bitcoindevkit/bdk-cli

README

BDK-CLI

A Command-line Bitcoin Wallet App in pure rust using BDK

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About

EXPERIMENTAL

This crate has been updated to use bdk_wallet 3.x. Only use for testing on test networks.

This project provides a command-line Bitcoin wallet application using the latest BDK Wallet APIs and chain sources (RPC, Electrum, Esplora, Kyoto). This might look tiny and innocent, but by harnessing the power of BDK it provides a powerful generic descriptor based command line wallet tool. And yes, it can do Taproot!!

This crate can be used for the following purposes:

Instantly create a miniscript based wallet and connect to your backend of choice (Electrum, Esplora, Core RPC, Kyoto etc) and quickly play around with your own complex bitcoin scripting workflow. With one or many wallets, connected with one or many backends.
The tests/integration.rs module is used to document high level complex workflows between BDK and different Bitcoin infrastructure systems, like Core, Electrum and Lightning(soon TM).
Receive and send async Payjoins with session persistence. Sessions can be resumed if interrupted.
Creating (experimental) silent payment transactions and sending Bitcoin to silent payment addresses
(Planned) Expose the basic command handler via wasm to integrate bdk-cli functionality natively into the web platform. See also the playground page.

If you are considering using BDK in your own wallet project bdk-cli is a nice playground to get started with. It allows easy testnet and regtest wallet operations, to try out what's possible with descriptors, miniscript, and BDK APIs. For more information on BDK refer to the website and the rust docs

bdk-cli can be compiled with different features to suit your experimental needs.

Database Options
- sqlite : Sets the wallet database to a sqlite3 db.
Blockchain Client Options
- esplora : Connects the wallet to an esplora server.
- electrum : Connects the wallet to an electrum server.
- cbf: BIP157/158 compact block filters (Kyoto light client)
- rpc: Connects the wallet to Bitcoind server.
Extra Utility Tools
- repl : use bdk-cli as a REPL shell (useful for quick manual testing of wallet operations).
- compiler : opens up bdk-cli policy compiler commands.
- message_signer: BIP322 message signing/verification.
- silent-payments: Experimental BIP-352 silent payment sending
- dns_payment: BIP-353 DNS payment instructions
- hwi: Hardware wallet support (Ledger, Coldcard, BitBox02, Jade, Specter) to list devices, register a wallet policy, display a receive address, and sign PSBTs.

The default feature set is repl and sqlite. With the default features, bdk-cli can be used as an air-gapped wallet, and can do everything that doesn't require a network connection.

Install bdk-cli

Prerequisites

Building BDK requires gcc. If you do not have this installed run:

sudo apt-get install build-essential

From source

To install a dev version of bdk-cli from a local git repo with the electrum blockchain client enabled:

cd <bdk-cli git repo directory>
cargo install --path . --features electrum
bdk-cli help # to verify it worked

If no blockchain client feature is enabled online wallet commands sync and broadcast will be disabled. To enable these commands a blockchain client feature such as electrum or another blockchain client feature must be enabled. Below is an example of how to run the bdk-cli binary with the electrum blockchain client feature.

RUST_LOG=debug cargo run --features electrum -- --network testnet4 wallet --wallet testnetwallet config --ext-descriptor "wpkh(tprv8ZgxMBicQKsPda2kR5xbHy1eVDWReS8CjQ9LaPL3UDubtA7ns1UcRbyaLMYy44YzBoBTgLCSKpMRXk1LcC5Wxm1r77QDsSJBqwejfftW3mY/84'/1'/0'/0/*)#t3xrg3ld" --client-type electrum --database-type sqlite --url "ssl://mempool.space:40002"

RUST_LOG=debug cargo run --features electrum -- wallet -w testnetwallet full_scan
RUST_LOG=debug cargo run --features electrum -- wallet -w testnetwallet balance

Available blockchain client features are: electrum, esplora, cbf, rpc.

