Stacker News FAQStacker News FAQ

last updated: December 17, 2025

New Stackers Start HereNew Stackers Start Here

What is Stacker News?What is Stacker News?

Stacker News is a forum similar to Reddit or Hacker News. Unlike on Reddit or Hacker News where you earn "upvotes" or "karma" that are not redeemable or transferable, on Stacker News you earn satoshis for creating and curating content.

What are satoshis?What are satoshis?

A satoshi is the smallest denomination of bitcoin. Just like there are 100 pennies in 1 dollar, there are 100,000,000 satoshis in 1 bitcoin. Satoshis are commonly abbreviated as "sats".

On Stacker News, all bitcoin payments are denominated in sats and use the Lightning Network.

What are cowboy credits?What are cowboy credits?

Stacker News never takes custody of stackers' money to send it to someone else.

To help new stackers get started without requiring them to attach a lightning wallet, stackers without an attached wallet will earn cowboy credits (CCs) when other stackers zap their content. Stacker News will accept CCs instead of sats for any payment on the site at a 1:1 ratio. This means new stackers can use these earned CCs to pay for posts, comments, zaps, jobs, boosts, donations or even territories but cannot withdraw them.

If you need additional cowboy credits beyond what you've earned through zaps, you can always purchase them with sats at a 1:1 ratio here.

What are zaps?What are zaps?

Zaps are micropayments on the Lightning Network commonly used as tips.

What are territories?What are territories?

Every post on Stacker News belongs to a territory. Territories are communities where stackers gather to discuss shared interests and help them grow and thrive.

They are founded by stackers who pay us to receive the revenue they generate (some would call that a business model). Territories generate revenue because 70% of post, comment and boost fees and 21% of zaps go to the founder.

See the section about territories for details.

Do I need bitcoin to use Stacker News?Do I need bitcoin to use Stacker News?

No. You don't need bitcoin to get started. You can create your bio for free (with limited visibility) and earn Cowboy Credits (CCs) from zaps to cover fees. Posts and comments incur a small fee to prevent spam and to encourage quality contributions. Many stackers earn enough from their posts and comments to continue posting on the site indefinitely without ever buying CCs with sats.

Post and comment fees vary depending on the territory.

How do I earn sats on Stacker News?How do I earn sats on Stacker News?

There are four ways to earn sats on Stacker News:

1. Zaps

To earn sats via zaps from fellow stackers peer-to-peer, you need to attach a wallet that can receive payments. Once you're setup, share interesting links, discussion prompts or simply engage with the community in comments. If another stacker finds value in what you shared and they also attached a wallet, you will receive real sats when they zap you.

2. Daily rewards

Stackers can also earn sats via daily rewards. Stacker News uses the revenue it generates from post, comment, zap and boost fees, the job board and donations to reward stackers that contributed to the site with even more sats beyond the zaps they already received. Contributions also include zapping content since they are used as a signal for ranking. You do not need to attach a wallet to receive daily rewards in sats. They are automatically deposited into your account. You can find and withdraw your reward sats balance here.

3. Referrals

Another way to earn sats is via referrals. If a stacker signs up through one of your referral links, you will earn 10% of their rewards in perpetuity. A referral link is any link that ends with /r/<your name>. Your posts, comments and profile are also implicit referral links. They don't need to have the /r/<your name> suffix.

To make referring stackers easy, clicking on ... next to a post or comment and selecting 'copy link' will copy it as a referral link by default. You can disable this in your settings.

4. Territories

The last way to earn sats is by founding a territory since they generate revenue. However, this is not a recommended way to earn sats for new stackers since you need to pay for the territory in advance and it requires a lot of effort to just break even.

WalletsWallets

Stacker News is non-custodial. To send and receive sats, you need to attach a wallet. If you don't attach a wallet, you will send and receive CCs.

How do I attach a wallet?How do I attach a wallet?

Click here or click on your name and select 'wallets'. You should then see this:

I can't find my wallet. Can I not attach one?I can't find my wallet. Can I not attach one?

If you can't find your wallet, there is still a high chance that you can attach one. Many wallets support Nostr Wallet Connect or provide lightning addresses.

You can also let us know in the saloon that your wallet isn't listed so we can add it!

I receive notifications about failed zaps. What do I do?I receive notifications about failed zaps. What do I do?

This means your wallet isn't working properly. You can retry the payment or check your wallet logs for errors. A retry usually works.

If the retry didn't work, you can't find an error or don't understand it, let us know in the saloon or reply to this FAQ.

