diff --git a/lnbits/app.py b/lnbits/app.py
index a00d7157..f68fe046 100644
--- a/lnbits/app.py
+++ b/lnbits/app.py
@@ -482,6 +482,12 @@ def register_async_tasks() -> None:
     create_permanent_task(purge_audit_data)
     create_permanent_task(collect_exchange_rates_data)
 
+    # nostr transport (RPC over nostr relays)
+    if settings.nostr_transport_enabled:
+        from lnbits.core.services.nostr_transport import start_nostr_transport
+
+        create_permanent_task(start_nostr_transport)
+
     # server logs for websocket
     if settings.lnbits_admin_ui:
         server_log_task = initialize_server_websocket_logger()
diff --git a/lnbits/core/services/nostr_transport/__init__.py b/lnbits/core/services/nostr_transport/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..6d071b2e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lnbits/core/services/nostr_transport/__init__.py
@@ -0,0 +1,135 @@
+"""
+Nostr transport layer for LNbits.
+
+Enables LNbits API access over nostr relays using NIP-44 encrypted
+kind-21000 events, modeled after Lightning.pub's architecture.
+No port forwarding, DNS, or SSL required.
+
+Usage:
+    Set these in .env:
+        NOSTR_TRANSPORT_ENABLED=true
+        NOSTR_TRANSPORT_PRIVATE_KEY=<hex_private_key>
+        NOSTR_TRANSPORT_RELAYS=["wss://relay.damus.io"]
+"""
+
+import json
+
+from loguru import logger
+
+from lnbits.settings import settings
+from lnbits.utils.nostr import generate_keypair, normalize_private_key
+
+from .dispatcher import dispatch, register_default_rpcs
+from .models import NostrRpcRequest, NostrRpcResponse
+from .relay_pool import NostrTransportPool
+
+_pool: NostrTransportPool | None = None
+
+
+async def start_nostr_transport():
+    """
+    Main entry point. Called from app.py via create_permanent_task().
+    Initializes the relay pool, registers RPC endpoints, and starts
+    listening for incoming nostr events.
+    """
+    global _pool
+
+    if not settings.nostr_transport_enabled:
+        return
+
+    # Resolve keypair
+    private_key_hex = settings.nostr_transport_private_key
+    if not private_key_hex:
+        logger.info("Nostr transport: no private key configured, generating one...")
+        private_key_hex, public_key_hex = generate_keypair()
+        settings.nostr_transport_private_key = private_key_hex
+        settings.nostr_transport_public_key = public_key_hex
+        logger.info(
+            f"Nostr transport: generated keypair. "
+            f"Public key (share this): {public_key_hex}"
+        )
+    else:
+        private_key_hex = normalize_private_key(private_key_hex)
+        # Derive public key from private key
+        import coincurve
+
+        privkey = coincurve.PrivateKey(bytes.fromhex(private_key_hex))
+        public_key_hex = privkey.public_key_xonly.format().hex()
+        settings.nostr_transport_public_key = public_key_hex
+
+    relay_urls = settings.nostr_transport_relays
+    if not relay_urls:
+        logger.warning("Nostr transport: no relays configured, disabling")
+        return
+
+    logger.info(
+        f"Nostr transport: starting with pubkey {public_key_hex[:16]}... "
+        f"on {len(relay_urls)} relay(s)"
+    )
+
+    # Register RPC endpoints
+    register_default_rpcs()
+
+    # Create and start relay pool
+    _pool = NostrTransportPool(
+        private_key_hex=private_key_hex,
+        public_key_hex=public_key_hex,
+        relay_urls=relay_urls,
+        event_callback=_handle_event,
+    )
+    await _pool.start()
+
+    # Keep alive until shutdown
+    while not _pool._is_shutting_down():
+        import asyncio
+
+        await asyncio.sleep(1)
+
+    await stop_nostr_transport()
+
+
+async def stop_nostr_transport():
+    """Clean shutdown of the nostr transport."""
+    global _pool
+    if _pool:
+        await _pool.stop()
+        _pool = None
+        logger.info("Nostr transport: stopped")
+
+
+async def _handle_event(sender_pubkey: str, plaintext: str):
+    """
+    Handle a decrypted incoming event.
+    Parse as RPC request, dispatch, and send response.
