Kind 16: Generic Repost

Overview

Generic Repost events (kind 16) allow users to share any kind of event with their followers, not just text notes. While kind 6 is specifically for reposting kind 1 text notes, kind 16 extends this functionality to other event types like long-form content, encrypted messages, channel posts, and more.

Specification

Property	Value
Kind Number	16
Event Range	Regular
Defined in	NIP-18

Content Format

The content field should contain the stringified JSON of the reposted event. It may also be empty, though this is not recommended except when reposting NIP-70 protected events.

Schema

{
  "id": "5c83da77af1dec6d7289834998ad7aafbd9e2191396d75ec3cc27f5a77226f36",
  "pubkey": "f7234bd4c1394dda46d09f35bd384dd30cc552ad5541990f98844fb06676e9ca",
  "created_at": 1671217000,
  "kind": 30023,
  "tags": [],
  "content": "# My Blog Post\n\nThis is a long-form article that someone is reposting.",
  "sig": "a76f39224cebd44cf04eeebe01d5ab2e8f7a3e5e56c83cadd252e7bc5e2e34fd7ad7148cf7a2c7620d9490ccf2e1bac521995725f2e1f543159b8eb98bfdd405"
}

Or, for protected events:

""

Tags

Tag Name	Description	Format	Required
e	Referenced event to repost	["e", "<event-id>", "<relay-url>"]	Yes
p	Author of the reposted event	["p", "<pubkey-hex>"]	Recommended
k	Kind of the reposted event	["k", "<kind-number>"]	Yes

Client Behavior

Clients should:

1. Display generic reposts appropriately based on the kind of content being reposted

2. Clearly indicate they are reposts and show the original author's information

3. When creating generic reposts:

   • Include the full event JSON in the content when possible
   • Always include the e tag with a relay URL where the original can be found
   • Include the p tag with the original author's pubkey
   • Always include the k tag with the kind number of the original event

4. Handle the repost based on the type of content:

   • For addressable events, link to the original complete entry
   • For media content, display the media appropriately
   • For long-form content, potentially show a preview

Relay Behavior

Relays should:

1. Store generic repost events alongside regular events
2. Make generic reposts discoverable in relevant subscriptions and filters

Use Cases

• Sharing long-form content (kind 30023)
• Reposting channel messages (kind 42)
• Sharing badges, media, or other specialized content
• Amplifying any non-kind-1 event
• Curating diverse content

Example

{
  "id": "4376c65d2f232afbe9b882a35baa4f6fe8667c4e684749af565f981833ed6a65",
  "pubkey": "79dff8f82963424e0bb02708a22e44b4980893e3a4be0fa3cb60a43b946764e3",
  "created_at": 1671217411,
  "kind": 16,
  "tags": [
    ["e", "5c83da77af1dec6d7289834998ad7aafbd9e2191396d75ec3cc27f5a77226f36", "wss://nostr.example.com"],
    ["p", "f7234bd4c1394dda46d09f35bd384dd30cc552ad5541990f98844fb06676e9ca"],
    ["k", "30023"]
  ],
  "content": "{\"id\":\"5c83da77af1dec6d7289834998ad7aafbd9e2191396d75ec3cc27f5a77226f36\",\"pubkey\":\"f7234bd4c1394dda46d09f35bd384dd30cc552ad5541990f98844fb06676e9ca\",\"created_at\":1671217000,\"kind\":30023,\"tags\":[],\"content\":\"# My Blog Post\\n\\nThis is a long-form article that someone is reposting.\",\"sig\":\"a76f39224cebd44cf04eeebe01d5ab2e8f7a3e5e56c83cadd252e7bc5e2e34fd7ad7148cf7a2c7620d9490ccf2e1bac521995725f2e1f543159b8eb98bfdd405\"}",
  "sig": "908a15e46fb4d8675bab026fc230a0e3542bfade63da02d542fb78b2a8513fcd0092619a2c8c1221e581946e0191f2af505dfdf8657a414dbca329186f009262"
}

References

• NIP-18: Reposts
• NIP-70: Protected Events

Related Kinds

• Kind 6: Repost - For reposting kind 1 text notes only
• Kind 1: Short Text Note - The most commonly reposted kind of content
• Kind 30023: Long-form Content - A common event kind that gets reposted

Notes

• The distinction between kind 6 (text note reposts) and kind 16 (generic reposts) allows for specialized handling of the common case of reposting text notes while supporting all other event kinds.
• When the reposted event is protected under NIP-70, the content should be empty to respect the protection.
• The k tag is essential for clients to understand what kind of content is being reposted, even before parsing the content.
• Generic reposts serve an important function in ecosystem discoverability, allowing users to find content of various types through social connections.