Vision
Lightning addresses for everyone. The philosophy and goals behind LaWallet NWC.
The Problem
Communities, companies, and organizations want to give their members a Lightning-native identity — a lightning address on their own domain, a wallet, and a communication channel — but today's options are either custodial, proprietary, or require deep technical knowledge to deploy.
There is no open-source, self-hostable platform that lets you connect a domain and instantly give everyone a lightning address, a wallet, and Nostr-powered communication — all under your brand.
The Solution
LaWallet NWC is an open-source Lightning + Nostr CRM for communities and companies.
Connect your domain. Deploy in minutes. Your users get:
- A lightning address on your domain (
alice@yourdomain.com) - A wallet powered by Nostr Wallet Connect (NWC)
- Nostr identity (NIP-05) unified with their lightning address
- Communication via encrypted Nostr DMs and broadcasts
- NFC payments via BoltCard integration
You get:
- A CRM with user management, activity tracking, and segmentation
- Nostr-native communication tools (DMs, broadcasts, newsletters)
- Lightning payment infrastructure out of the box
- Progressive self-custody — users bring their own wallets when ready
- Full control — your domain, your data, your rules
Core Principles
Lightning addresses for everyone
Every user on your platform gets a lightning address on your domain. Receive payments, zaps, and tips — instantly. No apps to install, no seeds to back up (unless they want to).
Connect your domain, deploy instantly
Point your domain to LaWallet NWC and you're live. One-click deploy on Vercel. Docker for your server. Umbrel/Start9 for your node. Choose your path.
CRM with Lightning and Nostr built in
Not a wallet with CRM bolted on. Not a CRM with payments bolted on. Lightning and Nostr are the foundation — user identity, payments, and communication are native from day one.
Progressive self-custody
Users start with zero friction (alias redirect to an existing address), graduate to a courtesy NWC wallet via lncurl, then bring their own NWC-compatible wallet when ready. Sovereignty is a journey, not a gate.
| Stage | Friction | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Alias/Redirect | Zero | Lightning address redirects to user's existing address |
| 2. Courtesy NWC | Low | Platform provisions a temporary NWC wallet via lncurl |
| 3. Own NWC Wallet | Medium | User connects Alby, Primal, or any NWC wallet |
| 4. Self-Hosted | Full sovereignty | User runs their own LaWallet NWC instance |
100% Open Source, FOREVER
MIT licensed. No open-core tricks. No proprietary features behind a paywall. Fork it, hack it, deploy it. The community owns this.
Who is this for?
- Bitcoin communities that want
member@community.comlightning addresses - Companies that want to give employees or customers Lightning-native identity
- Events and conferences that need instant onboarding with NFC cards and zaps
- Nostr communities that want unified identity (NIP-05 + lightning address)
- Bitcoin circular economies that need a merchant + user directory with payments
- Educators and organizations that want to onboard people to Lightning with zero friction
Architecture
Three independent services, no shared databases:
| Service | Role |
|---|---|
| lawallet-web | Next.js app — frontend, REST API, address resolution, dashboards, wallet |
| lawallet-listener | NWC Payment Listener — monitors relays, dispatches webhooks |
| lawallet-web (lncurl) | Courtesy NWC — provisions temporary wallets via lncurl |
Deploy all three, or just lawallet-web to start. Each service scales independently.
Deployment Options
| Option | Best for | Setup time |
|---|---|---|
| Vercel | Communities that want instant deploy | 2 minutes |
| Docker | Servers and VPS | 5 minutes |
| Umbrel / Start9 | Node runners | 5 minutes |
| Manual | Full control | 15 minutes |
Roadmap
Foundation (Months 1–6)
- Backend infrastructure, testing, error handling, auth, security
- CI/CD, Client SDK, React Hooks
- Admin Dashboard (user management, activity monitor, logs)
- User Dashboard (profile, NWC management, preferences)
- Courtesy NWC via lncurl
- NWC Payment Listener service
- Full LUD-16/21/22 compliance, NIP-57 zaps
- Documentation, deployment configurations (Vercel, Docker, Umbrel)
Monetization & Intelligence (Months 7–8)
Months 7–8 are formally committed in the Roadmap. They turn the platform into something operators can monetize and extend with AI.
Month 7 — Monetization Plane
- Subscription Manager — paid tiers with monthly or one-time pricing (sats); operator-defined plans + perks
- Perks (P0): vanity Lightning address, email-to-Nostr bridge, sat allowance ledger
- Nostr Chat — DMs (NIP-17 gift-wrapped over NIP-44, NIP-04 fallback); messages live on relays
- Operator → user broadcast via instance nsec, segmented by tier
- Email-to-Nostr bridge —
username+inbox@domain.comarrives as a NIP-44 DM
Month 8 — Intelligence Plane
- AI Agents — operator spawns agents with their own LN address, Nostr identity, and NWC wallet
- One-click spawn + dashboard funding — operator clicks Fund Agent → invoice → balance updates
- Identity Mode A (server-side encrypted nsec, autonomous) and Mode B (NIP-46 / Amber bunker URI, delegated)
- Heartbeats / scheduled tasks — cron-driven
POST,REPLY_TO_MENTIONS,ZAP_LIST,CUSTOM_PROMPT - Sat-metered runs — debits the M7 user allowance first; falls back to a 402-style invoice from the agent's wallet
- Vercel AI SDK + AI Gateway as the model router (no new container)
Beyond M8 / Community Vision
These items extend the platform after M8 ships. They are not on the formal roadmap.
Communications & CRM
- Payment history and frequency tracking per user
- Onboarding stage tracking and user segmentation
- Newsletter-style long-form posts (kind:30023) published to relays
- Notification system for payment events and platform updates
- Inbox management for admin
Group Messaging
- Nostr group chat threads (NIP-29) — multi-party threads beyond the M7 DM surface
AI Extensions
- Message personalization based on user profile and payment history
- User behavior analysis, churn prediction, segment recommendations
- Natural language search across users, payments, and communications
Money Layer
- Operator-hosted paid Nostr relay — vendor strfry or khatru as a 4th container
- Cashu eCash mint integration (NIP-60/61) — eCash perks alongside the sat allowance
Plugins (Community)
- Events — event management with check-in via QR/NFC, badge issuance
- Badges — Nostr badges (NIP-58) for attendance, achievements, tiers
- Commerce — merchant directory with badge-based discounts
Open Standards
Every piece of the platform is built on open, interoperable protocols:
| Protocol | Usage |
|---|---|
| NIP-47 (NWC) | Wallet Connect — payment backend |
| NIP-05 | Nostr identity verification |
| NIP-07 / NIP-46 | Browser extension and remote signing |
| NIP-57 | Nostr zaps |
| NIP-04 / NIP-17 / NIP-44 | Encrypted DMs and communication |
| LUD-16 | Lightning Address (LNURL-pay) |
| LUD-21 | Payment verification |
| LUD-22 | Webhooks |
| BoltCard / NTAG424 | NFC tap-to-pay cards |
No vendor lock-in. No proprietary protocols. Interoperability or death.
Funded by
OpenSats — Fifteenth Wave (December 2025 – September 2026). 8-month development grant covering testing, security, SDK, dashboards, Lightning compliance, deployment infrastructure, the Subscription Manager, and AI Agents.