"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+echo ""
+echo "=========================================="
+echo "All tests passed!"
+echo "=========================================="
@@ -0,0 +1,272 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env node
+
+import WebSocket from 'ws';
+import {
+  finalizeEvent,
+  generateSecretKey,
+  getPublicKey,
+  nip19,
+  nip42,
+} from 'nostr-tools';
+
+const RELAY_URL = process.env.RELAY_URL || 'ws://127.0.0.1:7777';
+const EVENT_COUNT = Number(process.env.EVENT_COUNT || 5);
+const DELAY_MS = Number(process.env.DELAY_MS || 2000);
+const RECIPIENT_PUBKEY_ENV = process.env.RECIPIENT_PUBKEY || '';
+const SECRET_INPUT = process.env.NOSTR_SECRET_KEY || '';
+const OVERALL_TIMEOUT_MS = Number(process.env.OVERALL_TIMEOUT_MS || 120000);
+
+function now() {
+  return new Date().toISOString();
+}
+
+function log(msg, extra = null) {
+  if (extra !== null) {
+    console.log(`[${now()}] ${msg}`, extra);
+  } else {
+    console.log(`[${now()}] ${msg}`);
+  }
+}
+
+function normalizeHexSecret(secretInput) {
+  if (!secretInput) return null;
+
+  const raw = secretInput.trim();
+  if (/^[0-9a-fA-F]{64}$/.test(raw)) {
+    return raw.toLowerCase();
+  }
+
+  if (raw.startsWith('nsec1')) {
+    const decoded = nip19.decode(raw);
+    if (decoded.type !== 'nsec') {
+      throw new Error('NOSTR_SECRET_KEY is nsec-like but did not decode as nsec');
+    }
+    if (typeof decoded.data === 'string') {
+      return decoded.data.toLowerCase();
+    }
+    if (decoded.data instanceof Uint8Array) {
+      return Buffer.from(decoded.data).toString('hex').toLowerCase();
+    }
+    throw new Error('Unsupported nsec decoded payload type');
+  }
+
+  throw new Error('NOSTR_SECRET_KEY must be 64-char hex or nsec1...');
+}
+
+const hexSecret = normalizeHexSecret(SECRET_INPUT) || Buffer.from(generateSecretKey()).toString('hex');
+const secretKey = Buffer.from(hexSecret, 'hex');
+const senderPubkey = getPublicKey(secretKey);
+const recipientPubkey = RECIPIENT_PUBKEY_ENV || senderPubkey;
+
+let ws;
+let currentChallenge = null;
+let authenticated = false;
+let authAttempts = 0;
+let sentAccepted = 0;
+let nextSeq = 1;
+let pendingEvent = null;
+let waitingForAuth = false;
+let finished = false;
+let overallTimer = null;
+
+function makeKind4Event(seq) {
+  const eventTemplate = {
+    kind: 4,
+    created_at: Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000),
+    tags: [['p', recipientPubkey]],
+    content: `kind4 disconnect probe seq=${seq} ts=${Date.now()}`,
+    pubkey: senderPubkey,
+  };
+  return finalizeEvent(eventTemplate, secretKey);
+}
+
+function sendJson(arr) {
+  const payload = JSON.stringify(arr);
+  ws.send(payload);
+}
+
+function sendAuth(challenge) {
+  const authTemplate = nip42.makeAuthEvent(RELAY_URL, challenge);
+  const signedAuth = finalizeEvent(authTemplate, secretKey);
+  authAttempts += 1;
+  log(`Sending AUTH attempt #${authAttempts} with challenge ${challenge}`);
+  sendJson(['AUTH', signedAuth]);
+}
+
+function scheduleNext() {
+  if (nextSeq > EVENT_COUNT) {
+    log(`All ${EVENT_COUNT} kind-4 events were accepted without disconnect`);
+    cleanupAndExit(0);
+    return;
+  }
+  setTimeout(() => {
+    if (!finished) {
+      publishNext();
+    }
+  }, DELAY_MS);
+}
+
+function publishNext() {
+  if (waitingForAuth) {
+    log('Still waiting for auth completion, postponing publish');
+    return;
+  }
+
+  const ev = makeKind4Event(nextSeq);
+  pendingEvent = ev;
+  log(`Publishing kind-4 seq=${nextSeq} id=${ev.id.slice(0, 12)}...`);
+  sendJson(['EVENT', ev]);
+}
+
+function retryPendingAfterAuth() {
+  if (!pendingEvent) return;
+  waitingForAuth = false;
+  log(`Retrying pending kind-4 id=${pendingEvent.id.slice(0, 12)}... after auth`);
+  sendJson(['EVENT', pendingEvent]);
+}
+
+function handleAuthRequiredSignal(source, msg) {
+  waitingForAuth = true;
+  log(`Relay signaled auth-required via ${source}: ${msg}`);
+  if (currentChallenge) {
+    sendAuth(currentChallenge);
+  } else {
+    log('No AUTH challenge received yet; waiting for relay AUTH challenge message');
+  }
+}
+
+function cleanupAndExit(code) {
+  if (finished) return;
+  finished = true;
+  if (overallTimer) clearTimeout(overallTimer);
+
+  const summary = {
+    relay: RELAY_URL,
+    sentAccepted,
+    expected: EVENT_COUNT,
+    authAttempts,
+    authenticated,
+    senderPubkey,
+    recipientPubkey,
+  };
+
+  if (code === 0) {
+    log('PASS: Connection remained stable through repeated kind-4 publish cycle', summary);
+  } else {
+    log('FAIL: Relay disconnected or test did not complete successfully', summary);
+  }
+
+  try {
+    if (ws && ws.readyState === WebSocket.OPEN) {
+      ws.close();
+    }
+  } catch (_) {}
+
+  process.exit(code);
+}
+
+function main() {
+  log('Starting kind-4 disconnect probe', {
+    relay: RELAY_URL,
+    eventCount: EVENT_COUNT,
+    delayMs: DELAY_MS,
+    senderPubkey,
+    recipientPubkey,
+  });
+
+  ws = new WebSocket(RELAY_URL);
+
+  overallTimer = setTimeout(() => {
+    log(`Overall timeout reached (${OVERALL_TIMEOUT_MS}ms)`);
+    cleanupAndExit(1);
+  }, OVERALL_TIMEOUT_MS);
+
+  ws.on('open', () => {
+    log('WebSocket connected');
+    publishNext();
+  });
+
+  ws.on('message', (raw) => {
+    const text = raw.toString();
+    let msg;
+    try {
+      msg = JSON.parse(text);
+    } catch {
+      log(`Non-JSON relay message: ${text}`);
+      return;
+    }
+
+    const t = msg?.[0];
+
+    if (t === 'AUTH') {
+      currentChallenge = msg?.[1] || null;
+      log(`Received AUTH challenge: ${currentChallenge}`);
+      if (currentChallenge) sendAuth(currentChallenge);
+      return;
+    }
+
+    if (t === 'NOTICE') {
+      const notice = String(msg?.[1] || '');
+      log(`NOTICE: ${notice}`);
+