The link to the wallet logs can be found on the wallet page.

Why do I need to enter two strings for NWC?Why do I need to enter two strings for NWC?

For security reasons, we never store permissions to spend from your wallet on the server in plaintext.

Since we however need to request invoices from your wallet when there is an incoming payment, we need to store the details to receive payments on the server in plaintext.

This means that the details for receiving cannot be mixed with the details for sending and is why we need two separate NWC strings for sending and receiving.

Other applications don't require two strings for one of the following reasons:

1. they only use NWC for sending but not for receiving
2. you can only receive while you are logged in
3. they (irresponsibly) store permissions to spend in plaintext on their server

Why do I need to enter a passphrase on another device to see my wallets?Why do I need to enter a passphrase on another device to see my wallets?

Credentials to spend from your wallet are always stored encrypted on the server. The encryption key is generated and stored on your device.

You need to enter your passphrase on another device so it can derive the same key to decrypt your wallets.

I have a wallet attached but I still receive CCs. Why?I have a wallet attached but I still receive CCs. Why?

This can happen for any of the following reasons:

1. The sender did not have a wallet attached
2. Sender's dust limit is higher than the outgoing zap amount
3. Your dust limit is higher than the incoming zap amount (configured on the last screen when attaching a wallet)
4. Sender's wallet was not able to pay
5. Routing the payment to your wallet was too expensive relative to the zap amount (3% is reserved for network fees)
6. The OP chose you as a split for the zaps (split zaps are CCs-only currently)

I have a wallet attached but I still send CCs. Why?I have a wallet attached but I still send CCs. Why?

This can happen for any of the following reasons:

1. The receiver did not have a wallet attached
2. Your dust limit is higher than the outgoing zap amount (configured on the last screen when attaching a wallet)
3. Receiver's dust limit is higher than the incoming zap amount
4. Your wallet was not able to pay
5. Routing the payment to your wallet was too expensive relative to the zap amount (3% are reserved for network fees)
6. The OP chose to split the zaps (split zaps are CCs-only currently)

I don't want to receive CCs. How do I disable them?I don't want to receive CCs. How do I disable them?

You cannot disable receiving CCs but we might change that in the future. For now, you can donate any CCs you received here.

If I attach a wallet, do I always pay with sats?If I attach a wallet, do I always pay with sats?

No. Even if you have CCs, we will only try to pay with sats from your wallet when you zap other stackers that have attached a receiving wallet. In any other case, you're paying us, Stacker News, and we will thus try to first use any CCs you already have. If you don't have enough CCs, we will attempt to pay the remainder using your attached wallet.

Can I pay only the remainder with sats?Can I pay only the remainder with sats?

Yes. Anytime you pay Stacker News for something, we will spend the less desirable CCs first, and pay any remainder with Reward Sats, and pay any remainder of that with an attached wallet.

Which wallet is used if I attached multiple wallets for send or receive?Which wallet is used if I attached multiple wallets for send or receive?

The wallet that is most top-left will be attempted first. If it fails, we will attempt the next wallet in left-to-right order. On desktop, you can drag the wallets around to rearrange their priority. On mobile, you need to click on a wallet and then select where you want the wallet to be.

These sender and receiver fallbacks happen if the payment failed. The sender will attempt their next wallet if the error was caused by them. We will attempt the next receiving wallet if the error was caused by the receiving side.

Are payments retried in the background?Are payments retried in the background?

Yes. We retry failed payments multiple times attempting different sender and receiver fallbacks. If a payment still wasn't successful, you will receive a notification allowing you to retry the payment manually.

How do I get a gun or a horse?How do I get a gun or a horse?

You receive a gun when you attach a wallet to send sats.

You receive a horse when you attach a wallet to receive sats.

TerritoriesTerritories

Territories are communities on Stacker News. Each territory has a founder who acts as a steward of the community, and anyone can post content to the territory that best fits the topic of their post.

When Stacker News first launched without territories, much of the discussion focused exclusively on Bitcoin. However, since territories have been introduced, anyone can now create a thriving community on Stacker News to discuss any topic.

How do I found a territory?How do I found a territory?

Click here or scroll to the bottom in the territory dropdown menu and click on 'create'.

How much does it cost to found a territory?How much does it cost to found a territory?

Founding a territory costs either 50k sats/month, 500k sats/year, or 3m sats as a one-time payment.

