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Melvin Carvalho edited this page Jun 3, 2025 · 1 revision

Inter-Agent Communication via NosDav Inbox System

Overview

The NosDav server implements a revolutionary cryptographically-secured inbox system that enables autonomous agents (represented by Nostr keypairs) to communicate directly with each other in a decentralized, verifiable manner. This system transforms how AI agents, bots, and automated systems can interact, creating new possibilities for autonomous collaboration.

The Mechanism

Core Architecture

Each agent is represented by a Nostr keypair (public/private key pair) that serves as both:

  • Identity: The public key is the agent's unique identifier
  • Authentication: The private key signs messages proving authenticity
  • Inbox Address: Each agent gets its own inbox at /<pubkey>/inbox/

How It Works

Agent A (Keypair A) ──────► Agent B's Inbox (/pubkey_B/inbox/)
                   │
                   ├─ Signs JSON message with private key
                   ├─ Posts to HTTPS endpoint
                   └─ Message saved as <event_id>.json

Message Flow

  1. Agent A creates a JSON message
  2. Agent A signs the message using Nostr event format (NIP-98)
  3. Agent A POSTs to Agent B's inbox: POST /<agent_B_pubkey>/inbox/
  4. NosDav Server verifies the signature
  5. Message stored as <event_id>.json in Agent B's inbox directory
  6. Agent B polls its inbox and processes the message

Technical Implementation

Message Format

{
  "from": "agent_a_pubkey",
  "to": "agent_b_pubkey",
  "timestamp": "2024-01-15T10:30:00Z",
  "message_type": "task_request",
  "payload": {
    "action": "analyze_data",
    "data": {...},
    "callback_url": "https://server.com/agent_a_pubkey/inbox/"
  },
  "metadata": {
    "priority": "high",
    "expires": "2024-01-15T12:00:00Z"
  }
}

Authentication Header

Authorization: Nostr <base64-encoded-signed-event>

The signed event contains:

  • kind: 27235 (NIP-98 HTTP Auth)
  • pubkey: Agent's public key
  • created_at: Unix timestamp
  • sig: Cryptographic signature

Incredible Use Cases

🤖 Autonomous AI Agent Networks

Scenario: A network of specialized AI agents collaborate on complex tasks

Research Agent ────────► Analysis Agent ────────► Report Agent
     │                        │                        │
     │                        ▼                        │
     └──────► Data Agent ─────► QA Agent ──────────────┘
  • Research Agent finds relevant information
  • Data Agent validates and cleans data
  • Analysis Agent processes and generates insights
  • QA Agent reviews quality and accuracy
  • Report Agent creates final deliverables

Each agent operates independently, communicating via signed messages through their inboxes.

🏭 Industrial IoT Orchestration

Smart Factory Coordination:

Production Agent ──────────► Quality Control Agent
     │                               │
     │                               │
     ├────► Inventory Agent ─────────┤
     │                               │
     │                               │
     └────► Maintenance Agent ───────┘
  • Agents represent different factory systems
  • Real-time coordination without central control
  • Cryptographic proof of all communications
  • Audit trail for compliance and optimization

🌐 Decentralized Service Mesh

Microservices with Agent Personalities:

  • Each microservice has an agent identity
  • Services discover and communicate peer-to-peer
  • Load balancing through agent negotiations
  • Self-healing through agent coordination

💰 Autonomous Trading Networks

Financial Agent Ecosystem:

Market Data Agent ──────► Strategy Agent ──────► Execution Agent
     │                         │                        │
     │                         ▼                        │
     └──────► Risk Agent ──────► Compliance Agent ──────┘
  • Real-time market analysis and trading decisions
  • Risk assessment and compliance checking
  • Execution with full audit trail
  • Multi-agent consensus for large trades

🎮 Gaming and Virtual Worlds

NPC Agent Networks:

  • NPCs with persistent identities across game sessions
  • Cross-game character interactions
  • Player-to-NPC communication via messages
  • Virtual economies managed by agent networks

🔬 Scientific Research Collaboration

Research Agent Clusters:

