# Vitorpamplona Amethyst Kotlin Coroutines

> Kotlin Coroutines - Advanced Async Patterns

- Skill: `tomevault-io/vitorpamplona-amethyst-kotlin-coroutines` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add tomevault-io/vitorpamplona-amethyst-kotlin-coroutines`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/tomevault-io/vitorpamplona-amethyst-kotlin-coroutines/raw
- Safety review: pending (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector PASS)
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: tomevault-io (https://skillmd.com/u/tomevault-io)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/tomevault-io/vitorpamplona-amethyst-kotlin-coroutines

---


# Kotlin Coroutines - Advanced Async Patterns

Expert guidance for complex async operations in Amethyst: relay pools, event streams, structured concurrency, and testing.

## Mental Model

```
Async Architecture in Amethyst:

Relay Pool (supervisorScope)
    ├── Relay 1 (launch) → callbackFlow → Events
    ├── Relay 2 (launch) → callbackFlow → Events
    └── Relay 3 (launch) → callbackFlow → Events
            ↓
    merge() → distinctBy(id) → shareIn
            ↓
    Multiple Collectors (ViewModels, Services)
```

**Key principles:**
- **supervisorScope** - Children fail independently
- **callbackFlow** - Bridge callbacks to Flow
- **shareIn/stateIn** - Hot flows from cold
- **Backpressure** - buffer(), conflate(), DROP_OLDEST

## When to Use This Skill

Use for **advanced** async patterns:
- Multi-relay subscriptions with supervisorScope
- Complex Flow operators (flatMapLatest, combine, merge)
- callbackFlow for Android callbacks (connectivity, location)
- Backpressure handling in high-frequency streams
- Exception handling with CoroutineExceptionHandler
- Testing coroutines with runTest and Turbine

**Delegate to kotlin-expert for:**
- Basic StateFlow/SharedFlow patterns
- Simple viewModelScope.launch
- MutableStateFlow → asStateFlow()

## Core Patterns

### Pattern: callbackFlow for Relay Subscriptions

```kotlin
// Real pattern from NostrClientStaticReqAsStateFlow.kt
fun INostrClient.reqAsFlow(
    relay: NormalizedRelayUrl,
    filters: List<Filter>,
): Flow<List<Event>> = callbackFlow {
    val subId = RandomInstance.randomChars(10)
    var hasBeenLive = false
    val eventIds = mutableSetOf<HexKey>()
    var currentEvents = listOf<Event>()

    val listener = object : IRequestListener {
        override fun onEvent(event: Event, ...) {
            if (event.id !in eventIds) {
                currentEvents = if (hasBeenLive) {
                    // After EOSE: prepend
                    listOf(event) + currentEvents
                } else {
                    // Before EOSE: append
                    currentEvents + event
                }
                eventIds.add(event.id)
                trySend(currentEvents)
            }
        }

        override fun onEose(...) {
            hasBeenLive = true
        }
    }

    openReqSubscription(subId, mapOf(relay to filters), listener)

    awaitClose { close(subId) }
}
```

**Key techniques:**
1. Deduplication with Set
2. EOSE handling (append → prepend strategy)
3. trySend (non-blocking from callback)
4. awaitClose for cleanup

### Pattern: Structured Concurrency for Relays

```kotlin
suspend fun connectToRelays(relays: List<Relay>) = supervisorScope {
    relays.forEach { relay ->
        launch {
            try {
                relay.connect()
                relay.subscribe(filters).collect { event ->
                    eventChannel.send(event)
                }
            } catch (e: IOException) {
                Log.e("Relay", "Connection failed: ${relay.url}", e)
                // Other relays continue
            }
        }
    }
}
```

**Why supervisorScope:**
- One relay failure doesn't cancel others
- All cancelled together when scope cancelled
- Proper cleanup guaranteed

