diff --git a/src/core/mod.rs b/src/core/mod.rs
index 057740d..0e7a314 100644
--- a/src/core/mod.rs
+++ b/src/core/mod.rs
@@ -418,7 +418,19 @@ async fn run_core_loop(
     ui_tx: mpsc::Sender<UiEvent>,
 ) -> Result<(), anyhow::Error> {
     let memory_lookup = iroh::address_lookup::memory::MemoryLookup::new();
-    let secret_key = iroh::SecretKey::generate();
+    // Persistent identity (W7 P1): load a stable key so our node id survives
+    // launches — the foundation for the friends-first contacts model. Fall back
+    // to an ephemeral key only if the key file can't be read/created (e.g. no
+    // writable config dir), so a bad disk never blocks getting on a call.
+    let secret_key = match crate::identity::load_or_create() {
+        Ok(key) => key,
+        Err(e) => {
+            crate::log_msg(&format!(
+                "identity: falling back to an ephemeral key (persistent load failed: {e:#})"
+            ));
+            iroh::SecretKey::generate()
+        }
+    };
     // Peers seen in the current/most-recent room, retained ACROSS leave so a
     // rejoin can bootstrap to them. This is the fix for A8: the room creator's own
     // ticket lists only themselves as host, so on rejoin these retained peers are
diff --git a/src/identity.rs b/src/identity.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..540acd3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/identity.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,229 @@
+//! Persistent node identity at `~/.config/peerspeak/identity.key`.
+//!
+//! Historically peerspeak called `SecretKey::generate()` once per process, so a
+//! peer's `EndpointId` changed on every launch. The friends-first contacts model
+//! (`docs/contacts-plan.md`) identifies people by that id and keeps a saved
+//! address for each, so the id must stay **stable across launches** — that's the
+//! foundation that makes a saved address worth keeping. iroh does not force
+//! rolling ids; we just pass it a persistent key.
+//!
+//! The key is the ed25519 secret (32 bytes) stored as hex on its own line, in a
+//! `0600` file separate from `config.json`. It's a secret, not a preference:
+//! keeping it out of the config means a config reset / hand-edit can't clobber
+//! your identity, and the restrictive perms keep it from being world-readable.
+//!
+//! A `Regenerate identity` action (Settings) deliberately overwrites this file
+//! with a fresh key — the intended "unlink / fresh start." After that, peers who
+//! saved the old id can no longer recognise or reach this node until a new
+//! exchange happens.
+
+use anyhow::{Context, Result, bail};
+use iroh::SecretKey;
+use std::fs;
+use std::io::Write;
+use std::path::PathBuf;
+
+/// Returns `~/.config/peerspeak/identity.key` (or the XDG equivalent). Shares the
+/// config directory with [`crate::config`]; the parent is created on save.
+pub fn identity_path() -> Option<PathBuf> {
+    dirs::config_dir().map(|mut p| {
+        p.push("peerspeak");
+        p.push("identity.key");
+        p
+    })
+}
+
+/// Load the persisted secret key, or generate-and-save one on first run.
+///
+/// A *malformed* file is a hard error rather than a silent regenerate: quietly
+/// minting a new identity would orphan every friend who saved the old id, so we
+/// fail loud and let the user notice (and decide) instead of losing it silently.
+/// A *missing* file (first ever run, or right after a reset) is the normal
+/// create path.
+pub fn load_or_create() -> Result<SecretKey> {
+    let path = identity_path().context("could not determine a config directory for the identity key")?;
+    load_or_create_at(&path)
+}
+
+/// Mint a brand-new identity, overwrite the key file, and return it. This is the
+/// deliberate "Regenerate identity" / unlink action — the old id is discarded and
+/// unrecoverable, so callers should confirm with the user first.
+pub fn regenerate() -> Result<SecretKey> {
+    let path = identity_path().context("could not determine a config directory for the identity key")?;
+    let key = SecretKey::generate();
+    save_at(&path, &key)?;
+    Ok(key)
+}
+
+/// Atomic, `0600` write at the default identity path. See [`save_at`].
+pub fn save(key: &SecretKey) -> Result<()> {
+    let path = identity_path().context("could not determine a config directory for the identity key")?;
+    save_at(&path, key)
+}
+
+/// Path-injectable core of [`load_or_create`], so the filesystem round-trip is
+/// testable in a temp dir without touching the real config.
+fn load_or_create_at(path: &std::path::Path) -> Result<SecretKey> {
+    match fs::read_to_string(path) {
+        Ok(s) => parse_key(s.trim())
+            .with_context(|| format!("failed to parse the identity key at {}", path.display())),
+        Err(e) if e.kind() == std::io::ErrorKind::NotFound => {
+            let key = SecretKey::generate();
+            save_at(path, &key)?;
+            Ok(key)
+        }
+        Err(e) => Err(e).with_context(|| format!("failed to read {}", path.display())),
+    }
+}
+
+/// Atomic, `0600` write: tempfile-in-same-dir, chmod, then rename. Restrictive
+/// perms are applied before the rename so the secret is never briefly
+/// world-readable.
