v1.2.1 - Handle NDKs pings of kind 99999

src/main.h

@@ -13,8 +13,8 @@
 // Using CRELAY_ prefix to avoid conflicts with nostr_core_lib VERSION macros
 #define CRELAY_VERSION_MAJOR 1
 #define CRELAY_VERSION_MINOR 2
-#define CRELAY_VERSION_PATCH 0
-#define CRELAY_VERSION "v1.2.0"
+#define CRELAY_VERSION_PATCH 1
+#define CRELAY_VERSION "v1.2.1"
 
 // Relay metadata (authoritative source for NIP-11 information)
 #define RELAY_NAME "C-Relay"

src/subscriptions.c

@@ -1456,6 +1456,10 @@ int validate_search_term(const char* search_term, char* error_message, size_t er
 
 /**
  * Validate all filter values in a filter object
+ * Returns:
+ *   1 = valid
+ *   0 = invalid (malformed, should count toward rate limit)
+ *  -1 = invalid but benign (e.g., kind 99999 from NDK ping, should not count toward rate limit)
  */
 int validate_filter_values(cJSON* filter_json, char* error_message, size_t error_size) {
     if (!filter_json || !cJSON_IsObject(filter_json)) {
@@ -1463,6 +1467,8 @@ int validate_filter_values(cJSON* filter_json, char* error_message, size_t error
         return 0;
     }
 
+    int has_kind_99999 = 0;  // Track if we encounter kind 99999 (NDK ping)
+
     // Validate kinds array
     cJSON* kinds = cJSON_GetObjectItem(filter_json, "kinds");
     if (kinds) {
@@ -1485,11 +1491,25 @@ int validate_filter_values(cJSON* filter_json, char* error_message, size_t error
             }
 
             int kind_val = (int)cJSON_GetNumberValue(kind_item);
+            
+            // Special case: kind 99999 is used by NDK for ping/connectivity checks
+            // We reject it but don't count it as a malformed request
+            if (kind_val == 99999) {
+                has_kind_99999 = 1;
+                snprintf(error_message, error_size, "kinds[%d]: invalid event kind %d (used by NDK for ping)", i, kind_val);
+                continue;  // Continue checking other kinds
+            }
+            
             if (kind_val < 0 || kind_val > 65535) { // Reasonable range for event kinds
                 snprintf(error_message, error_size, "kinds[%d]: invalid event kind %d", i, kind_val);
                 return 0;
             }
         }
+        
+        // If we only found kind 99999 and no other validation errors, return -1 (benign error)
+        if (has_kind_99999) {
+            return -1;
+        }
     }
 
     // Validate authors array

src/websockets.c

@@ -975,11 +975,15 @@ static int nostr_relay_callback(struct lws *wsi, enum lws_callback_reasons reaso
 
                                         // Validate filters before processing
                                         char filter_error[512] = {0};
-                                        if (!validate_filter_array(filters, filter_error, sizeof(filter_error))) {
+                                        int validation_result = validate_filter_array(filters, filter_error, sizeof(filter_error));
+                                        if (validation_result <= 0) {
                                             DEBUG_TRACE("REQ rejected: filter validation failed - %s", filter_error);
                                             send_notice_message(wsi, pss, filter_error);
                                             DEBUG_WARN("REQ rejected: invalid filters");
-                                            record_malformed_request(pss);
+                                            // Only record as malformed if it's a true error (0), not benign error (-1)
+                                            if (validation_result == 0) {
+                                                record_malformed_request(pss);
+                                            }
                                             cJSON_Delete(filters);
                                             cJSON_Delete(json);
                                             // Note: complete_message points to reassembly_buffer, which is managed separately
@@ -1060,10 +1064,14 @@ static int nostr_relay_callback(struct lws *wsi, enum lws_callback_reasons reaso
 
                                         // Validate filters before processing
                                         char filter_error[512] = {0};
-                                        if (!validate_filter_array(filters, filter_error, sizeof(filter_error))) {
+                                        int validation_result = validate_filter_array(filters, filter_error, sizeof(filter_error));
+                                        if (validation_result <= 0) {
                                             send_notice_message(wsi, pss, filter_error);
                                             DEBUG_WARN("COUNT rejected: invalid filters");
-                                            record_malformed_request(pss);
+                                            // Only record as malformed if it's a true error (0), not benign error (-1)
+                                            if (validation_result == 0) {
+                                                record_malformed_request(pss);
+                                            }
                                             cJSON_Delete(filters);
                                             cJSON_Delete(json);
                                             // Note: complete_message points to reassembly_buffer, which is managed separately
@@ -1673,11 +1681,15 @@ static int nostr_relay_callback(struct lws *wsi, enum lws_callback_reasons reaso
 
