block/buzz · error

sign event

Error message

sign event

What it means

This is a panic from `.expect("sign event")` on the Result of `sign_with_keys(&author)` when building a Nostr test event in the community-routing test. The nostr crate returns Err if the secret key is invalid or signing fails; the test deliberately unwraps. It indicates event construction could not produce a signed event.

Source

Thrown at crates/buzz-db/src/runtime/tests.rs:1921

    let (comm_b, chan_b) = (Uuid::new_v4(), Uuid::new_v4());
    for pool in [&writer, &replica] {
        seed_community_channel(pool, comm_a, chan_a, &author).await;
        seed_community_channel(pool, comm_b, chan_b, &author).await;
    }

    // A p-tag mention is what makes a row eligible for the mentions and
    // needs-action feeds. Kind 9 satisfies mentions + activity;
    // needs-action admits only approval/reminder kinds, so each
    // community also gets a kind-46010 row.
    let mentioned = nostr::Keys::generate();
    let mentioned_hex = mentioned.public_key().to_hex();
    let mentioned_bytes = mentioned.public_key().to_bytes();
    let tagged_kind = |kind: u16, content: &str, secs: u64| {
        nostr::EventBuilder::new(nostr::Kind::Custom(kind), content)
            .tags([nostr::Tag::parse(["p", mentioned_hex.as_str()]).expect("p tag")])
            .custom_created_at(nostr::Timestamp::from(secs))
            .sign_with_keys(&author)
            .expect("sign event")
    };
    let tagged = |content: &str, secs: u64| tagged_kind(9, content, secs);

    let base = 1_700_000_000u64;
    // Shared rows (both DBs) + replica-only rows (divergence) per community.
    let a_shared = tagged("a-shared", base);
    let b_shared = tagged("b-shared", base + 1);
    for pool in [&writer, &replica] {
        insert_top_level(pool, comm_a, chan_a, &a_shared).await;
        insert_mentions(
            pool,
            CommunityId::from_uuid(comm_a),
            &a_shared,
            Some(chan_a),
        )
        .await
        .expect("mentions a-shared");
        insert_top_level(pool, comm_b, chan_b, &b_shared).await;

View on GitHub (pinned to dad5a33865)

Solutions

1. Verify `author`'s SecretKey is valid (parsed from correct 32-byte hex) before signing
2. Check the nostr crate version in Cargo.toml matches the API used (`sign_with_keys` returning Result<Event, Error>)
3. Run `cargo update -p nostr` carefully / pin the version; rebuild after dependency changes

Example fix

// before
.sign_with_keys(&author)
.expect("sign event")
// after
let event = sign_with_keys(&author).unwrap_or_else(|e| panic!("sign event: {e}"));

let secret = SecretKey::from_hex(hex)?; // fail fast on bad key material before building events
let author = Keys::new(secret);
assert!(!author.public_key().to_bytes().is_empty());

fn valid_keys(k: &Keys) -> bool { !k.secret_key().display_secret().value().is_empty() }

let ev = builder.sign_with_keys(&author)
    .map_err(|e| TestSetupError::Sign(e.to_string()))?;

When it happens

Trigger: Calling `EventBuilder::sign_with_keys` with a malformed/zeroized secret key, or an incompatible nostr crate version whose sign_with_keys signature/error changed, during setup of `routed_reads_are_confined_to_the_requested_community`.

Common situations: Secret key parsed from bad hex, nostr crate version bump changing the API, refactoring the closure to use a different key type without updating key parsing.

Related errors

• invalid URL {url:?}: {e}
• failed to sign moderation notice: {e}
• BUZZ_RELAY_PRIVATE_KEY must be set when BUZZ_REQUIRE_AUTH_TO
• failed to sign system message: {e}
• failed to sign member snapshot: {error}

AI-assisted analysis of block/buzz@dad5a33865 (2026-08-30). Data as JSON: /api/errors/de6ffb479e4eb024. Report an issue: GitHub.