### Pattern: Exception Handling for Services

```kotlin
// Real pattern from PushNotificationReceiverService.kt
class MyService : Service() {
    val exceptionHandler = CoroutineExceptionHandler { _, throwable ->
        Log.e("Service", "Caught: ${throwable.message}", throwable)
    }

    private val scope = CoroutineScope(
        Dispatchers.IO + SupervisorJob() + exceptionHandler
    )

    override fun onDestroy() {
        scope.cancel()
        super.onDestroy()
    }
}
```

**Pattern benefits:**
- SupervisorJob: children fail independently
- ExceptionHandler: log instead of crash
- Scoped lifecycle: cancel all on destroy

### Pattern: Network Connectivity as Flow

```kotlin
// Real pattern from ConnectivityFlow.kt
val status = callbackFlow {
    val networkCallback = object : NetworkCallback() {
        override fun onAvailable(network: Network) {
            trySend(ConnectivityStatus.Active(...))
        }
        override fun onLost(network: Network) {
            trySend(ConnectivityStatus.Off)
        }
    }

    connectivityManager.registerCallback(networkCallback)

    // Initial state
    activeNetwork?.let { trySend(ConnectivityStatus.Active(...)) }

    awaitClose {
        connectivityManager.unregisterCallback(networkCallback)
    }
}
    .distinctUntilChanged()
    .debounce(200)  // Stabilize flapping
    .flowOn(Dispatchers.IO)
```

**Key patterns:**
1. Emit initial state immediately
2. Register callback in flow body
3. Cleanup in awaitClose
4. Stabilize with debounce + distinctUntilChanged

### Pattern: Merge Events from Multiple Relays

```kotlin
fun observeFromRelays(
    relays: List<NormalizedRelayUrl>,
    filters: List<Filter>
): Flow<Event> =
    relays.map { relay ->
        client.reqAsFlow(relay, filters)
            .flatMapConcat { it.asFlow() }
    }.merge()
    .distinctBy { it.id }
```

**Flow:**
- Each relay: `Flow<List<Event>>`
- flatMapConcat: flatten to `Flow<Event>`
- merge(): combine all relays
- distinctBy: deduplicate across relays

## Advanced Operators

For comprehensive coverage of Flow operators:
- **flatMapLatest, combine, zip, merge** → See [advanced-flow-operators.md](references/advanced-flow-operators.md)
- **shareIn, stateIn** → Conversion to hot flows
- **buffer, conflate** → Backpressure strategies
- **debounce, sample** → Rate limiting

### Quick Reference

| Operator | Use Case | Example |
|----------|----------|---------|
| **flatMapLatest** | Cancel previous, switch to new | Search (cancel old query) |
| **combine** | Latest from ALL flows | combine(account, settings, connectivity) |
| **merge** | Single stream from multiple | merge(relay1, relay2, relay3) |
| **shareIn** | Multiple collectors, single upstream | Share expensive computation |
| **stateIn** | StateFlow from Flow | ViewModel state |
| **buffer(DROP_OLDEST)** | High-frequency streams | Real-time event feed |
| **conflate** | Latest only | UI updates |
| **debounce** | Wait for quiet period | Search input |

## Nostr Relay Patterns

For complete relay-specific patterns:
→ See [relay-patterns.md](references/relay-patterns.md)

Covers:
- Multi-relay subscription management
- Connection lifecycle and reconnection
- Event deduplication strategies
- Backpressure for high-frequency events
- EOSE handling patterns

## Testing

For comprehensive testing patterns:
→ See [testing-coroutines.md](references/testing-coroutines.md)

**Quick testing pattern:**

```kotlin
@Test
fun `relay subscription receives events`() = runTest {
    val client = FakeNostrClient()

    client.reqAsFlow(relay, filters).test {
        assertEquals(emptyList(), awaitItem())

        client.sendEvent(event1)
        assertEquals(listOf(event1), awaitItem())

        cancelAndIgnoreRemainingEvents()
    }
}
```

**Testing tools:**
- `runTest` - Virtual time, auto cleanup
- Turbine `.test {}` - Flow assertions
- `advanceTimeBy()` - Control time
- Fake implementations over mocks

