diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index 1eb99be..1168d8c 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -1,20 +1,32 @@
+# Patched from upstream kind-0/nsecbunkerd Dockerfile to use pnpm — the
+# upstream version uses `npm install` but package.json declares
+# `@nostr-dev-kit/ndk` as `workspace:*`, which only pnpm understands.
+# A clean clone of upstream fails to build with `EUNSUPPORTEDPROTOCOL`
+# under npm. Switching to pnpm matches the lockfile that ships in-repo.
+# Also drops `--frozen-lockfile` because the upstream pnpm-lock.yaml is
+# out of date vs. package.json (ERR_PNPM_OUTDATED_LOCKFILE) — bug to
+# file upstream once we've verified the rest of the stack works.
+
 FROM node:20.11-bullseye AS build
 
 WORKDIR /app
 
-# Copy package files and install dependencies
-COPY package*.json ./
-RUN npm install
+RUN npm install -g pnpm@9
+
+# Copy lockfile + manifest first so the install layer caches across
+# source changes.
+COPY package.json pnpm-lock.yaml ./
+RUN pnpm install --no-frozen-lockfile
 
 # Copy application files
 COPY . .
 
 # Generate prisma client and build the application
 RUN npx prisma generate
-RUN npm run build
+RUN pnpm run build
 
 # Runtime stage
-FROM node:20.11-alpine as runtime
+FROM node:20.11-alpine AS runtime
 
 WORKDIR /app
 
@@ -22,11 +34,13 @@ RUN apk update && \
     apk add --no-cache openssl && \
     rm -rf /var/cache/apk/*
 
+RUN npm install -g pnpm@9
+
 # Copy built files from the build stage
 COPY --from=build /app .
 
-# Install only runtime dependencies
-RUN npm install --only=production
+# Install only runtime dependencies (pnpm respects the workspace protocol)
+RUN pnpm install --prod --no-frozen-lockfile
 
 EXPOSE 3000
 
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 4232435..297fd2a 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@
     "@fastify/view": "^8.2.0",
     "@inquirer/password": "^1.1.2",
     "@inquirer/prompts": "^1.2.3",
-    "@nostr-dev-kit/ndk": "workspace:*",
+    "@nostr-dev-kit/ndk": "2.8.1",
     "@prisma/client": "^5.4.1",
     "@scure/base": "^1.1.1",
     "@types/yargs": "^17.0.24",
diff --git a/src/daemon/admin/index.ts b/src/daemon/admin/index.ts
index 4db9cc2..75dfc4b 100644
--- a/src/daemon/admin/index.ts
+++ b/src/daemon/admin/index.ts
@@ -122,7 +122,12 @@ class AdminInterface {
 
             this.rpc.on('request', (req) => this.handleRequest(req));
 
-            pingOrDie(this.ndk);
+            // pingOrDie disabled — NDK 2.8.1 outbox model doesn't echo
+            // self-published events back through subscriptions on
+            // non-public relay channels, so the watchdog fires false
+            // positives and exits the bunker every 50s on private relays.
+            // See aiolabs/nsecbunkerd#4 + #7.
+            // pingOrDie(this.ndk);
         }).catch((err) => {
             console.log('❌ admin connection failed');
             console.log(err);
diff --git a/src/daemon/run.ts b/src/daemon/run.ts
index 262a150..6637986 100644
--- a/src/daemon/run.ts
+++ b/src/daemon/run.ts
@@ -230,8 +230,14 @@ class Daemon {
 
         if (nsec.startsWith('nsec1')) {
             try {
-                const key = new NDKPrivateKeySigner(nsec);
-                hexpk = key.privateKey!;
+                // NDK 2.8.1's NDKPrivateKeySigner constructor passes its
+                // arg straight to nostr-tools getPublicKey() which requires
+                // 32-byte hex / bytes / bigint, not bech32. Without this
+                // decode, every key created via create_new_key fails to
+                // load with the nostr-tools getPublicKey type error, so
+                // the bunker can never sign for any target it provisions.
+                // See aiolabs/nsecbunkerd#8.
+                hexpk = nip19.decode(nsec).data as string;
             } catch(e) {
                 console.error(`Error loading key ${name}:`, e);
                 return