Multi-Client Workflow

Why Multiple Clients? (2 minutes)

The Power of Choice

Nostr’s superpower is that your identity works everywhere. Smart users take advantage of this by using multiple clients for different purposes.

Common Use Cases

Mobile + Desktop:

• Phone (Damus/Amethyst): Quick checks, on-the-go posting, notifications
• Desktop (Iris/Snort): Longer posts and threads, heavy browsing, work hours

Full articles are a different job. Iris and Snort compose short notes, so if you write essays, use a client built for long-form posts. YakiHonne is the usual choice and runs in the browser as well as on iOS and Android.

Two separate identities:

• Some people keep a second keypair for a personal account and give each keypair its own client
• The separation comes from the two sets of keys, not from the app. One keypair used in two clients is still one public identity, with the same npub and the same public posts everywhere

Different features:

A client can earn its place by doing one thing well: Amethyst for its relay and media controls, 0xchat for private messages, Coracle for browsing individual relays. Everything else about your account behaves the same in all of them.

Backup & Redundancy:

• If one client breaks, you have alternatives
• Test new features safely
• Compare interfaces

Benefits

The gain is that you stop bending your habits to fit one app. Write where writing is comfortable, read where reading is comfortable, and keep the two contexts apart on purpose instead of by accident. Little is at stake in a switch, because your identity, posts and follows live on relays rather than inside any client.

---

Syncing Strategy (3 minutes)

What Syncs Automatically

Universal (works across all clients):

• ✓ Your identity (npub)
• ✓ Posts you publish
• ✓ Follows list
• ✓ Profile information
• ✓ Reactions (likes, reposts)

DMs are the exception. Private messages show up in a second client only if that client speaks the same DM standard (the modern one is NIP-17) and is connected to your DM relays. A client still on the older standard shows you a different, separate conversation history. See private messages for which clients are where.

What Doesn’t Sync

Client-specific:

• ✗ App settings (themes, fonts)
• ✗ Notification preferences
• ✗ App-local blocks and per-app hides (your standard mute list does sync)
• ✗ Draft posts
• ✗ Local bookmarks
• ✗ Custom feeds/algorithms
• ✗ App-specific data

The Syncing Process

How it works:

1. You post from Client A
2. Client A sends to relays
3. Client B connects to same relays
4. Client B sees your post
5. Your posts and follows stay in sync

That third step is the whole trick. Both clients look for your posts on the relays in your published relay list, so if one client is pointed somewhere your posts never went, it will show you a thinner version of your own account. Keep the same relay list in every client you use. The outbox model explains how clients find that list.

Time delay:

• Usually instant to a few seconds
• Depends on relay speed
• Client refresh rate varies

Workarounds for Non-Syncing Data

Settings:

• Manually configure each client
• Document your preferences
• Use similar settings for consistency

Mutes/Blocks:

• Your mute list is part of the protocol (NIP-51), so it travels with your account: mute someone in one client and the others pick it up
• What stays behind is app-local stuff, a per-app “hide this” toggle or a client’s own filter settings
• No export or import needed

Drafts:

• Use external notes app
• Copy-paste between clients
• Or just post immediately

Bookmarks:

• Use NIP-51 lists (if supported)
• External bookmarking tools
• Nostr-based bookmarking services

---

Desktop + Mobile (3 minutes)

Recommended Pairings

iOS User:

• Mobile: Damus (clean, fast)
• Desktop: Iris (web) or Snort (web)
• Why: Damus is iOS-optimized, web clients work everywhere

Android User:

• Mobile: Amethyst (feature-rich)
• Desktop: Iris (web) or Coracle (web)
• Why: Amethyst is Android’s best, pair with fast web clients

Cross-Platform:

• Mobile: Primal (iOS + Android)
• Desktop: Same Primal account (web)
• Why: Unified experience across devices

Workflow Examples

Content Creator:

• Draft on desktop (Iris) - Write, edit, format
• Post from desktop - Hit publish
• Check engagement on mobile (Damus) - Replies, zaps
• Quick replies on mobile - While out and about

Community Manager:

• Monitor on mobile (Amethyst) - Notifications, alerts
• Deep engagement on desktop (Snort) - Long replies, threads
• DMs on mobile - Quick conversations
• Event planning on desktop - Detailed posts

Casual User:

• Browse on mobile (any) - During downtime
• Post from either - Whatever’s convenient
• No strict workflow - Just use what feels right

Keeping Track

Notifications:

• Enable on mobile for urgent stuff
• Disable on desktop if distracting
• Or enable both, mute strategically

Read State:

• Nostr doesn’t track “read” status
• Your client does locally
• May see same posts as “new” on different clients
• This is normal, not a bug

---

Client-Specific Features (2 minutes)

Unique Features by Client

Damus (iOS):

• Best iOS experience
• Smooth animations
• Great notifications
• Apple ecosystem integration

Amethyst (Android):

• Most customizable
• Advanced relay controls
• Great for power users
• Feature-rich

