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keybase
client
Go2016–2023
keybase / client

client

Keybase Go Library, Client, Service, OS X, iOS, Android, Electron

62Distinct people
76Mentions
1Explicit recommenders
9.3KGitHub stars
REPOSITORY AT A GLANCE

What to know before exploring

What it is

Keybase Go Library, Client, Service, OS X, iOS, Android, Electron

GitHub

Where it is used

No documented product use was verified in the last source check.

What people are saying

Sad to say but I am still using Keybase. The only part that keeps me on using Keybase is because I love the KBFS (File Storage), Chat, and the Keybase.pub (Static Hosting HTML…

coffeekitkat used a recommendation phrase. One indexed comment matches. This is a phrase match, not a verdict.

No classified warning is attached to this page. Read the discussions before treating silence as approval.

Also in these discussions

Mentioned in the same Hacker News threads. That is not proof they are substitutes.

This week on Hacker News

Nov 8–Nov 15 UTC · Direct repository links and separately labeled related project stories. Indexed through 11/15/2026, 5:03:38 AM UTC.

No direct repository links were found in the indexed HN discussions over the past seven days. Older discussions are available below.

Mentions over time

HN mentions by year76 dated mentions

Observed mentions: 2016-02-05 10:21:23 UTC to 2023-05-30 14:09:47 UTC.

051015202016-01-01 00:00:00 UTC to 2017-01-01 00:00:00 UTC (exclusive): 1 mentions; 0 submissions, 1 comments20162017-01-01 00:00:00 UTC to 2018-01-01 00:00:00 UTC (exclusive): 14 mentions; 0 submissions, 14 comments2018-01-01 00:00:00 UTC to 2019-01-01 00:00:00 UTC (exclusive): 7 mentions; 1 submissions, 6 comments2019-01-01 00:00:00 UTC to 2020-01-01 00:00:00 UTC (exclusive): 20 mentions; 2 submissions, 18 comments20192020-01-01 00:00:00 UTC to 2021-01-01 00:00:00 UTC (exclusive): 13 mentions; 3 submissions, 10 comments2021-01-01 00:00:00 UTC to 2022-01-01 00:00:00 UTC (exclusive): 8 mentions; 3 submissions, 5 comments2022-01-01 00:00:00 UTC to 2023-01-01 00:00:00 UTC (exclusive): 7 mentions; 0 submissions, 7 comments2023-01-01 00:00:00 UTC to 2024-01-01 00:00:00 UTC (exclusive): 6 mentions; 0 submissions, 6 comments2023

Counts come from the repository’s dated source evidence. Index cutoff: 2026-11-02 08:16:59 UTC.

View mention counts and date ranges
UTC ranges include their start and exclude their end. Select a period to filter the source evidence.
PeriodStart (UTC)End (exclusive, UTC)MentionsSubmissionsComments
20162016-01-01 00:00:00 UTC2017-01-01 00:00:00 UTC101
20172017-01-01 00:00:00 UTC2018-01-01 00:00:00 UTC14014
20182018-01-01 00:00:00 UTC2019-01-01 00:00:00 UTC716
20192019-01-01 00:00:00 UTC2020-01-01 00:00:00 UTC20218
20202020-01-01 00:00:00 UTC2021-01-01 00:00:00 UTC13310
20212021-01-01 00:00:00 UTC2022-01-01 00:00:00 UTC835
20222022-01-01 00:00:00 UTC2023-01-01 00:00:00 UTC707
20232023-01-01 00:00:00 UTC2024-01-01 00:00:00 UTC606

From the project README

An excerpt from the repository, fetched Nov 13, 2026.

Read the project’s introduction
Keybase Hi, and welcome to the Keybase client repo. All our client apps (macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, and Android) are being actively developed in this repository. Please, dig around. Warnings We'd love you to read our source code. But - some of the things in this repo are explorations, and the app you build from source just might not do what it says it's doing. So, if you just want to install Keybase on your computer, you should monitor our releases for macOS, Linux, or Windows. If you're interested in our Docker image releases, please check out the Docker README. Code Layout go: Core crypto libraries; the Keybase service; the command line client. Learn More shared/{android,ios}: Android and iOS apps developed with React Native. shared/desktop: Desktop application for macOS, Linux, and Windows, made with the Electron framework, sharing React code with react-native. packaging: Scripts for releasing packages across the various platforms. protocol: Defines the protocol for communication for clients to the Keybase services. Uses Avro. Learn More media: Icons, graphics, media for Keybase apps. osx: The macOS Keybase.app, development parallel to an Electron-based application above. Learn More Problems? Report any issues with client software on this GitHub issue tracker. Internally, we track our progress using Jira, but all PRs come through GitHub for your review! If you're having problems with the command line keybase client, take a look at the troubleshooting doc. If you're having problems with our Website, try the keybase-issues issue tracker. We check and update both frequently. License Most code is released under the New BSD (3 Clause) License. If subdirectories include a different license, that license applies instead. Development Guidelines We check all git commits with pre-commit hooks generated via pre-commit.com pre-commit hooks. To enable use of these pre-commit hooks: Install the pre-commit utility. For some common cases: pip install pre-commit brew install pre-commit Remove any existing pre-commit hooks via rm .git/hooks/pre-commit Configure via pre-commit install Then proceed as normal. External Contributors If you forked this repository on GitHub and made a PR, then it'll show up as having failed Jenkins CI. We do not build external PRs because it's a security risk to do so without a review first. If your PR is successfully reviewed by a member of the Keybase team, then we will merge your commits to a branch on our primary fork and build from there. Cryptography Notice This distribution includes cryptographic software. The country in which you currently reside may have restrictions on the import, possession, use, and/or re-export to another country, of encryption software. BEFORE using any encryption software, please check your country's laws, regulations and policies concerning the import, possession, or use, and re-export of encryption software, to see if this is permitted. See http://www.wassenaar.org/ for more information. The U.S. Government Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), has classified this software as Export Commodity Control Number (ECCN) 5D002.C.1, which includes information security software using or performing cryptographic functions with asymmetric algorithms. The form and manner of this distribution makes it eligible for export under the License Exception ENC Technology Software Unrestricted (TSU) exception (see the BIS Export Administration Regulations, Section 740.13) for both object code and source code.
Read the full README on GitHub

