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.
License: This repository is source-available (all rights reserved) — published for transparency, audit, and feedback, not OSI Open Source. You may view and run locally for personal study; you may not redistribute, repackage, rebrand, or commercialize without written permission. Suggestions welcome; the maintainer applies code changes. Terms: LICENSE · CONTRIBUTING.md · NOTICE.md · ai.txt.
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:
Changelog: CHANGELOG.md · Design goals: docs/program/design-goals-and-constraints.md · Scope: v1.9.16
The project remains independently developed and maintainer-directed, privacy-first, and local-first. Public review and suggestions are welcome; see CONTRIBUTING.md.
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 maintainer-directed 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)
Demo GIFs
22 / 22 captured — see gif-inventory.
Contact path filename is send_a_contact_request_1.gif (not add_contact_1). Voice note stem is send_voice_note_1.gif. No “still to record” queue for Launch EXIT.
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:
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.
Repository Layout
apps/pwa: web/PWA runtimeapps/desktop: Tauri desktop runtimeapps/website: official website and download surfacepackages/dweb-*: shared core/crypto/nostr/storage/UI packagesdocs: canonical architecture, operations, and roadmap docs
License
Source-available — not Open Source. See LICENSE · participation: CONTRIBUTING.md.
| Allowed without asking | Not allowed without written permission |
|---|
| Read / clone for personal study | Redistribute source or binaries |
| Local build & security audit | Repackage / rebrand / sell as your product |
| Feedback, bug reports, review comments | Unsolicited feature/roadmap PRs (may be closed) |
| Short attributed quotes in research/news | Train or harvest for commercial AI / datasets |
Governance (early stage): outsiders may suggest; the maintainer decides and lands all code updates so the project does not get steered off its intended path.
Official public installs come from the website download / update channel named in this repo. Third-party “Obscur” builds are unauthorized unless they have a separate written grant.
This is a clear ownership statement for a solo maintainer without a legal budget — not a substitute for a lawyer. Edit the copyright line in LICENSE to your legal name when you can.
