tollgate
TollGate Protocol
Index
- What is TollGate?
- Why TollGate?
- Protocol Architecture
- Recipes
- Implementations
- (Breaking) changes
- Project Timeline
- Additional reading
- Events
- License
What is TollGate?
TollGate is a protocol for selling network access in exchange for small, frequent bearer asset payments — streaming sats for connectivity. Any device that can gate connectivity — a WiFi router, an Ethernet switch, a Bluetooth tether — can act as a TollGate. Customers pay with ecash tokens for exactly what they use: a few minutes online, a handful of megabytes, no more. No accounts, no subscriptions, no sign-ups, no KYC — just pay-as-you-go internet access on open networks.
The protocol is designed to work across any combination of physical media and negotiation interfaces. A TollGate advertises its pricing, accepts payments, and manages sessions using a common data model regardless of whether the customer connects over WiFi, Ethernet, Bluetooth, or something else entirely.
Why TollGate?
Permissionless: No accounts, no persistent identites, no registration.
Granular metering: Sessions are measured in small increments (time or data). Customers pay for what they use, not a fixed subscription.
Bearer asset payments: The customer does not need to be online to pay. A bearer asset token (e.g. ecash) is sufficient on its own to purchase connectivity — no prior internet connection, no account, no interactive payment protocol required.
Decentralized: Each TollGate operates independently. Every TollGate sets its own pricing and accepted mints independently.
Multi-hop: TollGates can buy connectivity from each other, extending reach beyond a single operator.
Protocol Architecture
The TollGate protocol is organized into three layers. A working TollGate combines specs from each layer — a protocol spec defines the interaction between customer and service provider, an interface spec defines how events are exchanged, and a medium spec may add capabilities specific to the physical link. Some specs depend on others (e.g. HTTP-02 extends HTTP-01), and the Recipes section shows possible combinations.
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Protocol │
│ Data model, events, payment assets │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Interface │
│ How messages are sent/received │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Medium │
│ What physical link carries the sold data │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Protocol — what is the data?
The abstract data model. Event kinds, tag structures, payment asset definitions, session semantics. Protocol specs never mention how messages are delivered — only what they contain.
| # | Description |
|---|---|
| TIP-01 | Base Events (Advertisement, Session, Notice) |
| TIP-02 | Cashu payments |
Interface — how do customer and TollGate talk?
The communication method used for negotiation (advertisement, payment, session management) between customer and TollGate. An interface runs over a medium, but the relationship is not 1:1. A single medium can support multiple interfaces — an Ethernet link can carry HTTP requests, Nostr relay messages, or raw UDP packets. And a single interface (like HTTP) can run over different media.
| # | Description |
|---|---|
| HTTP-01 | HTTP server |
| HTTP-02 | Restrictive OS compatibility |
| HTTP-03 | Usage endpoint |
| NOSTR-01 | Nostr relay |
Medium — what physical link carries the sold data?
The physical or link-layer technology over which the TollGate sells connectivity. A medium may constrain which interfaces are available, but the medium itself is not the interface.
| # | Description |
|---|---|
| WIFI-01 | Discovery through Beacon Frames |
Recipes
Example combinations of Protocol + Interface + Medium specs.
| Name | Protocol | Interface | Medium | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WiFi hotspot (full) | TIP-01, TIP-02 | HTTP-01, HTTP-02 | WIFI-01 | Adds /whoami for restrictive OS support and beacon frame discovery. |
| WiFi hotspot (basic) | TIP-01, TIP-02 | HTTP-01 | — | Captive portal with HTTP payment. Device ID from MAC. |
| WiFi hotspot (stealth) | TIP-01, TIP-02 | HTTP-01 | — | No Captive portal, No beacon frame advertisement, no /whoami. Only customers who know the network can pay. |
| Ethernet port | TIP-01, TIP-02 | HTTP-01 | — | Wired access sold via HTTP. Same as WiFi hotspot but over Ethernet. |
| WiFi + Nostr relay | TIP-01, TIP-02 | HTTP-01, NOSTR-01 | WIFI-01 | HTTP for in-band payments, Nostr relay for out-of-band or remote management. |
| Nostr-only | TIP-01, TIP-02 | NOSTR-01 | — | Fully out-of-band. Customer pays via relay, device identity via pubkey/tags. |
| BLE tethering | TIP-01, TIP-02 | (future BLE-01) | — | Bluetooth internet sharing. Payment over GATT characteristics. |
Implementations
- tollgate-module-basic-go — reference implementation for OpenWRT routers.
- tollgate-os — ready-made OpenWRT image with TollGate pre-installed.