+      if (notice.toLowerCase().includes('auth-required')) {
+        handleAuthRequiredSignal('NOTICE', notice);
+        return;
+      }
+
+      if (notice.toLowerCase().includes('authentication successful')) {
+        authenticated = true;
+        log('Relay confirmed NIP-42 authentication success');
+        retryPendingAfterAuth();
+      }
+      return;
+    }
+
+    if (t === 'OK') {
+      const eventId = msg?.[1];
+      const ok = !!msg?.[2];
+      const reason = String(msg?.[3] || '');
+      log(`OK for ${String(eventId).slice(0, 12)}... accepted=${ok} reason=${reason}`);
+
+      if (!ok && reason.toLowerCase().includes('auth-required')) {
+        handleAuthRequiredSignal('OK', reason);
+        return;
+      }
+
+      if (pendingEvent && eventId === pendingEvent.id) {
+        if (ok) {
+          sentAccepted += 1;
+          nextSeq += 1;
+          pendingEvent = null;
+          waitingForAuth = false;
+          scheduleNext();
+        } else {
+          log(`Pending event rejected: ${reason}`);
+          cleanupAndExit(1);
+        }
+      }
+      return;
+    }
+
+    log('Relay message', msg);
+  });
+
+  ws.on('close', (code, reasonBuf) => {
+    const reason = reasonBuf?.toString?.() || '';
+    log(`WebSocket closed code=${code} reason=${reason}`);
+    if (!finished) {
+      if (sentAccepted >= EVENT_COUNT) {
+        cleanupAndExit(0);
+      } else {
+        cleanupAndExit(1);
+      }
+    }
+  });
+
+  ws.on('error', (err) => {
+    log(`WebSocket error: ${err.message}`);
+    cleanupAndExit(1);
+  });
+}
+
+main();
@@ -0,0 +1,63 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+# Test script for posting large events (>4KB) to test partial write handling
+# Uses nak to properly sign events with large content
+
+RELAY_URL="ws://localhost:8888"
+
+# Check if nak is installed
+if ! command -v nak &> /dev/null; then
+    echo "Error: nak is not installed. Install with: go install github.com/fiatjaf/nak@latest"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+# Generate a test private key if not set
+if [ -z "$NOSTR_PRIVATE_KEY" ]; then
+    echo "Generating temporary test key..."
+    export NOSTR_PRIVATE_KEY=$(nak key generate)
+fi
+
+echo "=== Large Event Test ==="
+echo "Testing partial write handling with events >4KB"
+echo "Relay: $RELAY_URL"
+echo ""
+
+# Test 1: 5KB event
+echo "Test 1: Posting 5KB event..."
+CONTENT_5KB=$(python3 -c "print('A' * 5000)")
+echo "$CONTENT_5KB" | nak event -k 1 --content - $RELAY_URL
+sleep 1
+
+# Test 2: 10KB event
+echo ""
+echo "Test 2: Posting 10KB event..."
+CONTENT_10KB=$(python3 -c "print('B' * 10000)")
+echo "$CONTENT_10KB" | nak event -k 1 --content - $RELAY_URL
+sleep 1
+
+# Test 3: 20KB event
+echo ""
+echo "Test 3: Posting 20KB event..."
+CONTENT_20KB=$(python3 -c "print('C' * 20000)")
+echo "$CONTENT_20KB" | nak event -k 1 --content - $RELAY_URL
+sleep 1
+
+# Test 4: 50KB event (very large)
+echo ""
+echo "Test 4: Posting 50KB event..."
+CONTENT_50KB=$(python3 -c "print('D' * 50000)")
+echo "$CONTENT_50KB" | nak event -k 1 --content - $RELAY_URL
+
+echo ""
+echo "=== Test Complete ==="
+echo ""
+echo "Check relay.log for:"
+echo "  - 'Queued partial write' messages (indicates buffering is working)"
+echo "  - 'write completed' messages (indicates retry succeeded)"
+echo "  - No 'Invalid frame header' errors"
+echo ""
+echo "To view logs in real-time:"
+echo "  tail -f relay.log | grep -E '(partial|write completed|Invalid frame)'"
+echo ""
+echo "To check if events were stored:"
+echo "  sqlite3 build/*.db 'SELECT id, length(content) as content_size FROM events ORDER BY created_at DESC LIMIT 4;'"
@@ -0,0 +1,87 @@
+=== NIP-42 Authentication Test Started ===
+2026-04-01 10:00:44 - Starting NIP-42 authentication tests
+[34m[1m[INFO][0m === Starting NIP-42 Authentication Tests ===
+[34m[1m[INFO][0m Checking dependencies...
+[33m[1m[WARNING][0m wscat not found. Some manual WebSocket tests will be skipped
+[33m[1m[WARNING][0m Install with: npm install -g wscat
+[32m[1m[SUCCESS][0m Dependencies check complete
+[34m[1m[INFO][0m Test 1: Checking NIP-42 support in relay info
+[32m[1m[SUCCESS][0m NIP-42 is advertised in supported NIPs
+2026-04-01 10:00:44 - Supported NIPs: 1,2,4,9,11,12,13,15,16,20,22,33,40,42,50,70
+[34m[1m[INFO][0m Test 2: Testing AUTH challenge generation
+[33m[1m[WARNING][0m Could not extract admin private key from relay.log - using manual test approach
+[34m[1m[INFO][0m Manual test: Connect to relay and send an event without auth to trigger challenge
+[34m[1m[INFO][0m Test 3: Testing complete NIP-42 authentication flow
+[34m[1m[INFO][0m Generated test keypair: test_pubkey
+[34m[1m[INFO][0m Attempting to publish event without authentication...
+[34m[1m[INFO][0m Publishing test event to relay...
+2026-04-01 10:00:45 - Event publish result: connecting to localhost:8888... ok.
+{"kind":1,"id":"28174ed72f9ef5484a6596db6c6be181d2ed10e46d8c22a9f7a267becbc9a47a","pubkey":"b5f9adc3b362c0e81569a46648a3996708d6b47754d36c617683f18e1f1daf6b","created_at":1775052045,"tags":[],"content":"NIP-42 test event - should require auth","sig":"0041347b233a21d6542a263634f52f8ca7e3b5ecf07bc37c86f390f1a7ab0bc2051306b14aa70edff020bd7311b259d03c2c35a035b285f9e19051a924546666"}
+publishing to ws://localhost:8888... success.
+[32m[1m[SUCCESS][0m Relay requested authentication as expected
+[34m[1m[INFO][0m Test 4: Testing WebSocket AUTH message handling
+[33m[1m[WARNING][0m Skipping WebSocket tests - wscat not available
+[34m[1m[INFO][0m Test 5: Testing NIP-42 configuration options
+[34m[1m[INFO][0m Retrieving current relay configuration...
+[33m[1m[WARNING][0m Could not retrieve configuration events
+[34m[1m[INFO][0m Test 6: Testing NIP-42 performance and stability
+[34m[1m[INFO][0m Testing multiple authentication attempts...
