Early clients made the nsec a hot key because it was fast, simple, and got people posting in five seconds. Zero friction. Maximum adoption. And now the entire ecosystem is stuck carrying the blast radius of that shortcut.

The model we should have built from day one is simple and proven:

Root nsec (cold, offline) -> deterministic derivation -> epoch based operational keys (hot) -> clients follow the epochs automatically -> rotation becomes normal, safe, and invisible

It needs a mental model shift:

• Stop treating the root key as the thing you post with.
• Start treating it as the thing you protect with your life.

• Let the root define the family of keys.
• Let the hot keys do the work.

• Let time advance the lineage cleanly.
• Make compromise lose its teeth.