+    """
+    try:
+        data = json.loads(plaintext)
+    except json.JSONDecodeError:
+        logger.warning("Nostr transport: received non-JSON event content")
+        return
+
+    # Parse request
+    try:
+        request = NostrRpcRequest(**data)
+    except Exception as e:
+        logger.warning(f"Nostr transport: invalid RPC request: {e}")
+        # Try to send error response if we have a request_id
+        request_id = data.get("request_id", "unknown")
+        response = NostrRpcResponse(
+            status="ERROR",
+            request_id=request_id,
+            error=f"Invalid request: {e}",
+        )
+        if _pool:
+            await _pool.send_response(sender_pubkey, response.json())
+        return
+
+    # Validate authIdentifier matches sender (Lightning.pub pattern)
+    # In our case, the sender pubkey from the event IS the auth identity
+
+    # Dispatch
+    response = await dispatch(request, sender_pubkey)
+
+    # Send response
+    if _pool:
+        await _pool.send_response(sender_pubkey, response.json())
diff --git a/lnbits/core/services/nostr_transport/auth.py b/lnbits/core/services/nostr_transport/auth.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..14cea49c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lnbits/core/services/nostr_transport/auth.py
@@ -0,0 +1,78 @@
+"""
+Nostr pubkey -> LNbits account/wallet authorization.
+
+Maps a nostr event sender's pubkey to the appropriate LNbits
+authorization context, following the same patterns as the HTTP
+decorators in lnbits/decorators.py.
+"""
+
+from uuid import uuid4
+
+from loguru import logger
+
+from lnbits.core.crud.users import get_account_by_pubkey
+from lnbits.core.crud.wallets import get_wallet
+from lnbits.core.models import Account, UserExtra
+from lnbits.core.models.wallets import KeyType, WalletTypeInfo
+from lnbits.core.services.users import create_user_account
+from lnbits.settings import settings
+
+
+async def resolve_nostr_auth(
+    pubkey: str,
+    wallet_id: str | None = None,
+    key_type_str: str | None = None,
+) -> WalletTypeInfo | Account | None:
+    """
+    Resolve a nostr pubkey + optional wallet_id + key_type to an
+    LNbits authorization context.
+
+    Returns:
+        WalletTypeInfo - for wallet-scoped operations (payments, etc.)
+        Account - for account-level operations (create wallet, etc.)
+        None - for public endpoints (decode, payment status)
+    """
+    if wallet_id is None and key_type_str is None:
+        # Public endpoint -- no auth needed, but still resolve account
+        # if pubkey is provided (for audit/logging)
+        account = await get_account_by_pubkey(pubkey)
+        if account:
+            return account
+        return None
+
+    # Resolve account from pubkey
+    account = await get_account_by_pubkey(pubkey)
+    if not account:
+        if not settings.new_accounts_allowed:
+            raise PermissionError("Account creation is disabled.")
+        # Auto-create account (same as nostr_login in auth_api.py)
+        account = Account(
+            id=uuid4().hex,
+            pubkey=pubkey,
+            extra=UserExtra(provider="nostr"),
+        )
+        user = await create_user_account(account)
+        logger.info(f"Nostr transport: auto-created account for {pubkey[:16]}...")
+        account = Account(
+            id=user.id,
+            pubkey=pubkey,
+            extra=UserExtra(provider="nostr"),
+        )
+
+    if not account.activated:
+        raise PermissionError("Account is not activated.")
+
+    # Account-level operation (no wallet specified)
+    if wallet_id is None:
+        return account
+
+    # Wallet-scoped operation
+    wallet = await get_wallet(wallet_id)
+    if not wallet:
+        raise ValueError(f"Wallet not found: {wallet_id}")
+
+    if wallet.user != account.id:
+        raise PermissionError("Wallet does not belong to this account.")
+
+    key_type = KeyType.admin if key_type_str == "admin" else KeyType.invoice
+    return WalletTypeInfo(key_type=key_type, wallet=wallet)
diff --git a/lnbits/core/services/nostr_transport/crypto.py b/lnbits/core/services/nostr_transport/crypto.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..57c7a32e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lnbits/core/services/nostr_transport/crypto.py
@@ -0,0 +1,187 @@
+"""
+NIP-44 v2 encryption/decryption for nostr transport.
+
+Implements the NIP-44 v2 spec using coincurve (secp256k1 ECDH) and
+pycryptodome (ChaCha20, HMAC-SHA256, HKDF), all already in LNbits' deps.
+
+Also re-exports sign_event() and verify_event() from lnbits.utils.nostr.