+2026-04-01 10:00:46 - Attempt 1: .195528002s - connecting to localhost:8888... ok.
+{"kind":1,"id":"72526c57e50d721bfcdcca23856f2c5d3021c3100f0121538d9d829042e9b8b5","pubkey":"29af457d7eea750c11c836dfbeed3076fa0bf1f1b67a404ee4c25733d9b54238","created_at":1775052046,"tags":[],"content":"Performance test event 1","sig":"1a10db86a39aaf47bda6d0cca5f888691bae32bfd85df8c178dddbf24861503a491bfe4da8d66dfe3e5e0afec7bf8644e7eb69c9f051c601673ae13284f9ab31"}
+publishing to ws://localhost:8888... success.
+2026-04-01 10:00:46 - Attempt 2: .185198180s - connecting to localhost:8888... ok.
+{"kind":1,"id":"84eeb907205806bb88fc353bb83f1bf0149f3c93c18695306d8480d36752878b","pubkey":"29af457d7eea750c11c836dfbeed3076fa0bf1f1b67a404ee4c25733d9b54238","created_at":1775052046,"tags":[],"content":"Performance test event 2","sig":"e568dbca3113966f61e69eff05576d296fac42b5ff2ab7341778acc02cf6e9440b59bf651a8a2995d89180a62ec20ffc1143e211cf2960c5abaa358a82992ac6"}
+publishing to ws://localhost:8888... success.
+2026-04-01 10:00:47 - Attempt 3: .197159540s - connecting to localhost:8888... ok.
+{"kind":1,"id":"0874716ba0b2a845d379e703226513f90db6228ce958369f4dce5aff3df64c5a","pubkey":"29af457d7eea750c11c836dfbeed3076fa0bf1f1b67a404ee4c25733d9b54238","created_at":1775052046,"tags":[],"content":"Performance test event 3","sig":"e74e885eb464998bddf655c24c95a18d7299908c63fb82a47f8d14af65992f90e73794a9f289b550bc1dec1c0298112d2b25941be7e26e3f17dd66b4c5dc742e"}
+publishing to ws://localhost:8888... success.
+2026-04-01 10:00:47 - Attempt 4: .202520319s - connecting to localhost:8888... ok.
+{"kind":1,"id":"5614d1b795cd028e096720418bb4dbc64870d442c6295b9bb2931564a332099a","pubkey":"29af457d7eea750c11c836dfbeed3076fa0bf1f1b67a404ee4c25733d9b54238","created_at":1775052047,"tags":[],"content":"Performance test event 4","sig":"1c0645a791ab9df573b152b782884bcb5ec2a18b8f4e1c18d7dc2175977b7d1d572674169ea1d2b3e3fa8d228de90f6cc281d56a3ef471ba4f9510e920ed586e"}
+publishing to ws://localhost:8888... success.
+2026-04-01 10:00:47 - Attempt 5: .222530325s - connecting to localhost:8888... ok.
+{"kind":1,"id":"9139f1eb39c31c43cb9f02e60a0f75a0f99f6c7d9693a69a225c8b3e530f774a","pubkey":"29af457d7eea750c11c836dfbeed3076fa0bf1f1b67a404ee4c25733d9b54238","created_at":1775052047,"tags":[],"content":"Performance test event 5","sig":"bd245a7629c33619c0ed426f631e0c2413adb4488c281bea09886ceb6407b40e247d42f82e374e2f53ee5281f0d8361661a4c613c6414c59d09e5bb23eeeb02d"}
+publishing to ws://localhost:8888... success.
+[32m[1m[SUCCESS][0m Performance test completed: 5/5 successful responses
+[34m[1m[INFO][0m Test 7: Testing kind-specific NIP-42 authentication requirements
+[34m[1m[INFO][0m Generated test keypair for kind-specific tests: test_pubkey
+[34m[1m[INFO][0m Testing kind 1 event (regular note) - should work without authentication...
+2026-04-01 10:00:48 - Kind 1 event result: connecting to localhost:8888... ok.
+{"kind":1,"id":"def386c66576a91f144a7321e9520a3ed46f9fecc56d9e79d32a162f249cace9","pubkey":"7c9b00749c966e50d18d4b807b44d4612bf9a8f67925fac3f00d21918b6e7f9c","created_at":1775052048,"tags":[],"content":"Regular note - should not require auth","sig":"7ee8fbf45e96d040df1a688e9bf028faaa49b81b26eeae6452b3a32cd9fd941c27b41734f14268d3deef14dbb19e514d29789211fffb27bfa9b73d20cddcc83e"}
+publishing to ws://localhost:8888... success.
+[32m[1m[SUCCESS][0m Kind 1 event accepted without authentication (correct behavior)
+[34m[1m[INFO][0m Testing kind 4 event (direct message) - should require authentication...
+2026-04-01 10:00:58 - Kind 4 event result: connecting to localhost:8888... ok.
+{"kind":4,"id":"a2f2d176a835d17a0c9229c0ce3b1ba61a5eb81308e4a3b3446634f468721238","pubkey":"7c9b00749c966e50d18d4b807b44d4612bf9a8f67925fac3f00d21918b6e7f9c","created_at":1775052048,"tags":[["p,test_pubkey"]],"content":"This is a direct message - should require auth","sig":"441f9caba6ebcec6b6c55d13ffd9571f3fe441a54ddd0692f2868429a5087378d791c97289b8b990560dcf40f5c66e86ba6b41f1de78220a5f389c1f119bb887"}
+publishing to ws://localhost:8888... 
+[32m[1m[SUCCESS][0m Kind 4 event requested authentication (correct behavior for DMs)
+[34m[1m[INFO][0m Testing kind 14 event (chat message) - should require authentication...
+2026-04-01 10:01:09 - Kind 14 event result: connecting to localhost:8888... ok.
+{"kind":14,"id":"e234a6faa63f95cd24f8596fbfac573730533bb0abcde47b4d341ff0acace657","pubkey":"7c9b00749c966e50d18d4b807b44d4612bf9a8f67925fac3f00d21918b6e7f9c","created_at":1775052059,"tags":[["p,test_pubkey"]],"content":"Chat message - should require auth","sig":"fd6ba0ddaa7e2379aa49c5cda6599d0a38264799b228a8e907b948bef645080603f7f910c587f6cfb1ef1bac946c47dc681fdab6abd248376cd552bcd535ef9e"}
+publishing to ws://localhost:8888... 
+[32m[1m[SUCCESS][0m Kind 14 event requested authentication (correct behavior for DMs)
+[34m[1m[INFO][0m Testing other event kinds - should work without authentication...
+2026-04-01 10:01:09 - Kind 0 event result: connecting to localhost:8888... ok.
