🦫 Marmot Protocol

Marmot Protocol

Secure, decentralized group messaging that protects both content and metadata

Marmot combines the MLS Protocol with Nostr's decentralized network to deliver truly private group messaging without relying on centralized servers or legacy identity systems.

Why Marmot?

🔒 End-to-End Encrypted: Messages are encrypted on your device and can only be read by intended recipients
🌐 Decentralized: No central servers to shut down or compromise
🛡️ Metadata Protection: Hides who you're talking to, not just what you're saying
⚡ Scalable: Efficient group messaging for small teams to large communities
🔗 Interoperable: Works across different clients and implementations
🆔 Identity Freedom: No phone numbers or email addresses required

Marmot addresses critical limitations in existing messaging systems:

Signal: Excellent E2EE but centralized infrastructure vulnerable to shutdown
NIP-04/NIP-17: Basic encryption but lacks forward secrecy and group messaging
Traditional Platforms: Vulnerable to mass surveillance and censorship

By combining MLS's proven cryptography with Nostr's decentralized architecture, Marmot provides the security of Signal with the censorship resistance of decentralized protocols.

Security Overview

Marmot maintains strong security guarantees through MLS:

Forward Secrecy: Past messages remain secure even if current keys are compromised
Post-Compromise Security: Key rotation limits impact of future compromises
Identity Separation: MLS signing keys are distinct from Nostr identity keys
Regular Key Rotation: Automatic key updates enhance security over time

Protocol Specifications

Before implementing Marmot, you should have:

Nostr Knowledge: Understanding of keys, kinds, tags, and relays (Learn Nostr)
MLS Basics: Familiarity with the MLS protocol concepts (MLS Overview, ELI5 Video)

Experimental

⚠️ Important: Marmot is currently experimental software.

While the protocol is based on proven cryptographic foundations (MLS and Nostr), the Marmot specification itself is still under active development. Key considerations:

Breaking Changes: The protocol may undergo breaking changes as we refine the specification
Security Review: The protocol has not yet undergone formal security auditing
Implementation Maturity: Reference implementations are functional but may contain bugs
Interoperability: Cross-client compatibility is a goal but not yet fully tested

Use in Production: We recommend against using Marmot for production applications until the protocol reaches stable status. Current implementations are suitable for:

Research and development
Proof-of-concept applications
Contributing to protocol development
Educational purposes

We welcome feedback, security analysis, and contributions to help mature the protocol toward production readiness.

Marmot Implementation Proposals (MIPs)

Required MIPs must be implemented for Marmot compatibility. Implementations may choose which optional MIPs to implement based on their application's needs.

| MIP | Description | Status | Required? | |-----|-------------|--------|----------| | MIP-00 | Credentials & Key Packages | 👀 Review | ✅ Yes | | MIP-01 | Group Construction & Marmot Group Data Extension | 👀 Review | ✅ Yes | | MIP-02 | Welcome Events | 👀 Review | ✅ Yes | | MIP-03 | Group Messages | 👀 Review | ✅ Yes | | MIP-04 | Encrypted Media | 👀 Review | ❌ No | | MIP-05 | Push Notifications | 🚧 Draft | ❌ No |

Protocol Implementations

MDK - Marmot Development Kit: Reference implementation in Rust
marmot-ts: TypeScript implementation (still very early, please contribute!)

Projects using Marmot

whitenoise: Rust crate using MDK to build a fully featured messenger client
whitenoise_flutter: Flutter app, using the whitenoise crate.

Contributing

This protocol is actively developed and welcomes contributions:

🐛 Issues: Report bugs or suggest improvements
📖 Documentation: Help improve specifications and guides
🔧 Implementation: Build clients and libraries
🧪 Testing: Help verify interoperability

References

Legacy Documentation

NIP-EE - Original Nostr NIP (now superseded by this protocol specification)

Marmot

Install / Use

README