+"""
+
+import base64
+import hashlib
+import hmac
+import os
+import struct
+from math import floor, log2
+
+import coincurve
+from Cryptodome.Cipher import ChaCha20
+
+from lnbits.utils.nostr import sign_event, verify_event  # noqa: F401
+
+_NIP44_SALT = b"nip44-v2"
+_VERSION = 2
+
+
+def get_conversation_key(
+    private_key_hex: str, public_key_hex: str
+) -> bytes:
+    """
+    Compute NIP-44 v2 conversation key via ECDH + HKDF-extract.
+
+    The public key must be 32-byte x-only (as in nostr). We prepend 0x02
+    to make it a valid compressed SEC1 point for coincurve.
+    """
+    privkey = coincurve.PrivateKey(bytes.fromhex(private_key_hex))
+    # x-only pubkey -> compressed pubkey (assume even y)
+    pubkey_bytes = b"\x02" + bytes.fromhex(public_key_hex)
+    pubkey = coincurve.PublicKey(pubkey_bytes)
+
+    # ECDH: multiply pubkey by privkey, get raw x coordinate (32 bytes)
+    # coincurve's ecdh returns sha256(compressed_point) by default,
+    # but NIP-44 needs the unhashed x coordinate.
+    shared_point = pubkey.multiply(privkey.secret)
+    shared_x = shared_point.format(compressed=True)[1:]  # strip 0x02/0x03 prefix
+
+    # HKDF-extract with salt="nip44-v2"
+    return _hkdf_extract(salt=_NIP44_SALT, ikm=shared_x)
+
+
+def nip44_encrypt(
+    plaintext: str, sender_privkey_hex: str, recipient_pubkey_hex: str
+) -> str:
+    """Encrypt a plaintext string using NIP-44 v2."""
+    conversation_key = get_conversation_key(sender_privkey_hex, recipient_pubkey_hex)
+    nonce = os.urandom(32)
+    return _encrypt(plaintext, conversation_key, nonce)
+
+
+def nip44_decrypt(
+    payload: str, recipient_privkey_hex: str, sender_pubkey_hex: str
+) -> str:
+    """Decrypt a NIP-44 v2 payload."""
+    conversation_key = get_conversation_key(recipient_privkey_hex, sender_pubkey_hex)
+    return _decrypt(payload, conversation_key)
+
+
+# --- Internal implementation ---
+
+
+def _hkdf_extract(salt: bytes, ikm: bytes) -> bytes:
+    """HKDF-extract (RFC 5869) with SHA-256."""
+    return hmac.new(salt, ikm, hashlib.sha256).digest()
+
+
+def _hkdf_expand(prk: bytes, info: bytes, length: int) -> bytes:
+    """HKDF-expand (RFC 5869) with SHA-256."""
+    hash_len = 32  # SHA-256
+    n = (length + hash_len - 1) // hash_len
+    okm = b""
+    t = b""
+    for i in range(1, n + 1):
+        t = hmac.new(prk, t + info + bytes([i]), hashlib.sha256).digest()
+        okm += t
+    return okm[:length]
+
+
+def _calc_padded_len(unpadded_len: int) -> int:
+    """NIP-44 v2 padding length calculation."""
+    if unpadded_len <= 32:
+        return 32
+    next_power = 1 << (floor(log2(unpadded_len - 1)) + 1)
+    if next_power <= 256:
+        chunk = 32
+    else:
+        chunk = next_power // 8
+    return chunk * (floor((unpadded_len - 1) / chunk) + 1)
+
+
+def _pad(plaintext: str) -> bytes:
+    """Convert plaintext to NIP-44 v2 padded byte array."""
+    unpadded = plaintext.encode("utf-8")
+    unpadded_len = len(unpadded)
+    if unpadded_len < 1 or unpadded_len > 65535:
+        raise ValueError(f"Invalid plaintext length: {unpadded_len}")
+    padded_len = _calc_padded_len(unpadded_len)
+    prefix = struct.pack(">H", unpadded_len)  # big-endian uint16
+    suffix = b"\x00" * (padded_len - unpadded_len)
+    return prefix + unpadded + suffix
+
+
+def _unpad(padded: bytes) -> str:
+    """Convert NIP-44 v2 padded byte array back to plaintext."""
+    unpadded_len = struct.unpack(">H", padded[:2])[0]
+    if unpadded_len == 0:
+        raise ValueError("Invalid padding: zero length")
+    unpadded = padded[2 : 2 + unpadded_len]
+    if len(unpadded) != unpadded_len:
+        raise ValueError("Invalid padding: length mismatch")
+    expected_padded_total = 2 + _calc_padded_len(unpadded_len)
+    if len(padded) != expected_padded_total:
+        raise ValueError("Invalid padding: wrong padded size")
+    return unpadded.decode("utf-8")
+
+
+def _get_message_keys(conversation_key: bytes, nonce: bytes) -> tuple[bytes, bytes, bytes]:
+    """Derive chacha_key, chacha_nonce, hmac_key from conversation_key and nonce."""
