diff --git a/frontend/src/views/SettingsView.vue b/frontend/src/views/SettingsView.vue
index 6d9d915..107b5ed 100644
--- a/frontend/src/views/SettingsView.vue
+++ b/frontend/src/views/SettingsView.vue
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 <script setup lang="ts">
 import { onMounted, reactive, ref } from 'vue';
+import { nip19 } from 'nostr-tools';
 import { api } from '../lib/api';
 import { useAuthStore } from '../stores/auth';
 
@@ -8,28 +9,64 @@ interface Settings {
   relays: string[];
   public_url: string;
   admin_pubkey: string | null;
+  login_allowlist_enabled: boolean;
+  login_allowlist: string[];
 }
 
 const auth = useAuthStore();
-const form = reactive({ blossom_url: '', relays: '', public_url: '' });
+const form = reactive({
+  blossom_url: '',
+  relays: '',
+  public_url: '',
+  login_allowlist_enabled: false,
+  login_allowlist: '',
+});
 const saved = ref(false);
 const error = ref('');
 
+/** Accepts npub or raw hex, one per line; returns lowercase hex. Throws on anything invalid. */
+function parseAllowlist(text: string): string[] {
+  return text
+    .split('\n')
+    .map((l) => l.trim())
+    .filter(Boolean)
+    .map((line) => {
+      if (line.startsWith('npub1')) {
+        const decoded = nip19.decode(line);
+        if (decoded.type !== 'npub') throw new Error(`not an npub: ${line}`);
+        return decoded.data;
+      }
+      if (!/^[0-9a-f]{64}$/i.test(line)) throw new Error(`not a valid npub or hex pubkey: ${line}`);
+      return line.toLowerCase();
+    });
+}
+
 onMounted(async () => {
   const s = await api.get<Settings>('/api/settings');
   form.blossom_url = s.blossom_url;
   form.relays = s.relays.join('\n');
   form.public_url = s.public_url;
+  form.login_allowlist_enabled = s.login_allowlist_enabled;
+  form.login_allowlist = s.login_allowlist.map((pk) => nip19.npubEncode(pk)).join('\n');
 });
 
 async function save() {
   error.value = '';
   saved.value = false;
+  let allowlist: string[];
+  try {
+    allowlist = parseAllowlist(form.login_allowlist);
+  } catch (err) {
+    error.value = (err as Error).message;
+    return;
+  }
   try {
     await api.put('/api/settings', {
       blossom_url: form.blossom_url,
       relays: form.relays.split('\n').map((r) => r.trim()).filter(Boolean),
       public_url: form.public_url,
+      login_allowlist_enabled: form.login_allowlist_enabled,
+      login_allowlist: allowlist,
     });
     saved.value = true;
   } catch (err) {
@@ -62,6 +99,24 @@ async function save() {
         <input id="set-public" v-model="form.public_url" class="input" type="url" required />
         <p class="mt-1 text-xs text-white/30">Used in RSS feed links. Must be reachable by podcast apps.</p>
       </div>
+      <div class="border-t border-white/10 pt-4">
+        <label class="flex items-center gap-2 text-sm">
+          <input v-model="form.login_allowlist_enabled" type="checkbox" />
+          Restrict logins to an allowlist
+        </label>
+        <p class="mt-1 text-xs text-white/30">
+          When enabled, only the admin and pubkeys listed below can log in. Everyone else is
+          rejected at login (existing sessions aren't revoked).
+        </p>
+        <textarea
+          id="set-allowlist"
+          v-model="form.login_allowlist"
+          class="input mt-2 font-mono text-sm"
+          rows="6"
+          placeholder="npub1... (one per line, npub or hex)"
+          :disabled="!form.login_allowlist_enabled"
+        />
+      </div>
       <p v-if="!auth.isAdmin" class="rounded-lg bg-amber-500/20 border border-amber-500/40 p-3 text-sm text-amber-200">
         Only the admin (first account to log in) can change settings.
       </p>
diff --git a/server/src/app.test.ts b/server/src/app.test.ts
index 3db2e8c..cd800d7 100644
--- a/server/src/app.test.ts
+++ b/server/src/app.test.ts
@@ -79,6 +79,78 @@ describe('auth', () => {
   });
 });
 