What Hacker News says

20 sources
I am willing to bet it is about Stellar giving Keybase a lot of money to force a non-removable ad for their coin onto nearly every active keybase profile page. Still no way to get it off of there, save for a total account reset that wipes all data and connections. No warning or notice when you are offered to generate stellar keys for a wallet that it’s going to separately use your keybase key to also make a signature and post this permanent, non-removable ad to your profile page. https://github.com/keybase/client/issues/20022 Almost two months ago the Keybase guy said they were going to allow people to remove it; no progress as yet. I wonder how much they got paid by Stellar to make their client app abuse a user’s trust like this. I hope it was a lot, I used to really like the idea behind keybase.
In Keybase cancels Stellar token airdrop
The money was spent by Stellar, who raised a huge amount during the ICO hype era, and have been quietly spending it in huge chunks in an attempt to build a market for their shitcoin from scratch. Their CAC must be 10x that of almost any other internet business, but, hey, they can afford it. They supply the tokens, and presumably are paying Keybase for access to their userbase (and non-removable ads for their coin on almost every single keybase profile page). https://github.com/keybase/client/issues/15555
In Keybase cancels Stellar token airdrop
I confirmed that the keybase desktop client also seems to be using mobile.twitter.com when I was scanning with wireshark. I know it is executing when going to the profile and it may be executing certain times a chat is initiated, but I'm unable to locate in the code base where this is occurring for chat. For the profile the code location for the client desktop appears to be here -> https://github.com/keybase/client/blob/master/shared/actions...
In Unsolicited messages on Keybase
The client is here, right? https://github.com/keybase/client I'd prefer to see "discuss on a GitHub issue" or "open a pull request" to "send +1s to these email addresses". (The author does discuss how annoying it is to receive unsolicited messages, after all). I'd think "contacting is as frictionless as email or phonecalls" sounds reasonable for messaging. (EDIT:although email avoids 'unsolicited messages' with spam control, phones with "phone number is secret"; so perhaps not). Another suggestion: Maybe UI would help this; on FB messenger I can't see messages from strangers unless I go into the "messages from strangers" tab. That seems like it'd solve annoyances from unsolicited messages.
In Unsolicited messages on Keybase
Creating a wallet (generating a keypair offline) and signing+publishing an attestation using a non-wallet keybase key to publicly associate that wallet on your profile are two different things. Adding cryptocurrency support is fine; using my private keys without my consent to publish an implicit endorsement of that cryptocurrency is not, especially when it can't be removed. It's a dark pattern that enables paid advertising designed to look like an endorsement/user engagement. Furthermore, there is a way to remove/revoke every other type of attestation/claim on a keybase profile - except for the permanent, paid ad for Stellar. See: https://github.com/keybase/client/issues/20022#issuecomment-... It sounds like that part is being fixed, though, which is good.
In Keybase iOS Has a Backdoor?
> Someone below threw out the word "libel" here. Where? Your comment, and now this reply, are the only occurrences of that word on this page. It's really irksome when someone tells me I consent to something that I don't. I'm the authority on whether or not my keys were used improperly—no one else. You used my keys in a way in which I did not want. That's the beginning and the end of it. I hope you got paid a lot for it. Here are dozens of other users who made it all the way to GitHub and provided feedback in an effort to resolve the same issue: https://github.com/keybase/client/issues/15555 How many others just gave up?
In Keybase iOS Has a Backdoor?
My vague recollection is that I had to agree before Keybase would add a Stellar key to my account. Now it's certainly possible that they've changed things since then to do it automatically, but if so, you should be able to find the code for it as all of the apps are open source: https://github.com/keybase/client Are you sure you didn't just accidentally agree to it without realizing it?
In Keybase iOS Has a Backdoor?
Wow, again, last time I looked at keybase I just remember it being identity verification. Glad to see they're expanding on that. I am - unfortunately - picky :D as you mention, they haven't released their server code and don't seem particularly interested in doing so (which is their full right). Good thread for that here: https://github.com/keybase/client/issues/6374 I get that some people aren't too fussed if the cryptography is done right, and you could reverse engineer the protocol and interop a la Amazon S3, but...yeah. Just not me I guess. I'm new to the limitations you mentioned (# of devices, phone no. Auth, etc.). I'll need to take a good look before I jump ship. But first thought is I think I'll take those downsides as part of the current status quo of messaging apps for a fully open platform I can support and possibly get my par
Read the rest
ents to use without too much trouble (yep, my principles have priorities, lower ones get sacrificed when absolutely necessary ;)) (I lied about the phone sharing bit a little - Nextcloud sync is really good somehow, I just wish there was something like AirDrop for everyone else)
In The Web We Want
It's still too centralized. You and I can't run our own compatible public Keybase servers, or our own private servers. Understandable, as their investors expect them not to give away everything for free. The client is open source so reverse engineering and improving the server architecture is far from impossible. I think Keybase is making great strides on exploring how we can utilize asymmetric E2E encryption for communication, organization, storage, and everything in between. I think they've made tremendous progress in making E2E cryptography accessible. However we need a 100% FOSS system. See: https://github.com/keybase/client/issues/6374
In SKS Keyserver Network Under Attack

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