buzz

NIP-61AE: Client Buzz / Attention Ping

• NIP: 61AE
• Title: Client Buzz / Attention Ping
• Author: Milad Raeisi
• Type: Standard
• Category: Client Behavior
• Status: Draft
• Created: 2025-06-02

Abstract

This NIP introduces a new ephemeral event type (kind: 25006) enabling users to send real-time attention signals ("buzz") to prompt a visible or audible client alert, similar to Yahoo Messenger’s "Buzz." Because attention signals are meaningful only in real-time, events of this kind should not be stored by relays.

Motivation

In real-time interactions, users may need a non-verbal, immediate way to draw another user’s attention. Standard messages can easily be overlooked, especially when clients run in the background. This NIP defines a lightweight format for attention-grabbing signals, enhancing synchronous communication.

Event Kind

• 25006: attention_ping (ephemeral event)

Event Structure

{
  "kind": 25006,
  "pubkey": "<sender's pubkey>",
  "created_at": <timestamp>,
  "tags": [
    ["p", "<recipient's pubkey>"]
  ],
  "content": "buzz"
}

Tags

• p: Required. Recipient’s public key.

Content

• Suggested default: "buzz"
• Future extensibility: "vibrate", "flash", "sound"

Client Behavior

Clients supporting this NIP should:

• Detect incoming kind:25006 events targeted at the current user.
• Trigger a noticeable alert, such as:

• Screen shake or window vibration
• UI flash or blinking notification
• Notification sound
• Provide user-configurable options to enable or disable these alerts.
• Implement rate-limiting per sender (e.g., 1 ping per 10 seconds).

Clients must not show these events as standard chat messages.

Relay Behavior

Relays supporting this NIP must:

• Treat kind:25006 as ephemeral events.
• Forward these events only to currently connected clients.
• Never store or persist these events.

Security Considerations

• Clients should filter or throttle 25006 events to prevent abuse or spam.
• Users must be able to opt out or ignore incoming buzzes.
• Attention signals from blocked/muted users should be ignored.
• Clients may restrict attention signals to only followed contacts.

Compatibility

Clients and relays not implementing this NIP will safely ignore events of kind 25006, ensuring backward compatibility.

Example Use Case

Alice and Bob are chatting. Bob stops responding temporarily. Alice sends a 25006 event to Bob’s client, triggering a subtle vibration and a "Buzz!" notification to capture his attention.

Future Work

• Extendable buzz types ("flash", "emoji-explosion", "sound").
• Support group buzz notifications.
• Customizable emoji-based signals (🚨, ⚡️, 🔔).

References

• NIP-01: Basic Protocol Flow Description

Copyright

This document is dedicated to the public domain.