From crates.io

You can install the binary for the latest tag of bdk-cli with online wallet features directly from crates.io with a command as below:

cargo install bdk-cli --features electrum

bdk-cli bin usage examples

To get usage information for the bdk-cli binary use the below command which returns a list of available wallet options and commands:

cargo run

To sync a wallet to the default electrum server:

cargo run --features electrum -- --network testnet4 wallet --wallet sample_wallet config --ext-descriptor "wpkh(tprv8ZgxMBicQKsPda2kR5xbHy1eVDWReS8CjQ9LaPL3UDubtA7ns1UcRbyaLMYy44YzBoBTgLCSKpMRXk1LcC5Wxm1r77QDsSJBqwejfftW3mY/84'/1'/0'/0/*)#t3xrg3ld" --database-type sqlite --client-type electrum --url "ssl://mempool.space:40002"
cargo run --features electrum -- wallet --wallet sample_wallet full_scan
cargo run --features electrum -- wallet --wallet sample_wallet balance

To get a wallet balance with customized logging:

RUST_LOG=debug,rusqlite=info,rustls=info cargo run --features electrum -- wallet --wallet sample_wallet balance

To generate a new extended master key, suitable for use in a descriptor:

cargo run -- key generate

To start a Payjoin session as the receiver with regtest RPC and example OHTTP relays:

cargo run --features rpc -- --network regtest wallet --wallet payjoin_wallet1 config --ext-descriptor "wpkh(tprv8ZgxMBicQKsPd2PoUEcGNDHPZmVWgtPYERAwMG6qHheX6LN4oaazp3qZU7mykiaAZga1ZB2SJJR6Mriyq8MocMs7QTe7toaabSwTWu5fRFz/84h/1h/0h/0/*)#8guqp7rn" --client-type rpc --database-type sqlite --url "127.0.0.1:18443" 

cargo run --features rpc -- wallet --wallet payjoin_wallet1 sync
cargo run --features rpc -- wallet --wallet payjoin_wallet1 balance

cargo run --features rpc -- wallet --wallet payjoin_wallet1 receive_payjoin --amount 400000 --max_fee_rate 1000 --directory "https://payjo.in" --ohttp_relay "https://pj.bobspacebkk.com" --ohttp_relay "https://pj.benalleng.com"

To send a Payjoin with regtest RPC and example OHTTP relays:

cargo run --features rpc -- --network regtest wallet --wallet payjoin_wallet2 config --ext-descriptor "wpkh(tprv8ZgxMBicQKsPfBxswkATvZRQ9kDdRbJPtHYZaZCARL2myxcK7DqsqPhRo2G2rRVHFPbowq63BE6S4k2pUMYeF2fUMTT63Q7zhoXtKsM1FaS/84'/1'/0'/0/*)#qf5gnqrf" --client-type rpc --database-type sqlite --url "127.0.0.1:18443" 

cargo run --features rpc -- wallet --wallet payjoin_wallet2 sync
cargo run --features rpc -- wallet --wallet payjoin_wallet2 balance

cargo run --features rpc -- wallet --wallet payjoin_wallet2 send_payjoin --ohttp_relay "https://pj.bobspacebkk.com" --ohttp_relay "https://pj.benalleng.com" --fee_rate 1 --uri "<URI>"

#### Silent payments

> [!WARNING]
> This tool does not support silent payment scanning, nor the `silent_payment_code`
> command has any control on the public keys provided. If you don't have access
> to a silent payment scanner with the keys you provided, you are not going to
> be able to discover any funds, and if you do not control the private keys,
> you are not going to be able to spend the funds. We do not recommend the use
> of any of the silent payment features with real funds.