+    keys = _hkdf_expand(conversation_key, nonce, 76)
+    chacha_key = keys[0:32]
+    chacha_nonce = keys[32:44]
+    hmac_key = keys[44:76]
+    return chacha_key, chacha_nonce, hmac_key
+
+
+def _encrypt(plaintext: str, conversation_key: bytes, nonce: bytes) -> str:
+    """Encrypt using NIP-44 v2."""
+    chacha_key, chacha_nonce, hmac_key = _get_message_keys(conversation_key, nonce)
+    padded = _pad(plaintext)
+
+    # ChaCha20 encrypt (RFC 8439, counter=0)
+    cipher = ChaCha20.new(key=chacha_key, nonce=chacha_nonce)
+    ciphertext = cipher.encrypt(padded)
+
+    # HMAC-SHA256 over nonce + ciphertext
+    mac = hmac.new(hmac_key, nonce + ciphertext, hashlib.sha256).digest()
+
+    # Assemble: version(1) + nonce(32) + ciphertext(variable) + mac(32)
+    payload = bytes([_VERSION]) + nonce + ciphertext + mac
+    return base64.b64encode(payload).decode("ascii")
+
+
+def _decrypt(payload_b64: str, conversation_key: bytes) -> str:
+    """Decrypt a NIP-44 v2 payload."""
+    if not payload_b64:
+        raise ValueError("Empty payload")
+    if payload_b64[0] == "#":
+        raise ValueError("Unknown encoding version")
+
+    plen = len(payload_b64)
+    if plen < 132 or plen > 87472:
+        raise ValueError(f"Invalid payload size: {plen}")
+
+    data = base64.b64decode(payload_b64)
+    dlen = len(data)
+    if dlen < 99 or dlen > 65603:
+        raise ValueError(f"Invalid data size: {dlen}")
+
+    version = data[0]
+    if version != _VERSION:
+        raise ValueError(f"Unknown version: {version}")
+
+    nonce = data[1:33]
+    ciphertext = data[33 : dlen - 32]
+    mac = data[dlen - 32 : dlen]
+
+    # Derive keys
+    chacha_key, chacha_nonce, hmac_key = _get_message_keys(conversation_key, nonce)
+
+    # Verify MAC (constant-time)
+    expected_mac = hmac.new(hmac_key, nonce + ciphertext, hashlib.sha256).digest()
+    if not hmac.compare_digest(mac, expected_mac):
+        raise ValueError("Invalid MAC")
+
+    # Decrypt
+    cipher = ChaCha20.new(key=chacha_key, nonce=chacha_nonce)
+    padded = cipher.decrypt(ciphertext)
+
+    return _unpad(padded)
diff --git a/lnbits/core/services/nostr_transport/dispatcher.py b/lnbits/core/services/nostr_transport/dispatcher.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..05502368
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lnbits/core/services/nostr_transport/dispatcher.py
@@ -0,0 +1,249 @@
+"""
+RPC dispatcher for the nostr transport.
+
+Maps rpc_name strings to LNbits service functions, handles auth
+resolution, and returns serialized responses. Modeled after
+Lightning.pub's nostr_transport.ts auto-generated dispatcher.
+"""
+
+from collections.abc import Awaitable, Callable
+from dataclasses import dataclass
+from typing import Any
+
+from loguru import logger
+
+from lnbits.core.models import Account
+from lnbits.core.models.wallets import KeyType, WalletTypeInfo
+
+from .auth import resolve_nostr_auth
+from .models import NostrRpcRequest, NostrRpcResponse
+
+# Auth level constants
+AUTH_NONE = "none"
+AUTH_ACCOUNT = "account"
+AUTH_INVOICE_KEY = "invoice_key"
+AUTH_ADMIN_KEY = "admin_key"
+
+
+@dataclass
+class RpcEndpoint:
+    handler: Callable[..., Awaitable[Any]]
+    auth_level: str  # AUTH_NONE, AUTH_ACCOUNT, AUTH_INVOICE_KEY, AUTH_ADMIN_KEY
+
+
+# Global RPC registry
+_RPC_REGISTRY: dict[str, RpcEndpoint] = {}
+
+
+def register_rpc(
+    name: str,
+    handler: Callable[..., Awaitable[Any]],
+    auth_level: str = AUTH_INVOICE_KEY,
+):
+    """Register an RPC handler."""
