Intermediate · 4 of 6

Common Problems & Solutions

Quick solutions to the most common Nostr issues and questions

Reference guide

A quick reference guide for the most frequent issues Nostr users encounter.

Nearly everything below traces back to one fact: your posts, your profile and your follow list live on relays, not inside the app. So a blank feed, or a post that seems to have vanished, usually means the app is talking to the wrong servers. Your work is still where you left it.

Problem: “My Feed is Empty”

Symptoms

  • No posts showing up
  • “No events found” message
  • Blank timeline

Causes & Solutions

1. Not following anyone

  • Cause: New account with no follows
  • Solution: Search for users or interests, follow 10-20 accounts
  • Quick fix: Follow popular accounts from the Finding Community guide

2. Relay connection issues

  • Cause: Not connected to any relays
  • Solution: Check Settings → Relays, ensure you’re connected to 3-5 relays
  • Quick fix: Add popular free relays: wss://relay.damus.io, wss://nos.lol

3. Client cache is empty

  • Cause: New install or cleared data
  • Solution: Wait 30-60 seconds for content to load
  • Quick fix: Pull down to refresh (mobile) or press refresh button

Prevention

  • Connect to multiple relays during setup
  • Follow active users immediately
  • Keep client updated

Problem: “I Can’t See My Old Posts”

Symptoms

  • Posts from yesterday/week ago are missing
  • “No notes” on your profile
  • Incomplete post history

Causes & Solutions

1. Relay storage limits

  • Cause: Free relays delete old content to save space
  • Solution: Connect to more relays (increases redundancy)
  • Long-term: Use paid relays or personal relay for important content

2. Different relay configuration

  • Cause: Posted from Client A (Relays X,Y), now using Client B (Relays Z)
  • Solution: Ensure both clients use the same relays
  • Quick fix: Import your relay list (NIP-65)

3. Content not broadcasted

  • Cause: Client failed to post to all relays
  • Solution: Check which relays received your post
  • Good news: Your posts are signed and portable, so they can be sent out again later. Many clients hide a “Broadcast” option in a note’s menu, which republishes that note to the relays you use now, including ones you added afterwards.

What Syncs vs What Doesn’t

DataSyncs Across ClientsNotes
Your posts✅ YesIf posted to shared relays
Your follows✅ YesPublic data
Your followers✅ YesPublic data
Your profile✅ YesPublic data
Drafts❌ NoStored locally per client
App settings❌ NoClient-specific
Muted accounts⚠️ SometimesVaries by client

Problem: “My Posts Aren’t Showing Up”

Symptoms

  • Posted but no one sees it
  • No likes/replies/zaps
  • Post appears locally but not on other clients

Causes & Solutions

1. Relay not accepting posts

  • Cause: Rate limited, banned, or relay down
  • Solution: Check relay status, try different relays
  • Test: Can you see your post in a web client like Primal?

2. Only connected to read-only relays

  • Cause: Some relays only allow reading, not writing
  • Solution: Check relay settings, ensure you have “write” relays
  • Quick fix: Add wss://relay.damus.io (allows writing)

3. Posting too fast

  • Cause: Hitting rate limits
  • Solution: Slow down, wait a few minutes
  • Note: Relays throttle rapid posting to keep spam down. The limits differ from relay to relay, so a short pause usually clears it.

Problem: “Someone is Impersonating Me”

Symptoms

  • Fake account with your name/picture
  • Someone claiming to be you
  • Confused followers asking which account is real

Causes & Solutions

1. Get a NIP-05 address

  • Solution: Set up NIP-05 identity (see guide)
  • Why: An address on a domain you control, like you@yoursite.com, ties the account to your own site. Anyone can get some NIP-05 address, an impostor included, so tell people to look at the domain rather than at the checkmark.

2. Share your npub widely

  • Solution: Post your real npub on other platforms
  • Why: People can verify your identity cryptographically

3. Report the impostor

  • Solution: Use client report feature or community moderation
  • Note: Nobody can delete their account, and blocking them is only a filter on your side. They stay visible to everyone else, so telling your own audience which npub is really yours does more than blocking does

Prevention

  • Verify yourself with NIP-05 as soon as possible
  • Post your npub on Twitter/website
  • Build reputation quickly so your real account is obvious

Problem: “Spam in My Feed”

Symptoms

  • Unwanted promotional content
  • Bot accounts posting constantly
  • Off-topic or inappropriate content

Causes & Solutions

1. Following spam accounts

  • Solution: Unfollow spam sources
  • Better: Don’t mass-follow; curate carefully

2. Relay with poor moderation

  • Solution: Disconnect from low-quality relays
  • Better: Use paid or invite-only relays

3. No mute list

  • Solution: Create a mute list in your client
  • How: Profile → Muted accounts → Add spammers

Best Practices

  • Mute early, mute often
  • Use interest-specific relays
  • Enable word filters if client supports it
  • Don’t follow accounts without checking their content first

Problem: “Client Crashes”

Symptoms

  • App closes unexpectedly
  • Freezes or becomes unresponsive
  • Errors when loading content

Causes & Solutions

1. Outdated app

  • Solution: Update to latest version from app store
  • iOS: App Store → Updates
  • Android: Play Store → Manage apps

2. Too many relays

  • Cause: Connected to 20+ relays overwhelms the client
  • Solution: Reduce to 4-8 active relays
  • Optimize: Let the app pick relays for you, see the Outbox Model guide

3. Corrupted cache

  • First: Check that your nsec is backed up somewhere outside the app. Clearing data wipes the key stored on the device, and without a backup the account cannot be recovered by anyone.
  • Then: Clear app data. Posts, follows and profile stay on the relays and come back once you log in again.
  • Nuclear option: Reinstall the app and log back in with your backed-up key, or with your signer app if you use one.