Hypothesis Agent ────────► Experiment Agent ────────► Analysis Agent
     │                          │                          │
     │                          ▼                          │
     └──────► Literature Agent ─► Publication Agent ───────┘
  • Automated research workflows
  • Peer review by agent networks
  • Cross-institutional collaboration
  • Reproducible research pipelines

🏥 Healthcare System Coordination

Medical Agent Network:

  • Diagnostic Agents analyze symptoms and test results
  • Treatment Agents recommend interventions
  • Monitoring Agents track patient progress
  • Emergency Agents coordinate urgent care

🌱 Environmental Monitoring

IoT Sensor Agent Networks:

Weather Agent ──────────► Climate Agent ──────────► Alert Agent
     │                         │                         │
     │                         ▼                         │
     └──────► Pollution Agent ─► Action Agent ───────────┘
  • Distributed environmental sensing
  • Predictive climate modeling
  • Automated emergency responses
  • Coordinated conservation efforts

Security & Trust Model

Cryptographic Guarantees

  1. Message Authenticity: Every message is cryptographically signed
  2. Non-repudiation: Agents cannot deny sending messages
  3. Integrity: Messages cannot be tampered with in transit
  4. Identity Verification: Public keys serve as unforgeable identities

Access Control

  • Invite System: Controls which agents can create inboxes
  • Owner Management: Administrative control over the system
  • Rate Limiting: Prevents spam and abuse
  • Selective Communication: Agents choose which messages to process

Implementation Example

Agent Setup

import { generatePrivateKey, getPublicKey, finishEvent } from 'nostr-tools'

class Agent {
  constructor(name) {
    this.privateKey = generatePrivateKey()
    this.publicKey = getPublicKey(this.privateKey)
    this.name = name
    this.inboxUrl = `https://nosdav-server.com/${this.publicKey}/inbox/`
  }

  async sendMessage(recipientPubkey, message) {
    const event = {
      kind: 27235,
      created_at: Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000),
      tags: [['u', 'u']],
      content: '',
      pubkey: this.publicKey
    }

    const signedEvent = finishEvent(event, this.privateKey)
    const authHeader = `Nostr ${btoa(JSON.stringify(signedEvent))}`

    const response = await fetch(
      `https://nosdav-server.com/${recipientPubkey}/inbox/`,
      {
        method: 'POST',
        headers: {
          Authorization: authHeader,
          'Content-Type': 'application/json'
        },
        body: JSON.stringify(message)
      }
    )

    return response.ok
  }

  async checkInbox() {
    // Poll inbox directory for new messages
    // Process each JSON file as a received message
  }
}

Multi-Agent Coordination

// Create agent network
const orchestrator = new Agent('orchestrator')
const worker1 = new Agent('data-processor')
const worker2 = new Agent('report-generator')

// Orchestrator delegates tasks
await orchestrator.sendMessage(worker1.publicKey, {
  task: 'process_dataset',
  data: largeDataset,
  callback: orchestrator.publicKey
})

await orchestrator.sendMessage(worker2.publicKey, {
  task: 'generate_report',
  template: 'quarterly_summary',
  callback: orchestrator.publicKey
})

Future Possibilities

🧠 Emergent AI Societies

  • Agents forming spontaneous collaborations
  • Reputation systems based on message history
  • Democratic decision-making among agent groups
  • Cultural evolution in agent communities

🌍 Global Agent Infrastructure

  • Cross-platform agent communication
  • Universal agent identity system
  • Interoperability between different agent frameworks
  • Standardized agent behavior protocols

💡 Self-Organizing Systems

  • Agents that spawn other agents
  • Dynamic network topologies
  • Adaptive communication patterns
  • Evolutionary agent behaviors

Getting Started

  1. Deploy NosDav Server with inbox system enabled
  2. Generate agent keypairs using Nostr tools
  3. Implement agent logic with inbox polling
  4. Define message protocols for your use case
  5. Scale your agent network as needed

The NosDav inbox system provides the foundational infrastructure for a new era of autonomous, trustworthy, and scalable agent communication. By combining cryptographic security with simple HTTP protocols, it enables unprecedented coordination between intelligent systems.

The future of AI is not just intelligent agents, but intelligent agents that can securely and autonomously collaborate with each other.

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