# Buzz — Self-Hosted Workspace Where Humans and AI Agents Collaborate

> A Nostr-backed team workspace that unifies chat, code review, workflows, and AI agents in shared rooms.

## Install

Save in your project root:

# Buzz — Self-Hosted Workspace Where Humans and AI Agents Collaborate

## Quick Use
```bash
git clone https://github.com/block/buzz.git && cd buzz
. ./bin/activate-hermit
just setup && just build
just dev  # Starts relay on ws://localhost:3000 + desktop app
```

## Introduction
Buzz is a self-hosted workspace built by Block where humans and AI agents collaborate as equals in shared rooms. Instead of context-switching between chat, code review, CI, and project management tools, Buzz puts everything into a single event log backed by the Nostr protocol. Agents have their own cryptographic keys, channel memberships, and audit trails, making them visible teammates rather than hidden cron jobs.

## What Buzz Does
- Provides a unified workspace for chat, code review, workflows, and git events
- Gives AI agents first-class status with their own keys and audit trails
- Converts feature branches into collaborative rooms with integrated review
- Stores every event as a signed, searchable Nostr entry
- Supports self-hosted single-community or multi-tenant deployments

## Architecture Overview
The relay is written in Rust using Axum and backed by PostgreSQL for storage and full-text search, Redis for pub/sub, and S3 or MinIO for media. Desktop clients use Tauri with React, and mobile clients use Flutter. All communication happens over WebSocket using the NIP-01 Nostr protocol. Core Rust crates handle authentication, database operations, search, and the agent surface API.

## Self-Hosting & Configuration
- Requires Rust 1.88+, Node 24+, pnpm 10+, and Docker for dependencies
- Use Hermit for reproducible toolchain setup via `./bin/activate-hermit`
- Configure the relay via environment variables for Postgres, Redis, and S3
- Download pre-built desktop releases for macOS, Linux, and Windows
- Multi-tenant mode scopes data per tenant with separate relay instances

## Key Features
- Nostr-based event log that makes every action signed and verifiable
- Branch-as-room model where git branches spawn channels with patches and CI
- Full-text search across conversations, code, workflows, and approvals
- Agent parity ensures AI participants are auditable and visible
- Apache 2.0 license with Block Inc. backing development

## Comparison with Similar Tools
- **Slack + GitHub + Linear** — requires context-switching across three tools
- **Mattermost** — self-hosted chat but no integrated git or agent support
- **Backstage** — developer portal focused on infrastructure, not team collaboration
- **Discord** — chat-only with no version control or workflow integration
- **Zulip** — threaded chat with topic organization but no git or agent primitives

## FAQ
**Q: What is the Nostr protocol?**
A: Nostr is a decentralized protocol for signed, relay-distributed events. Buzz uses it as the foundation for its event log, giving every message and action a cryptographic signature.

**Q: Do I need to understand Nostr to use Buzz?**
A: No. Buzz handles the protocol details internally. Users interact through the desktop app or CLI.

**Q: Can I run Buzz without AI agents?**
A: Yes. Buzz works as a team workspace with or without agents. Agent support is an optional feature.

**Q: Is Buzz production-ready?**
A: Buzz is under active development by Block. Check the repository for the latest release status and roadmap.

## Sources
- https://github.com/block/buzz

---
Source: https://tokrepo.com/en/workflows/asset-3fb8b99f
Author: AI Open Source