## Common Scenarios

### Scenario: Implement New Relay Feature

**Steps:**
1. callbackFlow for subscription
2. Deduplication (Set of event IDs)
3. awaitClose for cleanup
4. Test with FakeNostrClient

**Example:** Add subscription for specific event kind

```kotlin
fun observeKind(kind: Int): Flow<Event> = callbackFlow {
    val listener = object : IRequestListener {
        override fun onEvent(event: Event, ...) {
            if (event.kind == kind) {
                trySend(event)
            }
        }
    }
    client.subscribe(listener)
    awaitClose { client.unsubscribe(listener) }
}
```

### Scenario: Handle Network Connectivity Changes

**Steps:**
1. callbackFlow for connectivity
2. flatMapLatest to reconnect
3. debounce to stabilize
4. Exception handling for failures

**Example:** Reconnect relays on connectivity

```kotlin
connectivityFlow
    .flatMapLatest { status ->
        when (status) {
            Active -> relayPool.observeEvents()
            else -> emptyFlow()
        }
    }
    .catch { e -> Log.e("Error", e) }
    .collect { event -> handleEvent(event) }
```

### Scenario: Optimize Multi-Collector Performance

**Steps:**
1. Use shareIn for expensive upstream
2. Configure SharingStarted strategy
3. Set replay buffer size
4. Test with multiple collectors

**Example:** Share relay subscription

```kotlin
val events: SharedFlow<Event> = client
    .reqAsFlow(relay, filters)
    .flatMapConcat { it.asFlow() }
    .shareIn(
        scope = viewModelScope,
        started = SharingStarted.WhileSubscribed(5000),
        replay = 0
    )
```

## Anti-Patterns

❌ **Using GlobalScope**
```kotlin
GlobalScope.launch { /* Leaks, no structured concurrency */ }
```

✅ **Use scoped coroutines**
```kotlin
viewModelScope.launch { /* Cancelled with ViewModel */ }
```

---

❌ **Forgetting awaitClose**
```kotlin
callbackFlow {
    registerCallback()
    // Missing cleanup!
}
```

✅ **Always cleanup**
```kotlin
callbackFlow {
    registerCallback()
    awaitClose { unregisterCallback() }
}
```

---

❌ **Blocking in Flow**
```kotlin
flow.map { Thread.sleep(1000); process(it) }
```

✅ **Suspend, don't block**
```kotlin
flow.map { delay(1000); process(it) }.flowOn(Dispatchers.Default)
```

---

❌ **Ignoring backpressure**
```kotlin
fastProducer.collect { slowConsumer(it) }  // Blocks producer!
```

✅ **Handle backpressure**
```kotlin
fastProducer
    .buffer(64, BufferOverflow.DROP_OLDEST)
    .collect { slowConsumer(it) }
```

## Delegation

**Use kotlin-expert for:**
- Basic StateFlow/SharedFlow patterns
- viewModelScope.launch usage
- Simple MutableStateFlow → asStateFlow()

**Use nostr-expert for:**
- Nostr protocol details (NIPs, event structure)
- Event creation and signing
- Cryptographic operations

**This skill provides:**
- Advanced async patterns
- Structured concurrency
- Complex Flow operators
- Testing strategies
- Relay-specific async patterns

## Resources

- **references/advanced-flow-operators.md** - All Flow operators with examples
- **references/relay-patterns.md** - Nostr relay async patterns from codebase
- **references/testing-coroutines.md** - Complete testing guide

## Quick Decision Tree

```
Need async operation?
    ├─ Simple ViewModel state update → kotlin-expert (StateFlow)
    ├─ Android callback → This skill (callbackFlow)
    ├─ Multiple concurrent operations → This skill (supervisorScope)
    ├─ Complex Flow transformation → This skill (references/advanced-flow-operators.md)
    ├─ Relay subscription → This skill (references/relay-patterns.md)
    └─ Testing async code → This skill (references/testing-coroutines.md)
```

---
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<!-- tomevault:4.0:skill_md:2026-04-11 -->