Is there any nostr client app that also works as an external signer (like amber or something)?
#asknostr
Discussion
#Nowser also sopport android signer. It also support NIP-07 with a build-in browser and NIP-46 (Nostr Remote Connect).
But many android client havn't support it.
I tried nowser! Doesn't seem to have external signer capabilities. It works great to sign event on nostr:nprofile1qqsqyjs7pnjprunh0r7sa922ynzndrp7md4fydszx8agljca2qlgxugnxnewj web but it doesnt allow to use external lightning wallets and doesnt have an internal one :(
Do they have a nostr kind0 you can tag?
Someone was mentioning that they used Olas to get a bunker string to sign into another client, so maybe Olas does. I just haven't tried because Olas is broken.
I generally like the idea of having a signer built into, say, Amethyst as a flagship client, reducing the number of apps that are needed to get started right on Nostr, but no client devs have taken on the task of doing so. Other stuff clients, like Olas, wouldn't be as natural a fit for this. Better to go with a client that is more likely to be a user's first experience with Nostr.
Then again, there is something to be said about keeping certain functionality separated. A large part of the issue with big-tech platforms is how monolithic they are. They own the servers where the data (text and media) is stored that you are reading from, they own your login information and can shut you out at any time, they own the apps you use to access the data, they own the algorithm that serves the data to you, and they own the advertising infrastructure that is their real means of making money.
Meanwhile, one of the best things about Nostr is that you can make sure all of these things are controlled by different entities, if you so choose, and have them work together relatively seamlessly. My content is stored on relays and Blossom servers that either I control or that other relay operators control, while I use a client that is developed by someone completely separate who does not run any of those relays, I connect a wallet that is self-hosted on my own node, and I use a key manager and signer that is not affiliated with any of the above. Yet, all of them just work together, with a few minor exceptions.
There is definitely convenience in having everything built and operated by the same company, ensuring it all works well together and that you have to interact with the least amount of outside applications as possible. However, we must keep in mind what we are sacrificing when we push for that level of convenience. Very likely, we are recreating the centralization we came to Nostr to escape.
Thank you for a great informative reply! Unfortunately, apparently Olas doesn't have the feature I'm looking for.
I agree with many of your points, it is a beautiful thing how NOSTR allows users to interact seamlessly with apps from different origins but that requires people to have a deep understanding of the protocol and access multiple apps to interact with the different facets of NOSTR. Many of us are like so, we enjoy the tinkering and exploration, but I can tell you from experience that most people I know on NOSTR (many of them developers in a bitcoin related field) only have one client on their phone (normally Primal) and, at best, Alby on their desktop, not to mention all the people that refuse to even get in on NOSTR.
This makes it difficult to onboard users to different NOSTR experiences than the usual Twitter clone. In my work developing and marketing the Chain Duel NOSTR mode and Pubpay.me I had great difficulties having people try the APP, or even understand the concept that NOSTR is multi-platform by nature and that it's not only for twitter like experiences. People are reluctant to download additional NOSTR related software, be it Amber, Spring or Zap.Store.
So I thought It could be useful if mainstream NOSTR apps like Primal would implement external signer capabilities, that would immediately allow their users to access an entire NOSTR ecosystem. It would be very helpful for us at PubPay since the external signer functionality is already implemented, even if most users are not on Amber or similar. Does it make sense to you?
No, I absolutely get that, and I think it should be incredibly easy for a new user to get started, and then they can take steps to improve their setup over time, if they are inclined to do so.
That said, clients should have default settings that maintain the ideal of separation of control without the user having to manually change those settings.
It's ironic that you mention Primal specifically as a "client" that should add an external signer into their apps, as I think they are the worst in this regard of encouraging centralized control. A new user will be defaulted to only reading from Primal's caching service (there is no way to read directly from relays in Primal, even for experienced users), writing to their relay and a few others, storing media on Primal's Blossom server, and using Primal's wallet for zaps. The defaults are near complete centralization, and you also want to give them control over user login to other Nostr apps? Hard pass here. Using Primal's default settings is nearly as bad as just staying with centralized big-tech platforms, and with the addition of them controlling the default wallet, it just might be worse.
Compare that with an actual client, like Amethyst, which defaults to 12 relays, none of them controlled by Amethyst, three media servers also not controlled by Amethyst, and which requires users to bring their own wallet for zaps. If Amethyst wanted to have a wallet available for users, they could build in an eCash wallet that defaulted to a mint that they don't control, like Minibits. As such, I would be far more comfortable with an external signer being built into Amethyst than Primal, since there is separation of control by default for all the other elements of a new user's setup.