+{"kind":0,"id":"d87b69e8a2c8f6d98229b55cde3f0fe1b70c6cafd080e4462209849338eafc76","pubkey":"7c9b00749c966e50d18d4b807b44d4612bf9a8f67925fac3f00d21918b6e7f9c","created_at":1775052069,"tags":[],"content":"Test event kind 0 - should not require auth","sig":"e3222bd4882c881d039e6790a6a8d9f8e20a71d0f9d5089e98604acaa4feff7c1b1b2d9b4171d640da3bba955408a9391a0fd52334cc4a4165fa932e5163f9dd"}
+publishing to ws://localhost:8888... success.
+[32m[1m[SUCCESS][0m Kind 0 event accepted without authentication (correct)
+2026-04-01 10:01:09 - Kind 3 event result: connecting to localhost:8888... ok.
+{"kind":3,"id":"ac0d45d7db2818bb5e674d4760711349928cf3d5dc8f1fc3717d9e7274e26fb0","pubkey":"7c9b00749c966e50d18d4b807b44d4612bf9a8f67925fac3f00d21918b6e7f9c","created_at":1775052069,"tags":[],"content":"Test event kind 3 - should not require auth","sig":"b65b317c81bc733ee2ff5921430b34d722e8d177147c5d1cddf14036573223582a3b7232810fc13169eb7a61ab3b99cd37ce13991673fce142d1ea10c702305e"}
+publishing to ws://localhost:8888... success.
+[32m[1m[SUCCESS][0m Kind 3 event accepted without authentication (correct)
+2026-04-01 10:01:10 - Kind 7 event result: connecting to localhost:8888... ok.
+{"kind":7,"id":"ad7e77948a4742abfca2d63c5bb748f3db3940c85841f521b3b7d634bf09955a","pubkey":"7c9b00749c966e50d18d4b807b44d4612bf9a8f67925fac3f00d21918b6e7f9c","created_at":1775052070,"tags":[],"content":"Test event kind 7 - should not require auth","sig":"8a5e5a03956cec04d56934314a0876fccbd221546432aaccdbc249b5f9cedc221219abf6e2856b98675de205afaa0e91ea642933ec6724576a40db43d17aa758"}
+publishing to ws://localhost:8888... success.
+[32m[1m[SUCCESS][0m Kind 7 event accepted without authentication (correct)
+[34m[1m[INFO][0m Kind-specific authentication test completed
+[34m[1m[INFO][0m === NIP-42 Test Results Summary ===
+[32m[1m[SUCCESS][0m Dependencies: PASS
+[32m[1m[SUCCESS][0m NIP-42 Support: PASS
+[32m[1m[SUCCESS][0m Auth Challenge: PASS
+[32m[1m[SUCCESS][0m Auth Flow: PASS
+[32m[1m[SUCCESS][0m WebSocket AUTH: PASS
+[32m[1m[SUCCESS][0m Configuration: PASS
+[32m[1m[SUCCESS][0m Performance: PASS
+[32m[1m[SUCCESS][0m Kind-Specific Auth: PASS
+[32m[1m[SUCCESS][0m All NIP-42 tests completed successfully!
+[32m[1m[SUCCESS][0m NIP-42 authentication implementation is working correctly
+[34m[1m[INFO][0m === NIP-42 Authentication Tests Complete ===
@@ -3,6 +3,19 @@
 # Test script to post kind 1 events to the relay every second
 # Cycles through three different secret keys
 # Content includes current timestamp
+#
+# Usage: ./post_events.sh <relay_url>
+# Example: ./post_events.sh ws://localhost:8888
+# Example: ./post_events.sh wss://relay.laantungir.net
+
+# Check if relay URL is provided
+if [ -z "$1" ]; then
+    echo "Error: Relay URL is required"
+    echo "Usage: $0 <relay_url>"
+    echo "Example: $0 ws://localhost:8888"
+    echo "Example: $0 wss://relay.laantungir.net"
+    exit 1
+fi

 # Array of secret keys to cycle through
 SECRET_KEYS=(
@@ -11,7 +24,7 @@ SECRET_KEYS=(
    "1618aaa21f5bd45c5ffede0d9a60556db67d4a046900e5f66b0bae5c01c801fb"
 )

-RELAY_URL="ws://localhost:8888"
+RELAY_URL="$1"
 KEY_INDEX=0

 echo "Starting event posting test to $RELAY_URL"
@@ -36,5 +49,5 @@ while true; do
    KEY_INDEX=$(( (KEY_INDEX + 1) % ${#SECRET_KEYS[@]} ))

    # Wait 1 second
-    sleep 1
+    sleep .2
 done
@@ -1,203 +0,0 @@
-#!/bin/bash
-
-# Rate Limiting Test Suite for C-Relay
-# Tests rate limiting and abuse prevention mechanisms
-
-set -e
-
-# Configuration
-RELAY_HOST="127.0.0.1"
-RELAY_PORT="8888"
-TEST_TIMEOUT=15
-
-# Colors for output
-RED='\033[0;31m'
-GREEN='\033[0;32m'
-YELLOW='\033[1;33m'
-BLUE='\033[0;34m'
-NC='\033[0m' # No Color
-
-# Test counters
-TOTAL_TESTS=0
-PASSED_TESTS=0
-FAILED_TESTS=0
-
-# Function to test rate limiting
-test_rate_limiting() {
-    local description="$1"
-    local message="$2"
-    local burst_count="${3:-10}"
-    local expected_limited="${4:-false}"
-
-    TOTAL_TESTS=$((TOTAL_TESTS + 1))
-
-    echo -n "Testing $description... "
-
-    local rate_limited=false
-    local success_count=0
-    local error_count=0
-
-    # Send burst of messages
-    for i in $(seq 1 "$burst_count"); do
-        local response
-        response=$(echo "$message" | timeout 2 websocat -B 1048576 ws://$RELAY_HOST:$RELAY_PORT 2>/dev/null | head -1 || echo 'TIMEOUT')
-
-        if [[ "$response" == *"rate limit"* ]] || [[ "$response" == *"too many"* ]] || [[ "$response" == *"TOO_MANY"* ]]; then
-            rate_limited=true
-        elif [[ "$response" == *"EOSE"* ]] || [[ "$response" == *"EVENT"* ]] || [[ "$response" == *"OK"* ]]; then
-            ((success_count++))
-        else
-            ((error_count++))
-        fi
-
-        # Small delay between requests
-        sleep 0.05
-    done
-
-    if [[ "$expected_limited" == "true" ]]; then
-        if [[ "$rate_limited" == "true" ]]; then
-            echo -e "${GREEN}PASSED${NC} - Rate limiting triggered as expected"
-            PASSED_TESTS=$((PASSED_TESTS + 1))
-            return 0
-        else
-            echo -e "${RED}FAILED${NC} - Rate limiting not triggered (expected)"
-            FAILED_TESTS=$((FAILED_TESTS + 1))
-            return 1
-        fi
-    else
-        if [[ "$rate_limited" == "false" ]]; then
-            echo -e "${GREEN}PASSED${NC} - No rate limiting for normal traffic"
-            PASSED_TESTS=$((PASSED_TESTS + 1))
-            return 0
-        else
-            echo -e "${YELLOW}UNCERTAIN${NC} - Unexpected rate limiting"
-            PASSED_TESTS=$((PASSED_TESTS + 1)) # Count as passed since it's conservative
-            return 0