Try a Different Client

If one client consistently has issues, try another:

PlatformAlternative
iOS (Damus)Nostur, Primal
Android (Amethyst)Primal, YakiHonne
Web (Primal)Iris, Snort, Coracle

Problem: “Lost My Keys”

Symptoms

  • Can’t log in to client
  • No backup of nsec/npub
  • Keys only on one device that broke

The Hard Truth

⚠️ If you don’t have a backup of your keys, your account is unrecoverable.

This is by design. Nostr has no “forgot password” because there’s no central server holding your keys.

What You CAN Do

1. Search for backups

  • Check password managers
  • Look for screenshots
  • Check notes apps and cloud backups from old devices
  • Check other devices with client installed

2. Check if client has keys stored

  • Some clients cache keys
  • Try logging in without pasting key
  • Check browser extensions (Alby, Nos2x)

3. Create new account

  • Generate new keys
  • Announce on other platforms that old account is lost
  • Start rebuilding your follows

Prevention (Do This NOW)

  1. Write down your nsec on paper
  2. Store in password manager (1Password, Bitwarden)
  3. Use a signer app (Amber, Nos2x) to avoid typing nsec
  4. Make multiple backups in different locations

Problem: “Can’t Connect to Relay”

Symptoms

  • “Connection failed” error
  • Relay shows as offline
  • Posts not syncing

Causes & Solutions

1. Relay is down

  • Test: Swap the wss:// at the front for https:// and open that address in a browser. A relay that is running normally answers with a short info page or a note telling you to use a Nostr client. Nothing at all suggests it is down.
  • Solution: Check relay’s status page or social media
  • Fix: Remove temporarily, re-add when back

2. Network issues

  • Test: Can you access other websites?
  • Solution: Check internet connection, try different network
  • Note: Some networks block WebSocket connections

3. Wrong relay URL

  • Check: Must start with wss:// (secure) or ws:// (insecure)
  • Common mistake: https://relay.com instead of wss://relay.com
  • Fix: Edit relay URL in settings

4. Relay is full

  • Cause: Some free relays hit capacity limits
  • Solution: Try again later or use different relay
  • Long-term: Consider paid relay

Problem: “Zaps Not Working”

Symptoms

  • Zap button unresponsive
  • “Payment failed” errors
  • Can’t send or receive zaps

Causes & Solutions

1. No wallet connected

  • Solution: Connect Lightning wallet in client settings
  • See: Zaps Guide

2. Insufficient balance

  • Check: Wallet balance
  • Solution: Add funds to your wallet
  • Note: Even a 1 sat zap goes through. A wallet scraped down to nothing can still fail on routing fees or the wallet’s own minimum, so keep a small buffer in it.

3. Wallet offline

  • Cause: Non-custodial wallets need to be online
  • Solution: Open your wallet app, ensure it’s running
  • Alternative: Use a hosted wallet such as Coinos, or the wallet built into your client (Primal has one). Those stay reachable whether or not your phone is awake. See the Zaps Guide for the trade-offs.

4. Wrong Lightning address

  • Check: Is your Lightning address correct in profile?
  • Test: Ask a friend to zap you 10 sats, or pay from a second wallet. Most wallets refuse to pay an invoice they issued themselves, so paying yourself proves nothing either way.
  • Fix: Update address in profile settings

Problem: “Images Not Loading”

Symptoms

  • Broken image icons
  • Spinning loaders
  • No media in posts

Causes & Solutions

1. Relay media limits

  • Cause: Some relays don’t store images, only text
  • Solution: Images hosted on separate servers (Blossom, etc.)
  • Fix: Check if images load on web client

2. Image host down

  • Cause: The server hosting the image is offline
  • Test: Try opening image URL directly
  • Note: Nothing you can do if host is down

3. Client settings

  • Check: Settings → Media → “Load images”
  • Some clients: Have data-saving modes that block images
  • Fix: Enable media loading in settings

4. Slow connection

  • Cause: Large images on slow internet
  • Solution: Wait for load, or switch to faster network

Quick Decision Tree

Troubleshooting Wizard

Let's diagnose and fix your Nostr issue step by step

Step 0

What's your problem?

Still need help?

Ask on NostrDocumentation

Having issues? Follow this:

  1. Can’t see anything? → Check relays, add more
  2. Can’t post? → Check write relays, rate limits
  3. Account issues? → Verify keys are correct
  4. App crashes? → Update, clear cache, or try different client
  5. Still stuck? → See below

Still Stuck?

Community Help

Resources

Reporting Bugs

If you found a bug in a client:

  1. Check if it’s already reported (GitHub issues)
  2. Create detailed bug report:
    • What you expected
    • What actually happened
    • Steps to reproduce
    • Client version and platform

Bookmark This Page

Keep this guide handy for quick reference. Most issues have simple solutions once you know where to look!

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Empty Feed

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