+    _RPC_REGISTRY[name] = RpcEndpoint(handler=handler, auth_level=auth_level)
+
+
+async def dispatch(request: NostrRpcRequest, sender_pubkey: str) -> NostrRpcResponse:
+    """
+    Route an RPC request to the appropriate handler.
+
+    1. Look up rpc_name in registry
+    2. Resolve auth from sender pubkey
+    3. Validate auth level
+    4. Call handler
+    5. Return response
+    """
+    endpoint = _RPC_REGISTRY.get(request.rpc_name)
+    if not endpoint:
+        return NostrRpcResponse(
+            status="ERROR",
+            request_id=request.request_id,
+            error=f"Unknown RPC: {request.rpc_name}",
+        )
+
+    try:
+        # Resolve auth
+        auth_ctx = await _resolve_auth(
+            endpoint.auth_level, sender_pubkey, request.wallet_id, request.key_type
+        )
+
+        # Call handler
+        result = await endpoint.handler(auth_ctx, request)
+        return NostrRpcResponse(
+            status="OK",
+            request_id=request.request_id,
+            data=result,
+        )
+    except (PermissionError, ValueError) as e:
+        return NostrRpcResponse(
+            status="ERROR",
+            request_id=request.request_id,
+            error=str(e),
+        )
+    except Exception as e:
+        logger.error(f"Nostr transport: RPC error in {request.rpc_name}: {e}")
+        return NostrRpcResponse(
+            status="ERROR",
+            request_id=request.request_id,
+            error="Internal error",
+        )
+
+
+async def _resolve_auth(
+    auth_level: str,
+    sender_pubkey: str,
+    wallet_id: str | None,
+    key_type_str: str | None,
+) -> WalletTypeInfo | Account | None:
+    """Resolve and validate auth for the given level."""
+    if auth_level == AUTH_NONE:
+        return None
+
+    auth_ctx = await resolve_nostr_auth(sender_pubkey, wallet_id, key_type_str)
+
+    if auth_level == AUTH_ACCOUNT:
+        if auth_ctx is None:
+            raise PermissionError("Authentication required.")
+        return auth_ctx
+
+    if auth_level in (AUTH_INVOICE_KEY, AUTH_ADMIN_KEY):
+        if not isinstance(auth_ctx, WalletTypeInfo):
+            raise PermissionError("Wallet authentication required (provide wallet_id).")
+        if auth_level == AUTH_ADMIN_KEY and auth_ctx.key_type != KeyType.admin:
+            raise PermissionError("Admin key required for this operation.")
+        return auth_ctx
+
+    raise PermissionError(f"Unknown auth level: {auth_level}")
+
+
+# --- Default RPC handlers ---
+
+
+def register_default_rpcs():
+    """Register the core LNbits wallet RPCs."""
+    register_rpc("create_invoice", _handle_create_invoice, AUTH_INVOICE_KEY)
+    register_rpc("pay_invoice", _handle_pay_invoice, AUTH_ADMIN_KEY)
+    register_rpc("get_payment", _handle_get_payment, AUTH_NONE)
+    register_rpc("list_payments", _handle_list_payments, AUTH_INVOICE_KEY)
+    register_rpc("get_wallet", _handle_get_wallet, AUTH_INVOICE_KEY)
+    register_rpc("create_wallet", _handle_create_wallet, AUTH_ACCOUNT)
+    register_rpc("decode_payment", _handle_decode_payment, AUTH_NONE)
+
+
+async def _handle_create_invoice(
+    auth: WalletTypeInfo, request: NostrRpcRequest
+) -> dict:
+    from lnbits.core.models import CreateInvoice
+    from lnbits.core.services.payments import create_payment_request
+
+    body = request.body or {}
+    invoice_data = CreateInvoice(
+        out=False,
+        amount=body.get("amount", 0),
+        memo=body.get("memo"),
+        unit=body.get("unit", "sat"),
+        expiry=body.get("expiry"),
+        extra=body.get("extra"),
+        webhook=body.get("webhook"),
+    )
+    payment = await create_payment_request(auth.wallet.id, invoice_data)
+    return payment.dict()
+
+
+async def _handle_pay_invoice(auth: WalletTypeInfo, request: NostrRpcRequest) -> dict:
+    from lnbits.core.services.payments import pay_invoice
+
+    body = request.body or {}
+    bolt11 = body.get("bolt11", "")
+    if not bolt11:
+        raise ValueError("bolt11 is required")
+
+    payment = await pay_invoice(
+        wallet_id=auth.wallet.id,
+        payment_request=bolt11,
+        max_sat=body.get("max_sat"),
+        extra=body.get("extra"),
+        description=body.get("description", ""),
+    )
