I've been experimenting with relay administration using notes sent from a GUI client, specifically leveraging my own kind 42021 note (note spec to follow). I’ve developed a basic proof of concept that allows Nostr relay operators (or other implementations if they eventually support this kind) to:
- Ban or allow pubkeys and kinds from posting to your relay.
- Delete stored events from a specific pubkey. -View the allow list for pubkeys and kinds.
All of this can be done without the need to SSH into the server or store private keys on your relay or computer. This is just a test case—there are already operators managing relays through notes, but there isn’t a standard relay admin API yet. There’s also ongoing discussion about whether this approach is the right one or if relay operators should instead use a web client for management.
I welcome any feedback or criticism of this approach and greatly appreciate anyone willing to test it out!