Features Overview

Features Overview

ZAO OS is organized into five pillars — each a distinct section of the app, each serving a different need for the community.

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Pillar 1: Social

The social layer lives on Farcaster. Public conversations happen through channel casts, private conversations through XMTP encrypted messaging.

Channel Feed (Chat)

A Discord-style feed connected to Farcaster channels (/zao, /zabal, /cocconcertz, /wavewarz). Messages are Farcaster casts cached in Supabase for fast loading.

• Threaded replies — tap any message to open a thread drawer
• Reactions — like and recast directly from the app (uses your Farcaster signer)
• Rich compose — @mentions with autocomplete, image upload (5MB), quote casts
• Feed filters — filter by content type: all, music, images, video, links, text-only
• Scheduled posts — write now, publish later with full CRUD
• Trending feed — algorithm-weighted by community engagement
• Cast search — full-text search across all channel casts (Cmd+K)

Encrypted DMs (XMTP)

End-to-end encrypted messaging via XMTP's MLS protocol. Not even ZAO OS can read these.

• 1-on-1 DMs — fully encrypted direct messages
• Group conversations — create groups, manage members, leave
• Multi-wallet support — connect your Farcaster wallet + external wallets
• Consent filtering — XMTP consent protocol blocks spam
• Tab lock — prevents concurrent connections via BroadcastChannel

Cross-Platform Publishing (Broadcast)

Post once, publish everywhere. Approved governance proposals auto-publish after reaching 1000+ Respect.

• Farcaster — native casts
• Bluesky — ATProto federation
• X (Twitter) — OAuth-connected posting
• Telegram — channel broadcasting
• Discord — webhook publishing
• Lens Protocol — Web3 social
• Hive — blockchain publishing for rewards

Content is normalized per platform (character limits, image handling, link formatting).

Member Directory

Searchable directory of all community members with:

• Public profiles (identity, wallets, platforms, Respect balance)
• ENS resolution and subname support
• Preferred wallet display settings

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Pillar 2: Music

The biggest feature in ZAO OS. A full music streaming experience with 9 platform providers, crossfade, binaural beats, and community curation.

See the full Music Player Guide for details.

Highlights:

• 9-platform inline player — Spotify, SoundCloud, YouTube, Audius, Sound.xyz, Apple Music, Tidal, Bandcamp, generic audio
• Crossfade engine — dual audio elements for smooth transitions (0-12s)
• ZAO Radio — community-curated Audius playlists, always-on
• Binaural beats — 40Hz gamma, 10Hz alpha, 4Hz delta with ambient mixer
• Playlists — create, collaborate, share
• Track of the Day — daily community voting
• Arweave uploads — permanent music storage with licensing (UDL)
• Scrobbling — Last.fm and ListenBrainz integration
• Equalizer — presets for Piano, Voice, Bass, Rock, Classical, etc.
• Lock screen controls — full MediaSession API (all 8 actions)

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Pillar 3: Governance

Three-tier governance system — from lightweight polls to fully on-chain proposals.

See the full Governance Guide for details.

• Snapshot Polls — gasless weekly priority polls on zaal.eth space. 10 rotating community initiatives.
• Fractal Governance — the Respect Game. 90+ consecutive weeks. Monday 6pm EST. Participants rank each other, earning Respect tokens (ERC1155 on Optimism).
• ZOUNZ DAO — Nouns Builder on Base. Daily NFT auctions fund the community treasury. NFT holders vote on-chain proposals.

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Pillar 4: Library

Community knowledge base for shared resources, documentation, and learning.

• Library entries — submit resources, vote, comment
• Category filtering — organized by topic
• Link previews — automatic OpenGraph metadata extraction
• Admin curation — moderators can feature or remove entries

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Pillar 5: Contribute

Creator tools and community opportunities.

• Community issues — surface tasks and bounties
• Ecosystem integrations — connect with partner platforms (Incented bounties, etc.)

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Platform-Wide Features

These work across all pillars:

Authentication

Two auth methods, progressive onboarding:

1. Sign In With Farcaster (SIWF) — primary, uses Neynar managed signers
2. Sign In With Ethereum (SIWE) — wallet-first for token holders

Sessions use iron-session (encrypted httpOnly cookies, 7-day TTL).

Access Control

Layered gating system:

• Allowlist — wallet + FID allowlist with CSV import
• Hats Protocol — hierarchical roles on Optimism (Admin, Council, Curator, Member, Creator, Researcher)
• Respect tokens — ERC1155 ownership verification

Notifications

In-app notification system with activity alerts and admin broadcasts.

Search

Global search (Cmd+K) across users, casts, and music.

Keyboard Shortcuts

• Cmd+K — global search
• / — focus compose
• Esc — close dialogs
• Cmd+B — toggle sidebar
• M — jump to music

Mobile-First

Designed for phones first, enhanced for desktop. Swipe gestures, haptic feedback, responsive layouts throughout.