diff --git a/packages/ndk/lib/domain_layer/usecases/relay_manager.dart b/packages/ndk/lib/domain_layer/usecases/relay_manager.dart
index 13faa3dd0..ff707a9dc 100644
--- a/packages/ndk/lib/domain_layer/usecases/relay_manager.dart
+++ b/packages/ndk/lib/domain_layer/usecases/relay_manager.dart
@@ -385,13 +385,15 @@ class RelayManager<T> {
       // nip 42 used to send authentication challenges
       final challenge = eventJson[1];
       Logger.log.d("AUTH: ${challenge}");
-      if (signer != null) {
+      if (signer != null && signer!.canSign()) {
         final auth = AuthEvent(pubKey: signer!.getPublicKey(), tags: [
           ["relay", relayConnectivity.url],
           ["challenge", challenge]
         ]);
         signer!.sign(auth);
         send(relayConnectivity, ClientMsg(ClientMsgType.AUTH, event: auth));
+      } else {
+        Logger.log.w("Received an AUTH challenge but don't have a signer configured");
       }
       return;
     }
diff --git a/packages/ndk/test/mocks/mock_relay.dart b/packages/ndk/test/mocks/mock_relay.dart
index 6018d3df6..2409cadd3 100644
--- a/packages/ndk/test/mocks/mock_relay.dart
+++ b/packages/ndk/test/mocks/mock_relay.dart
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import 'dart:developer';
 import 'dart:io';
 
 import 'package:ndk/entities.dart';
+import 'package:ndk/shared/nips/nip01/helpers.dart';
 import 'package:ndk/shared/nips/nip01/key_pair.dart';
 
 class MockRelay {
@@ -14,6 +15,7 @@ class MockRelay {
   Map<KeyPair, Nip65>? nip65s;
   Map<KeyPair, Nip01Event>? textNotes;
   bool signEvents;
+  bool requireAuthForRequests;
 
   static int startPort = 4040;
 
@@ -23,6 +25,7 @@ class MockRelay {
     required this.name,
     this.nip65s,
     this.signEvents = true,
+    this.requireAuthForRequests = false,
     int? explicitPort,
   }) {
     if (explicitPort != null) {
@@ -51,15 +54,32 @@ class MockRelay {
     this.server = server;
 
     var stream = server.transform(WebSocketTransformer());
+    String challenge;
 
