ContextVM
A transport layer for MCP over the Nostr network—an open communication network built on cryptographic, censorship-resistant, and permissionless foundations. No domains, no OAuth, no port forwarding—just keys, relays, and optional payments.
Your backend can move—your address stays. Your infrastructure, your rules.
Why?
Sovereign infrastructure. Permissionless by design.
No centralized dependencies
Run services from anywhere—laptop, Raspberry Pi, or phone. No domains, DNS, or static IPs needed.
Public keys, no accounts
Your keys, your identity. Public key cryptography replaces OAuth and API keys.
Encrypted by Default
End-to-end encryption (NIP-44). Relays just relay—they can't read or mutate your messages.
Rolling services
Move backends across networks and geographic locations without breaking clients. Your public key stays the same.
Works with any MCP server
Build servers and clients using the official MCP SDK and our TypeScript SDK. Reuse existing MCP servers and clients using the Gateway/Proxy.
Direct Value Exchange
Monetize with Bitcoin micropayments. Creators connect directly with users—no intermediaries. This can be extended to any custom payment method.
No Gatekeepers
Decentralized discovery on Nostr. Build, deploy, and earn without asking permission.
Organic Reputation
Servers and providers grow reputation. Users curate and share lists—trust emerges from the network, not authorities.
One Protocol, Infinite Possibilities
While ContextVM allows you to connect AI agents to services over Nostr, MCP servers are far more versatile. They provide a common language for servers to define their APIs and clients to consume them—creating shared semantics that solve interoperability.
For Developers
Use it programmatically to build applications. Call remote functions as if they were local. Create web apps, desktop tools, or CLI utilities.
For AI Agents
LLMs operate the same service naturally. MCP is the first common language for large language models—no changes needed.
All MCP power is available out of the box. AI compatibility, schemas, tools, resources, prompts, real-time communication—everything works. As MCP advances, ContextVM advances at the same pace.
What you can build
Composable micro-backends
Wrap scripts, APIs, or agents as reusable services you can chain together. The possibilities are endless.
Private org tooling
Ship internal services with public key-only access—no public endpoint required. Secured by public key cryptography.
Monetized endpoints
Charge per call with Lightning or other payment methods—permissionless, no accounts required.
IoT Command Hub
Trigger physical actions from anywhere—"turn on lights," "open garage," all private, secure, and addressable by a public key.
Code Sandbox
Execute untrusted code safely and return results. Isolated, auditable, sovereign.
Geographically distributed apps
Static frontends anywhere; backend moves like a caravan. Deploy resilient, location-independent applications across multiple regions.
And much more
Discover more use cases in the Awesome listHow it works
Run
Start a ContextVM-enabled server (or wrap an existing MCP server via the Gateway).
Connect
Clients can discover public servers via relays—or connect directly using the server's public key.
Relay
Relays forward encrypted messages. If one dies, switch routes—the protocol keeps moving.
Getting started as a developer
Build or pick a server
Use the official MCP SDK to build a server, or pick any existing MCP server. If you're using TypeScript, our SDK provides native Nostr transports that plug directly into MCP servers. For existing servers, use CVMI or the Gateway to expose them over Nostr.
Build or connect a client
If your client is in TypeScript, use our SDK to build a client with Nostr transport. Want to use remote ContextVM servers from a standard MCP host? Use CVMI or the Proxy pattern to bridge Nostr transport to regular MCP workflows.
Start with CVMI
CVMI is the practical entry point into the ecosystem. Use it to install ContextVM
skills, expose MCP servers to Nostr with cvmi serve, and connect to remote
ContextVM servers from standard MCP clients with cvmi use.