We have been building tools inside the Monero ecosystem for some time: kyc.rip for accountless swaps, xmr.club to track the reliability and security track records of instant exchanges and wallets, and xmr.bio to cryptographically link Monero addresses to identities.
Running these services showed us the same recurring problem. A user searches for an instant swap, clicks a malicious link, and deposits directly into a cloned frontend. Another user runs into an exchange timeout or freeze, but closed the tab without saving the cryptographic Letter of Guarantee. When filing a dispute, it becomes the user's word against the exchange desk.
These failures happen in a tiny operational window: the few seconds between opening a payment page and broadcasting the transaction.
XMRadar sits directly in that window.
The Gap in Static Defenses#
Directories, reviews, and warning lists only work if users manually consult them before every transaction. Attackers rely on that friction. A lookalike domain like www-trocador[.]app, a Cyrillic homoglyph, or a single missing character drains the wallet before the mistake is noticed.
Disputes face an identical hurdle. Many swap services cryptographically sign an order receipt—either PGP-signed plain text or a MistProof payload—committing to rates, payout addresses, and timestamps. That signed receipt is solid proof in dispute resolution, but only if archived immediately. Almost no one archives it.
We started by defining open standards.
Standards First: NKIPs#
We published NKIPs (nkips.org) to create verifiable accountability between Monero services and client applications:
- NKIP-0001, Verifiable Deposit Receipts. The exchange cryptographically signs order parameters and commits to them publicly before rendering the deposit address to the user.
- NKIP-0002, Verifiable Monero Tips on Nostr. Public tip receipts broadcast over Nostr, verifiable by the recipient's wallet.
A specification requires automated client-side enforcement. The browser needs to verify the operator's key, check the rendered deposit address against the signed payload, and store the cryptographic receipt locally. NKIP-0001 specifies this role for a browser extension.
Two Timelines: Bridging X and Nostr#
We also built this to eliminate our own daily friction. Running an active presence on both X and Nostr (XBToshi@kyc.rip) meant manually copying posts, re-uploading media payloads, and restitching broken threads across different clients.
XMRadar handles this transition natively:
- Right-click any post, thread, or X Article to stage it for Nostr.
- Cryptographically signed with your own NIP-07 extension (nos2x, Alby, etc.).
- Images upload directly to decentralized Blossom servers.
- Optional local tagging: suggest up to 5 topic tags via a local LLM instance (Ollama or LM Studio) without leaking post contents to third-party APIs.
Making Monero People Discoverable and Tipping Frictionless#
Monero contributors are active across X, but finding their verified payout addresses usually requires digging through link trees and profile bios.
XMRadar resolves addresses through a multi-tier hierarchy:
- Cryptographically signed records from xmr.bio.
- Decentralized identity attestations via NIP-A3.
- Self-reported addresses in account bios or pinned tweets (explicitly badged as "unverified").
A small XMR badge renders next to the handle across X. Clicking it generates an on-the-fly QR code and native monero: URI configured for your local desktop or mobile wallet (Feather, Cake, CLI, GUI). XMRadar never constructs or broadcasts financial transactions itself.
When paired with a Nostr key, a tip functions as an on-chain Xap under NKIP-0002: a public, verifiable receipt confirming peer-to-peer support across the network.
Four Projects, One Local Engine#
The core components already existed across our independent services:
- xmr.club provides the signed directory of verified services, historical incidents, and known spoof domains.
- xmr.bio supplies the cryptographic address directory for profile badges.
- kyc.rip provides one-click GhostMail burner inboxes for transient signups.
- NKIPs defines the verification specifications for receipts and guarantee letters.
XMRadar binds these protocols into the browser sandbox.
Visit a lookalike domain like www-trocador[.]app, and XMRadar interrupts network execution before the phishing page renders:
On legitimate swap status pages, XMRadar automatically retrieves the operator's Letter of Guarantee or NKIP-0001 receipt, checks the signature against the operator key in the xmr.club directory, validates every destination address in the DOM, and archives the proof in local storage.
Private by Design#
A security extension with DOM-level access demands a strict threat model:
- Zero keys, zero custody. All cryptographic signatures pass through your external NIP-07 extension; all payments trigger your local wallet. XMRadar holds no private keys and touches no funds.
- Zero telemetry. No analytics, no heartbeat pings, no server logs.
- Local-only dataset matching. The phishing directory and xmr.bio records are downloaded in bulk as signed static snapshots. Domain matching and profile auditing execute purely inside browser memory. Remote servers never observe which sites you browse or whose feeds you audit.
- No background reporting. Submitting an unlisted phishing clone requires manual user confirmation; no network requests fire without explicit interaction.
Open Source and Reproducible Builds#
Security-critical extensions cannot rely on developer trust. XMRadar is licensed under GPL-3.0-or-later with fully reproducible build pipelines:
- CI-only releases. Production binaries are built and tested inside isolated GitHub Actions workflows.
- Reproducible builds. Compiling the release tag independently yields byte-identical zip archives matching the published SHA-256 checksums.
- Verifiable build provenance. Every release artifact includes cryptographic provenance verifiable via gh attestation verify.
Transparency Notice: xmr.club and xmr.bio are maintained by the same core team behind XMRadar, and their signing keys originate from our current infrastructure. While XMRadar mathematically verifies every signature locally, decentralized multi-party key attestation is currently in development.
Getting Started#
XMRadar runs on Chromium-based browsers (Brave, Chrome, Edge) and Firefox. Until web store reviews finalize, install directly using the signed release zip; the extension checks signed release manifests locally and alerts you when updates publish.
- Download: https://xmradar.app/
- Repository: https://github.com/KYC-rip/xmradar
- Specifications: https://nkips.org/
If you discover a layout issue or want to suggest improvements, open an issue on GitHub. If you operate an instant exchange or wallet service: NKIPs are open, and we welcome integration for verified receipt generation.
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