First run and the master secret

The first-run flow creates or restores the single 256-bit secret from which the wallet derives every address.

Generate

Create a new 256-bit key uses operating-system randomness and installs the new master secret locally.

Export or back it up before funding the wallet. The project cannot regenerate it from an address or receipt.

Import

Restore from existing key accepts exactly 64 hexadecimal characters, representing 32 bytes.

After import, the wallet checks derived addresses in order. Discovery stops at the first address with no live UTXO or after 20 funded addresses, whichever comes first. This contiguous-prefix rule avoids an unbounded address scan of State.

Addresses beyond the first unused index are not found automatically. Generate or inspect them explicitly if the previous wallet used a non-contiguous address range.

Import restores spending authority and current on-chain balance. It does not restore locally saved receipts.

Use photo

Derive the 256-bit key from pixels decodes an image and derives the master secret from its pixel content. The image is processed locally and is not copied into wallet storage.

Use a private original and preserve it without pixel changes. The dedicated Photo-derived key guide explains derivation, the Key ID and safe recovery.

What is installed

The wallet stores a 48-byte wallet.key file: a format marker followed by the 32-byte secret. On Unix it requires owner-only permissions and rejects a file with the wrong owner or mode.

Replacing the master secret changes the complete derived address set. The Settings page requires an explicit confirmation and warns before replacement.

Continue with Addresses and Backup and recovery.