+fn save_at(path: &std::path::Path, key: &SecretKey) -> Result<()> {
+    let parent = path.parent().context("identity path has no parent directory")?;
+    fs::create_dir_all(parent).with_context(|| format!("failed to create {}", parent.display()))?;
+
+    let tmp = parent.join(format!(".identity.key.tmp.{}", std::process::id()));
+    {
+        let mut f =
+            fs::File::create(&tmp).with_context(|| format!("failed to create {}", tmp.display()))?;
+        #[cfg(unix)]
+        {
+            use std::os::unix::fs::PermissionsExt;
+            f.set_permissions(fs::Permissions::from_mode(0o600))
+                .with_context(|| format!("failed to chmod {}", tmp.display()))?;
+        }
+        f.write_all(encode_hex(&key.to_bytes()).as_bytes())
+            .with_context(|| format!("failed to write {}", tmp.display()))?;
+        f.write_all(b"\n").ok();
+        f.sync_all().ok();
+    }
+    fs::rename(&tmp, path)
+        .with_context(|| format!("failed to rename {} -> {}", tmp.display(), path.display()))?;
+    Ok(())
+}
+
+fn parse_key(hex: &str) -> Result<SecretKey> {
+    let bytes = decode_hex(hex)?;
+    let arr: [u8; 32] = bytes
+        .try_into()
+        .map_err(|_| anyhow::anyhow!("identity key must be 32 bytes (64 hex chars)"))?;
+    Ok(SecretKey::from_bytes(&arr))
+}
+
+fn encode_hex(bytes: &[u8]) -> String {
+    let mut s = String::with_capacity(bytes.len() * 2);
+    for b in bytes {
+        s.push_str(&format!("{b:02x}"));
+    }
+    s
+}
+
+fn decode_hex(s: &str) -> Result<Vec<u8>> {
+    if !s.len().is_multiple_of(2) {
+        bail!("hex string has an odd length");
+    }
+    (0..s.len())
+        .step_by(2)
+        .map(|i| {
+            u8::from_str_radix(&s[i..i + 2], 16)
+                .with_context(|| format!("invalid hex byte at offset {i}"))
+        })
+        .collect()
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn hex_round_trips() {
+        let bytes: Vec<u8> = (0u8..=255).collect();
+        let encoded = encode_hex(&bytes);
+        assert_eq!(encoded.len(), bytes.len() * 2);
+        assert_eq!(decode_hex(&encoded).unwrap(), bytes);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn key_round_trips_through_hex() {
+        let key = SecretKey::generate();
+        let hex = encode_hex(&key.to_bytes());
+        let parsed = parse_key(&hex).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(parsed.to_bytes(), key.to_bytes());
+        assert_eq!(parsed.public(), key.public());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn rejects_wrong_length() {
+        // 2 hex chars = 1 byte, not 32.
+        assert!(parse_key("dead").is_err());
+        assert!(parse_key("").is_err());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn rejects_odd_and_nonhex() {
+        assert!(decode_hex("abc").is_err());
+        assert!(decode_hex("zz").is_err());
+    }
+
+    /// A unique temp path under the system temp dir (no extra deps). The parent
+    /// is the temp dir itself; `save_at` creates a nested subdir to exercise the
+    /// `create_dir_all` path.
+    fn temp_key_path(tag: &str) -> PathBuf {
+        let mut p = std::env::temp_dir();
+        p.push(format!("peerspeak-idtest-{}-{}", std::process::id(), tag));
+        p.push("identity.key");
+        p
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn missing_file_creates_then_persists() {
+        let path = temp_key_path("create");
+        let _ = fs::remove_dir_all(path.parent().unwrap());
+        // First call creates a fresh key + writes the file.
+        let k1 = load_or_create_at(&path).unwrap();
+        assert!(path.exists(), "key file should have been created");
+        // Second call loads the SAME key back (stable across "launches").
+        let k2 = load_or_create_at(&path).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(k1.to_bytes(), k2.to_bytes());
+        assert_eq!(k1.public(), k2.public());
+        let _ = fs::remove_dir_all(path.parent().unwrap());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn malformed_file_is_a_hard_error_not_a_silent_regenerate() {
+        let path = temp_key_path("malformed");
+        let _ = fs::remove_dir_all(path.parent().unwrap());
+        fs::create_dir_all(path.parent().unwrap()).unwrap();
+        fs::write(&path, "not-valid-hex").unwrap();
+        // Must error rather than mint a new id (which would orphan saved friends).
+        assert!(load_or_create_at(&path).is_err());
+        let _ = fs::remove_dir_all(path.parent().unwrap());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn regenerate_changes_the_key_on_disk() {
+        let path = temp_key_path("regen");
+        let _ = fs::remove_dir_all(path.parent().unwrap());
+        let original = load_or_create_at(&path).unwrap();
+        // save_at with a fresh key models the regenerate overwrite.
+        let fresh = SecretKey::generate();
+        save_at(&path, &fresh).unwrap();
+        let reloaded = load_or_create_at(&path).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(reloaded.to_bytes(), fresh.to_bytes());
+        assert_ne!(reloaded.to_bytes(), original.to_bytes());
+        let _ = fs::remove_dir_all(path.parent().unwrap());
+    }
+
+    #[cfg(unix)]
+    #[test]
+    fn key_file_is_0600() {
+        use std::os::unix::fs::PermissionsExt;
+        let path = temp_key_path("perms");
+        let _ = fs::remove_dir_all(path.parent().unwrap());
+        load_or_create_at(&path).unwrap();
+        let mode = fs::metadata(&path).unwrap().permissions().mode() & 0o777;
+        assert_eq!(mode, 0o600, "identity key must not be group/world readable");
+        let _ = fs::remove_dir_all(path.parent().unwrap());
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/lib.rs b/src/lib.rs
index a1030ef..c8e2ec8 100644
--- a/src/lib.rs
+++ b/src/lib.rs
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ pub mod network;
 pub mod core;
 pub mod app;
 pub mod config;
+pub mod identity;
 pub mod theme;
 pub mod notify;
 pub mod screenshare;