If a territory founder chooses either the monthly or yearly payment options, they can select 'auto-renew' so that Stacker News is automatically paid the territory fee each month or year from your CC balance. If a territory founder doesn't select 'auto-renew' or they don't have enough CCs, they will get a notification to pay an invoice within 5 days after the end of their current billing period to keep their territory.

If you later change your mind, your payment for the current period is included in the new cost. This means that if you go from monthly to yearly payments for example, we will charge you 450k instead of 500k sats.

Do I earn sats from territories?Do I earn sats from territories?

Yes. Territory founders earn 70% of all posting and boost fees as well as 21% of all sats zapped within their territory.

The remaining fees go to the Stacker News daily rewards pool, which rewards the best contributors each day.

Why does it cost more to post in some territories?Why does it cost more to post in some territories?

Territory founders set the fees for posts and comments in their territories.

Additionally, fees increase by 10x for repetitive posts and self-reply comments to prevent spam.

As an example, if it costs 10 sats for a stacker to make a post in a territory, it will cost 100 sats if they make a second post within 10 minutes of their first post. If they post a third time within 10 minutes of their first one, it will cost 1,000 sats.

This 10x fee escalation continues until 10 minutes have elapsed, and will reset to a fee of 10 sats when the stacker goes 10 minutes or more without posting or replying to themselves in a comment thread.

Are media uploads free?Are media uploads free?

Your first 250 MB within 24 hours are free. After that, the following fees apply:

After 24 hours, you can upload 250 MB for free again.

Uploads without being logged in always cost 100 sats.

Upload fees are applied when you submit your post or comment.

Are media uploads stored forever?Are media uploads stored forever?

Yes, if it was used in a post or comment. Uploads that haven't been used within 7 days in a post or comment are deleted.

I no longer want to pay for my territory. What should I do?I no longer want to pay for my territory. What should I do?

Make sure 'auto-renew' is disabled in your territory settings. After that, simply ignore the new bill at the end of your current billing period.

After the grace period of 5 days, the territory will be archived. Stackers can still see archived posts and comments, but they will not be able to create new posts or comments until someone pays for that territory again.

How do I bring back a territory?How do I bring back a territory?

Enter the name of the territory you want to bring back in the territory form. If the territory indeed existed before, you will see a hint below the input field like this:

The info text mentions that you will inherit all existing content.

Other than that, the process to bring back an archived territory is the same as founding a new territory.

Can I share the costs and revenue of a territory with someone?Can I share the costs and revenue of a territory with someone?

You can't do that yet but this is planned. Currently, territories can only have a single founder.

What do the territory stats in my profile mean?What do the territory stats in my profile mean?

The stats for each territory are the following:

• stacked: how many sats stackers stacked in this territory without the 30% sybil fee
• revenue: how much revenue went to the founder
• spent: how many sats have been spent in this territory on posts, comments, boosts, zaps, downzaps, jobs and poll votes
• items: the total number of items in the territory

You can filter the same stats by different periods in top territories.

ZapsZaps

How do I zap on Stacker News?How do I zap on Stacker News?

To send a zap, click the lightning bolt next to a post or comment. Each click will automatically send your default zap amount to the creator of the post or comment. You can zap a post or comment an unlimited number of times.

How do I change my default zap amount?How do I change my default zap amount?

You can change your default zap amount in your settings.

How do I zap a custom amount?How do I zap a custom amount?

To send a custom zap amount, long-press on the lightning bolt next to a post or comment until a textbox appears. Then type the number of sats you’d like to zap, and click 'zap'.

Your last five custom amounts are saved so you can quickly zap the same amount again.

Do zaps help content rank higher?Do zaps help content rank higher?

Yes, in hot ranking:

• the amount stackers zapped a post or comment
• the time elapsed since the creation of the item

Zapping an item with more sats gives you more influence on an item's ranking.

To make this feature sybil-resistant, SN takes 30% of zaps and re-distributes them to territory founders and the SN community as part of the daily rewards.

Why should I zap?Why should I zap?

Here are few reasons to zap content on Stacker News:

1. To influence the ranking of content on the site

More zaps means more people will see a particular piece of content.

2. To acknowledge the value of the content other people create (value for value)

Sending someone a like or an upvote incurs no cost to you, and therefore these metrics can easily be gamed by bots. Sending someone sats incurs a direct cost to you, which gives the recipient a meaningful reward and acts as a clear signal that you found a particular piece of content to be valuable.

4. To earn sats from the daily rewards pool

You can earn sats from the daily rewards pool by zapping content that ends up performing well. The amount you receive is proportional to the amount of sats you zapped, how early you zapped the day's best content, and your trust level.