+    return payment.dict()
+
+
+async def _handle_get_payment(
+    auth: None, request: NostrRpcRequest
+) -> dict | None:
+    from lnbits.core.crud.payments import get_standalone_payment
+
+    body = request.body or {}
+    query = request.query or {}
+    payment_hash = body.get("payment_hash") or query.get("payment_hash", "")
+    if not payment_hash:
+        raise ValueError("payment_hash is required")
+
+    payment = await get_standalone_payment(payment_hash)
+    if not payment:
+        return None
+    return payment.dict()
+
+
+async def _handle_list_payments(
+    auth: WalletTypeInfo, request: NostrRpcRequest
+) -> list[dict]:
+    from lnbits.core.crud.payments import get_payments
+
+    query = request.query or {}
+    payments = await get_payments(
+        wallet_id=auth.wallet.id,
+        complete=query.get("complete", False),
+        pending=query.get("pending", False),
+        outgoing=query.get("outgoing", False),
+        incoming=query.get("incoming", False),
+        limit=query.get("limit"),
+        offset=query.get("offset"),
+    )
+    return [p.dict() for p in payments]
+
+
+async def _handle_get_wallet(auth: WalletTypeInfo, request: NostrRpcRequest) -> dict:
+    return {
+        "id": auth.wallet.id,
+        "name": auth.wallet.name,
+        "balance": auth.wallet.balance_msat,
+    }
+
+
+async def _handle_create_wallet(auth: Account, request: NostrRpcRequest) -> dict:
+    from lnbits.core.crud.wallets import create_wallet
+
+    body = request.body or {}
+    wallet = await create_wallet(
+        user_id=auth.id,
+        wallet_name=body.get("name", "Nostr Wallet"),
+    )
+    return {
+        "id": wallet.id,
+        "name": wallet.name,
+        "adminkey": wallet.adminkey,
+        "inkey": wallet.inkey,
+    }
+
+
+async def _handle_decode_payment(auth: None, request: NostrRpcRequest) -> dict:
+    from lnbits import bolt11
+
+    body = request.body or {}
+    payment_request = body.get("payment_request", "")
+    if not payment_request:
+        raise ValueError("payment_request is required")
+
+    invoice = bolt11.decode(payment_request)
+    return {
+        "payment_hash": invoice.payment_hash,
+        "amount_msat": invoice.amount_msat,
+        "description": invoice.description,
+        "description_hash": invoice.description_hash,
+        "payee": invoice.payee,
+        "date": invoice.date,
+        "expiry": invoice.expiry,
+        "min_final_cltv_expiry": invoice.min_final_cltv_expiry,
+    }
diff --git a/lnbits/core/services/nostr_transport/models.py b/lnbits/core/services/nostr_transport/models.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..24137923
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lnbits/core/services/nostr_transport/models.py
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+from typing import Any
+
+from pydantic import BaseModel
+
+
+class NostrRpcRequest(BaseModel):
+    """
+    Incoming RPC request over nostr transport.
+    Mirrors Lightning.pub's NostrRequest type from nostr_transport.ts.
+    """
+
+    rpc_name: str
+    wallet_id: str | None = None
+    key_type: str | None = None  # "admin" or "invoice"
+    request_id: str
+    body: dict | None = None
+    query: dict | None = None
+
+
+class NostrRpcResponse(BaseModel):
+    """
+    Outgoing RPC response over nostr transport.
+    Mirrors Lightning.pub's response format: {status, requestId, ...data}.
+    """
+
+    status: str  # "OK" or "ERROR"
+    request_id: str
+    data: Any | None = None
+    error: str | None = None
diff --git a/lnbits/core/services/nostr_transport/relay_pool.py b/lnbits/core/services/nostr_transport/relay_pool.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..871886fa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lnbits/core/services/nostr_transport/relay_pool.py
@@ -0,0 +1,241 @@
+"""
+Nostr relay connection pool for the transport layer.
+
+Manages WebSocket connections to multiple nostr relays, subscribes for
+incoming RPC events (kind 21000) tagged with the LNbits instance's
+pubkey, validates and decrypts them, and publishes encrypted responses.
+
+Follows the reconnection pattern from lnbits/wallets/nwc.py and the
+relay pool design from Lightning.pub's nostrPool.ts.
