# SilverChat

**Status**: v1.1 (planning)

End-to-end encrypted messenger. Ships post-MVP.

## Approach (tentative — to be finalised before v1.1)

Two candidate paths:

1. **Matrix-based** — Synapse or Dendrite homeserver, custom client per platform. Pros: federated, mature, large existing ecosystem. Cons: metadata leakage in federation, complex protocol.
2. **Signal-protocol-based** — fork the Signal codebase, run own server. Pros: gold-standard cryptography, simpler client. Cons: forking the Signal protocol is socially fraught; less feature-rich than Matrix.

Decision documented in `docs/decisions/` once made.

## Non-negotiables

- Account-number-based identity (not phone, not email)
- E2EE by default, no opt-out
- Self-hostable server
- No telemetry from client
- Forward secrecy
- Backup keys remain on user devices

## Per-platform clients

To be defined post-decision. Likely Tauri-based or per-platform-native depending on protocol choice.

## Out of scope (for now)

- Voice/video calling — v1.2+
- Group sizes >100 — Matrix supports, but we may cap at 100 for v1.1 simplicity