Funding

Operators buy supplies out of pocket. This is about making support possible without costing them their persona — which is pseudonymity, not anonymity, and the distinction is load-bearing here: a callsign that receives support is linkable across everything it signs, and that is exactly what makes the support attributable.

The capability that matters

Pseudonymous receipt. An operator working under a persona cannot accept PayPal, Venmo or GoFundMe without exposing their legal name — to the platform, and usually to donors. That's a hard block on funding the people doing this work.

Lightning removes it. Support arrives addressed to a callsign.

This is real as of 2026: several custodial wallets require no KYC to receive, Phoenix offers self-custody with automatic channel handling, Alby Hub runs a self-custodial node that doubles as a Lightning address, and self-hosting an address is possible.

What we build: an address field, not zap infrastructure

Optional lightning_address on the persona. Rendered as a QR and a copyable string on the operator's card, and on the op recap if they've enabled one.

The app never touches money. No custody, no keys, no amounts, no payment handling, no wallet integration. It stores and displays a string.

Why not NIP-57 zaps. Zap receipts (kind 9735) exist mainly to make zaps publicly countable — which is exactly the feature we refuse (see rule 2). The complex half of the spec serves the half we don't want. An address field delivers the capability at a fraction of the surface area and a fraction of the support burden.

Rules

1. Opt-in, off by default. Independent of visibility presets, available in Ghost.

2. No totals, counts, or rankings. Anywhere. Ever. Not on cards, not on recaps, not aggregated, not "top supported." Money is a stronger status signal than any badge, and visible totals would rebuild the leaderboard we deliberately refused — attracting exactly the personality this community distrusts. An operator sees their balance in their own wallet app; NavCom shows nothing.

3. External wallet only. The app holds an address. A seized phone yields a string, not a financial trail.

4. One honest screen. Stated plainly before enabling — see below.

5. Team supply fund is separate. A crew-level address for shared supplies, distinct from any individual's. Probably how supplies actually get bought, and it sidesteps personal incentive entirely.

What the honest screen says

Operators deserve the real picture before enabling this, not a pitch:

Receiving can be pseudonymous. Converting to cash usually isn't. Identity typically re-enters at the off-ramp. If that matters, plan for it before accepting anything.
Self-custody means a lost phone can mean lost funds. Back up the wallet's recovery phrase somewhere other than the phone.
Value moves. Bitcoin's price changes; sats received today may buy more or less later.
Impersonation is possible. Someone can claim to be you and collect. Endorsements make that harder, not impossible.
NavCom cannot help with a payment problem. We never see it. Wallet support is with the wallet.

Never

Custody of operator funds
Platform fees, revenue share, or any cut
Displayed totals, counts, rankings, or supporter lists
Donation prompts, suggested amounts, or fundraising nudges
Standing, visibility or features affected by funds received