To experiment with silent payments, you can get two public keys in compressed or uncompressed format, `A1` and `A2`, and produce a silent payment code by calling:
```shell
cargo run --features silent-payments -- --network signet silent_payment_code --scan_key '<A1>' --spend_key '<A2>'

Once you have a silent payment code, SP_CODE_1 and an amount AMOUNT_1 to send, you can create a valid transaction locking funds to a silent payment code derived address with the following command:

cargo run --features electrum,silent-payments -- --network testnet4 wallet --wallet sample_wallet --ext-descriptor "wpkh(tpubEBr4i6yk5nf5DAaJpsi9N2pPYBeJ7fZ5Z9rmN4977iYLCGco1VyjB9tvvuvYtfZzjD5A8igzgw3HeWeeKFmanHYqksqZXYXGsw5zjnj7KM9/*)" --database-type sqlite --client-type electrum --url "ssl://mempool.space:40002" create_sp_tx --to-sp <SP_CODE_1>:<AMOUNT_1>

It's also possible to drain all balance to a silent payment wallet by using the --send_all flag:

cargo run --features electrum,silent-payments -- --network testnet4 wallet --wallet sample_wallet --ext-descriptor "wpkh(tpubEBr4i6yk5nf5DAaJpsi9N2pPYBeJ7fZ5Z9rmN4977iYLCGco1VyjB9tvvuvYtfZzjD5A8igzgw3HeWeeKFmanHYqksqZXYXGsw5zjnj7KM9/*)" --database-type sqlite --client-type electrum --url "ssl://mempool.space:40002" create_sp_tx --send_all --to-sp <SP_CODE_1>:0

Payjoin

Payjoin Session Persistence

Payjoin sessions are automatically persisted to a SQLite database (payjoin.sqlite) in the data directory. This allows sessions to be resumed if interrupted. Old completed sessions and stale inactive sessions older than 30 days are pruned automatically when the payjoin database is accessed.

Resume Payjoin Sessions

Resume all pending sessions:

cargo run --features rpc -- wallet --wallet <wallet_name> resume_payjoin --directory "https://payjo.in" --ohttp_relay "https://pj.bobspacebkk.com"

Resume a specific session by ID:

cargo run --features rpc -- wallet --wallet <wallet_name> resume_payjoin --directory "https://payjo.in" --ohttp_relay "https://pj.bobspacebkk.com" --session_id <id>

Sessions are processed sequentially (not concurrently) due to BDK-CLI's architecture. Each session waits up to 30 seconds for updates before timing out. If no session ID is specified, the most recent active sessions are resumed first.

View Session History

View all payjoin sessions (active and completed) and also see their status:

cargo run -- wallet --wallet <wallet_name> payjoin_history

Hardware wallet (HWI)

Compile with the hwi feature to interact with a connected hardware wallet (Ledger, Coldcard, BitBox02, Jade or Specter). On Linux you need the USB/HID system libraries first:

sudo apt-get install -y libudev-dev libusb-1.0-0-dev pkg-config

List every connected device (fingerprint and model):

cargo run --features hwi -- hwi devices

cargo run --features hwi -- wallet --wallet my_wallet hwi register

Display a receive address on the device:

cargo run --features hwi -- wallet --wallet my_wallet hwi address

Sign a PSBT with the device:

cargo run --features hwi -- wallet --wallet my_wallet hwi sign <base64-psbt>

Justfile

We have added the just command runner to help you with common commands (during development) and running regtest bitcoind if you are using the rpc feature. Visit the just page for setup instructions.

The below are some of the commands included:

just # list all available recipes
just test # test the project
just build # build the project
just pre-push # run full CI checks locally (tests, clippy, fmt) before pushing

Using `Justfile` to run `bitcoind` as a Client

If you are testing bdk-cli in regtest mode and wants to use your bitcoind node as a blockchain client, the Justfile can help you to quickly do so. Below are the steps to use your bitcoind node in regtest mode with bdk-cli:

Note: You can modify the Justfile to reflect your nodes' configuration values. These values are the default values used in bdk-cli

