proposed sync change to use self subscribe to trigger everything

2 files changed, 485 insertions, 105 deletions

diff --git a/docs/explanation/grasp-02-proactive-sync.md b/docs/explanation/grasp-02-proactive-sync.md
index 666b048..c07f07c 100644
--- a/docs/explanation/grasp-02-proactive-sync.md
+++ b/docs/explanation/grasp-02-proactive-sync.md
@@ -18,7 +18,11 @@ This document covers **event syncing only**. Git data syncing is out of scope fo
 ```mermaid
 flowchart TB
     subgraph ngit-grasp
-        SM[SyncManager]
+        subgraph SyncManager
+            SS[Self-Subscriber]
+            RC[Remote Connections]
+        end
+        WS[WebSocket Server]
         FS[FilterService]
         RH[RelayHealthTracker]
         DB[(Database)]
@@ -32,41 +36,88 @@ flowchart TB
         R3[nostr.land]
     end
 
-    SM -->|builds filters| FS
-    SM -->|tracks health| RH
-    SM -->|stores events| DB
-    SM -->|validates| AP
+    WS -->|broadcasts events| SS
+    SS -->|discovers relays| RC
+    RC -->|builds filters| FS
+    RC -->|tracks health| RH
+    RC -->|stores events| DB
+    RC -->|validates| AP
 
-    SM <-->|WebSocket + NEG| R1
-    SM <-->|WebSocket + NEG| R2
-    SM <-->|WebSocket + NEG| R3
+    RC <-->|WebSocket + NEG| R1
+    RC <-->|WebSocket + NEG| R2
+    RC <-->|WebSocket + NEG| R3
 
     RH -->|exposes state| MET
 ```
 
+**Key Insight: Self-Subscribe Architecture**
+
+The SyncManager uses a "self-subscribe" pattern for relay discovery. Rather than polling the database periodically, it connects to its own WebSocket server as a client and subscribes to kind 30617 events. When new announcements are saved (from any source), the self-subscriber receives them instantly and can spawn connections to newly discovered relays.
+
 ## Connection Management
 
 ### Relay Discovery
 
-Relays to connect to are discovered from **all stored repository announcements**:
+Relays to connect to are discovered using a **self-subscribe architecture** rather than periodic polling. The SyncManager connects to its own relay as a client and subscribes to kind 30617 (repository announcement) events. When a new announcement is saved to the database (from direct submission or sync), the self-subscriber receives it immediately and discovers new relays to connect to.
+
+```mermaid
+flowchart LR
+    subgraph Relay
+        WS[WebSocket Server]
+        DB[(Database)]
+    end
+    
+    subgraph SyncManager
+        SS[Self-Subscribe Client]
+        RC[Remote Connections]
+    end
+    
+    WS -->|broadcast| SS
+    SS -->|extract relay URLs| RC
+    RC -->|sync events| WS
+```
+
+**Why Self-Subscribe vs Polling?**
+
+| Approach | Latency | Complexity | Resource Use |
+|----------|---------|------------|--------------|
+| Self-Subscribe | Instant | Low | Minimal (1 WS connection) |
+| Periodic Polling | 30s+ delay | Higher | DB queries every N seconds |
+
+The self-subscribe approach provides:
+- **Immediate discovery**: New relays discovered instantly when announcement saved
+- **No polling overhead**: No periodic database queries
+- **Simple architecture**: Reuses existing WebSocket infrastructure
+
+**Implementation Pattern:**
 
 ```rust
-// Pseudocode for relay discovery
-fn discover_relays(database: &Database) -> HashSet<RelayUrl> {
-    let announcements = database.query(Filter::new().kind(30617));
-    let mut relays = HashSet::new();
-
-    for announcement in announcements {
-        for relay_url in announcement.relays_tags() {
-            if relay_url != our_domain {  // Exclude ourselves
-                relays.insert(relay_url);
+// In SyncManager::run()
+let self_client = Client::default();
+self_client.add_relay(&own_relay_url).await?;
+self_client.connect().await;
+
+let filter = Filter::new().kind(Kind::Custom(30617));
+self_client.subscribe(filter, None).await?;
+
+// Handle notifications - when announcement arrives, extract relay URLs
+client.handle_notifications(|notification| async {
+    if let RelayPoolNotification::Event { event, .. } = notification {
+        let new_urls = filter_service.extract_relay_urls_from_event(&event);
+        for url in new_urls {
+            if !active_relays.contains(&url) && !is_own_relay(&url) {
+                spawn_connection(url, tx.clone(), filter_service.clone());
             }
         }
     }
-    relays
-}
+    Ok(false) // Continue processing
+});
 ```
 
+**Startup Discovery:** At startup, existing announcements in the database are queried once to discover initial relays. After startup, all discovery is event-driven via self-subscribe.