+"""
+
+import asyncio
+import json
+import time
+from collections.abc import Awaitable, Callable
+
+import coincurve
+from loguru import logger
+from websockets import connect as ws_connect
+
+from lnbits.settings import settings
+from lnbits.utils.nostr import json_dumps, sign_event, verify_event
+
+from .crypto import nip44_decrypt, nip44_encrypt
+
+EVENT_KIND = 21000
+# Events older than this are deduplication-expired (seconds)
+_HANDLED_EVENT_TTL = 7200  # 2 hours
+
+
+class NostrTransportPool:
+    """
+    Manages relay connections for the nostr transport layer.
+
+    Subscribes for kind-21000 events tagged with our pubkey,
+    decrypts them, and forwards to a callback. Publishes encrypted
+    response events back to the sender.
+    """
+
+    def __init__(
+        self,
+        private_key_hex: str,
+        public_key_hex: str,
+        relay_urls: list[str],
+        event_callback: Callable[..., Awaitable[None]],
+    ):
+        self.private_key_hex = private_key_hex
+        self.public_key_hex = public_key_hex
+        self.relay_urls = relay_urls
+        self.event_callback = event_callback
+
+        # coincurve key objects for signing
+        self._privkey = coincurve.PrivateKey(bytes.fromhex(private_key_hex))
+
+        # Deduplication: event_id -> timestamp
+        self._handled_events: dict[str, float] = {}
+
+        # Active relay tasks and websockets
+        self._relay_tasks: list[asyncio.Task] = []
+        self._relay_ws: dict[str, object] = {}  # relay_url -> ws
+
+        self._shutdown = False
+
+    def _is_shutting_down(self) -> bool:
+        return self._shutdown or not settings.lnbits_running
+
+    async def start(self):
+        """Connect to all configured relays."""
+        logger.info(
+            f"Nostr transport: connecting to {len(self.relay_urls)} relay(s) "
+            f"as {self.public_key_hex[:16]}..."
+        )
+        for relay_url in self.relay_urls:
+            task = asyncio.create_task(self._connect_to_relay(relay_url))
+            self._relay_tasks.append(task)
+
+        # Periodic cleanup of handled events cache
+        self._cleanup_task = asyncio.create_task(self._cleanup_handled_events())
+
+    async def stop(self):
+        """Shut down all relay connections."""
+        self._shutdown = True
+        for task in self._relay_tasks:
+            task.cancel()
+        self._cleanup_task.cancel()
+        # Close websockets
+        for url, ws in self._relay_ws.items():
+            try:
+                await ws.close()
+            except Exception:
+                pass
+        self._relay_ws.clear()
+        logger.info("Nostr transport: all relays disconnected")
+
+    async def send_response(self, recipient_pubkey: str, content: str):
+        """Encrypt and publish a response event to the sender."""
+        encrypted = nip44_encrypt(content, self.private_key_hex, recipient_pubkey)
+
+        event = {
+            "kind": EVENT_KIND,
+            "created_at": int(time.time()),
+            "tags": [["p", recipient_pubkey]],
+            "content": encrypted,
+        }
+        event = sign_event(event, self.public_key_hex, self._privkey)
+
+        event_json = json.dumps(["EVENT", event])
+        # Publish to all connected relays
+        sent = False
+        for url, ws in list(self._relay_ws.items()):
+            try:
+                await ws.send(event_json)
+                sent = True
+            except Exception as e:
+                logger.warning(f"Nostr transport: failed to send to {url}: {e}")
+        if not sent:
+            logger.error("Nostr transport: could not send response to any relay")
+
+    # --- Internal ---
+
+    async def _connect_to_relay(self, relay_url: str):
+        """Connect to a single relay with auto-reconnect."""
+        while not self._is_shutting_down():
+            try:
+                async with ws_connect(relay_url) as ws:
+                    self._relay_ws[relay_url] = ws
+                    logger.info(f"Nostr transport: connected to {relay_url}")
+
+                    # Subscribe for events tagged with our pubkey
+                    sub_id = f"lnbits_transport_{self.public_key_hex[:8]}"
+                    sub_filter = {
+                        "kinds": [EVENT_KIND],
+                        "#p": [self.public_key_hex],
+                        "since": int(time.time()),
+                    }
+                    await ws.send(json.dumps(["REQ", sub_id, sub_filter]))
+
+                    # Receive loop
+                    while not self._is_shutting_down():
+                        try:
+                            reply = await ws.recv()
+                            if isinstance(reply, bytes):
+                                reply = reply.decode("utf-8")
+                            await self._on_message(relay_url, reply)
+                        except Exception as e:
+                            logger.debug(
+                                f"Nostr transport: recv error on {relay_url}: {e}"
+                            )
+                            break
+
+                logger.debug(f"Nostr transport: connection to {relay_url} closed")
+            except Exception as e:
+                logger.error(f"Nostr transport: error connecting to {relay_url}: {e}")
+
+            self._relay_ws.pop(relay_url, None)
+            if not self._is_shutting_down():
+                logger.debug(f"Nostr transport: reconnecting to {relay_url} in 5s...")
