MessageChain

A blockchain for sending messages. Quantum-resistant, proof-of-stake, built to last centuries.

Status: mainnet live. Chain ID messagechain-v1, genesis block 0 4eeb9edaadb42f1a460e95919bc667a3173c4a84aa9b5488da040ac7a1c054f6.

Live feed: messagechain.org

Why

• Censorship-resistant communication. No platform, government, or ISP can hide, filter, or silently remove your messages. If it's on-chain, it's there forever.
• Costly to spam. Every message costs real tokens. Bots can participate, but they pay the same price as everyone else — AI-generated noise has a floor.
• Simple and durable. Designed to run for centuries with minimal moving parts. Slow blocks and expensive fees are features, not bugs. Zero runtime dependencies outside the Python stdlib.
• Democratic by default. On-chain governance, distributed validation, no privileged operators. L2s can layer reputation, identity, and moderation on top.

Install

Python 3.10+, no third-party deps.

git clone https://github.com/ben-arnao/MessageChain.git
cd MessageChain
pip install .

This puts a messagechain command on your PATH. You can run it the same way via python -m messagechain <cmd> if you prefer.

Getting started — your first message

1. Generate a private key (offline)

messagechain generate-key    # write the printed hex on paper, 2–3 copies
messagechain verify-key      # re-type to confirm the backup

Paper beats files — files get swept by cloud sync, backups, and malware. Don't copy-paste (clipboard managers log history). Close the terminal when done.

Your entity_id and mc1… address are derived deterministically from the key.

2. Get tokens

MessageChain uses a receive-to-exist model: you do not need to register anything on-chain to receive tokens. Your account appears in chain state the moment someone sends you a transfer.

3. Send a message

messagechain send "hello world"                 # auto-priced (default)
messagechain send "hello world" --fee 500       # pay a specific amount
messagechain send "reply" --prev <tx_hash_hex>  # reference a prior message
messagechain estimate-fee --message "hello world"   # preview cost

Your first outgoing transaction reveals your public key on-chain (the "first-spend pubkey install" path). After that, every subsequent transaction is verified against the installed key.

The optional --prev flag attaches a 32-byte pointer to a prior on-chain message (by its tx_hash), forming a single-linked list — protocol-agnostic: apps can render this as a reply thread, a chained long-form document, a citation, etc. The referenced tx must already be on-chain in a strictly earlier block. The pointer adds 33 bytes to the fee basis but does NOT count against the 1024-char message cap, so you keep the full text budget. (Activates at PREV_POINTER_HEIGHT.)

4. Read messages back

Wait one block (~10 minutes) for your message to be included, then:

messagechain read --last 20

CLI reference

Personal wallet

messagechain generate-key                       # new private key (offline)
messagechain verify-key                         # confirm backup
messagechain account                            # print your address + entity_id
messagechain balance                            # liquid + staked tokens
messagechain send "hello"                       # post a message
messagechain send "reply" --prev <tx_hash>      # reply/chain to a prior message
messagechain transfer --to mc1… --amount 100    # send tokens
messagechain read --last 50                     # recent messages
messagechain estimate-fee --message "hi"        # fee preview

Chain & validator info

messagechain info                               # chain height, supply, sync
messagechain validators                         # validator set, stakes, shares
messagechain peers                              # P2P peers of the target node
messagechain status --server HOST:9334          # one-call health check
messagechain status --server HOST:9334 --entity YOUR_ID
                                                # validator-specific leaf usage
messagechain ping                               # first-run sanity check

Governance

messagechain propose --title "…" --description "…"
messagechain vote --proposal <id> --yes
messagechain proposals                          # open proposals + tallies

Validator operations

Quick start: stake tokens, then run start --mine on a host with TCP 9333/9334 open. key-status warns you when to rotate your WOTS+ signing key before it exhausts.

messagechain init                               # one-shot: keyfile, data-dir, systemd units
messagechain doctor                             # preflight: perms, ports, seeds, disk
messagechain config set auto_upgrade false      # toggle onboard.toml flags
messagechain start --mine                       # run a validator
messagechain stake --amount 10000               # lock as validator stake
messagechain unstake --amount 5000              # ~15-day unbonding (was 7d pre block 50,000)
messagechain key-status                         # WOTS+ leaf usage; when to rotate
messagechain rotate-key                         # fresh keypair, old key retired
messagechain rotate-key-if-needed               # daily watchdog; rotates at >=95% consumed
messagechain upgrade                            # install the latest mainnet tag
messagechain set-authority-key --authority-pubkey <cold_hex>
messagechain emergency-revoke --entity-id <hex> # cold-signed kill switch

Running a validator

Minimum to participate in consensus:

• Stake: 10,000 tokens locked via messagechain stake. Unbonding takes ~15 days (2176 blocks) so you can be slashed for misbehavior discovered after you leave.
• Host: any always-on Linux box with Python 3.10+, ~2 GB RAM, and outbound+inbound TCP 9333 (P2P) and 9334 (RPC). Validator-1 currently runs on a GCP e2-small.

Fast path: scripted install

On a fresh Linux host (as root):

curl -L https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ben-arnao/MessageChain/main/scripts/install-validator.sh \
  | sudo bash -s -- --from-git https://github.com/ben-arnao/MessageChain.git

That runs messagechain init which lays out /var/lib/messagechain, generates a hot keyfile at /etc/messagechain/keyfile (0600), writes /etc/messagechain/onboard.toml, and drops systemd unit files for the validator + the weekly auto-upgrade timer + the daily auto key-rotation watchdog. Both timers are enabled by default; toggle with messagechain config set auto_upgrade false / config set auto_rotate false.

Verify before enabling the service:

messagechain doctor         # preflight: perms, ports, seeds, disk
messagechain status --full  # chain reachable, top validators, peers

Then enable + start:

systemctl enable --now messagechain-validator
systemctl enable --now messagechain-upgrade.timer       # weekly binary upgrades
systemctl enable --now messagechain-rotate-key.timer    # daily leaf-watermark watchdog

Manual path

• Keys: messagechain generate-key and store the printed hex on paper. Optionally set a cold authority key with set-authority-key so key rotations require the cold key.
• Run: messagechain start --mine --rpc-bind 0.0.0.0 --data-dir /var/lib/messagechain --keyfile /etc/messagechain/keyfile. A systemd unit example ships as examples/messagechain-validator.service.example — copy to /etc/systemd/system/messagechain-validator.service, edit the paths, then systemctl daemon-reload && systemctl enable --now messagechain-validator.
• Upkeep: key-status and rotate-key by hand, or enable the messagechain-rotate-key.timer unit for automatic rotation at ≥95% WOTS+ leaf consumption.

Rewards are a mix of block reward + transaction fees + attester pool share, split pro-rata by stake. Expect economics to tighten as the validator set grows.

Security & changelog

• Vulnerabilities: see SECURITY.md — private email disclosure, 72h ack, 7d triage. Do not open a public issue.
• Release notes: see CHANGELOG.md.