                                     // Validate filters before processing
                                     char filter_error[512] = {0};
-                                    if (!validate_filter_array(filters, filter_error, sizeof(filter_error))) {
+                                    int validation_result = validate_filter_array(filters, filter_error, sizeof(filter_error));
+                                    if (validation_result <= 0) {
                                         DEBUG_TRACE("REQ rejected: filter validation failed - %s", filter_error);
                                         send_notice_message(wsi, pss, filter_error);
                                         DEBUG_WARN("REQ rejected: invalid filters");
-                                        record_malformed_request(pss);
+                                        // Only record as malformed if it's a true error (0), not benign error (-1)
+                                        if (validation_result == 0) {
+                                            record_malformed_request(pss);
+                                        }
                                         cJSON_Delete(filters);
                                         cJSON_Delete(json);
                                         free(message);
@@ -1756,10 +1768,14 @@ static int nostr_relay_callback(struct lws *wsi, enum lws_callback_reasons reaso
 
                                     // Validate filters before processing
                                     char filter_error[512] = {0};
-                                    if (!validate_filter_array(filters, filter_error, sizeof(filter_error))) {
+                                    int validation_result = validate_filter_array(filters, filter_error, sizeof(filter_error));
+                                    if (validation_result <= 0) {
                                         send_notice_message(wsi, pss, filter_error);
                                         DEBUG_WARN("COUNT rejected: invalid filters");
-                                        record_malformed_request(pss);
+                                        // Only record as malformed if it's a true error (0), not benign error (-1)
+                                        if (validation_result == 0) {
+                                            record_malformed_request(pss);
+                                        }
                                         cJSON_Delete(filters);
                                         cJSON_Delete(json);
                                         free(message);
@@ -2871,6 +2887,10 @@ int is_valid_hex_string(const char* str, size_t expected_len) {
 
 /**
  * Validate a filter array for REQ and COUNT messages
+ * Returns:
+ *   1 = valid
+ *   0 = invalid (malformed, should count toward rate limit)
+ *  -1 = invalid but benign (e.g., kind 99999 from NDK ping, should not count toward rate limit)
  */
 int validate_filter_array(cJSON* filters, char* error_message, size_t error_size) {
     if (!filters || !cJSON_IsArray(filters)) {
@@ -2884,6 +2904,8 @@ int validate_filter_array(cJSON* filters, char* error_message, size_t error_size
         return 0;
     }
 
+    int has_kind_99999 = 0;  // Track if we encounter kind 99999 (NDK ping)
+
     // Validate each filter object
     for (int i = 0; i < filter_count; i++) {
         cJSON* filter = cJSON_GetArrayItem(filters, i);
@@ -2964,6 +2986,15 @@ int validate_filter_array(cJSON* filters, char* error_message, size_t error_size
                         return 0;
                     }
                     int kind_val = (int)cJSON_GetNumberValue(kind);
+                    
+                    // Special case: kind 99999 is used by NDK (Nostr Development Kit) for ping/connectivity checks
+                    // We reject it but don't count it as a malformed request to avoid rate limiting NDK clients
+                    if (kind_val == 99999) {
+                        has_kind_99999 = 1;
+                        snprintf(error_message, error_size, "error: invalid kind value %d (NDK ping)", kind_val);
+                        continue;  // Continue checking other kinds
+                    }
+                    
                     if (kind_val < 0 || kind_val > MAX_KIND_VALUE) {
                         snprintf(error_message, error_size, "error: invalid kind value %d", kind_val);
                         return 0;
@@ -3041,5 +3072,10 @@ int validate_filter_array(cJSON* filters, char* error_message, size_t error_size
         }
     }
 
+    // If we found kind 99999 (NDK ping), return -1 to indicate benign error
+    if (has_kind_99999) {
+        return -1;
+    }
+
     return 1; // All filters valid
 }