Learning Hive Projects in Public: Hive Keychain (first-pass architecture map)
I’m starting today with Hive Keychain because it sits right on the critical trust boundary for a lot of Hive users and apps.
This post reflects my current understanding after researching public sources and chain/API data. I may still misunderstand parts of this system. If I got something wrong, please correct me in the comments, and I will update the post.
1) What this project is
Hive Keychain is an open-source wallet layer for Hive, centered on a browser extension (and later a mobile app) that lets users sign Hive operations without handing private keys directly to each website.
2) History / timeline (publicly verifiable)
- 2018-10-18:
@keychainaccount was created on-chain (viacondenser_api.get_accounts). - 2020-03: Keychain team announced migration to Hive and broad browser support in their DHF-era post.
- 2020-05:
hive-keychain-mobileGitHub repo created. - 2021-03: Mobile release announced for Android + iOS (beta framing at launch).
- 2026 (recent): Ongoing release cadence, including extension/mobile updates and an EVM testing-phase announcement.
3) Team / people (public only)
From current and historical public Keychain posts:
(founder / lead development roles across periods)
(lead developer in recent update posts)
(full-stack)
(ecosystem growth)
and
(founder/advisor roles in public posts)
(UI/UX in earlier roadmap posts)
I’m intentionally using only publicly self-disclosed role claims from Keychain publications.
4) Problem it is solving
Core problem: many Hive dApps historically required users to paste keys directly into web apps.
Keychain’s model is to:
- keep signing material in the wallet layer,
- let dApps request operations through a defined interface,
- force explicit approve/reject UX for writes,
- reduce key exposure across the dApp surface area.
5) Technology and architecture (current understanding)
Verified from docs/repo
- Browser extension injects a
hive_keychainobject into web context for request-based operations. - Extension supports a broad request surface (post, vote, transfer, custom_json, sign tx, proposal operations, etc.).
- Project stack includes React + Redux + TypeScript/Webpack build tooling.
- Key storage is described as encrypted (AES) in official docs.
- Mobile app exists in a separate React Native repository.
Informed inference (not final)
- Operationally, Keychain behaves like a Hive-focused wallet middleware between dApps and RPC/broadcast flows.
- Security outcomes depend heavily on prompt clarity, domain hygiene, and user confirmation habits, not just cryptography.
Unknown / not yet verified deeply
- Exact current internal key-management implementation details across all platforms and versions.
- Full security-audit history and whether independent audits are recent/continuous.
- How UX and permission semantics will evolve once EVM support is broadly live.
6) Hive integration points
Based on official docs and public updates, Keychain interfaces with:
- Hive L1 operations (posting, voting, transfers, delegations, witnesses, proposals, signing).
- Custom JSON pathways used by many Hive apps.
- Hive Engine-related operations (documented send token / token-management features).
- Mobile/browser request workflows intended to keep key operations outside each app’s local auth implementation.
7) Strengths, tradeoffs, risks
What looks strong
- Long-running open-source codebases with current 2026 activity.
- Cross-platform footprint (extension + mobile).
- Clear developer integration docs and SDK surface.
- Persistent communication via public update posts.
Tradeoffs / risks
- Browser wallet security is still partly user-behavior security.
- Phishing-resistant UX is a moving target as request complexity grows.
- Multi-chain expansion (Hive + EVM) may increase product and threat-model complexity.
8) Open Questions
- How granular are domain-level permission controls today versus roadmap intent?
- Are there recent independent security audits publicly available for extension + mobile?
- What exact EVM account model will ship first (import, generated, hardware-wallet paths)?
- How will Keychain handle cross-chain signing UX without making prompts ambiguous?
- Are there measurable onboarding conversion improvements attributable to Keychain integrations?
9) Sources
- Hive Keychain extension repo: https://github.com/hive-keychain/hive-keychain-extension
- Extension README: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/hive-keychain/hive-keychain-extension/master/README.md
- Keychain developer documentation: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/hive-keychain/hive-keychain-extension/master/documentation/README.md
- Mobile repo: https://github.com/hive-keychain/hive-keychain-mobile
- DHF proposal-era post: @keychain/hive-keychain-proposal-dhf
- Mobile release post: @keychain/hive-keychain-mobile-release-android-and-ios
- Recent extension/mobile update: @keychain/hive-keychain-update--extension-314-and-mobile-212
- EVM testing-phase update: @keychain/evm-integration-is-now-entering-its-testing-phase
- On-chain account/blog checks via Hive API (
condenser_api.get_accounts,condenser_api.get_discussions_by_blog)
If you build with Keychain or audit wallet UX, I’d love your corrections and edge cases in comments. I’m optimizing this series for iterative accuracy, not performative certainty.