NIP-06

Key Derivation from Mnemonic - derives Nostr key pairs from BIP-39 mnemonic seed phrases using the BIP-32 HD key derivation path m/44'/1237'/account'/0/0. This allows users to back up and restore their Nostr identity with a standard 12 or 24-word mnemonic.

Import

import { nip06 } from 'nostr-core'
// or import individual functions
import {
  generateMnemonic,
  validateMnemonic,
  mnemonicToKey,
  deriveKey,
  getDerivationPath,
} from 'nostr-core'

DerivedKey Type

type DerivedKey = {
  secretKey: Uint8Array
  publicKey: string
}

Field	Type	Description
secretKey	Uint8Array	32-byte secret key
publicKey	string	Hex-encoded Schnorr public key (x-only)

nip06.getDerivationPath

function getDerivationPath(accountIndex: number): string

Returns the BIP-44 derivation path for Nostr keys at a given account index.

Parameter	Type	Description
accountIndex	number	Account index (0-based)

Returns: string - Derivation path in the format m/44'/1237'/account'/0/0.

const path = nip06.getDerivationPath(0)
console.log(path) // "m/44'/1237'/0'/0/0"

const path2 = nip06.getDerivationPath(1)
console.log(path2) // "m/44'/1237'/1'/0/0"

nip06.generateMnemonic

function generateMnemonic(wordCount?: 12 | 24): string

Generates a new BIP-39 mnemonic phrase.

Parameter	Type	Description
wordCount	12 | 24 (optional)	Number of words. Defaults to 12

Returns: string - A BIP-39 mnemonic phrase (space-separated words).

const mnemonic12 = nip06.generateMnemonic()
console.log(mnemonic12) // "abandon ability able about above absent ..."

const mnemonic24 = nip06.generateMnemonic(24)
console.log(mnemonic24.split(' ').length) // 24

nip06.validateMnemonic

function validateMnemonic(mnemonic: string): boolean

Validates whether a string is a valid BIP-39 mnemonic phrase.

Parameter	Type	Description
mnemonic	string	Mnemonic phrase to validate

Returns: boolean - true if the mnemonic is valid, false otherwise.

const valid = nip06.validateMnemonic('abandon ability able about above absent ...')
console.log(valid) // true

const invalid = nip06.validateMnemonic('not a valid mnemonic')
console.log(invalid) // false

nip06.mnemonicToKey

function mnemonicToKey(mnemonic: string, accountIndex?: number, passphrase?: string): DerivedKey

Derives a Nostr key pair from a BIP-39 mnemonic phrase.

Parameter	Type	Description
mnemonic	string	BIP-39 mnemonic phrase
accountIndex	number (optional)	Account index for derivation. Defaults to 0
passphrase	string (optional)	Optional BIP-39 passphrase. Defaults to ''

Returns: DerivedKey - Derived secret key and public key.

Throws: Error if the mnemonic is invalid.

const mnemonic = nip06.generateMnemonic()
const key = nip06.mnemonicToKey(mnemonic)
console.log(key.publicKey) // hex pubkey

// Derive a second account
const key2 = nip06.mnemonicToKey(mnemonic, 1)

// With passphrase
const key3 = nip06.mnemonicToKey(mnemonic, 0, 'my-passphrase')

nip06.deriveKey

function deriveKey(seed: Uint8Array, accountIndex?: number): DerivedKey

Derives a Nostr key pair from a BIP-32 seed directly.

Parameter	Type	Description
seed	Uint8Array	BIP-32 master seed bytes
accountIndex	number (optional)	Account index for derivation. Defaults to 0

Returns: DerivedKey - Derived secret key and public key.

Throws: Error if key derivation fails.

// If you already have a seed from another source
const key = nip06.deriveKey(seedBytes, 0)
console.log(key.publicKey)

Full Example

import { nip06, finalizeEvent } from 'nostr-core'

// Generate a new mnemonic and derive keys
const mnemonic = nip06.generateMnemonic()
console.log('Backup these words:', mnemonic)

// Derive the first account
const { secretKey, publicKey } = nip06.mnemonicToKey(mnemonic)
console.log('Public key:', publicKey)

// Sign an event with the derived key
const event = finalizeEvent(
  {
    kind: 1,
    tags: [],
    content: 'Hello from a mnemonic-derived key!',
    created_at: Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000),
  },
  secretKey,
)

// Derive multiple accounts from the same mnemonic
for (let i = 0; i < 3; i++) {
  const key = nip06.mnemonicToKey(mnemonic, i)
  console.log(`Account ${i}: ${key.publicKey}`)
}

// Later, restore from backup
const isValid = nip06.validateMnemonic(mnemonic)
if (isValid) {
  const restored = nip06.mnemonicToKey(mnemonic)
  console.log('Restored pubkey:', restored.publicKey)
}

How It Works

• Uses BIP-39 to generate and validate mnemonic phrases (12 or 24 English words)
• Converts the mnemonic to a seed using PBKDF2 with an optional passphrase
• Derives keys using BIP-32 HD key derivation with the Nostr-specific path m/44'/1237'/account'/0/0
• The coin type 1237 is registered for Nostr in SLIP-44
• Account index 0 is the default; increment for additional identities from the same mnemonic
• The same mnemonic + passphrase + account index always produces the same key pair
• Users should store their mnemonic securely offline as it can regenerate all derived keys