+
+**Reconnection:** The self-subscriber has built-in exponential backoff reconnection (1s → 60s max) to handle temporary disconnections from our own relay.
+
 ### Connection Lifecycle
 
 ```mermaid
diff --git a/src/sync/manager.rs b/src/sync/manager.rs
index 96bf0f4..6ae82ef 100644
--- a/src/sync/manager.rs
+++ b/src/sync/manager.rs
@@ -1,12 +1,42 @@
 //! SyncManager - Coordinates proactive sync operations
 //!
-//! The SyncManager discovers relays from stored announcements, spawns connections
-//! to each relay, receives events, validates them through the write policy,
-//! and stores accepted events.
+//! The SyncManager connects to remote relays, receives events, validates them
+//! through the write policy, and stores accepted events.
+//!
+//! ## Simplified Relay Discovery Architecture
+//!
+//! All relay discovery is centralized in the self-subscriber:
+//! - Bootstrap relay: connected immediately (no jitter, single relay)
+//! - All other relays: discovered via self-subscriber announcements (with jitter)
+//!
+//! ```text
+//! ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
+//! │                        ngit-grasp                           │
+//! │                                                             │
+//! │  ┌─────────────┐       broadcasts       ┌───────────────┐  │
+//! │  │   Relay     │ ─────────────────────▶ │ Self-Subscribe│  │
+//! │  │  Database   │                        │    Client     │  │
+//! │  └─────────────┘                        └───────┬───────┘  │
+//! │        ▲                                        │          │
+//! │        │ stores                                 │ extracts │
+//! │        │                                        │ relay    │
+//! │  ┌─────┴─────┐                                 │ URLs     │
+//! │  │  Remote   │◀────────────────────────────────┘          │
+//! │  │Connections│           spawns new                       │
+//! │  └───────────┘           connections (with jitter)        │
+//! └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
+//! ```
+//!
+//! ## Key Design Decisions
+//!
+//! - **Single relay discovery path**: Only the self-subscriber discovers new relays
+//! - **Jitter at point of discovery**: Applied when spawning connections from announcements
+//! - **Since filter on reconnection**: Avoids re-processing old announcements after disconnect
+//! - **Bootstrap relay has no jitter**: Single relay doesn't cause thundering herd
 //!
 //! ## Phase 2 Features
 //!
-//! - Relay discovery from stored kind 30617 announcements
+//! - Relay discovery from kind 30617 announcements (via self-subscriber)
 //! - Multiple simultaneous relay connections
 //! - Three-layer filter strategy via FilterService
 //!