+                await asyncio.sleep(5)
+
+    async def _on_message(self, relay_url: str, message: str):
+        """Handle an incoming message from a relay."""
+        try:
+            msg = json.loads(message)
+            if msg[0] == "EVENT":
+                await self._on_event(relay_url, msg[2])
+            elif msg[0] == "OK":
+                ok = msg[2] if len(msg) > 2 else True
+                if not ok:
+                    reason = msg[3] if len(msg) > 3 else "unknown"
+                    logger.warning(
+                        f"Nostr transport: event rejected by {relay_url}: {reason}"
+                    )
+            elif msg[0] == "EOSE":
+                logger.debug(f"Nostr transport: EOSE from {relay_url}")
+            elif msg[0] == "NOTICE":
+                logger.info(f"Nostr transport: notice from {relay_url}: {msg[1]}")
+            elif msg[0] == "CLOSED":
+                logger.warning(
+                    f"Nostr transport: subscription closed by {relay_url}: "
+                    f"{msg[2] if len(msg) > 2 else 'no reason'}"
+                )
+        except Exception as e:
+            logger.error(f"Nostr transport: error parsing message from {relay_url}: {e}")
+
+    async def _on_event(self, relay_url: str, event: dict):
+        """Process an incoming nostr event."""
+        event_id = event.get("id", "")
+
+        # Deduplicate
+        if event_id in self._handled_events:
+            return
+        self._handled_events[event_id] = time.time()
+
+        # Validate event kind
+        if event.get("kind") != EVENT_KIND:
+            return
+
+        # Verify signature
+        if not verify_event(event):
+            logger.warning(f"Nostr transport: invalid signature on event {event_id[:16]}")
+            return
+
+        sender_pubkey = event.get("pubkey", "")
+        if not sender_pubkey:
+            return
+
+        # Decrypt content
+        try:
+            plaintext = nip44_decrypt(
+                event["content"], self.private_key_hex, sender_pubkey
+            )
+        except Exception as e:
+            logger.warning(
+                f"Nostr transport: decryption failed for event {event_id[:16]}: {e}"
+            )
+            return
+
+        # Forward to callback
+        try:
+            await self.event_callback(sender_pubkey, plaintext)
+        except Exception as e:
+            logger.error(
+                f"Nostr transport: error in event callback for {event_id[:16]}: {e}"
+            )
+
+    async def _cleanup_handled_events(self):
+        """Periodically clean up the deduplication cache."""
+        while not self._is_shutting_down():
+            await asyncio.sleep(600)  # every 10 minutes
+            now = time.time()
+            expired = [
+                eid
+                for eid, ts in self._handled_events.items()
+                if now - ts > _HANDLED_EVENT_TTL
+            ]
+            for eid in expired:
+                del self._handled_events[eid]
+            if expired:
+                logger.debug(
+                    f"Nostr transport: cleaned {len(expired)} expired event IDs"
+                )
diff --git a/lnbits/settings.py b/lnbits/settings.py
index df491f35..e123f632 100644
--- a/lnbits/settings.py
+++ b/lnbits/settings.py
@@ -758,6 +758,15 @@ class NostrAuthSettings(LNbitsSettings):
     )
 
 
+class NostrTransportSettings(LNbitsSettings):
+    nostr_transport_enabled: bool = Field(default=False)
+    nostr_transport_relays: list[str] = Field(
+        default=["wss://relay.damus.io", "wss://relay.primal.net"]
+    )
+    nostr_transport_private_key: str = Field(default="")
+    nostr_transport_public_key: str = Field(default="")
+
+
 class GoogleAuthSettings(LNbitsSettings):
     google_client_id: str = Field(default="")
     google_client_secret: str = Field(default="")
@@ -879,6 +888,7 @@ class EditableSettings(
     AuditSettings,
     AuthSettings,
     NostrAuthSettings,
+    NostrTransportSettings,
     GoogleAuthSettings,
     GitHubAuthSettings,
     KeycloakAuthSettings,