-        fi
-    fi
-}
-
-# Function to test sustained load
-test_sustained_load() {
-    local description="$1"
-    local message="$2"
-    local duration="${3:-10}"
-
-    TOTAL_TESTS=$((TOTAL_TESTS + 1))
-
-    echo -n "Testing $description... "
-
-    local start_time
-    start_time=$(date +%s)
-    local rate_limited=false
-    local total_requests=0
-    local successful_requests=0
-
-    while [[ $(($(date +%s) - start_time)) -lt duration ]]; do
-        ((total_requests++))
-        local response
-        response=$(echo "$message" | timeout 1 websocat -B 1048576 ws://$RELAY_HOST:$RELAY_PORT 2>/dev/null | head -1 || echo 'TIMEOUT')
-
-        if [[ "$response" == *"rate limit"* ]] || [[ "$response" == *"too many"* ]] || [[ "$response" == *"TOO_MANY"* ]]; then
-            rate_limited=true
-        elif [[ "$response" == *"EOSE"* ]] || [[ "$response" == *"EVENT"* ]] || [[ "$response" == *"OK"* ]]; then
-            ((successful_requests++))
-        fi
-
-        # Small delay to avoid overwhelming
-        sleep 0.1
-    done
-
-    local success_rate=0
-    if [[ $total_requests -gt 0 ]]; then
-        success_rate=$((successful_requests * 100 / total_requests))
-    fi
-
-    if [[ "$rate_limited" == "true" ]]; then
-        echo -e "${GREEN}PASSED${NC} - Rate limiting activated under sustained load (${success_rate}% success rate)"
-        PASSED_TESTS=$((PASSED_TESTS + 1))
-        return 0
-    else
-        echo -e "${YELLOW}UNCERTAIN${NC} - No rate limiting detected (${success_rate}% success rate)"
-        # This might be acceptable if rate limiting is very permissive
-        PASSED_TESTS=$((PASSED_TESTS + 1))
-        return 0
-    fi
-}
-
-echo "=========================================="
-echo "C-Relay Rate Limiting Test Suite"
-echo "=========================================="
-echo "Testing rate limiting against relay at ws://$RELAY_HOST:$RELAY_PORT"
-echo ""
-
-# Test basic connectivity first
-echo "=== Basic Connectivity Test ==="
-test_rate_limiting "Basic connectivity" '["REQ","rate_test",{}]' 1 false
-echo ""
-
-echo "=== Burst Request Testing ==="
-# Test rapid succession of requests
-test_rate_limiting "Rapid REQ messages" '["REQ","burst_req_'$(date +%s%N)'",{}]' 20 true
-test_rate_limiting "Rapid COUNT messages" '["COUNT","burst_count_'$(date +%s%N)'",{}]' 20 true
-test_rate_limiting "Rapid CLOSE messages" '["CLOSE","burst_close"]' 20 true
-echo ""
-
-echo "=== Malformed Message Rate Limiting ==="
-# Test if malformed messages trigger rate limiting faster
-test_rate_limiting "Malformed JSON burst" '["REQ","malformed"' 15 true
-test_rate_limiting "Invalid message type burst" '["INVALID","test",{}]' 15 true
-test_rate_limiting "Empty message burst" '[]' 15 true
-echo ""
-
-echo "=== Sustained Load Testing ==="
-# Test sustained moderate load
-test_sustained_load "Sustained REQ load" '["REQ","sustained_'$(date +%s%N)'",{}]' 10
-test_sustained_load "Sustained COUNT load" '["COUNT","sustained_count_'$(date +%s%N)'",{}]' 10
-echo ""
-
-echo "=== Filter Complexity Testing ==="
-# Test if complex filters trigger rate limiting
-test_rate_limiting "Complex filter burst" '["REQ","complex_'$(date +%s%N)'",{"authors":["a","b","c"],"kinds":[1,2,3],"#e":["x","y","z"],"#p":["m","n","o"],"since":1000000000,"until":2000000000,"limit":100}]' 10 true
-echo ""
-
-echo "=== Subscription Management Testing ==="
-# Test subscription creation/deletion rate limiting
-echo -n "Testing subscription churn... "
-local churn_test_passed=true
-for i in $(seq 1 25); do
-    # Create subscription
-    echo "[\"REQ\",\"churn_${i}_$(date +%s%N)\",{}]" | timeout 1 websocat -B 1048576 ws://$RELAY_HOST:$RELAY_PORT >/dev/null 2>&1 || true
-
-    # Close subscription
-    echo "[\"CLOSE\",\"churn_${i}_*\"]" | timeout 1 websocat -B 1048576 ws://$RELAY_HOST:$RELAY_PORT >/dev/null 2>&1 || true
-
-    sleep 0.05
-done
-
-# Check if relay is still responsive
-if echo 'ping' | timeout 2 websocat -n1 ws://$RELAY_HOST:$RELAY_PORT >/dev/null 2>&1; then
-    echo -e "${GREEN}PASSED${NC} - Subscription churn handled"
-    TOTAL_TESTS=$((TOTAL_TESTS + 1))
-    PASSED_TESTS=$((PASSED_TESTS + 1))
-else
-    echo -e "${RED}FAILED${NC} - Relay unresponsive after subscription churn"
-    TOTAL_TESTS=$((TOTAL_TESTS + 1))
-    FAILED_TESTS=$((FAILED_TESTS + 1))
-fi
-echo ""
-
-echo "=== Test Results ==="
-echo "Total tests: $TOTAL_TESTS"
-echo -e "Passed: ${GREEN}$PASSED_TESTS${NC}"
-echo -e "Failed: ${RED}$FAILED_TESTS${NC}"
-
-if [[ $FAILED_TESTS -eq 0 ]]; then
-    echo -e "${GREEN}✓ All rate limiting tests passed!${NC}"
-    echo "Rate limiting appears to be working correctly."
-    exit 0
-else
-    echo -e "${RED}✗ Some rate limiting tests failed!${NC}"
-    echo "Rate limiting may not be properly configured."
-    exit 1
-fi
@@ -0,0 +1,296 @@
+/*
+ * NIP-17 Private Direct Messages - Command Line Application
+ *
+ * This example demonstrates how to send NIP-17 private direct messages
+ * using the Nostr Core Library.
+ *
+ * Usage:
+ *   ./send_nip17_dm -r <recipient> -s <sender> [-R <relay>]... <message>
+ *
+ * Options:
+ *   -r <recipient>: The recipient's public key (npub or hex)
+ *   -s <sender>: The sender's private key (nsec or hex)
+ *   -R <relay>: Relay URL to send to (can be specified multiple times)
+ *   <message>: The message to send (must be the last argument)
+ *
+ * If no relays are specified, uses default relay.
+ * If no sender key is provided, uses a default test key.
+ *
+ * Examples:
+ *   ./send_nip17_dm -r npub1example... -s nsec1test... -R wss://relay1.com "Hello from NIP-17!"
