ChainCatcher report: Shane Mac, founder of the messaging protocol XMTP, posted that XMTP will evolve into a self-operating open-source messaging stack designed to provide private conversations between people and agents, with infrastructure controlled by users—no tokens or wallets required. The network hosted by XMTP Labs will shut down in early 2027. Shane Mac stated that he founded XMTP five years ago because he believed private messaging should not be owned by a single company. He reflected that the team originally envisioned using wallets as cross-app identities, enabling messages to follow users, and using tokens to compensate infrastructure operators—but this path was never realized. XMTP has never issued a token and will not issue one now. He acknowledged that persisting with a single shared network was a mistake; developers have long requested the ability to run XMTP themselves, so the project is now shifting to self-hosting, allowing developers to use, inspect, modify, and maintain the entire software stack without relying on Labs. Former employees will assist in maintaining the protocol, and Shane Mac himself will continue to contribute. The post outlines that self-hosted XMTP provides quantum-resistant end-to-end encryption, private one-on-one and group chats, encrypted identities and message authenticity, along with SDKs for mobile, web, server, and agent platforms. Chief Technology Officer Nick Molnar has simplified the backend into a single Rust binary, integrating attachments, push notifications, handles, and signed webhooks for new messages. Self-hosted networks do not automatically interconnect by default; agents from different tools must connect to the same backend to share conversations.
XMTP to Transition to a Self-Hosted Open Source Stack; Labs Network to Shut Down in Early 2027
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Summary
XMTP will undergo a protocol update, transitioning to a self-hosted open-source messaging stack. The network upgrade will enable users to control their own infrastructure, allowing for private chats and encrypted identities without tokens or wallets. The XMTP Labs network will be shut down in early 2027. The new stack features quantum-resistant encryption, SDKs for multiple platforms, and a simplified Rust backend. Self-hosted networks will not automatically interconnect.
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