nips/88.md

NIP-88
======

Recurring Subscriptions
-----------------------

`draft` `optional`

This NIP defines a way for a pubkey to create recurring subscription payments to another pubkey.

Actors in this flow:
* Recipient: A pubkey that receives recurring payments
* Subscriber: A pubkey that sends recurring payments
* Payment verifier: An optional pubkey recipients can designate to verify payments on their behalf

# Kinds
`kind:37001` - Tier Event -- Optionally published by recipients
`kind:7001` - Subscribe Event -- Published by subscribers
`kind:7002` - Unsubscribe Event -- Published by subscribers
`kind:7003` - Subscription Payment Receipt -- Published by payment-verifier-pubkey

## `kind:37001`: Tier Event
A pubkey that wants to provide others the ability to subscribe to them can create "tiers". These tiers might provide certain benefits to the supporters who subscribe to these.

```js
{
    "kind": 37001,
    "content": "<description of the tier>",
    "tags": [
        [ "title", "..." ],
        [ "image", "..." ],

        // Perks
        [ "perk", "<description>" ],
        [ "perk", "<description>" ],

        // Amount possibilities
        [ "amount", "<amount-in-base-unit>", "currency", "<monthly>" ],
        [ "amount", "<amount-in-base-unit>", "currency", "<quarterly>" ],

        // Zap-splits
        [ "zap", "<recipient-pubkey>", "relay-url", "19" ], // 95%
        [ "zap", "", "relay-url", "1" ], // 5%

        // Relay and payment-verification
        [ "r", "wss://my-subscribers-only-relay.com" ],
        [ "p", "<payment-verifier-pubkey>" ],

        // A unique identifier
        [ "d", "<random-id>" ],
    ]
}
```

`.content`: description of what subscribers can expect.
Tag `title` is an optional title for the tier.
Tag `image` is an optional image for the tier.
Zero or more `perk` tags specify the benefits of the tier; these can be rendered as a list of benefits to the user in addition to the content.
One or more `amount` tags specify the payment required for this tier and its cadence.
    * The first argument should be the stringified amount in cents or msats, and the second argument the currency
    * The third argument SHOULD be one of `daily`, `monthly`, `yearly`
One or more `amount` tags MUST exist.
Zero or more `zap` tags can exist as defined in NIP-57.

A `zap` tag with no pubkey indicates that the client can include any pubkey in the `kind:7001` event (and in the resulting recurring zaps). This way, users can offer a "referral" fee to other clients.

An `r` tag can be included to specify a relay where clients can find special content for this tier.

Zero or more `p` tags can be included to specify a pubkey that is trusted by the tier creator to verify payments on their behalf.

#### Examples
* `[ "amount", "100", "usd", "daily" ]`, $1.00 a day.
* `[ "amount", "1000000", "msats", "daily" ]`, 1000000 millisats a day.

## Subscribe Event

```js
{
    "kind": 7001,
    "content": "<optional-message>",
    "tags": [
        [ "p", "<recipient-pubkey>" ],
        [ "e", "<supporting-tier-event-id>" ],
        [ "event", "<stringied-event-subscribed-to>" ],
        [ "amount", "<amount-in-base-unit>", "<currency>", "<cadence>" ],

        // Zap-splits
        [ "zap", "<recipient-pubkey>", "19" ], // 95%
        [ "zap", "fa984bd7dbb282f07e16e7ae87b26a2a7b9b90b7246a44771f0cf5ae58018f52", "1" ], // 5% to client developer where subscription was created
    ]
}
```

When a user wants to subscribe to support a user they create a `kind:7001` event.

* `.content` is an optional message the supporter can write.
* The `p` tag MUST tag the pubkey being supported.
* The `e` tag is optional; it should point to a `kind:37001` support tier event. There MUST be exactly 0 or 1 `e` tag.
* The `event` tag is optional; subscribers can opt to keep the version of the event they subscribed to. There MUST be exactly 0 or 1 `event` tag.
* The `amount` tag specifies what the supporters is committing to pay to the supported pubkey and the cadence. MUST be equal to one of the amounts specified in the
`kind:37001` event if one is tagged. There MUST be exactly 1 `amount` tag.

The `kind:7001` event can be created without an `e` tag so that users can create recurring support events without the pubkey receiving the support having explicitly created a support tier.

### Zap splits
`kind:7001` events can include zap splits as defined in NIP-57. Zap splits MUST be copied by clients as they exist in the `kind:37001` event being subscribed to. When an event has a `zap` tag with no pubkey, clients can discard it, or add the client developer's pubkey, or any other user they wish to receive a share of recurring subscriptions.

## Paying
The supporting user should create a zap `p`-tagging the receiver and e-tagging the `kind:7001`. There MUST be a single `p` and a single `e` tag in the zap request.

```js
{
    "kind": 9734,
    "content": "",
    "tags": [
        [ "p", "<recipient-pubkey>" ],
        [ "e", "<kind-7001-event-id>" ]
    ]
}
```

Clients supporting this NIP can check for zaps e-tagging the `kind:7001` event to find the pubkeys that have a valid, paid subscriptions at each different period.

The same `kind:7001` is re-zapped on a regular basis per the cadence specified in the event.

## Stopping a subscription
A user who wants to signal they are no longer subscribed can publish a `kind:7002` event tagging the `kind:7001` they are stopping and `p`-tagging the pubkey they are no longer subscribed to.

```js
{
    "kind": 7002,
    "content": "<optional-message>",
    "tags": [
        [ "p", "<recipient-pubkey>" ],
        [ "e", "<kind-7001-event-id>" ],
    ]
}
```

## Subscription Payment Receipt
When a subscription payment is made and a `payment-verifier-pubkey` is set on the `kind:37001` this pubkey publishes `kind:7003` events tagging the `kind:7001` event that was paid and `p`-tagging the pubkey that received the payment.

```js
{
    "kind": 7003,
    "content": "<optional-message>",
    "tags": [
        [ "p", "<recipient-pubkey>" ],
        [ "P", "<subscriber-pubkey>" ],
        [ "e", "<kind-7001-event-id>" ],
        [ "valid", "<from-timestamp>", "<to-timestamp>" ]
        [ "tier", "kind:37001-d-tag" ]
    ]
}
```

`p` is the pubkey that received the payment.
`P` is the pubkey that made the payment.
`e` is the `kind:7001` event that was paid.
`valid` is the period for which the payment is valid.
`tier` is the d-tag of the `kind:37001` that this subscription is for.

# Appendix 0: Verifying Payment
The following conditions must be met to verify a payment:

* Time between zap receipts should be equal or less than the cadence specified in the `kind:7001` event.
* Amount of the zap receipt should be equal or greater than the amount specified in the `kind:7001` event. For currencies not directly supported by the zap spec, clients should do a best effort conversion to the currency specified in the `kind:7001` event at the time of zap receipt.
* Zap-receipts should include a zap request `e`-tagging the `kind:7001` event. Zap-receipts might not include a signature (for NWC-automated payments where the subscriber is not present to sign the zap request).
* Validations specified in [NIP-57](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/blob/master/57.md).

If `kind:7003` events are published by the payment-verifier-pubkey, clients can use these to verify payments more simply.