Iris (Web):

• Works everywhere
• Fast and minimal
• Good for desktop
• Simple interface

Primal (All platforms):

• Beautiful design
• Easy discovery
• Unified experience
• Beginner-friendly

Snort (Web):

• Keyboard shortcuts
• Fast performance
• Developer-friendly
• Minimal UI

Coracle (Web):

• Relay-first: pick relays and browse them individually
• Moderation built on your web of trust
• Communities, calendar events and classifieds
• Multiple accounts in one browser

Choosing Based on Task

Desktop wins for anything you have to type at length; the phone wins for reading and for the short reply you fire off while away from a desk. Media and private messages vary more by client than by device, so if photos are central to what you publish, or you want the modern private messages, check that a client handles them properly before you make it your main one.

---

Backup & Migration (2 minutes)

Moving Between Clients

Adding a client is easy. How you sign in to it is the part worth getting right, because your nsec cannot be rotated or revoked: every app you paste it into keeps it forever.

1. Install the new client
2. Sign in the way that fits the platform (below)
3. Wait for it to pull your profile and follows
4. Start using it

Web clients (Iris, Snort, Coracle, Primal web): connect a signer extension, Alby or nos2x, or a remote signer such as nsec.app. The site asks the signer to approve each action and never sees your key. Do not paste your nsec into a website, no matter how well known it is.

Android: use Amber. The client hands each signing request to Amber, you approve it there, and your nsec never enters the client itself. Amber is not on Google Play; get it from F-Droid, the Zap Store or its GitHub releases page.

iOS: an App Store app is sandboxed, so pasting your nsec into a client you trust is the common route. If you would rather not hand it over at all, Primal can approve activity in other Nostr apps through its Remote Login feature, and Nostash is a signer extension for Safari on iPhone, iPad and Mac.

What transfers:

• Identity
• Follows list
• Profile info
• Published posts

What doesn’t:

• Settings
• Drafts
• Local data

Export and Import

There is less to export than you would expect. Your follows and your mute list are published to relays as lists signed by you, so a new client picks them up on its own once it connects to the right relays, and no file changes hands. Bookmarks come along the same way in clients that keep them as a Nostr list instead of on the device. What stays behind is per-app configuration, and only some clients offer any way to save that.

Testing New Clients

Safe approach:

1. Create a throwaway keypair first
2. Try the client with that test account
3. If you like it, connect your real identity through your signer
4. Keep the old client as a backup

Don’t:

• Paste your nsec into a website, ever
• Test with your main identity
• Rush the migration

---

Advanced Workflows [ADVANCED]

Professional Setup

Content Creator:

• Planning: whatever notes app you already use
• Writing: desktop client, full screen
• Engagement: mobile through the day
• Numbers: zap and reach stats live in separate tools, see Nostr tools worth knowing

Community Manager:

• Monitoring: mobile, always on
• Response: desktop for the long replies
• Events: a client with calendar support, such as Coracle
• Numbers: the same tools as above

Cross-posting bridges and scheduling bots exist, and they are also the fastest way to make an account read like a feed instead of a person. Use them sparingly.

---

Troubleshooting Multi-Client Issues

Out of Sync

Posts not showing:

• Different relay connections
• Wait a few minutes
• Pull to refresh
• Check relay status

Follows different:

• One client not fully synced
• Different relay sets
• Wait and refresh

Follows Vanished After Opening an Old Client

A client you have not touched in months can still be holding a months-old copy of your follow list. If you follow or unfollow someone before it finishes catching up, it publishes that old copy over your current one and the people you added since are gone. Open it, let it load, check that the follow count looks right, and only then follow anyone.

Notification Overload

Too many alerts:

• Disable on less-used clients
• Keep only mobile notifications
• Use Do Not Disturb strategically

Confusion

Lost track:

• Pick primary and secondary
• Use consistent usernames
• Document your setup

---

Quick Reference

Syncing:

• ✓ Posts, follows, profile (automatic)
• ✗ Settings, drafts (manual)

Recommended Pairings:

• iOS: Damus + Iris web
• Android: Amethyst + Coracle web
• Cross-platform: Primal everywhere

Best Practices:

• Use different clients for different tasks
• On the web, sign in with a signer; never paste your nsec into a site
• Keep the same relay list everywhere
• Pick primary + secondary
• Backup your keys (always!)

Remember: Multiple clients = flexibility. Use it to your advantage!

---

Test Your Multi-Client Knowledge

Ready to optimize your workflow across multiple clients?

Multi-Client Usage Quiz

Identity Portability

Question 1 of 5

0/5 answered

Can you use the same Nostr identity on multiple clients?

No, each client needs a different account

Yes, one identity works everywhere - connect each client through a signer instead of pasting your nsec into it

Only if you pay extra

---

Keep reading

• Nostr tools worth knowing: the utilities that make running several clients bearable
• Troubleshooting Nostr: what to check when one client shows different posts than another