Kind 11: Thread

Overview

Thread events (kind 11) are used to create discussion threads, which serve as the root of a conversation that others can reply to using comments. This event type helps organize conversations around specific topics, similar to forum threads or discussion boards.

Specification

Property	Value
Kind Number	11
Event Range	Regular
Defined in	NIP-7D

Content Format

The content field contains the body text of the thread's initial post.

Schema

"content": "The main text content of the thread"

Tags

Tag Name	Description	Format	Required
subject	Thread topic or title	["subject", "Thread title"]	Recommended
Other standard tags may be used as needed (e.g., t for hashtags)

Client Behavior

Clients should:

1. Display threads with their subject/title prominently shown
2. Organize replies (kind 1111 comments) as responses to the thread
3. Show reply count and other engagement metrics
4. When displaying a thread:
   • Show the main thread post at the top
   • Show replies below, possibly sorted by time or other criteria
5. When creating a reply to a thread:
   • Use kind 1111 (Comment) events
   • Include a K tag with value "11"
   • Include an E tag referencing the root thread event

Relay Behavior

Relays should:

1. Store thread events and their associated comments
2. Make both threads and comments discoverable through tag-based queries
3. Return threads and their comments when either is requested

Use Cases

• Creating topic-based discussions
• Long-form conversations
• Community Q&A
• Structured debates
• Subject-oriented discussion forums

Example

// Thread creation
{
  "id": "4376c65d2f232afbe9b882a35baa4f6fe8667c4e684749af565f981833ed6a65",
  "pubkey": "79dff8f82963424e0bb02708a22e44b4980893e3a4be0fa3cb60a43b946764e3",
  "created_at": 1671217411,
  "kind": 11,
  "tags": [
    ["subject", "Introduction to Nostr"]
  ],
  "content": "Hello everyone! I'd like to start a discussion about Nostr and its potential applications. What are your thoughts on where this technology might be most useful?",
  "sig": "908a15e46fb4d8675bab026fc230a0e3542bfade63da02d542fb78b2a8513fcd0092619a2c8c1221e581946e0191f2af505dfdf8657a414dbca329186f009262"
}

// Reply to the thread (using kind 1111)
{
  "id": "5d83da77af1dec6d7289834998ad7aafbd9e2191396d75ec3cc27f5a77226f36",
  "pubkey": "f7234bd4c1394dda46d09f35bd384dd30cc552ad5541990f98844fb06676e9ca",
  "created_at": 1671217500,
  "kind": 1111,
  "tags": [
    ["K", "11"],
    ["E", "4376c65d2f232afbe9b882a35baa4f6fe8667c4e684749af565f981833ed6a65", "wss://relay.example.com", "79dff8f82963424e0bb02708a22e44b4980893e3a4be0fa3cb60a43b946764e3"]
  ],
  "content": "I think Nostr has great potential for censorship-resistant communication platforms, especially in regions with internet restrictions.",
  "sig": "a76f39224cebd44cf04eeebe01d5ab2e8f7a3e5e56c83cadd252e7bc5e2e34fd7ad7148cf7a2c7620d9490ccf2e1bac521995725f2e1f543159b8eb98bfdd405"
}

References

• NIP-7D: Threads
• NIP-22: Comment

Related Kinds

• Kind 1111: Comment - Used for replies to threads
• Kind 1: Short Text Note - Standard notes that may be threaded informally with e tags

Notes

• Threads should be replied to directly with kind 1111 comments, avoiding deeply nested reply structures.
• The comment event uses the E tag (uppercase) to reference the thread, which is different from the standard lowercase e tag.
• The subject tag provides a concise way to understand the thread topic without reading the full content.
• Replies should always reference the root thread event, not other replies, to maintain a flat discussion structure.