default wallet: The set default wallet name is regtest_default_wallet

default data directory: The set default data directory is ~/.bdk-bitcoin

RPC username: The set RPC username is user

RPC password: The set RPC password is password

Steps

Start bitcoind
```
just start
```
Create or load a bitcoind wallet with default wallet name
```
just create
```
or
```
just load
```
Generate a bitcoind wallet address to send regtest bitcoins to.
```
just address
```
Mine 101 blocks on regtest to bitcoind wallet address
```
just generate 101 $(just address)
```
Check the bitcoind wallet balance
```
just balance
```

Setup your bdk-cli wallet config and connect it to your regtest node to perform a sync

cargo run --features rpc -- -n regtest wallet -w regtest1 config -e "wpkh(tprv8ZgxMBicQKsPdMzWj9KHvoExKJDqfZFuT5D8o9XVZ3wfyUcnPNPJKncq5df8kpDWnMxoKbGrpS44VawHG17ZSwTkdhEtVRzSYXd14vDYXKw/0/*)" -i "wpkh(tprv8ZgxMBicQKsPdMzWj9KHvoExKJDqfZFuT5D8o9XVZ3wfyUcnPNPJKncq5df8kpDWnMxoKbGrpS44VawHG17ZSwTkdhEtVRzSYXd14vDYXKw/1/*)" -u "127.0.0.1:18443" -c rpc -d sqlite -a user:password 
cargo run --features rpc -- wallet -w regtest1 sync

Generate an address from your bdk-cli wallet and fund it with 10 bitcoins from your bitcoind node's wallet

export address=$(cargo run --features rpc -- wallet -w regtest1 new_address | jq '.address')
just send 10 $address

Mine 6 more blocks to the bitcoind wallet
```
just generate 6 $(just address)
```

You can sync your bdk-cli wallet now and the balance should reflect the regtest bitcoin you received

cargo run --features rpc -- wallet -w regtest1 sync
cargo run --features rpc -- wallet -w regtest1 balance

Shell Completions

bdk-cli supports generating shell completions for Bash, Zsh, Fish, Elvish, and PowerShell. For setup instructions, run:

bdk-cli completions --help

Completion files are generated from the currently installed binary. After upgrading bdk-cli, re-run the completions command to keep them in sync with the new version.

Saving and using wallet configurations

The wallet config sub-command allows you to save wallet settings to a config.toml file in the default directory (~/.bdk-bitcoin/) or custom directory specified with the --datadir flag. This eliminate the need to repeatedly specify descriptors, client types, and other parameters for each command. Once configured, you can use any wallet command by simply specifying the wallet name. All other parameters are automatically loaded from the saved configuration.

To save a wallet settings:

cargo run --features <list-of-features> -- -n <network> wallet --wallet <wallet_name> config [ -f ] --ext-descriptor <ext_descriptor> --int-descriptor <int_descriptor>  --client-type <client_type>  --url <server_url> [--database-type <database_type>] [--rpc-user <rpc_user>]
  [--rpc-password <rpc_password>]

For example, to initialize a wallet named my_wallet with electrum as the backend on signet network:

cargo run --features electrum -- -n signet wallet -w my_wallet config -e "tr(tprv8Z.../0/*)#dtdqk3dx" -i "tr(tprv8Z.../1/*)#ulgptya7" -d sqlite -c electrum -u "ssl://mempool.space:60602"

To overwrite an existing wallet configuration, use the --force flag after the config sub-command.

Using a Configured Wallet

Once configured, use any wallet command with just the wallet name:

cargo run --features electrum wallet -w my_wallet new_address

cargo run --features electrum wallet -w my_wallet full_scan

Note that each wallet has its own configuration, allowing multiple wallets with different configurations.

Manage saved Wallet Configs

To view all saved wallet configurations:

cargo run -- wallets list

To delete a saved wallet configuration:

cargo run -- wallets delete <wallet_name>

Adding new features/command

This guide explains how to add a new command/feature to bdk-cli's modular architecture.