diff --git a/publish/src/core/outbox.ts b/publish/src/core/outbox.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..de05222
--- /dev/null
+++ b/publish/src/core/outbox.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+import { Relay } from 'applesauce-relay'
+import { firstValueFrom, timeout } from 'rxjs'
+import type { SignedEvent } from './relays.ts'
+
+export interface Outbox {
+  read: string[]
+  write: string[]
+}
+
+export function parseOutbox(ev: { tags: string[][] }): Outbox {
+  const read: string[] = []
+  const write: string[] = []
+  for (const t of ev.tags) {
+    if (t[0] !== 'r' || !t[1]) continue
+    const marker = t[2]
+    if (marker === 'read') read.push(t[1])
+    else if (marker === 'write') write.push(t[1])
+    else {
+      read.push(t[1])
+      write.push(t[1])
+    }
+  }
+  return { read, write }
+}
+
+export async function loadOutbox(
+  bootstrapRelay: string,
+  authorPubkeyHex: string,
+): Promise<Outbox> {
+  const relay = new Relay(bootstrapRelay)
+  const ev = await firstValueFrom(
+    relay
+      .request({ kinds: [10002], authors: [authorPubkeyHex], limit: 1 })
+      .pipe(timeout({ first: 10_000 })),
+  ) as SignedEvent
+  return parseOutbox(ev)
+}
diff --git a/publish/tests/outbox_test.ts b/publish/tests/outbox_test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bc9ab9c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/publish/tests/outbox_test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+import { assertEquals } from '@std/assert'
+import { parseOutbox } from '../src/core/outbox.ts'
+
+Deno.test('parseOutbox: r-tags ohne marker → beide', () => {
+  const ev = {
+    kind: 10002,
+    tags: [
+      ['r', 'wss://damus'],
+      ['r', 'wss://nos'],
+    ],
+  }
+  assertEquals(parseOutbox(ev), {
+    read: ['wss://damus', 'wss://nos'],
+    write: ['wss://damus', 'wss://nos'],
+  })
+})
+
+Deno.test('parseOutbox: marker read ignoriert schreib-nutzung', () => {
+  const ev = {
+    kind: 10002,
+    tags: [
+      ['r', 'wss://r-only', 'read'],
+      ['r', 'wss://w-only', 'write'],
+      ['r', 'wss://both'],
+    ],
+  }
+  assertEquals(parseOutbox(ev), {
+    read: ['wss://r-only', 'wss://both'],
+    write: ['wss://w-only', 'wss://both'],
+  })
+})
+
+Deno.test('parseOutbox: ignoriert andere tag-namen', () => {
+  const ev = {
+    kind: 10002,
+    tags: [
+      ['r', 'wss://x'],
+      ['p', 'someone'],
+    ],
+  }
+  assertEquals(parseOutbox(ev), { read: ['wss://x'], write: ['wss://x'] })
+})