+    bool signedChallenge=false;
     stream.listen((webSocket) {
       this.webSocket = webSocket;
+      if (requireAuthForRequests && !signedChallenge) {
+        challenge = Helpers.getRandomString(10);
+        webSocket.add(jsonEncode(["AUTH", challenge]));
+      }
       webSocket.listen((message) {
         if (message == "ping") {
           webSocket.add("pong");
           return;
         }
         var eventJson = json.decode(message);
+        if (eventJson[0] == "AUTH") {
+          Nip01Event event = Nip01Event.fromJson(eventJson[1]);
+          // TODO check signature
+          if (event.)
+          signedChallenge = true;
+          print(event);
+        }
+        if (requireAuthForRequests && !signedChallenge) {
+          webSocket.add(jsonEncode(["CLOSED", "sub_1","auth-required: we can't serve requests to unauthenticated users"]));
+          return;
+        }
         if (eventJson[0] == "REQ") {
           String requestId = eventJson[1];
           log('Received: $eventJson');
diff --git a/packages/ndk/test/relays/nip42_test.dart b/packages/ndk/test/relays/nip42_test.dart
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..5d4bd3ea3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/ndk/test/relays/nip42_test.dart
@@ -0,0 +1,87 @@
+// ignore_for_file: avoid_print
+
+import 'dart:async';
+
+import 'package:ndk/data_layer/repositories/nostr_transport/websocket_client_nostr_transport_factory.dart';
+import 'package:ndk/data_layer/repositories/signers/bip340_event_signer.dart';
+import 'package:ndk/domain_layer/entities/global_state.dart';
+import 'package:ndk/domain_layer/usecases/relay_manager.dart';
+import 'package:ndk/entities.dart';
+import 'package:ndk/ndk.dart';
+import 'package:ndk/shared/nips/nip01/bip340.dart';
+import 'package:ndk/shared/nips/nip01/key_pair.dart';
+import 'package:test/test.dart';
+
+import '../mocks/mock_relay.dart';
+
+void main() async {
+  group('NIP-42', () {
+
+    KeyPair key1 = Bip340.generatePrivateKey();
+
+    Map<KeyPair, String> keyNames = {
+      key1: "key1",
+    };
+
+    Nip01Event textNote(KeyPair key2) {
+      return Nip01Event(
+          kind: Nip01Event.TEXT_NODE_KIND,
+          pubKey: key2.publicKey,
+          content: "some note from key ${keyNames[key1]}",
+          tags: [],
+          createdAt: DateTime.now().millisecondsSinceEpoch ~/ 1000);
+    }
+
+    Map<KeyPair, Nip01Event> key1TextNotes = {key1: textNote(key1)};
+
+    test('respond to auth challenge', () async {
+      MockRelay relay1 = MockRelay(name: "relay 1", explicitPort: 3900, requireAuthForRequests: true);
+      await relay1.startServer(textNotes: key1TextNotes);
+
+      final ndk = Ndk(
+        NdkConfig(
+            eventVerifier: Bip340EventVerifier(),
+            eventSigner: Bip340EventSigner(
+              privateKey: key1.privateKey,
+              publicKey: key1.publicKey,
+            ),
+            cache: MemCacheManager(),
+            logLevel: Logger.logLevels.trace,
+            bootstrapRelays: [relay1.url]),
+      );
+
+      await Future.delayed(Duration(seconds: 3));
+      final response = ndk.requests.query(filters: [
+        Filter(kinds: [Nip01Event.TEXT_NODE_KIND], authors: [key1.publicKey])
+      ]);
+      await expectLater(response.stream, emitsInAnyOrder(key1TextNotes.values));
+
+      // TODO write some events
+      // TODO do some requests
+      await ndk.destroy();
+      await relay1.stopServer();
+    });
+
+    test("check that relay does not return events if we don't provide a signer", () async {
+      MockRelay relay1 = MockRelay(name: "relay 1", explicitPort: 3900, requireAuthForRequests: true);
+      await relay1.startServer(textNotes: key1TextNotes);
+
+      final ndk = Ndk(
+        NdkConfig(
+            eventVerifier: Bip340EventVerifier(),
+            cache: MemCacheManager(),
+            logLevel: Logger.logLevels.trace,
+            bootstrapRelays: [relay1.url]),
+      );
+
+      await Future.delayed(Duration(seconds: 1));
+      final response = ndk.requests.query(filters: [
+        Filter(kinds: [Nip01Event.TEXT_NODE_KIND], authors: [key1.publicKey])
+      ]);
+      List<Nip01Event> events = await response.future;
+      expect(events, isEmpty);
+      await ndk.destroy();
+      await relay1.stopServer();
+    });
+  });
+}
diff --git a/packages/ndk/test/relays/relay_manager_test.dart b/packages/ndk/test/relays/relay_manager_test.dart
index ea12e32a4..9ab026279 100644
--- a/packages/ndk/test/relays/relay_manager_test.dart
+++ b/packages/ndk/test/relays/relay_manager_test.dart
@@ -3,11 +3,9 @@
 import 'dart:async';
 
 import 'package:ndk/data_layer/repositories/nostr_transport/websocket_client_nostr_transport_factory.dart';
-import 'package:ndk/domain_layer/entities/global_state.dart';
 import 'package:ndk/domain_layer/usecases/relay_manager.dart';
 import 'package:ndk/entities.dart';
 import 'package:test/test.dart';
-import 'package:ndk/data_layer/repositories/nostr_transport/websocket_nostr_transport_factory.dart';
 
 import '../mocks/mock_relay.dart';
 
@@ -38,6 +36,7 @@ void main() async {
     test('Try to connect to dead relay', () async {
       RelayManager manager = RelayManager(
         nostrTransportFactory: webSocketNostrTransportFactory,
+        bootstrapRelays: [],
         globalState: GlobalState(),
       );