Frequently Asked Questions

A decentralized protocol that imposes real locality on digital systems using proof-of-work mathematics.

No - Cyberspace is not a virtual world, game, or VR platform. It's infrastructure: mathematical rules for how digital space works, like how physics defines physical space. Apps can be built on top, but the protocol itself is just math.

Locality enables things flat digital systems cannot have: boundaries, neighborhoods, hidden content, travel time, and territory. Think of the difference between a hyperlink (instant, no distance) and walking to a specific sidewalk chalk message (requires traversal, presence matters).

Nobody. There is no company, no admin, no CEO. The protocol is enforced by mathematics: to move, you compute proofs; to verify, you check proofs. No trusted third party required.

No. The protocol exists as long as people run the math. Nostr relays propagate movement proofs, but no single relay is required. Even if all relays went offline, the math would still work locally.

Your coordinate is derived from your cryptographic identity (Nostr public key). When you first "enter" Cyberspace by publishing a spawn event, you appear at the coordinate encoded by your pubkey. You don't choose it-you discover it.

Not without choosing a different identity. Your spawn coordinate is mathematically determined by your pubkey. If you want a different spawn point, generate a new keypair-but then you're a different "person" in the system.

Use the cyberspace-cli Python tool:

git clone https://github.com/arkin0x/cyberspace-cli.git
cd cyberspace-cli
pip install -e .
cyberspace move --to 42,17,3

The CLI computes the required proof-of-work and publishes a Nostr event. Movement is not instant-it takes time proportional to distance.

No. Compute proofs when you want to move, publish the result, then go offline. Your position is recorded on Nostr relays. Come back later, and you're still there.

The smallest unit of distance in Cyberspace. Moving 1 Gibson means changing your coordinate by 1 step along an axis. Named after William Gibson, author of the Sprawl Trilogy that envisioned cyberspace.

Movement requires computing a Cantor pairing tree proof. The tree connects your starting coordinate to your destination. Farther coordinates have deeper trees (more pairings needed). This isn't arbitrary-it's the actual mathematical fabric between points.

A way to combine two numbers into one unique number. Think of it as a mathematical zipper. Cyberspace uses this to prove you traveled through specific coordinates-you "zip" your path into a single number that anyone can verify.

Not directly. But you can use Hyperspace: a network of "stations" defined by Bitcoin block Merkle roots. Enter Hyperspace near you, travel the Bitcoin block chain (which is ordered), then exit near your destination. It's like taking a subway instead of walking.

Dataspace (plane bit = 0) maps to real-world GPS coordinates. Ideaspace (plane bit = 1) is purely abstract-no physical location. Both work the same way mathematically; the plane bit just determines if coordinates have real-world meaning.

Chalk-on-sidewalk messaging: Write an encrypted message at coordinate (42, 17, 3). Anyone can see the ciphertext, but only someone who travels to (42, 17, 3)-proving presence with proof-of-work-can decrypt it. No keys to manage, no permissions to grant. The location itself is the key.

An AI agent with a persistent Nostr identity has a persistent location in Cyberspace. Other agents can find it by checking its last published coordinate. Agent-to-agent interaction requires proximity, enabling embodied AI societies with genuine spatial relationships.

Yes-Cyberspace provides a shared coordinate system that works across different AR platforms. Digital content anchored to Cyberspace coordinates persists even if you switch apps. Your AR glasses, my phone, and a future headset all agree on where things are.

Absolutely. Games need spatial mechanics: territory, boundaries, travel time, hidden areas. Cyberspace provides these primitives without requiring a central game server. Players prove their movements mathematically; no server can cheat or go offline.

Think beyond GPS check-ins. Imagine:

• Content that unlocks only when you're physically nearby
• Neighborhoods with membership requiring residence (prove you're there)
• Digital tourism (travel to famous coordinates, leave proof you visited)

Start at cyberspace.international/docs. The full spec is CYBERSPACE_V2.md on GitHub.

Python. Source: github.com/arkin0x/cyberspace-cli. JavaScript/TypeScript SDK is planned-see the developer tooling roadmap.

Parse their Nostr event (kind 3333), extract the proof from the proof tag, and recompute the Cantor tree. The CLI has a verify command. Verification requires the same work as producing the proof — there's no shortcut without ZK proofs (future extension).

Yes-Cyberspace uses standard Nostr relays. Any NIP-01-compliant relay works. No special Cyberspace infrastructure needed.

Verification requires the same work as producing the proof. There's no shortcut—Cantor trees must be traversed to verify. Future extensions may add ZK Starks for instant verification, but that's not yet spec'd or implemented.

"Cyberspace" predates "metaverse" by 8 years. William Gibson coined it in 1984's Neuromancer. The Sprawl Trilogy described properties that Cyberspace Protocol now implements: permissionless access, scarce territory, distance that costs, rules enforced without rulers. This is the realization of that vision.

No. There is no token, no coin, no blockchain. Movement costs compute time (your own or rented cloud), but there's nothing to buy or trade. The "economy" is thermodynamic: energy expended for locality.

The protocol doesn't have native ownership mechanics. You can claim a coordinate by being there and publishing proof, but "ownership" is a social layer on top. Apps could build markets, but the protocol itself is neutral.

Your position is public (it's on Nostr), but to impersonate you, someone would need your private key. They can see where you are-they can't move as you without your key.

Proof-of-work uses energy, but Cyberspace work is purposeful: it encodes spatial structure, not arbitrary hash grinding. Also, most movement is local (cheap), and Hyperspace leverages Bitcoin's existing PoW (already spent). Compare to running centralized servers 24/7-both have costs.