@@ -30,6 +60,7 @@ use std::sync::Arc;
 use std::time::Duration;
 
 use nostr_relay_builder::prelude::*;
+use nostr_sdk::prelude::{Client, Filter, Kind, RelayPoolNotification, Timestamp};
 use rand::Rng;
 use tokio::sync::mpsc;
 
@@ -39,7 +70,7 @@ use super::health::RelayHealthTracker;
 use super::metrics::SyncMetrics;
 use crate::config::Config;
 use crate::nostr::builder::{Nip34WritePolicy, SharedDatabase};
-
+use crate::nostr::events::KIND_REPOSITORY_ANNOUNCEMENT;
 
 /// Default fallback address for sync source when bind_address cannot be parsed
 ///
@@ -58,6 +89,11 @@ fn get_sync_source_addr(bind_address: &str) -> SocketAddr {
         .unwrap_or(DEFAULT_SYNC_SOURCE_ADDR)
 }
 
+/// Derive the WebSocket URL for our own relay from bind_address
+fn derive_own_relay_url(bind_address: &str) -> String {
+    format!("ws://{}", bind_address)
+}
+
 /// Coordinates proactive sync from configured and discovered relays
 pub struct SyncManager {
     /// Bootstrap relay URL for initial sync (from config)
@@ -65,6 +101,8 @@ pub struct SyncManager {
     bootstrap_relay_url: Option<String>,
     /// Our relay's domain (for filtering)
     relay_domain: String,
+    /// Our relay's WebSocket URL (for self-subscribe)
+    own_relay_url: String,
     /// Database for storing accepted events
     database: SharedDatabase,
     /// Write policy for validating events
@@ -95,9 +133,11 @@ impl SyncManager {
         write_policy: Nip34WritePolicy,
         config: &Config,
     ) -> Self {
+        let own_relay_url = derive_own_relay_url(&config.bind_address);
         Self {
             bootstrap_relay_url,
             relay_domain,
+            own_relay_url,
             database,
             write_policy,
             health_tracker: Arc::new(RelayHealthTracker::new(config)),
@@ -124,9 +164,11 @@ impl SyncManager {
         config: &Config,
         metrics: SyncMetrics,
     ) -> Self {
+        let own_relay_url = derive_own_relay_url(&config.bind_address);
         Self {
             bootstrap_relay_url,
             relay_domain,
+            own_relay_url,
             database,
             write_policy,
             health_tracker: Arc::new(RelayHealthTracker::new(config)),
@@ -144,9 +186,11 @@ impl SyncManager {
     ) -> Self {
         // Extract domain from URL for filtering
         let relay_domain = extract_domain_from_url(&bootstrap_url).unwrap_or_default();
+        let own_relay_url = format!("ws://{}", relay_domain);
         Self {
             bootstrap_relay_url: Some(bootstrap_url),
             relay_domain,
+            own_relay_url,
             database,
             write_policy,
             health_tracker: Arc::new(RelayHealthTracker::with_defaults()),
@@ -173,12 +217,27 @@ impl SyncManager {
 
     /// Run the sync manager
     ///
-    /// This discovers relays from stored announcements, spawns connection tasks,
-    /// and processes incoming events. Runs indefinitely until cancelled.
+    /// This spawns the bootstrap relay connection (if configured), sets up a 
+    /// self-subscriber for event-driven relay discovery, and processes incoming
+    /// events. The self-subscriber handles ALL relay discovery from announcements.
+    /// Runs indefinitely until cancelled.
+    ///
+    /// ## Simplified Relay Discovery Architecture
+    ///
+    /// All relay discovery is centralized in the self-subscriber:
+    /// - Bootstrap relay: connected immediately (no jitter, single relay)
+    /// - All other relays: discovered via self-subscriber announcements (with jitter)
+    /// - Jitter applied at point of discovery (not startup)
+    ///
+    /// This eliminates three redundant discovery paths:
+    /// 1. DB query at startup (removed)
+    /// 2. Remote event extraction (removed)  
+    /// 3. Self-subscriber (sole discovery path)
     pub async fn run(self) {
         tracing::info!(
-            "Starting SyncManager (domain: {}, bootstrap relay: {:?})",
+            "Starting SyncManager (domain: {}, own_relay: {}, bootstrap relay: {:?})",
             self.relay_domain,
+            self.own_relay_url,
             self.bootstrap_relay_url
         );
 
@@ -191,74 +250,56 @@ impl SyncManager {
         // Create channel for receiving events from all connections
         let (tx, mut rx) = mpsc::channel::<SyncedEvent>(100);
 
-        // Track active relay URLs to avoid duplicates
-        let mut active_relays: HashSet<String> = HashSet::new();
-
-        // Collect all relays to connect to
-        let mut relays_to_connect: Vec<String> = Vec::new();
+        // Track active relay URLs to avoid duplicates (wrapped in Arc for sharing)
+        let active_relays = Arc::new(tokio::sync::Mutex::new(HashSet::<String>::new()));
 
-        // Start with bootstrap relay if configured
+        // Bootstrap relay - connect immediately (no jitter, just one relay)
         if let Some(ref url) = self.bootstrap_relay_url {
             if !self.is_own_relay(url) {
-                relays_to_connect.push(url.clone());
-                active_relays.insert(url.clone());
+                tracing::info!("Connecting to bootstrap relay: {}", url);
+                active_relays.lock().await.insert(url.clone());
+                self.spawn_connection(url.clone(), tx.clone(), filter_service.clone(), false);
             } else {
                 tracing::info!("Skipping bootstrap relay (is our own relay): {}", url);
             }
         }
 
-        // Discover additional relays from stored announcements
-        let discovered_urls = filter_service.discover_relay_urls().await;
-        for url in discovered_urls {
-            if !active_relays.contains(&url) && !self.is_own_relay(&url) {
-                relays_to_connect.push(url.clone());
-                active_relays.insert(url.clone());
-            }
-        }
-
         // Record initial tracked relay count
         if let Some(ref metrics) = self.metrics {
-            metrics.set_tracked_count(active_relays.len() as i64);
+            let count = active_relays.lock().await.len();
+            metrics.set_tracked_count(count as i64);
         }
 
-        // Spawn connections with startup jitter to prevent thundering herd
-        for url in relays_to_connect {
-            tracing::info!("Scheduling connection to sync relay: {}", url);
-            self.spawn_connection_with_jitter(url, tx.clone(), filter_service.clone());
+        {
+            let active = active_relays.lock().await;
+            if active.is_empty() {
+                tracing::info!(
+                    "No bootstrap relay configured, waiting for announcements via self-subscriber..."
