BitKarrot has spent years building across Bitcoin, Lightning and Nostr, from LNbits integrations to HiveTalk and a long list of projects behind the scenes. We get into how Nostr standards actually move, the realities of open-source funding, HiveTalk’s new paid relay model, L402 versus x402, AI-driven development, the responsibility to maintain what you build, and how open market operators might create sustainable businesses. --- QUICK PROGRAMMING NOTE: Every guest brings a different conversation, and this one naturally ran long. Rather than rush the discussion, we skipped our usual V4V readout this week. To everyone who zapped or boosted the show: we saw you, we appreciate you, and we have not forgotten you. The full V4V section will be back in a big way next episode. We also left some of the pre-show in. The conversation was already too good to cut. --- Links & references from the episode BitKarrot on Nostr - https://primal.net/p/npub18pudjhdhhp2v8gxnkttt00um729nv93tuepjda2jrwn3eua5tf5s80a699 HiveTalk - https://hivetalk.org/ BitKarrot’s HiveTalk and AI slides - https://slides.hivetalk.org/ High Agency in an Agentic World - https://jumble.social/notes/naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzqwrcm9wm0wz5cwsd8vkkk7lehu5txctzhejrym64yxa8rnemgknfqyfhwumn8ghj7mmxve3ksctfdch8qatz9uq3yamnwvaz7tmwdaehgu3jxyhxxmmd9uqpycnvdanj6vfh8qmrgwp4xsurgd3c8y4rtf7s LNbits - https://lnbits.com/ BTCPay Server - https://btcpayserver.org/ NIP-15: Nostr Marketplace - https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/blob/master/15.md NIP-53: Live Activities - https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/blob/master/53.md NIP-99: Classified Listings - https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/blob/master/99.md L402 documentation - https://docs.lightning.engineering/the-lightning-network/l402/l402 x402 - https://www.x402.org/ Plebeian Market - https://plebeian.market/ Nostr Apps directory - https://nostrapps.com/ nostr.net - https://nostr.net/ exe.dev and Shelley - https://exe.dev/ Open GSD - https://github.com/open-gsd/ GStack - https://github.com/garrytan/gstack Buzz by Block - https://block.xyz/inside/introducing-buzz-where-humans-and-agents-work-together Conduit Market - https://conduit.market/ Projects and ideas discussed BitKarrot’s early work with BTCPay Server and LNbits Trust, pseudonymity and operational security in Bitcoin and Nostr NIP-15, NIP-99 and how protocol standards gain legitimacy Writing the video-room portion of NIP-53 Grant funding, gatekeepers and sustainable open-source development HiveTalk’s transition from pure V4V to paid relays and white-label clients AI tooling, high-agency builders and the changing role of software developers Production architecture versus disposable vibe-coded prototypes L402, x402 and machine-to-machine payments Cashu, LNURL Cash and bearer instruments The shortage of developers building on Bitcoin, Lightning and Nostr Discoverability, notifications and monetization for open markets Sponsored product feeds and directories as a service Nostr Apps, Karnage, fiatjaf and centralized discovery points