No trust-on-first-use: bootstrap mode is an explicit, MAC-protected latch
(server_config singleton), NOT inferred from "no admin keys". The latch MAC
(ADMIN_KEY_INTEGRITY_SECRET over setup_state|bootstrap_completed_at) means a
DB-write attacker who restores a pre-bootstrap backup or flips the state to
re-open TOFU produces a mismatch the boot path detects and fails closed on.
- migration 20260626000002: server_config (id=1 singleton; setup_state +
bootstrap_completed_at + integrity_mac).
- db::server_config: read_setup_state -> {Fresh,Uninitialized,Locked,Tampered}
(MAC-verified); has_any_users; init_server_config (adoption: a live upgrade
latches `locked` so it never exposes a setup window; a truly empty DB begins
uninitialized); bootstrap_admin (insert the FIRST active admin AND latch
locked + hash-chained audit, ONE tx; refuses if an active admin already
exists); reset_setup (shell recovery; recomputes MAC, preserves admin keys).
- main boot (admin enabled): adopt/await-bootstrap, and FAIL CLOSED on a tampered
latch.
- smirk-admin: `setup --pubkey` (the supported headless bootstrap) + `reset-setup
--i-understand`.
- 1 L1 test: Fresh -> locked(valid) -> wrong-secret Tampered -> raw-flip Tampered
-> reset Uninitialized -> bootstrap refused while an active admin exists.
Deferred (documented): the HTTP /setup/* wizard. Per the spec the CLI / `docker
exec` is the SUPPORTED bootstrap (pure-PaaS without shell is explicitly
unsupported), so the loopback TTY wizard is a later convenience, not load-bearing.
smirk-backend-core
Open, self-hostable backend for the Smirk non-custodial, multi-chain wallet. It provides the chain-access and identity surface a Smirk wallet needs — authentication, per-chain wallet access (Bitcoin, Litecoin, Monero, Wownero, Grin), the Grin slatepack relay, and Nostr-based identity — so anyone can run their own backend and a Smirk wallet can connect to it.
Status: early, under active development. Interfaces and the database schema may change before the first tagged release. Not yet recommended for production self-hosting.
What it is
- Non-custodial. The server never holds spend keys or seeds. It brokers access to blockchain data and relays wallet-to-wallet messages.
- Open core, feature-flagged. Every feature ships in this codebase and is
toggled per deployment; the wallet reads
GET /api/v1/capabilitiesand adapts to what a given backend offers. - Identity via "Sign in with Smirk". Authentication uses a seed-derived Nostr key (NIP-98); the server stores only public keys.
- Privacy first. No PII is required to use it; operator and user privacy are explicit design goals.
Architecture
Rust + Axum, PostgreSQL via sqlx. The public HTTP contract is generated from the handlers with utoipa (OpenAPI), which in turn drives the wallet's generated TypeScript client — one source of truth, checked for drift in CI.
Quickstart
cp .env.example .env # then fill in DATABASE_URL, JWT_SECRET, node URLs
cargo run # starts the API server
A full self-hosting guide (node requirements, reverse proxy, Tor admin onion,
backups) will live in docs/ as it stabilises.
Security
Please report vulnerabilities privately — see SECURITY.md. Do not open public issues for security reports.
License
To be finalized (MIT vs AGPL-3.0-or-later). Until a LICENSE file is added,
all rights are reserved.