+                );
+            } else {
+                tracing::info!(
+                    "SyncManager connected to {} relay(s): {:?}",
+                    active.len(),
+                    *active
+                );
+            }
         }
 
-        if active_relays.is_empty() {
-            tracing::warn!("No sync relays configured or discovered, SyncManager idle");
-        } else {
-            tracing::info!(
-                "SyncManager connected to {} relays: {:?}",
-                active_relays.len(),
-                active_relays
-            );
-        }
+        // Spawn self-subscriber task for ALL relay discovery
+        let self_subscriber_handle = self.spawn_self_subscriber(
+            tx.clone(),
+            filter_service.clone(),
+            active_relays.clone(),
+        );
 
-        // Process incoming events from all connections
+        // Process incoming events - just validate and store, NO relay discovery
+        // (relay discovery is handled solely by the self-subscriber)
         while let Some(synced_event) = rx.recv().await {
-            // Check if this event reveals new relays to sync from
-            let new_urls = filter_service.extract_relay_urls_from_event(&synced_event.event);
-            for url in new_urls {
-                if !active_relays.contains(&url) && !self.is_own_relay(&url) {
-                    tracing::info!("Discovered new relay from event, connecting: {}", url);
-                    active_relays.insert(url.clone());
-                    
-                    // Update tracked relay count
-                    if let Some(ref metrics) = self.metrics {
-                        metrics.inc_tracked_count();
-                    }
-                    
-                    // New relays discovered during runtime don't need jitter
-                    self.spawn_connection(url, tx.clone(), filter_service.clone());
-                }
-            }
-
             self.process_event(synced_event).await;
         }
 
+        // Clean up self-subscriber
+        self_subscriber_handle.abort();
         tracing::warn!("SyncManager event channel closed, shutting down");
     }
 
@@ -267,52 +308,325 @@ impl SyncManager {
         url.contains(&self.relay_domain)
     }
 
-    /// Spawn a connection task for a relay with startup jitter
+    /// Spawn a self-subscriber task that connects to our own relay
+    /// and watches for kind 30617 announcements to discover new relays.
     ///
-    /// Adds a random delay (0 to startup_jitter_ms) before connecting to prevent
-    /// thundering herd on startup when multiple relays are configured.
-    /// Set startup_jitter_ms to 0 to disable jitter (useful for testing).
-    fn spawn_connection_with_jitter(
+    /// This is the SOLE relay discovery path - all relay discovery happens here.
+    /// When a new announcement is saved to our database (from direct submission
+    /// or synced from another relay), the self-subscriber receives it immediately
+    /// and spawns connections to newly discovered relays (with jitter).
