Block, the payments company led by Jack Dorsey, this week launched Buzz — a free, open-source workspace built on the Nostr protocol. The platform is designed to compete with tools like Slack and GitHub, but with a twist: it gives AI agents their own cryptographic identities.
What is Buzz?
Buzz is a decentralized workspace that runs on Nostr, the same protocol behind many censorship-resistant social apps. It's open-source, meaning anyone can inspect, modify, or self-host the code. Block is positioning it as a direct alternative to centralized collaboration tools — no corporate server, no single point of control.
The workspace includes chat, project boards, and code repositories. But the real differentiator is how it handles non-human participants.
AI agents get cryptographic IDs
Every AI agent that joins Buzz gets a cryptographic identity tied to a Nostr keypair. That means the agent can sign messages, commit code, and interact with humans in a verifiable way. No more wondering if a bot is who it claims to be — the signature proves it.
This matters because AI agents are increasingly used in development workflows: running tests, reviewing pull requests, even writing code. Buzz gives them a native identity layer, so their actions are auditable and accountable.
Why Nostr?
Nostr is a simple, open protocol that doesn't rely on any central server. By building on it, Buzz avoids the vendor lock-in that plagues platforms like Slack or GitHub. Users own their data and their identity — and so do their AI agents.
Block has been a major backer of Nostr development. Buzz is the most ambitious product yet from that investment, turning a niche protocol into a full-fledged productivity suite.
What this means for developers
For now, Buzz is free and open. Developers can grab the code from GitHub, spin up their own instance, or join Block's hosted version. The cryptographic identity system is built on the same key infrastructure that powers Nostr — so if you already have a Nostr key, your AI agent can use it.
The timing is interesting. AI agents are flooding into every corner of software development, but most platforms treat them as second-class users. Buzz gives them a first-class seat at the table, with the same cryptographic guarantees as human collaborators.
Buzz is available now. Block hasn't announced a monetization plan, but the open-source license means the community can fork and extend it freely.