+ *   ./send_nip17_dm -r 4f355bdcb7cc0af728ef3cceb9615d90684bb5b2ca5f859ab0f0b704075871aa -s aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa -R ws://localhost:8888 "config"
+ */
+
+#define _GNU_SOURCE
+#define _POSIX_C_SOURCE 200809L
+
+#include "../nostr_core_lib/nostr_core/nostr_core.h"
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <string.h>
+#include <unistd.h>
+#include <getopt.h>
+
+// Default test private key (for demonstration - DO NOT USE IN PRODUCTION)
+#define DEFAULT_SENDER_NSEC "nsec12kgt0dv2k2safv6s32w8f89z9uw27e68hjaa0d66c5xvk70ezpwqncd045"
+
+// Default relay for sending DMs
+#define DEFAULT_RELAY "wss://relay.laantungir.net"
+
+// Progress callback for publishing
+void publish_progress_callback(const char* relay_url, const char* status,
+                              const char* message, int success_count,
+                              int total_relays, int completed_relays, void* user_data) {
+    (void)user_data;
+
+    if (relay_url) {
+        printf("📡 [%s]: %s", relay_url, status);
+        if (message) {
+            printf(" - %s", message);
+        }
+        printf(" (%d/%d completed, %d successful)\n", completed_relays, total_relays, success_count);
+    } else {
+        printf("📡 PUBLISH COMPLETE: %d/%d successful\n", success_count, total_relays);
+    }
+}
+
+/**
+ * Convert npub or hex pubkey to hex format
+ */
+int convert_pubkey_to_hex(const char* input_pubkey, char* output_hex) {
+    // Check if it's already hex (64 characters)
+    if (strlen(input_pubkey) == 64) {
+        // Assume it's already hex
+        strcpy(output_hex, input_pubkey);
+        return 0;
+    }
+
+    // Check if it's an npub (starts with "npub1")
+    if (strncmp(input_pubkey, "npub1", 5) == 0) {
+        // Convert npub to hex
+        unsigned char pubkey_bytes[32];
+        if (nostr_decode_npub(input_pubkey, pubkey_bytes) != 0) {
+            fprintf(stderr, "Error: Invalid npub format\n");
+            return -1;
+        }
+        nostr_bytes_to_hex(pubkey_bytes, 32, output_hex);
+        return 0;
+    }
+
+    fprintf(stderr, "Error: Public key must be 64-character hex or valid npub\n");
+    return -1;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Convert nsec to private key bytes if needed
+ */
+int convert_nsec_to_private_key(const char* input_nsec, unsigned char* private_key) {
+    // Check if it's already hex (64 characters)
+    if (strlen(input_nsec) == 64) {
+        // Convert hex to bytes
+        if (nostr_hex_to_bytes(input_nsec, private_key, 32) != 0) {
+            fprintf(stderr, "Error: Invalid hex private key\n");
+            return -1;
+        }
+        return 0;
+    }
+
+    // Check if it's an nsec (starts with "nsec1")
+    if (strncmp(input_nsec, "nsec1", 5) == 0) {
+        // Convert nsec directly to private key bytes
+        if (nostr_decode_nsec(input_nsec, private_key) != 0) {
+            fprintf(stderr, "Error: Invalid nsec format\n");
+            return -1;
+        }
+        return 0;
+    }
+
+    fprintf(stderr, "Error: Private key must be 64-character hex or valid nsec\n");
+    return -1;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Main function
+ */
+int main(int argc, char* argv[]) {
+    char* recipient_key = NULL;
+    char* sender_key = NULL;
+    char** relays = NULL;
+    int relay_count = 0;
+    char* message = NULL;
+
+    // Parse command line options
+    int opt;
+    while ((opt = getopt(argc, argv, "r:s:R:")) != -1) {
+        switch (opt) {
+            case 'r':
+                recipient_key = optarg;
+                break;
+            case 's':
+                sender_key = optarg;
+                break;
+            case 'R':
+                relays = realloc(relays, (relay_count + 1) * sizeof(char*));
+                relays[relay_count] = optarg;
+                relay_count++;
+                break;
+            default:
+                fprintf(stderr, "Usage: %s -r <recipient> -s <sender> [-R <relay>]... <message>\n", argv[0]);
+                fprintf(stderr, "Options:\n");
+                fprintf(stderr, "  -r <recipient>: The recipient's public key (npub or hex)\n");
+                fprintf(stderr, "  -s <sender>: The sender's private key (nsec or hex)\n");
+                fprintf(stderr, "  -R <relay>: Relay URL to send to (can be specified multiple times)\n");
+                fprintf(stderr, "  <message>: The message to send (must be the last argument)\n");
+                return 1;
+        }
+    }
+
+    // Check for required arguments
+    if (!recipient_key) {
+        fprintf(stderr, "Error: Recipient key (-r) is required\n");
+        return 1;
+    }
+
+    // Get message from remaining arguments
+    if (optind >= argc) {
+        fprintf(stderr, "Error: Message is required\n");
+        return 1;
+    }
+    message = argv[optind];
+
+    // Use default values if not provided
+    if (!sender_key) {
+        sender_key = DEFAULT_SENDER_NSEC;
+    }
+    if (relay_count == 0) {
+        relays = malloc(sizeof(char*));
+        relays[0] = DEFAULT_RELAY;
+        relay_count = 1;
+    }
+
+    printf("🧪 NIP-17 Private Direct Message Sender\n");
+    printf("======================================\n\n");
+
+    // Initialize crypto
+    if (nostr_init() != NOSTR_SUCCESS) {
+        fprintf(stderr, "Failed to initialize crypto\n");
+        free(relays);
+        return 1;
+    }
+
+    // Convert recipient pubkey
+    char recipient_pubkey_hex[65];
+    if (convert_pubkey_to_hex(recipient_key, recipient_pubkey_hex) != 0) {
+        free(relays);
+        return 1;
+    }
+
+    // Convert sender private key
+    unsigned char sender_privkey[32];
+    if (convert_nsec_to_private_key(sender_key, sender_privkey) != 0) {
+        free(relays);
+        return 1;
+    }
+
+    // Derive sender public key for display
+    unsigned char sender_pubkey_bytes[32];
+    char sender_pubkey_hex[65];
+    if (nostr_ec_public_key_from_private_key(sender_privkey, sender_pubkey_bytes) != 0) {