+    fn spawn_self_subscriber(
         &self,
-        url: String,
         tx: mpsc::Sender<SyncedEvent>,
         filter_service: Arc<FilterService>,
-    ) {
-        let domain = self.relay_domain.clone();
-        let health_tracker = self.health_tracker.clone();
+        active_relays: Arc<tokio::sync::Mutex<HashSet<String>>>,
+    ) -> tokio::task::JoinHandle<()> {
+        let own_relay_url = self.own_relay_url.clone();
+        let relay_domain = self.relay_domain.clone();
         let metrics = self.metrics.clone();
-        let max_jitter = self.startup_jitter_ms;
+        let health_tracker = self.health_tracker.clone();
+        let startup_jitter_ms = self.startup_jitter_ms;
 
         tokio::spawn(async move {
-            // Apply startup jitter (if configured)
-            if max_jitter > 0 {
-                let jitter_ms = rand::thread_rng().gen_range(0..max_jitter);
-                tracing::debug!(
-                    "Applying {}ms startup jitter before connecting to {}",
-                    jitter_ms,
-                    url
-                );
-                tokio::time::sleep(Duration::from_millis(jitter_ms)).await;
+            Self::run_self_subscriber_loop(
+                own_relay_url,
+                relay_domain,
+                tx,
+                filter_service,
+                active_relays,
+                metrics,
+                health_tracker,
+                startup_jitter_ms,
+            )
+            .await;
+        })
+    }
+
+    /// Main loop for the self-subscriber
+    ///
+    /// Connects to our own relay, subscribes to kind 30617 announcements,
+    /// and processes events to discover new relays. Handles reconnection
+    /// on disconnect.
+    ///
+    /// ## Reconnection Behavior
+    ///
+    /// - First connection: no `since` filter (get all historical announcements)
+    /// - Reconnections: use `since` filter (15 minutes ago) to avoid re-processing
+    #[allow(clippy::too_many_arguments)]
+    async fn run_self_subscriber_loop(
+        own_relay_url: String,
+        relay_domain: String,
+        tx: mpsc::Sender<SyncedEvent>,
+        filter_service: Arc<FilterService>,
+        active_relays: Arc<tokio::sync::Mutex<HashSet<String>>>,
+        metrics: Option<SyncMetrics>,
+        health_tracker: Arc<RelayHealthTracker>,
+        startup_jitter_ms: u64,
+    ) {
+        let mut reconnect_delay = Duration::from_secs(1);
+        let max_reconnect_delay = Duration::from_secs(60);
+        let mut is_first_connection = true;
+
+        loop {
+            tracing::info!(
+                "Self-subscriber connecting to own relay: {}",
+                own_relay_url
+            );
+
+            match Self::connect_self_subscriber(&own_relay_url).await {
+                Ok(client) => {
+                    // Reset reconnect delay on successful connection
+                    reconnect_delay = Duration::from_secs(1);
+
+                    tracing::info!(
+                        "Self-subscriber connected to own relay, subscribing to kind {} announcements{}",
+                        KIND_REPOSITORY_ANNOUNCEMENT,
+                        if is_first_connection { " (initial, no since filter)" } else { " (reconnection, with since filter)" }
+                    );
+
+                    // Subscribe to repository announcements
+                    // First connection: get all historical; reconnections: only last 15 minutes
+                    let filter = if is_first_connection {
+                        Filter::new().kind(Kind::Custom(KIND_REPOSITORY_ANNOUNCEMENT))
+                    } else {
+                        let since = Timestamp::now() - 15 * 60; // 15 minutes ago
+                        Filter::new()
+                            .kind(Kind::Custom(KIND_REPOSITORY_ANNOUNCEMENT))
+                            .since(since)
+                    };
+                    
+                    is_first_connection = false;
+                    
+                    if let Err(e) = client.subscribe(filter, None).await {
+                        tracing::error!(
+                            "Self-subscriber failed to subscribe on {}: {}",
+                            own_relay_url,
+                            e
+                        );
+                        // Will reconnect after delay
+                    } else {
+                        // Handle notifications until disconnect
+                        Self::handle_self_subscriber_notifications(
+                            &client,
+                            &own_relay_url,
+                            &relay_domain,
+                            &tx,
+                            &filter_service,
+                            &active_relays,
+                            &metrics,
+                            &health_tracker,
+                            startup_jitter_ms,
+                        )
+                        .await;
+                    }
+
+                    // Disconnect and cleanup
+                    client.disconnect().await;
+                }
+                Err(e) => {
+                    tracing::warn!(
+                        "Self-subscriber failed to connect to {}: {}",
+                        own_relay_url,
+                        e
+                    );
+                }
