Articles
Features |
Verify |
Set up |
Single Sig |
Multisig
Sparrow is a desktop only bitcoin wallet, available on all major platforms that provides a fantastic alternative to Electrum or Specter. Sparrow provides huge amounts of detail to the user relating to their UTXO’s, transactions and balances, but does so in a very user friendly manner.
Sparrow Wallet comes with everything you’d expect from a desktop based wallet, and much more…
Manifest.txt
+ Manifest.asc
files
curl https://keybase.io/craigraw/pgp_keys.asc | gpg --import
Open your downloads folder in the terminal and run gpg --verify sparrow-1.4.1-manifest.txt.asc
Look for ‘Good signature from “Craig Raw craigraw@gmail.com”. This confirms the file came from the entity in control of Craig Raw’s private GPG key
sha256sum sparrow_1.4.1-1_amd64.deb
Manifest.txt
file you downloaded earlier and check that the hash provided matches the one shown in your terminal window. A match confirms the contents of the file you downloaded are an exact match to the one built by Craig when he signed these files
Sparrow Wallet offers users 3 ways to get started, each with their own pro’s and con’s.
Server Type | Trade-off | Positives |
---|---|---|
Pre selected public Electrum Server | Not your own hardware and shares wallet information with the entity running the server | Easiest way to get started |
Private Bitcoin Core node | Wallet imports can take a while and uses Bitcoin Core which stores it’s wallets unencrypted | Next easiest setup type (user can just download Bitcoin Core) |
Private Electrum Server | Biggest barrier to entry | Most private option + provides fastest wallet queries |
The Public Electrum Server’s provided have been selected due to their record of respecting users privacy. However, running your own is always be the best option.
After reading through the initial welcome screens, click ‘Configure Server’. Sparrow will default to a public Electrum Server but for the purpose of the rest of this guide, we will be connecting to a private Electrum Server. Select that option from the menu at the top.
50001
Use SSL
off
If connection is unsuccessful try changing the top right box to
50002
and togglingUse SSL
to on.
The following assumes that you have already initiated your Coldcard. If you have yet to do so, you can follow this guide.
Advanced
> Micro SD
> Export Wallet
> Generic JSON
.This will make a copy of your wallet onto your SD card that is readable by Sparrow Wallet. You can find more detail on this here. Once complete put the SD card into your computer.
File
> Import Wallet
> Import File
.
coldcard-export.json
on the SD card.Import
.P2PKH = ‘Legacy’ addresses starting with a
1
P2SH-P2WPKH = ‘Segwit’ compatibility addresses starting with a3
P2WPKH = ‘Native Segwit’ addresses starting withBC1
Using these steps the wallet will choose which UTXO’s it spends for you.
Create transaction
Finalize transaction for signing
Save PSBT
and select the SD card as the save location
Ready to Sign
.psbt
file you just saved from Sparrowsign
signed.psbt
file to the SD cardTo broadcast the transaction…
Load PSBT
UTXO
tabsend selected
As well as being fantastic at single sig support, it also excels at multisig! This section assumes that you have already initiated these devices, if you have not already done so, follow these steps.
Here is a brief run down of setting up a 2-of-3 quorum using Sparrow.
File
> New Wallet
, give the wallet a name then click Create new wallet
Policy Type
to Multi Signature
Settings
> Multisig Wallets
> Export XPUB
ccxp-8ff26349.json
to the SD card
Import File
next to Coldcard Multisig
Multisig Wallet
.
Show/Export XPUB
. This will bring up a QR on screen.
Keystore 2
> Air Gapped Hardware Wallet
then Scan
for the Cobo Vault Multisig option. This will open your computers camera, hold the device so that the QR code on the Cobo can be read
Master Public Keys
> Multisig
. The screen should then show a QR code
Keystore 3
> Air Gapped Hardware Wallet
then Scan
for the Specter DIY Multisig option. This will open your computers camera, hold the device so that the QR code on the Specter DIY can be read
Apply
then set an optional password to secure your walletNow that the wallet is created, we need to notify each signer of the wallet creation.
Export
> Export File
next to Coldcard Multisig.txt
file onto it
Settings
> Multisig Wallets
> Import from SD
.
Export
> Show
next to Cobo Vault MultisigMultisig Wallet
> Import Multisig
, then tap the QR scanner button in the top right
This is not currently supported in Sparrow. However it is sufficient to verify receive and change addresses on the other two signing devices.
Multisig backups are more complex than their single signature counterparts. You can read an in-depth look at this here.
Export
> Export File
next to Sparrow.json
file that you can back up onto as many SD cards as you likeThis file is a ‘view only’ into your multisig wallet. To spend you still need m-of-n signers or seed backups
You will have already noticed that Sparrow shows you your first receive address. It is now important to verify that receive address on our trusted signing devices. Not all signing devices facilitate this, which is the reason both Coldcard and Cobo were included into this guide.
Address Explorer
. scroll to the bottom and enter the number indicated to start
Multisig Wallet
which will open the receive tab. Press the top address and check it matches the one shown in Sparrow
All 3 match? Send a very small amount of sats to your verified address
Create Transaction
Finalize Transaction for Signing
Save PSBT
and select the SD card as the save locationReady to Sign
.psbt
file you just saved from Sparrowsign
signed.psbt
file to the SD cardLoad PSBT
, choose the part.psbt
fileWe now have 1 of a required 2 signatures
Show QR
Scan QR
, this will open your computer’s camera. Hold the Cobo device up to the camera for Sparrow to read the signed transactionWe now have 2 of a required 2 signatures
If you want to try Sparrow Wallet for yourself visit their website and for the more technical user that wants to look under the hood, visit their GitHub. You can also follow them on Twitter to stay up to date with the latest developments.
If you need help getting started with Sparrow, I offer private support calls for those that benefit from more personalised tuition.
Disclaimer - All views expressed in this article are my own and not those of the Sparrow team.