PunchMonkey

An NFC-driven check-in system for races, scavenger hunts, and any event built around visiting checkpoints.

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What is PunchMonkey?

PunchMonkey is a checkpoint-based event platform. A team progresses through a course by tapping NFC tags placed at checkpoints. Each tap is recorded by the participant's phone and reported to the server in real time, so race directors and spectators can watch progress as it happens.

What you can run with it

Trail and orienteering races with timed legs and ordered or freeform checkpoint visits.
Scavenger hunts with NFC tags hidden around a city or campus — teams find and tap each one.
Multi-team field days where a team is the unit of competition and any teammate's tap counts for the team.

How an event is structured

An Event is the top-level container (e.g. "Spring Trail Run 2026").
An event has one or more Races (e.g. a 5k and a 10k running on the same day).
A race has one or more Legs — each leg has a Start NFC tag and a Finish NFC tag.
A leg has zero or more Checkpoints — each is an NFC tag the participant must physically tap to record a check-in.

A quick note on NFC tags

NFC ("Near-Field Communication") tags are small, cheap, programmable stickers. The administrator writes a unique ID onto each tag using the PunchMonkey mobile app, can optionally lock the tag to make the ID permanent, and labels the physical tag so it stays organized. The race director then references that same ID when configuring an NFC checkpoint in the web console. During a race, when a racer taps the tag with their phone, the app reads the ID and sends it to the server — which records the check-in for that team.

Cheap NTAG213/215/216 stickers (under $1 each in bulk) work for both Android and iPhone. No batteries, no Wi-Fi, no app on the tag — they just hold a short string of text.

Roles

Public viewers — watch races as they happen. No login required.
Race Directors — log in to set up events, races, legs, checkpoints, teams, and racer accounts. Request an account from the home page.
Administrators — approve race director requests and have full access to every event.
Racers — use the PunchMonkey mobile app on race day. They don't sign in to this website.

Using PunchMonkey

Step-by-step guides for race directors and administrators.