Can I donate sats to Stacker News?Can I donate sats to Stacker News?

Yes. Every day, Stacker News distributes the revenue it collects from job listings, posting fees, boosts, and donations back to the stackers who made the best contributions on a given day.

To donate sats directly to the Stacker News rewards pool, or to view the rewards that will be distributed to stackers tomorrow, click here.

Someone zapped me 100 sats but I only received 70 sats. Why?Someone zapped me 100 sats but I only received 70 sats. Why?

30% of zaps go to territory founders (21%) and the SN community as part of the daily rewards (9%). This sacrifice allows Stacker News to determine that the zap is genuine and can be used as a signal for ranking and daily rewards.

By example, if someone zaps your post or comment 100 sats, 70 sats go to you, 21 sats go to the territory founder and the remaining 9 sats are distributed as part of the daily rewards.

Is there an equivalent to downvotes?Is there an equivalent to downvotes?

Yes. If you see content that you think should not be on Stacker News, you can click the ... next to the post or comment and select 'downzap'. You can then enter a custom amount to downzap the content.

Downzapping content is a form of negative feedback that reduces the visibility of the specific item.

If an item gets downzapped using enough sats, it is outlawed and hidden from view for stackers who do not have Wild West mode enabled in their settings. If you wish to see outlawed content, you can enable Wild West mode in your settings.

What are turbo zaps?What are turbo zaps?

Turbo zaps are an opt-in feature. They are a convenient way to modify your zap amounts on the go, rather than relying on a single default amount or a long-press of the lightning bolt for all your zapping.

When enabled in your settings, every lightning bolt click on a specific post or comment raises your total zap amount to the next 10x of your default zap amount. For example, if your default zap amount is 1 sat:

• your first click: zap 1 sat for a total of 1 sat
• your second click: zap additional 9 sats for a total of 10 sats
• your third click: zap additional 90 sats for a total of 100 sats
• your fourth click: zap additional 900 sats for a total of 1000 sats
• and so on ...

Turbo zaps only escalate your zapping amount when you repeatedly click on the lightning bolt of a specific post or comment. Zapping a new post or comment will once again start at your default zap amount, and escalate by 10x with every additional click.

What are random zaps?What are random zaps?

Instead of zapping the same default amount on each press, the 'random zaps' setting allows you to select a range from which the zap amount will be randomly chosen on each press. This leads to greater privacy and a more fun zapping experience.

I accidentally zapped too much! Can I prevent this from happening again?I accidentally zapped too much! Can I prevent this from happening again?

Yes, you can enable zap undos in your settings. Once enabled, any zap above your specified threshold will make the bolt pulse for 5 seconds. Clicking the bolt again while it's pulsing will undo the zap.

In case you wonder how we can undo zaps when lightning transactions are final: it's because we don't actually "undo zaps". We simply delay the zap to give you a chance to abort it. We make them look like undos for UX reasons.

Web of TrustWeb of Trust

Stacker News relies on a Web of Trust for daily rewards.

How does the Web of Trust work?How does the Web of Trust work?

New accounts start without any trust and over time earn trust from other stackers by zapping content before them.

The only determinant of a stacker's trust level is whether or not they are zapping good content earlier than other stackers.

Stackers do not lose or gain trust for making posts or comments.

A stacker’s trust is an important factor in determining how much they earn from the rewards pool for their zaps.

Can I see my trust scores?Can I see my trust scores?

No. All trust scores are private, and even if it weren't confusing to see them, it'd make trust an easier target for manipulation.

Other FAQsOther FAQs

Where should I submit feature requests?Where should I submit feature requests?

Ideally on Github here. The more background you give on your feature request the better. The hardest part of developing a feature is understanding the problem it solves, all the things that can wrong, etc.

Will Stacker News pay for contributions?Will Stacker News pay for contributions?

Yes, we pay sats for PRs. See the section about contributing in our README for the details.

Where should I submit bug reports?Where should I submit bug reports?

You can submit bug reports on Github here.

If you found a security or privacy issue, please consider a responsible disclosure.

How to do a responsible disclosure?How to do a responsible disclosure?

If you found a vulnerability on Stacker News, we would greatly appreciate it if you report it on Github here.

You can also contact us via security@stacker.news or t.me/k00bideh. Our PGP key can be found here.

Where can I ask more questions?Where can I ask more questions?

Reply to this FAQ. It's like any other post on the site.