             }
 
-            connect_with_retry(&url, tx, filter_service, &domain, health_tracker, metrics).await;
-        });
+            // Wait before reconnecting with exponential backoff
+            tracing::debug!(
+                "Self-subscriber will reconnect to {} in {:?}",
+                own_relay_url,
+                reconnect_delay
+            );
+            tokio::time::sleep(reconnect_delay).await;
+            reconnect_delay = std::cmp::min(reconnect_delay * 2, max_reconnect_delay);
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Connect to our own relay for self-subscribing
+    async fn connect_self_subscriber(
+        url: &str,
+    ) -> Result<Client, Box<dyn std::error::Error + Send + Sync>> {
+        let client = Client::default();
+        client.add_relay(url).await?;
+        client.connect().await;
+
+        // Wait for connection to establish (with timeout)
+        let timeout = Duration::from_secs(10);
+        let start = std::time::Instant::now();
+
+        while start.elapsed() < timeout {
+            let relays = client.relays().await;
+            if relays.values().any(|r| r.is_connected()) {
+                return Ok(client);
+            }
+            tokio::time::sleep(Duration::from_millis(100)).await;
+        }
+
+        Err("Timeout waiting for self-subscriber connection".into())
     }
 
-    /// Spawn a connection task for a relay without jitter
+    /// Handle notifications from the self-subscriber client
     ///
-    /// Used for relays discovered during runtime (not at startup).
+    /// Processes announcement events to discover new relay URLs.
+    /// Applies jitter before spawning connections to prevent thundering herd.
+    #[allow(clippy::too_many_arguments)]
+    async fn handle_self_subscriber_notifications(
+        client: &Client,
+        own_relay_url: &str,
+        relay_domain: &str,
+        tx: &mpsc::Sender<SyncedEvent>,
+        filter_service: &Arc<FilterService>,
+        active_relays: &Arc<tokio::sync::Mutex<HashSet<String>>>,
+        metrics: &Option<SyncMetrics>,
+        health_tracker: &Arc<RelayHealthTracker>,
+        startup_jitter_ms: u64,
+    ) {
+        let own_relay_url = own_relay_url.to_string();
+        let relay_domain = relay_domain.to_string();
+        let filter_service = filter_service.clone();
+        let active_relays = active_relays.clone();
+        let metrics = metrics.clone();
+        let health_tracker = health_tracker.clone();
+        let tx = tx.clone();
+
+        client
+            .handle_notifications(|notification| {
+                let own_relay_url = own_relay_url.clone();
+                let relay_domain = relay_domain.clone();
+                let filter_service = filter_service.clone();
+                let active_relays = active_relays.clone();
+                let metrics = metrics.clone();
+                let health_tracker = health_tracker.clone();
+                let tx = tx.clone();
+
+                async move {
+                    match notification {
+                        RelayPoolNotification::Event { event, .. } => {
+                            // Only process repository announcement events
+                            if event.kind.as_u16() != KIND_REPOSITORY_ANNOUNCEMENT {
+                                return Ok(false);
+                            }
+
+                            tracing::debug!(
+                                "Self-subscriber received announcement {} from {}",
+                                event.id,
+                                own_relay_url
+                            );
+
+                            // Extract relay URLs from the announcement
+                            let new_urls = filter_service.extract_relay_urls_from_event(&event);
+
+                            for url in new_urls {
+                                // Check if we should connect to this relay
+                                let should_connect = {
+                                    let mut active = active_relays.lock().await;
+                                    let is_new = !active.contains(&url);
+                                    let is_not_self = !url.contains(&relay_domain);
+
+                                    if is_new && is_not_self {
+                                        active.insert(url.clone());
+                                        true
+                                    } else {
+                                        false
+                                    }
+                                };
+
+                                if should_connect {
+                                    tracing::info!(
+                                        "Self-subscriber discovered new relay from announcement {}, scheduling connection: {}",
+                                        event.id,
+                                        url
+                                    );
+
+                                    // Update tracked relay count
+                                    if let Some(ref m) = metrics {
+                                        m.inc_tracked_count();
+                                    }
+
+                                    // Spawn connection to the new relay WITH jitter at point of discovery
+                                    let url_clone = url.clone();
