feat: per-channel hashcash proof-of-work for PRIVMSG anti-spam
All checks were successful
check / check (push) Successful in 2m18s

Add per-channel hashcash requirement via MODE +H <bits>. When set,
PRIVMSG to the channel must include a valid hashcash stamp in the
meta.hashcash field bound to the channel name and message body hash.

Server validates stamp format, difficulty, date freshness, channel
binding, body hash binding, and proof-of-work. Spent stamps are
persisted to SQLite with 1-year TTL for replay prevention.

Stamp format: 1:bits:YYMMDD:channel:bodyhash:counter

Changes:
- Schema: add hashcash_bits column to channels, spent_hashcash table
- DB: queries for get/set channel hashcash bits, spent token CRUD
- Hashcash: ChannelValidator, BodyHash, StampHash, MintChannelStamp
- Handlers: validate hashcash on PRIVMSG, MODE +H/-H support
- Pass meta through fanOut chain to store in messages
- Prune spent hashcash tokens in cleanup loop (1-year TTL)
- Client: MintChannelHashcash helper for CLI
- Tests: 12 new channel_test.go + 10 new api_test.go integration tests
- README: document +H mode, stamp format, and usage
This commit is contained in:
user
2026-03-17 02:37:14 -07:00
parent cab5784913
commit 3d285f1b66
9 changed files with 1444 additions and 36 deletions

View File

@@ -461,7 +461,7 @@ the same JSON envelope:
| `params` | array of strings | Sometimes | Sometimes | Additional IRC-style positional parameters. Used by commands like `MODE`, `KICK`, and numeric replies like `353` (NAMES). |
| `body` | array or object | Usually | Usually | Structured message body. For text messages: array of strings (one per line). For structured data (e.g., `PUBKEY`): JSON object. **Never a raw string.** |
| `ts` | string (ISO 8601) | Ignored | Always | Server-assigned timestamp in RFC 3339 / ISO 8601 format with nanosecond precision. Example: `"2026-02-10T20:00:00.000000000Z"`. Always UTC. |
| `meta` | object | Optional | If present | Extensible metadata. Used for cryptographic signatures (`meta.sig`, `meta.alg`), content hashes, or any client-defined key/value pairs. Server relays `meta` verbatim — it does not interpret or validate it. |
| `meta` | object | Optional | If present | Extensible metadata. Used for cryptographic signatures (`meta.sig`, `meta.alg`), hashcash proof-of-work (`meta.hashcash`), content hashes, or any client-defined key/value pairs. Server relays `meta` verbatim except for `hashcash` which is validated on channels with `+H` mode. |
**Important invariants:**
@@ -950,13 +950,14 @@ carries IRC-style parameters (e.g., channel name, target nick).
Inspired by IRC, simplified:
| Mode | Name | Meaning |
|------|--------------|---------|
| `+i` | Invite-only | Only invited users can join |
| `+m` | Moderated | Only voiced (`+v`) users and operators (`+o`) can send |
| `+s` | Secret | Channel hidden from LIST response |
| `+t` | Topic lock | Only operators can change the topic |
| `+n` | No external | Only channel members can send messages to the channel |
| Mode | Name | Meaning |
|------|----------------|---------|
| `+i` | Invite-only | Only invited users can join |
| `+m` | Moderated | Only voiced (`+v`) users and operators (`+o`) can send |
| `+s` | Secret | Channel hidden from LIST response |
| `+t` | Topic lock | Only operators can change the topic |
| `+n` | No external | Only channel members can send messages to the channel |
| `+H` | Hashcash | Requires proof-of-work for PRIVMSG (parameter: bits, e.g. `+H 20`) |
**User channel modes (set per-user per-channel):**
@@ -967,6 +968,56 @@ Inspired by IRC, simplified:
**Status:** Channel modes are defined but not yet enforced. The `modes` column
exists in the channels table but the server does not check modes on actions.
Exception: `+H` (hashcash) is fully enforced — see below.
### Per-Channel Hashcash (Anti-Spam)
Channels can require hashcash proof-of-work for every `PRIVMSG`. This is an
anti-spam mechanism: channel operators set a difficulty level, and clients must
compute a proof-of-work stamp bound to the specific channel and message before
sending.
**Setting the requirement:**
```
MODE #channel +H <bits> — require <bits> leading zero bits (1-40)
MODE #channel -H — disable hashcash requirement
```
**Stamp format:** `1:bits:YYMMDD:channel:bodyhash:counter`
- `bits` — difficulty (leading zero bits in SHA-256 hash of the stamp)
- `YYMMDD` — current date (prevents old token reuse)
- `channel` — channel name (prevents cross-channel reuse)
- `bodyhash` — hex-encoded SHA-256 of the message body (binds stamp to message)
- `counter` — hex nonce
**Sending a message to a hashcash-protected channel:**
Include the hashcash stamp in the `meta` field:
```json
{
"command": "PRIVMSG",
"to": "#general",
"body": ["hello world"],
"meta": {
"hashcash": "1:20:260317:#general:a1b2c3...bodyhash:1f4a"
}
}
```
**Server validation:** The server checks that the stamp is well-formed, meets
the required difficulty, is bound to the correct channel and message body, has a
recent date, and has not been previously used. Spent stamps are cached for 1
year to prevent replay attacks.
**Error responses:** If the channel requires hashcash and the stamp is missing,
invalid, or replayed, the server returns `ERR_CANNOTSENDTOCHAN (404)` with a
descriptive reason.
**Client minting:** The CLI provides `MintChannelHashcash(bits, channel, body)`
to compute stamps. Higher bit counts take exponentially longer to compute.
---