The Garage Key is coming to RoboSats 🔑
Let me explain what’s changing, why it matters to you, and what you need to do (spoiler: save ONE key properly).
The short version
RoboSats is changing how robot identities work. Before, you generated a random token for each trade—and if you lost it, goodbye robot and goodbye rewards. Now there’s the Garage Key: a single master key that deterministically generates all your robots. One key = your entire garage.
What changes in practice?
| Before | Now |
|---|---|
| A random token for each robot | One Garage Key generates unlimited robots |
| You had to save a different token every time | You save ONE key, once |
| If you lost the token → the robot was unrecoverable | Enter your key and the app recovers everything |
| Identity rotation depended on you | Rotation happens automatically after each trade |
Your new workflow
1. Create or import your Garage Key. When you open the app, you generate your key or paste one you already have. Save it offline—in writing, in a password manager, wherever you like, but save it properly. It’s the only key you need.
2. Trade as usual... but better. The app automatically derives the next available account (#0, #1, #2…) and creates a fresh robot for each trade. You don’t have to do anything extra.
3. Automatic rotation. When a robot finishes an order, that account is marked as used and the app suggests moving to the next one. A robot that has already completed a trade is blocked from placing new orders. You’ll see a message like “navigate to a new account for fresh privacy.” This prevents you from accidentally reusing identities.
4. Explore your garage. With the Account Navigator, you can move between your past and active accounts from your profile.
5. Recovery. Lost your device? Fresh installation? Enter your Garage Key and the app queries the Nostr relays to discover how far you got. Your garage is then restored with all your robots. Recovery metadata is encrypted (NIP-59), so only your key can read it. No coordinator can recover your identity for you.
Heads up: Legacy mode
After updating, the app starts in Legacy view. Don’t worry: that’s intentional.
- It’s used only to finish ongoing trades with old tokens.
- The buttons for creating orders, viewing offers, and onboarding are disabled and show explanatory messages.
- Everything new goes through Garage Key mode.
The Garage Key is coming to RoboSats 🔑
Let me explain what’s changing, why it matters to you, and what you need to do (spoiler: save ONE key properly).
The short version
RoboSats is changing how robot identities work. Before, you generated a random token for each trade—and if you lost it, goodbye robot and goodbye rewards. Now there’s the Garage Key: a single master key that deterministically generates all your robots. One key = your entire garage.
What changes in practice?
| Before | Now |
|---|---|
| A random token for each robot | One Garage Key generates unlimited robots |
| You had to save a different token every time | You save ONE key, once |
| If you lost the token → the robot was unrecoverable | Enter your key and the app recovers everything |
| Identity rotation depended on you | Rotation happens automatically after each trade |
Your new workflow
1. Create or import your Garage Key. When you open the app, you generate your key or paste one you already have. Save it offline—in writing, in a password manager, wherever you like, but save it properly. It’s the only key you need.
2. Trade as usual... but better. The app automatically derives the next available account (#0, #1, #2…) and creates a fresh robot for each trade. You don’t have to do anything extra.
3. Automatic rotation. When a robot finishes an order, that account is marked as used and the app suggests moving to the next one. A robot that has already completed a trade is blocked from placing new orders. You’ll see a message like “navigate to a new account for fresh privacy.” This prevents you from accidentally reusing identities.
4. Explore your garage. With the Account Navigator, you can move between your past and active accounts from your profile.
5. Recovery. Lost your device? Fresh installation? Enter your Garage Key and the app queries the Nostr relays to discover how far you got. Your garage is then restored with all your robots. Recovery metadata is encrypted (NIP-59), so only your key can read it. No coordinator can recover your identity for you.
Heads up: Legacy mode
After updating, the app starts in Legacy view. Don’t worry: that’s intentional.
- It’s used only to finish ongoing trades with old tokens.
- The buttons for creating orders, viewing offers, and onboarding are disabled and show explanatory messages.
- Everything new goes through Garage Key mode.
In other words: no one loses an active trade because of the change, but the way forward is the Garage Key.
Things you should keep in mind
- Your Garage Key IS your identity. Whoever has it controls your robots and their rewards. Treat it like a seed phrase.
- Recovery depends on the Nostr relays. If you’ve spent a long time without connecting, recovery may take a while to discover all your accounts.
- Don’t mix old tokens with new accounts expecting them to merge—they’re separate systems. Finish the old ones in Legacy mode, then start fresh with your Garage Key.
- Privacy gets better on its own: rotation after each trade no longer depends on your memory; it’s the default behavior. But be careful: if you reuse an account that has already been used, the warning is there for a reason.
Why this matters
Before, RoboSats gave you privacy through identity rotation... as long as you did it properly and didn’t lose your tokens. Now, privacy and recoverability are structural: they’re built into how the system works, rather than depending on your discipline. Recovery is also decentralized—relays plus encryption—so it doesn’t depend on any server or coordinator.
Available in the next version of RoboSats 🤖⚡