+                                    let tx_clone = tx.clone();
+                                    let filter_service_clone = filter_service.clone();
+                                    let domain_clone = relay_domain.clone();
+                                    let health_tracker_clone = health_tracker.clone();
+                                    let metrics_clone = metrics.clone();
+
+                                    tokio::spawn(async move {
+                                        // Apply jitter at point of discovery
+                                        if startup_jitter_ms > 0 {
+                                            let jitter_ms = rand::thread_rng().gen_range(0..startup_jitter_ms);
+                                            tracing::debug!(
+                                                "Applying {}ms jitter before connecting to discovered relay {}",
+                                                jitter_ms,
+                                                url_clone
+                                            );
+                                            tokio::time::sleep(Duration::from_millis(jitter_ms)).await;
+                                        }
+                                        
+                                        connect_with_retry(
+                                            &url_clone,
+                                            tx_clone,
+                                            filter_service_clone,
+                                            &domain_clone,
+                                            health_tracker_clone,
+                                            metrics_clone,
+                                        )
+                                        .await;
+                                    });
+                                }
+                            }
+
+                            Ok(false) // Continue processing
+                        }
+                        RelayPoolNotification::Shutdown => {
+                            tracing::warn!(
+                                "Self-subscriber connection shutdown for {}",
+                                own_relay_url
+                            );
+                            Ok(true) // Stop on shutdown
+                        }
+                        RelayPoolNotification::Message { .. } => {
+                            Ok(false) // Continue processing
+                        }
+                    }
+                }
+            })
+            .await
+            .ok();
+    }
+
+    /// Spawn a connection task for a relay
+    ///
+    /// # Arguments
+    /// * `url` - Relay URL to connect to
+    /// * `tx` - Channel sender for synced events
+    /// * `filter_service` - Filter service for subscriptions
+    /// * `apply_jitter` - Whether to apply startup jitter before connecting
     fn spawn_connection(
         &self,
         url: String,
         tx: mpsc::Sender<SyncedEvent>,
         filter_service: Arc<FilterService>,
+        apply_jitter: bool,
     ) {
         let domain = self.relay_domain.clone();
         let health_tracker = self.health_tracker.clone();
         let metrics = self.metrics.clone();
+        let max_jitter = self.startup_jitter_ms;
 
         tokio::spawn(async move {
+            // Apply startup jitter if requested
+            if apply_jitter && max_jitter > 0 {
+                let jitter_ms = rand::thread_rng().gen_range(0..max_jitter);
+                tracing::debug!(
+                    "Applying {}ms jitter before connecting to {}",
+                    jitter_ms,
+                    url
+                );
+                tokio::time::sleep(Duration::from_millis(jitter_ms)).await;
+            }
+
             connect_with_retry(&url, tx, filter_service, &domain, health_tracker, metrics).await;
         });
     }
@@ -351,7 +665,10 @@ impl SyncManager {
         }
 
         // Validate through write policy using sync_source_addr derived from config
-        let result = self.write_policy.admit_event(event, &self.sync_source_addr).await;
+        let result = self
+            .write_policy
+            .admit_event(event, &self.sync_source_addr)
+            .await;
 
         match result {
             PolicyResult::Accept => {
@@ -386,12 +703,16 @@ impl SyncManager {
 /// - "ws://127.0.0.1:8080" -> "127.0.0.1:8080"
 /// - "wss://relay.example.com" -> "relay.example.com"
 fn extract_domain_from_url(url: &str) -> Option<String> {
-    let url = url.trim_start_matches("ws://").trim_start_matches("wss://");
-    let url = url.trim_start_matches("http://").trim_start_matches("https://");
-    
+    let url = url
+        .trim_start_matches("ws://")
+        .trim_start_matches("wss://");
+    let url = url
+        .trim_start_matches("http://")
+        .trim_start_matches("https://");
+
     // Remove path
     let domain = url.split('/').next()?;
-    
+
     Some(domain.to_string())
 }
 
@@ -430,4 +751,12 @@ mod tests {
             Some("example.com:3000".to_string())
         );
     }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_derive_own_relay_url() {
+        assert_eq!(
+            derive_own_relay_url("127.0.0.1:8080"),
+            "ws://127.0.0.1:8080".to_string()
+        );
+    }
 }
\ No newline at end of file