(Breaking) changes
| When | What |
|---|---|
| June 2025 | Cashu payments mint now is added to <price_per_step> tag, removing <mint> tag |
| June 2025 | Changed Discovery to no longer be ephemeral |
| March 2026 | Payment accepts pure bearer asset tokens instead of kind=21000 Nostr event wrapper. Specs restructured into Protocol (TIP), Interface (HTTP, NOSTR), and Medium (WIFI) categories. |
Project Timeline
| When | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 2012 | Initial idea of paying neighbouring routers for higher bandwidth via multi-WAN |
| Mid 2024 | Early proof of concept by pasting ecash in captive portal password field |
| Late 2024 | Introduced Go / Nostr to the routers |
| April 2025 | First protocol draft |
| March 2026 | Protocol restructured into Protocol (TIP) / Interface (HTTP, NOSTR) / Medium (WIFI) layers |
Additional reading
| Title | Last edited |
|---|---|
| TollGate android client works! | January 31, 2025 |
| Building TollGate Image | January 28, 2025 |
Events
Feel free to add events via pull request.
Upcoming (2026)
| Confirmed | Event | Dates | Where | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ✅ | Wireless Community Weekend | 15 may – 17 may | Germany, Berlin | c-base, Rungestr. 20 |
| ✅ | btc++ Nairobi | 17 jun – 20 jun | Kenya, Nairobi | Pride Inn Azure |
| ✅ | Adopting Bitcoin Nairobi | 23 jun – 24 jun | Kenya, Nairobi | Near Afribit Kibera |
| ✅ | DWeb Berlin | 8 jul – 12 jul | Germany, Berlin | Kluckstraße 25 |
| ✅ | Battlemesh v18 | 7 sep – 13 sep | Croatia, Lika region | LikaNet project area |
| ✅ | btc++ Berlin | 1 oct – 3 oct | Germany, Berlin | w3 hub |
| ✅ | Dark Prague | 2 oct – 4 oct | Czechia, Prague | Stará čistírna odpadních vod 1906, Bubeneč |
| ✅ | Nostr Hackday | 4 oct | Germany, Berlin | Probably c-base |
| ❓ | OsmoDevCon | TBD | Germany, Berlin | Lehrter Str. 53 |
Past (2026)
| Event | Dates | Where | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| FOSDEM | 31 jan – 2 feb | Belgium, Brussels | ULB Campus Solbosch, Avenue Franklin D. Roosevelt 50 |
| TechFurMeet | 12 feb – 16 feb | Czechia, Horní Bradlo-Nasavrky | 538 25 |
| Handycon | 4 mar – 6 mar | Remote | — |
| Madeira Bitcoin Meetup | 25 mar | Portugal, Funchal | Cowork Funchal, R. das Mercês 41 |
Past (2025)
| Event | Dates | Where | Details | |-------|-------|-------|---------| | [SatsNFacts](https://satsnfacts.btc.pub/#agenda) | feb | Thailand, Chiang Mai | — | | [Pizza Day](https://2025.pizzaday.cz/) | 17 may – 18 may | Czechia, Prague | — | | [Freedom Forum](https://archive.hrf.org/apply-to-attend-the-2025-oslo-freedom-forum/) | 26 may – 28 may | Norway, Oslo | — | | [Battle Mesh v17](https://www.battlemesh.org/BattleMeshV17) | 10 jun – 16 jun | Germany, Sundhausen | — | | [Zitadelle](https://pay.einundzwanzig.space/apps/4DtdvBYv6JpyvKtsGRUAjfSLmtKp/pos) | 24 jul – 27 jul | Germany, Wasserburg Heldrungen | — | | [BTC++ Riga](https://btcplusplus.dev/conf/riga) | 7 aug – 8 aug | Latvia, Riga | — | | [Baltic Honey Badger](https://baltichoneybadger.com/buy-tickets) | 9 aug – 10 aug | Latvia, Riga | — | | [BTC++ Berlin](https://btcplusplus.dev/conf/berlin25) | 2 oct – 4 oct | Germany, Berlin | — | | [Dark Prague](https://secondculture.cz/cs/events/dp25/) | 3 oct – 5 oct | Czechia, Prague | Dělnická 475/43, Praha 7 | | [Nostr Hackday](https://nostrhackday.orangesync.tech) | 5 oct | Germany, Berlin | Holzmarktstraße 25 | | [The Canadian Bitcoin Conference](https://canadianbitcoinconf.com/) | 16 oct – 18 oct | Canada, Montreal | Rialto Theatre | | [Bitcoin Builders Meetup Berlin](https://meetu.ps/e/Ps9mB/TVMWr/i) | 28 oct | Germany, Berlin | Möckernstrasse 120 | | [Mining Disrupt](https://miningdisrupt.com/) | 11 nov – 13 nov | USA, Dallas | — | | [Bitcoin Amsterdam](https://www.bitcoin.amsterdam/) | 13 nov – 14 nov | Netherlands, Amsterdam | Sugar Factory | | [Adopting Bitcoin El Salvador](https://adoptingbitcoin.org/) | 14 nov – 15 nov | El Salvador, Nuevo Cuscatlán | Carretera Huizucar | | [Bitfest Manchester](https://bitfest.uk/) | 21 nov – 23 nov | UK, Manchester | Pendulum Hotel | | [BTC++ Taipei](https://btcplusplus.dev/conf/taipei) | 15 dec – 17 dec | Taiwan, Taipei | No. 13, Section 2, Nangang Rd, Nangang District |License
Licensed under the MIT License.