+        fprintf(stderr, "Failed to derive sender public key\n");
+        return 1;
+    }
+    nostr_bytes_to_hex(sender_pubkey_bytes, 32, sender_pubkey_hex);
+
+    printf("📤 Sender: %s\n", sender_pubkey_hex);
+    printf("📥 Recipient: %s\n", recipient_pubkey_hex);
+    printf("💬 Message: %s\n", message);
+    printf("🌐 Relays: ");
+    for (int i = 0; i < relay_count; i++) {
+        printf("%s", relays[i]);
+        if (i < relay_count - 1) printf(", ");
+    }
+    printf("\n\n");
+
+    // Create DM event
+    printf("💬 Creating DM event...\n");
+    const char* recipient_pubkeys[] = {recipient_pubkey_hex};
+    cJSON* dm_event = nostr_nip17_create_chat_event(
+        message,
+        recipient_pubkeys,
+        1,
+        "NIP-17 CLI",  // subject
+        NULL,          // no reply
+        relays[0],     // relay hint (use first relay)
+        sender_pubkey_hex
+    );
+
+    if (!dm_event) {
+        fprintf(stderr, "Failed to create DM event\n");
+        return 1;
+    }
+
+    printf("✅ Created DM event (kind 14)\n");
+
+    // Send DM (create gift wraps)
+    printf("🎁 Creating gift wraps...\n");
+    cJSON* gift_wraps[10];  // Max 10 gift wraps
+    int gift_wrap_count = nostr_nip17_send_dm(
+        dm_event,
+        recipient_pubkeys,
+        1,
+        sender_privkey,
+        gift_wraps,
+        10
+    );
+
+    cJSON_Delete(dm_event);  // Original DM event no longer needed
+
+    if (gift_wrap_count <= 0) {
+        fprintf(stderr, "Failed to create gift wraps\n");
+        return 1;
+    }
+
+    printf("✅ Created %d gift wrap(s)\n", gift_wrap_count);
+
+    // Publish the gift wrap to relays
+    printf("\n📤 Publishing gift wrap to %d relay(s)...\n", relay_count);
+
+    int success_count = 0;
+    publish_result_t* publish_results = synchronous_publish_event_with_progress(
+        (const char**)relays,
+        relay_count,
+        gift_wraps[0],  // Send the first gift wrap
+        &success_count,
+        10,  // 10 second timeout
+        publish_progress_callback,
+        NULL,  // no user data
+        0,     // NIP-42 disabled
+        NULL   // no private key for auth
+    );
+
+    if (!publish_results || success_count == 0) {
+        fprintf(stderr, "\n❌ Failed to publish gift wrap to any relay (success_count: %d/%d)\n", success_count, relay_count);
+        // Clean up gift wraps
+        for (int i = 0; i < gift_wrap_count; i++) {
+            cJSON_Delete(gift_wraps[i]);
+        }
+        if (publish_results) free(publish_results);
+        free(relays);
+        return 1;
+    }
+
+    printf("\n✅ Successfully published NIP-17 DM to %d/%d relay(s)!\n", success_count, relay_count);
+
+    // Clean up
+    free(publish_results);
+    for (int i = 0; i < gift_wrap_count; i++) {
+        cJSON_Delete(gift_wraps[i]);
+    }
+    free(relays);
+
+    nostr_cleanup();
+
+    printf("\n🎉 DM sent successfully! The recipient can now decrypt it using their private key.\n");
+
+    return 0;
+}
@@ -0,0 +1,295 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+# Subscription Cleanup Testing Suite for C-Relay
+# Tests startup cleanup and connection age limit features
+
+set -e
+
+# Load test keys
+source "$(dirname "$0")/.test_keys.txt"
+
+# Configuration
+RELAY_HOST="127.0.0.1"
+RELAY_PORT="8888"
+RELAY_URL="ws://${RELAY_HOST}:${RELAY_PORT}"
+
+# Colors for output
+RED='\033[0;31m'
+GREEN='\033[0;32m'
+YELLOW='\033[1;33m'
+BLUE='\033[0;34m'
+NC='\033[0m' # No Color
+
+# Test counters
+TOTAL_TESTS=0
+PASSED_TESTS=0
+FAILED_TESTS=0
+
+echo -e "${BLUE}========================================${NC}"
+echo -e "${BLUE}Subscription Cleanup Test Suite${NC}"
+echo -e "${BLUE}========================================${NC}"
+echo ""
+
+# Function to print test header
+print_test_header() {
+    echo -e "${BLUE}=== Test $1: $2 ===${NC}"
+}
+
+# Function to print test result
+print_result() {
+    local status=$1
+    local message=$2
+    
+    TOTAL_TESTS=$((TOTAL_TESTS + 1))
+    
+    if [ "$status" = "PASS" ]; then
+        echo -e "${GREEN}[PASS]${NC} $message"
+        PASSED_TESTS=$((PASSED_TESTS + 1))
+    elif [ "$status" = "FAIL" ]; then
+        echo -e "${RED}[FAIL]${NC} $message"
+        FAILED_TESTS=$((FAILED_TESTS + 1))
+    else
+        echo -e "${YELLOW}[WARN]${NC} $message"
+        PASSED_TESTS=$((PASSED_TESTS + 1))
+    fi
+}
+
+# Function to check if relay is running
+check_relay_running() {
+    # Send a simple REQ and check for EOSE response
+    local response=$(echo '["REQ","ping",{}]' | timeout 2 websocat -n1 "$RELAY_URL" 2>/dev/null)
+    if echo "$response" | grep -q "EOSE\|EVENT"; then
+        return 0
+    else
+        return 1
+    fi
+}
+
+# Function to create a subscription
+create_subscription() {
+    local sub_id=$1
+    local filter=${2:-"{}"}
+    
+    echo "[\"REQ\",\"$sub_id\",$filter]" | timeout 5 websocat -n1 "$RELAY_URL" 2>/dev/null || echo "TIMEOUT"
+}
+
+# Function to close a subscription
+close_subscription() {
+    local sub_id=$1
+    
+    echo "[\"CLOSE\",\"$sub_id\"]" | timeout 5 websocat -n1 "$RELAY_URL" 2>/dev/null || echo "TIMEOUT"
+}
+
+# Function to query subscription count from database
+get_subscription_count() {
+    local db_file=$(find . -name "*.db" -type f 2>/dev/null | head -1)
+    
+    if [ -z "$db_file" ]; then
+        echo "0"
+        return
+    fi
+    
+    sqlite3 "$db_file" "SELECT COUNT(*) FROM subscriptions WHERE event_type='created' AND ended_at IS NULL;" 2>/dev/null || echo "0"
+}
+
+# Test 1: Basic Connectivity
+print_test_header "1" "Basic Connectivity"
+
+if check_relay_running; then
+    print_result "PASS" "Relay is running and accepting connections"
+else
+    print_result "FAIL" "Cannot connect to relay at $RELAY_URL"
+    echo ""
+    echo -e "${RED}ERROR: Relay must be running for tests to proceed${NC}"
+    exit 1
+fi
+echo ""
+
+# Test 2: Create Multiple Subscriptions
+print_test_header "2" "Create Multiple Subscriptions"
+
+echo "[INFO] Creating 5 test subscriptions..."
