If you use any wallet that is not single-signature (multisig, miniscript, etc.), it is important to have a backup of the descriptor/wallet policy.
But we have no standard on how to do it.
How should we do it? Here's my attempt at an ideal approach:
Delving Bitcoin
A simple backup scheme for wallet accounts
For any wallet account that is not single-signature, backing up the descriptor is crucial, as its loss is likely to be catastrophic and lead to los...
The approach I propose tries to achieve a number of desirable properties:
- Encrypted: so you can outsource its storage;
- Easy to implement: really, it's very simple;
- Vendor-independent: it should work with any signing device;
- Deterministic: the backup should be repeatable.
In the post, I try to give motivation on the approach, and come with a scheme that tries to be pragmatic, and easy to adopt.
Of course, variations, more features, etc. are possible, but I believe this scheme is good for the use cases of the typical user.
And certainly, good enough is better than the status quo where most wallets just tell the user "you should have a backup" π
What do you think?
