diff --git a/crates/buzz-relay/src/api/operator.rs b/crates/buzz-relay/src/api/operator.rs
index d2ef6ade0..1ed509260 100644
--- a/crates/buzz-relay/src/api/operator.rs
+++ b/crates/buzz-relay/src/api/operator.rs
@@ -394,7 +394,7 @@ pub async fn transfer_community(
     // Best-effort NIP-43 membership snapshot publication — same pattern as
     // provision_community. The DB mutation is already committed; a publication
     // failure must not turn a success into an HTTP error.
-    if state.config.require_relay_membership {
+    if state.config.can_publish_membership_metadata() {
         if let Some(host) = state
             .db
             .lookup_community_host(community)
diff --git a/crates/buzz-relay/src/config.rs b/crates/buzz-relay/src/config.rs
index 020d865b0..0f8ea2588 100644
--- a/crates/buzz-relay/src/config.rs
+++ b/crates/buzz-relay/src/config.rs
@@ -269,6 +269,14 @@ fn ensure_git_repo_path(
 }
 
 impl Config {
+    /// Whether this relay can publish durable, relay-signed membership metadata.
+    ///
+    /// Open relays use the same metadata to expose owner/admin capabilities to
+    /// clients without enforcing membership for reads or writes.
+    pub fn can_publish_membership_metadata(&self) -> bool {
+        self.relay_private_key.is_some()
+    }
+
     /// Loads configuration from environment variables, falling back to development defaults.
     pub fn from_env() -> Result<Self, ConfigError> {
         let bind_addr_raw =
@@ -683,6 +691,21 @@ mod tests {
     // value set by `invalid_bind_addr_returns_error`, causing a flaky failure.
     static ENV_MUTEX: std::sync::Mutex<()> = std::sync::Mutex::new(());
 
+    #[test]
+    fn stable_signing_key_enables_membership_metadata_on_open_relay() {
+        let _guard = ENV_MUTEX.lock().unwrap();
+        std::env::set_var(
+            "BUZZ_RELAY_PRIVATE_KEY",
+            "0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000001",
+        );
+        std::env::remove_var("BUZZ_REQUIRE_RELAY_MEMBERSHIP");
+        let config = Config::from_env().expect("config");
+        std::env::remove_var("BUZZ_RELAY_PRIVATE_KEY");
+
+        assert!(!config.require_relay_membership);
+        assert!(config.can_publish_membership_metadata());
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn defaults_are_valid() {
         let _guard = ENV_MUTEX.lock().unwrap();
diff --git a/crates/buzz-relay/src/handlers/community_provisioning.rs b/crates/buzz-relay/src/handlers/community_provisioning.rs
index 3185af8be..b724bed96 100644
--- a/crates/buzz-relay/src/handlers/community_provisioning.rs
+++ b/crates/buzz-relay/src/handlers/community_provisioning.rs
@@ -212,7 +212,7 @@ async fn publish_membership_snapshot_if_required(
     community: buzz_core::CommunityId,
     host: &str,
 ) {
-    if !state.config.require_relay_membership {
+    if !state.config.can_publish_membership_metadata() {
         return;
     }
 
diff --git a/crates/buzz-relay/src/main.rs b/crates/buzz-relay/src/main.rs
index de7f0c172..d4d8acf90 100644
--- a/crates/buzz-relay/src/main.rs
+++ b/crates/buzz-relay/src/main.rs
@@ -452,9 +452,12 @@ async fn main() -> anyhow::Result<()> {
         );
     }
 
-    // NIP-43: publish the initial membership list on startup so clients can
-    // REQ kind:13534 immediately without waiting for the next membership change.
-    if config.require_relay_membership {
+    // NIP-43 membership metadata: publish the initial role snapshot so clients
+    // can discover owner/admin capabilities immediately. Closed relays require
+    // this for NIP-43 enforcement; open relays with a stable signing key publish
+    // the same metadata so owner-only settings remain discoverable without
+    // turning membership enforcement on.
+    if config.require_relay_membership || config.can_publish_membership_metadata() {
         let startup_state = Arc::clone(&state);
         tokio::spawn(async move {
             // Resolve the deployment's community from the configured relay URL