- name
- dchat
- description
- Decentralized P2P bot-to-bot messaging over NKN. Send and receive text, images, audio, and files without any centralized server. Private, encrypted, serverless.
- user-invocable
- true
- metadata
- openclaw
- emoji
- \F4AC
- requires
- bins
dchat — Decentralized P2P Messaging Skill
You have access to dchat, a decentralized peer-to-peer messaging system over the NKN relay network. Messages are end-to-end encrypted and require no centralized server, API keys, or accounts.
Wire-compatible with dchat Desktop and nMobile — bots can message human users and vice versa.
Commands
Run these commands using your shell execution tool. The dchat wrapper is in the skill directory at {baseDir}.
Identity (no network needed)
{baseDir}/dchat init # Generate bot identity (first time, auto-run at install)
{baseDir}/dchat address # Print bot's NKN addressContacts (no network needed)
{baseDir}/dchat contacts add <address> <alias> # Add a contact with alias
{baseDir}/dchat contacts remove <alias> # Remove a contact
{baseDir}/dchat contacts list # List all contactsOnce a contact is added, use the alias instead of the 64-char address in send, history, and other commands.
Messaging (connects to NKN, ~5-8s per send)
{baseDir}/dchat send <address> Hello world! # Send text message
{baseDir}/dchat send-image <address> ./photo.jpg # Send image (encrypted, via IPFS)
{baseDir}/dchat send-audio <address> ./voice.aac # Send audio file
{baseDir}/dchat send-file <address> ./report.pdf # Send any file (encrypted, via IPFS)Output on success: Connecting... then Sent: <message-id>. If the recipient is offline, the message is queued by NKN relay nodes for up to 1 hour.
Receiving
{baseDir}/dchat listen # Listen for messages (daemon, Ctrl+C to stop)Output format:
[HH:MM:SS] <sender-prefix>...: <text>
[HH:MM:SS] <sender-prefix>...: [image] /path/to/downloaded.jpg
[HH:MM:SS] <sender-prefix>...: [audio] /path/to/downloaded.aac
[HH:MM:SS] <sender-prefix>...: [file: report.pdf] /path/to/downloaded.pdfHistory (no network needed)
{baseDir}/dchat history <address> # Show last 50 messages with peer
{baseDir}/dchat history <address> 100 # Show last 100 messagesInteractive REPL
{baseDir}/dchat interactive # Full interactive mode with /send /file etc.Options
{baseDir}/dchat --seed <64-char-hex> address # Use specific seed
{baseDir}/dchat --data-dir /custom/path init # Custom data directoryWhen to Use
Use this skill when the user or another agent wants to:
- Send or receive messages to/from another bot or NKN user
- Transfer files, images, or audio to a peer
- Set up a listening bot that reacts to incoming messages
- Check message history with a peer
- Get the bot's NKN address to share with others
Key Concepts
- NKN Address: 64-char hex public key. Each bot gets a unique address derived from its seed. Can be derived offline.
- Seed: 64-char hex Ed25519 private key. Auto-generated at install, saved encrypted to
~/.dchat-clawhub/identity.enc. - Media: Encrypted with AES-128-GCM, uploaded to IPFS, key sent over NKN. Recipients auto-download and decrypt.
- History: All messages stored in SQLite at
~/.dchat-clawhub/messages.db. - Receipts: Delivery and read receipts are automatic.
Security
- AES-128-GCM encryption for all media before IPFS upload
- Identity encrypted at rest (AES-256-GCM + PBKDF2, 100K iterations). Encryption key (.passkey) stored in separate OS config directory (~/.config/dchat-clawhub/) from the ciphertext (~/.dchat-clawhub/), both with file permissions 0600
- No centralized server — messages travel through NKN relay nodes
- SSRF protection: ad-hoc IPFS gateways from incoming messages are DNS-resolved and all IPs verified as public (rejects RFC 1918, loopback, link-local, ULA, IPv4-mapped IPv6)
Network & Storage
- Connects to NKN seed RPC servers (seed.nkn.org) for P2P relay
- Uploads/downloads encrypted media via public IPFS gateways (ipfs.io, dweb.link)
- Stores messages in local SQLite database (~/.dchat-clawhub/messages.db)
- Caches downloaded media in ~/.dchat-clawhub/media-cache/
- Install pulls 3 production npm packages: nkn-sdk, better-sqlite3, form-data
Limitations
- Each send takes ~5-8 seconds (NKN connect + 3s stabilization + relay dispatch)
- Offline messages held by NKN relay nodes for up to 1 hour
- Max file size: 100 MB
- Requires internet access to reach NKN seed nodes