+describe('login allowlist', () => {
+  const sk2 = generateSecretKey();
+  const pk2 = getPublicKey(sk2);
+
+  function nip98Header2(url: string, method: string): string {
+    const event = finalizeEvent(
+      {
+        kind: 27235,
+        created_at: Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000),
+        content: '',
+        tags: [['u', url], ['method', method], ['nonce', Math.random().toString(36).slice(2)]],
+      },
+      sk2,
+    );
+    return `Nostr ${Buffer.from(JSON.stringify(event)).toString('base64')}`;
+  }
+
+  it('rejects a non-listed pubkey once the allowlist is enabled, admin still logs in', async () => {
+    const enable = await app.inject({
+      method: 'PUT',
+      url: '/api/settings',
+      headers: { cookie, 'content-type': 'application/json' },
+      payload: { login_allowlist_enabled: true, login_allowlist: [] },
+    });
+    expect(enable.statusCode).toBe(200);
+
+    const blocked = await app.inject({
+      method: 'POST',
+      url: '/api/auth/login',
+      headers: { authorization: nip98Header2('http://localhost:8095/api/auth/login', 'POST') },
+    });
+    expect(blocked.statusCode).toBe(403);
+
+    const adminStillIn = await app.inject({
+      method: 'POST',
+      url: '/api/auth/login',
+      headers: { authorization: nip98Header('http://localhost:8095/api/auth/login', 'POST') },
+    });
+    expect(adminStillIn.statusCode).toBe(200);
+    expect(adminStillIn.json().isAdmin).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it('allows a pubkey once it is added to the allowlist', async () => {
+    const update = await app.inject({
+      method: 'PUT',
+      url: '/api/settings',
+      headers: { cookie, 'content-type': 'application/json' },
+      payload: { login_allowlist: [pk2] },
+    });
+    expect(update.statusCode).toBe(200);
+    expect(update.json().login_allowlist).toEqual([pk2]);
+
+    const res = await app.inject({
+      method: 'POST',
+      url: '/api/auth/login',
+      headers: { authorization: nip98Header2('http://localhost:8095/api/auth/login', 'POST') },
+    });
+    expect(res.statusCode).toBe(200);
+    expect(res.json().pubkey).toBe(pk2);
+  });
+
+  afterAll(async () => {
+    // Leave the allowlist disabled so later describe blocks aren't affected.
+    await app.inject({
+      method: 'PUT',
+      url: '/api/settings',
+      headers: { cookie, 'content-type': 'application/json' },
+      payload: { login_allowlist_enabled: false },
+    });
+  });
+});
+
 describe('podcasts, episodes, feed', () => {
   let podcastId: string;
   const sha = 'c'.repeat(64);
diff --git a/server/src/routes/auth.ts b/server/src/routes/auth.ts
index 7c702de..20e7061 100644
--- a/server/src/routes/auth.ts
+++ b/server/src/routes/auth.ts
@@ -24,6 +24,9 @@ export default async function authRoutes(app: FastifyInstance) {
       if (err instanceof Nip98Error) return reply.code(401).send({ error: err.message });
       throw err;
     }
+    if (!settings.isLoginAllowed(pubkey)) {
+      return reply.code(403).send({ error: 'this account is not on the login allowlist' });
+    }
     upsertUser.run(pubkey, nowSecs(), nowSecs());
     settings.claimAdminIfUnset(pubkey);
 
diff --git a/server/src/routes/settings.ts b/server/src/routes/settings.ts
index 8220bab..711ae05 100644
--- a/server/src/routes/settings.ts
+++ b/server/src/routes/settings.ts
@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@ const updateSchema = z.object({
   relays: z.array(z.string().regex(/^wss?:\/\//)).optional(),
   public_url: z.string().url().optional(),
   cashu_mint_url: z.string().url().optional(),
+  login_allowlist_enabled: z.boolean().optional(),
+  login_allowlist: z.array(z.string().regex(/^[0-9a-f]{64}$/i)).optional(),
 });
 
 export default async function settingsRoutes(app: FastifyInstance) {
@@ -33,11 +35,24 @@ export default async function settingsRoutes(app: FastifyInstance) {
     }
     const parsed = updateSchema.safeParse(req.body);
     if (!parsed.success) return reply.code(400).send({ error: parsed.error.message });
-    const { blossom_url, relays, public_url, cashu_mint_url } = parsed.data;
+    const {
+      blossom_url,
+      relays,
+      public_url,
+      cashu_mint_url,
+      login_allowlist_enabled,
+      login_allowlist,
+    } = parsed.data;
     if (blossom_url !== undefined) settings.set('blossom_url', blossom_url);
     if (relays !== undefined) settings.set('relays', JSON.stringify(relays));
     if (public_url !== undefined) settings.set('public_url', public_url);
     if (cashu_mint_url !== undefined) settings.set('cashu_mint_url', cashu_mint_url);
+    if (login_allowlist_enabled !== undefined) {
+      settings.set('login_allowlist_enabled', login_allowlist_enabled ? 'true' : 'false');
+    }
+    if (login_allowlist !== undefined) {
+      settings.set('login_allowlist', JSON.stringify(login_allowlist.map((pk) => pk.toLowerCase())));
+    }
     return settings.all();
   });
 }
diff --git a/server/src/services/settings.ts b/server/src/services/settings.ts
index 713e5de..fef013b 100644
--- a/server/src/services/settings.ts
+++ b/server/src/services/settings.ts
@@ -7,6 +7,8 @@ export interface Settings {
   public_url: string;
   admin_pubkey: string | null;
   cashu_mint_url: string;
+  login_allowlist_enabled: boolean;
+  login_allowlist: string[];
 }
 
 export class SettingsService {
@@ -32,6 +34,8 @@ export class SettingsService {
       public_url: this.get('public_url') ?? this.config.PUBLIC_URL,
       admin_pubkey: this.get('admin_pubkey'),
       cashu_mint_url: this.get('cashu_mint_url') ?? this.config.CASHU_MINT_URL_DEFAULT,
+      login_allowlist_enabled: this.get('login_allowlist_enabled') === 'true',
+      login_allowlist: JSON.parse(this.get('login_allowlist') ?? '[]'),
     };
   }
 
@@ -64,4 +68,17 @@ export class SettingsService {
   isAdmin(pubkey: string): boolean {
     return this.get('admin_pubkey') === pubkey;
   }
+
+  /**
+   * Whether a pubkey may log in. Disabled by default (everyone allowed). When enabled,
+   * the admin and no-admin-claimed-yet bootstrap case always pass, otherwise the pubkey
+   * must be in the allowlist.
+   */
+  isLoginAllowed(pubkey: string): boolean {
+    if (this.get('login_allowlist_enabled') !== 'true') return true;
+    if (!this.get('admin_pubkey')) return true;
+    if (this.isAdmin(pubkey)) return true;
+    const list: string[] = JSON.parse(this.get('login_allowlist') ?? '[]');
+    return list.includes(pubkey);
+  }
 }