Obscur

Active (2026-05). Obscur development has resumed in this repository. Greenfield has been discontinued as a separate execution track; its archived design goals remain available for reference in docs/archive/greenfield/README.md.

Obscur is a cross-platform, decentralized, end-to-end encrypted (E2EE) communication app focused on user privacy, ownership, and self-custody identity.

Project phase: v1.9.x on main (execution contract · v1.9.16 scope)

Current status (2026-08-15): v1.9.16 stamped · clearnet ship (Tor OFF) unblocked · dialect research PAUSED. Primary download channel is the website /download (update channel under apps/desktop/release/channel/stable/). GitHub Releases is not the current public channel. See docs/CURRENT.md and handoff.

Current version: version.json on main.

Get Obscur:

Path	Command / link
Download (primary)	Website /download — channel manifests in apps/desktop/release/channel/stable/
Dev	pnpm dev:desktop:online
Local installer	pnpm desktop:package → install from release-assets/
Source	Clone or Download ZIP

Changelog: CHANGELOG.md · Design goals: docs/program/design-goals-and-constraints.md · Scope: v1.9.16

The project remains independently developed, community-maintained, privacy-first, and local-first.

Core Positioning

• Decentralized by design (relay-based transport, no required central server).
• Privacy-first messaging and community interactions.
• End-to-end encryption for private communications.
• User sovereignty through key-based identity and local-first ownership.
• Independently developed and community-maintained in public (not operated by a corporation or government agency).

Trust and Transparency

• Public repository with auditable source code and open release history.
• Project policy guarantee: no intentional malicious code, hidden telemetry backdoors, or closed-source runtime logic in this repository.
• Security/privacy model and implementation history are documented in /docs, CHANGELOG.md, and docs/releases/. For v1.8.x+, /docs is the authoritative release record where inline changelog updates were missed during fast patch lanes; entries are backfilled at tag time from program docs.
• Installers and update metadata are published through the website download / update channel with reproducible version contracts (version.json).

Key Capabilities

• Direct messaging and community/group messaging.
• Rich media messaging (image/video/audio/file).
• Voice notes and realtime voice call flow.
• Local vault/media workflows.
• Message deletion: Delete for me (local). Cooperative “remove for everyone” on DMs is planned for v1.6+, not v1.5.0 — see docs/messaging/cooperative-redaction-future.md.
• Light/dark themes, multilingual UI, and cross-platform UX parity improvements.
• Runtime diagnostics and triage tooling for long-term maintainability.

Feature GIF Previews

Current v1.9.x captures live in docs/assets/gifs/. Legacy April 2026 six-pack files were removed 2026-07-10.

Auth and onboarding

Direct messaging

Settings and relays

Pending: settings_panel_1.gif — full settings navigation refresh (re-record).

Multi-profile management

Communities (group chat)

Still to record

Topic	Target filename	Notes
Settings panel	settings_panel_1.gif	Settings nav + security surfaces
Add contact	add_contact_1.gif	Network → add by key / QR
Media upload	multimedia_files_upload_and_transfer_1.gif	DM attach + transfer
Voice notes	voice_notes_1.gif	Record, send, playback in thread
Voice calls	voice_calls_1.gif	Outgoing call + accept/join UI

Full inventory: docs/assets/demo/v2.0.0/gif-inventory.md

Platform Coverage

• Web/PWA: apps/pwa
• Desktop (Tauri): apps/desktop
• Mobile targets via desktop runtime/tooling lane (Android/iOS support paths in repository workflows)

Quick Start

Prerequisites:

• Node.js >=20.11.0
• pnpm

Install and run PWA:

pnpm install
pnpm dev:pwa

Default local endpoint: http://127.0.0.1:3340

Run desktop:

pnpm dev:desktop

Deployment and Release

Current public distribution:

• Website /download (primary) — reads update channel
• Local packaged installers under release-assets/ for maintainers

GitHub Releases is not the current public channel for this repo.

Website (apps/website) also hosts changelog/feature summaries and GIF demos.

Release guard commands:

pnpm version:sync
pnpm version:check
pnpm docs:check
pnpm release:integrity-check
pnpm release:artifact-version-contract-check
pnpm release:ci-signal-check
pnpm release:test-pack
pnpm release:preflight -- --tag vX.Y.Z

Documentation Map

The /docs tree is the project encyclopedia. Start: docs/START-HERE.md · docs/CURRENT.md.

Shelf	Entry
Navigation	docs/README.md
Current scope	docs/program/v1.9.16-scope.md · 1.9.16 on main
Execution contract	docs/program/v1.9.x-execution-contract.md
Design goals	docs/program/design-goals-and-constraints.md
Latest release notes	v1.9.16
Program (active ~39)	docs/program/README.md
Changelog	CHANGELOG.md
Maintainer	docs/encyclopedia/08-maintainer-playbook.md
Architecture owners	docs/encyclopedia/12-core-architecture-truth-map.md
ClientGateway	docs/gateway/client-unified-gateway.md
Handoff	docs/handoffs/current-session.md
Issues	ISSUES.md

Repository Layout

• apps/pwa: web/PWA runtime
• apps/desktop: Tauri desktop runtime
• apps/website: official website and download surface
• packages/dweb-*: shared core/crypto/nostr/storage/UI packages
• docs: canonical architecture, operations, and roadmap docs