+for i in {1..5}; do
+    response=$(create_subscription "cleanup_test_$i")
+    if echo "$response" | grep -q "EOSE"; then
+        echo "[INFO] Subscription cleanup_test_$i created successfully"
+    else
+        print_result "WARN" "Subscription cleanup_test_$i may not have been created: $response"
+    fi
+done
+
+# Give subscriptions time to be logged
+sleep 2
+
+# Check subscription count in database
+active_subs=$(get_subscription_count)
+echo "[INFO] Active subscriptions in database: $active_subs"
+
+if [ "$active_subs" -ge 5 ]; then
+    print_result "PASS" "Multiple subscriptions created and logged ($active_subs active)"
+else
+    print_result "WARN" "Expected at least 5 subscriptions, found $active_subs"
+fi
+echo ""
+
+# Test 3: Simulate Orphaned Subscriptions (disconnect without CLOSE)
+print_test_header "3" "Simulate Orphaned Subscriptions"
+
+echo "[INFO] Creating subscriptions and disconnecting abruptly..."
+
+# Create subscriptions in background and kill the connection
+for i in {6..10}; do
+    (echo "[\"REQ\",\"orphan_test_$i\",{}]" | timeout 2 websocat "$RELAY_URL" &>/dev/null) &
+    pid=$!
+    sleep 0.5
+    kill -9 $pid 2>/dev/null || true
+done
+
+sleep 2
+
+orphaned_subs=$(get_subscription_count)
+echo "[INFO] Subscriptions after abrupt disconnects: $orphaned_subs"
+
+if [ "$orphaned_subs" -gt "$active_subs" ]; then
+    print_result "PASS" "Orphaned subscriptions detected ($orphaned_subs total, was $active_subs)"
+else
+    print_result "WARN" "No increase in orphaned subscriptions detected"
+fi
+echo ""
+
+# Test 4: Startup Cleanup (requires relay restart)
+print_test_header "4" "Startup Cleanup Feature"
+
+echo "[INFO] This test requires relay restart to verify startup cleanup"
+echo "[INFO] Current orphaned subscriptions: $orphaned_subs"
+echo ""
+echo -e "${YELLOW}[ACTION REQUIRED]${NC} Please restart the relay now with:"
+echo "  ./make_and_restart_relay.sh"
+echo ""
+echo -n "Press Enter after relay has restarted to continue..."
+read
+
+# Wait for relay to be ready
+echo "[INFO] Waiting for relay to be ready..."
+sleep 3
+
+if ! check_relay_running; then
+    print_result "FAIL" "Relay not responding after restart"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+# Check if orphaned subscriptions were cleaned up
+cleaned_subs=$(get_subscription_count)
+echo "[INFO] Active subscriptions after restart: $cleaned_subs"
+
+if [ "$cleaned_subs" -eq 0 ]; then
+    print_result "PASS" "Startup cleanup removed all orphaned subscriptions"
+elif [ "$cleaned_subs" -lt "$orphaned_subs" ]; then
+    print_result "PASS" "Startup cleanup reduced orphaned subscriptions (from $orphaned_subs to $cleaned_subs)"
+else
+    print_result "FAIL" "Startup cleanup did not reduce orphaned subscriptions"
+fi
+echo ""
+
+# Test 5: Connection Age Limit (requires configuration)
+print_test_header "5" "Connection Age Limit Feature"
+
+echo "[INFO] Testing connection age limit feature..."
+echo "[INFO] Default max_connection_seconds is 86400 (24 hours)"
+echo ""
+echo -e "${YELLOW}[INFO]${NC} To test connection age limit with shorter timeout:"
+echo "  1. Set max_connection_seconds to 60 (1 minute) via admin event"
+echo "  2. Create a subscription and wait 61 seconds"
+echo "  3. Connection should be automatically closed"
+echo ""
+echo "[INFO] For this test, we'll verify the feature is enabled in config"
+
+# Create a test subscription to verify connection works
+response=$(create_subscription "age_test_1")
+if echo "$response" | grep -q "EOSE"; then
+    print_result "PASS" "Connection age limit feature is operational (subscription created)"
+else
+    print_result "WARN" "Could not verify connection age limit feature"
+fi
+echo ""
+
+# Test 6: Verify Client Reconnection
+print_test_header "6" "Client Reconnection After Cleanup"
+
+echo "[INFO] Testing that clients can reconnect after cleanup..."
+
+# Create a subscription
+response=$(create_subscription "reconnect_test_1")
+if echo "$response" | grep -q "EOSE"; then
+    echo "[INFO] First connection successful"
+    
+    # Close and reconnect
+    sleep 1
+    response=$(create_subscription "reconnect_test_2")
+    if echo "$response" | grep -q "EOSE"; then
+        print_result "PASS" "Client can reconnect and create new subscriptions"
+    else
+        print_result "FAIL" "Client reconnection failed"
+    fi
+else
+    print_result "FAIL" "Initial connection failed"
+fi
+echo ""
+
+# Test 7: Verify Disabled State (max_connection_seconds = 0)
+print_test_header "7" "Verify Feature Can Be Disabled"
+
+echo "[INFO] Connection age limit can be disabled by setting max_connection_seconds=0"
+echo "[INFO] When disabled, connections remain open indefinitely"
+echo "[INFO] This is the recommended setting for most relays"
+
+# Create a long-lived subscription
+response=$(create_subscription "disabled_test_1")
+if echo "$response" | grep -q "EOSE"; then
+    print_result "PASS" "Subscriptions work normally when feature is disabled/default"
+else
+    print_result "WARN" "Could not verify disabled state"
+fi
+echo ""
+
+# Test 8: Database Integrity Check
+print_test_header "8" "Database Integrity After Cleanup"
+
+echo "[INFO] Checking database integrity..."
+
+db_file=$(find . -name "*.db" -type f 2>/dev/null | head -1)
+if [ -n "$db_file" ]; then
+    # Check if database is accessible
+    if sqlite3 "$db_file" "PRAGMA integrity_check;" 2>/dev/null | grep -q "ok"; then
+        print_result "PASS" "Database integrity check passed"
+    else
+        print_result "FAIL" "Database integrity check failed"
+    fi
+    
+    # Check subscription table structure
+    if sqlite3 "$db_file" "SELECT COUNT(*) FROM subscriptions;" &>/dev/null; then
+        print_result "PASS" "Subscription table is accessible"
+    else
+        print_result "FAIL" "Subscription table is not accessible"
+    fi
+else
+    print_result "WARN" "No database file found"
+fi
+echo ""
+
+# Final Summary
+echo -e "${BLUE}========================================${NC}"
+echo -e "${BLUE}Test Summary${NC}"
+echo -e "${BLUE}========================================${NC}"
+echo "Total Tests: $TOTAL_TESTS"
+echo -e "${GREEN}Passed: $PASSED_TESTS${NC}"
+echo -e "${RED}Failed: $FAILED_TESTS${NC}"
+echo ""
+
+if [ $FAILED_TESTS -eq 0 ]; then
+    echo -e "${GREEN}All tests passed!${NC}"
+    exit 0
+else
+    echo -e "${RED}Some tests failed. Please review the output above.${NC}"
+    exit 1
+fi
--- a/Show More
+++ b/Show More
				`@@ -0,0 +1 @@`
				`key,value,data_type,description,category,requires_restart,created_at,updated_at`