Output script descriptors

Also covering Descriptors

Output script descriptors are strings that contain all the information necessary to allow a wallet or other program to track payments made to or spent from a particular script or set of related scripts (i.e. an address or a set of related addresses such as in an HD wallet).

Descriptors combine well with miniscript in allowing a wallet to handle tracking and signing for a larger variety of scripts. They also combine well with PSBTs in allowing the wallet to determine which keys it controls in a multisig script.

Primary code and documentation

• Output script descriptors

Optech newsletter and website mentions

2022

• 2022 year-in-review: miniscript descriptors in Bitcoin Core
• How partial descriptors could help create tapleaf trees
• New descriptor proposed for silent payments
• Bitcoin Core #23480 adds a rawtr() descriptor
• BIP proposed to allow multiple derivation paths in a descriptor
• Bitcoin Core #24148 adds watch-only support for descriptors containing miniscript
• PR Review Club about miniscript support for descriptors
• Adapting descriptors and miniscript for hardware signing devices
• Bitcoin Core #24043 adds new multi_a and sortedmulti_a descriptors for taproot multisig
• HWI #545 adds support for taproot tr() descriptors

2021

• 2021 year-in-review: output script descriptors
• Bitcoin Core #22364 adds support for creating taproot descriptors in the wallet
• Bitcoin Core #23002 makes descriptor-based wallets the default for new wallets
• Coldcard 4.1.3 adds support for descriptor-based wallets
• BIPs #1143 introduces BIPs 380-386 specifying output script descriptors
• Output script descriptors versus versioned and unversioned BIP32 seeds
• Seven BIPs proposed for standardized output script descriptors
• Preparing for taproot: output script descriptors
• Bitcoin Core #19651 adds support for updating descriptors via importdescriptor
• Bitcoin Core #22051 adds support for importing descriptors for taproot outputs
• BIPs #1089 assigns BIP87 to a multisig wallet standard using descriptors
• Bitcoin Core #20867 increases the maximum multisig keys for descriptors to 20
• Specter-DIY v1.5.0 adds full descriptor support
• Specter v1.2.0 includes support for Bitcoin Core descriptor wallets
• Bitcoin Core #19136 extends getaddressinfo to return parent descriptors
• Bitcoin Dev Kit v0.2.0 released with descriptor support
• Bitcoin Core #20226 adds new listdescriptors RPC for its wallet
• Bitcoin Core 0.21.0 released with experimental native descriptor wallets
• BTCPay Server 1.0.6.7 released with support for descriptors in wallet setup
• BTCPay Server #2169 adds functions for importing some descriptors

2020

• Bitcoin Wallet Tracker (BWT) adds descriptor support
• Q&A about migration from legacy wallets to descriptor wallets
• C-Lightning #4171 allows retrieving the wallet’s onchain descriptors
• Field Report: Using descriptors at River Financial
• Bitcoin Core #16528 adds support for native output descriptor wallets
• Bitcoin Core #18032 add descriptor field to multisig address RPCs
• Encoded descriptors (e.g., with base64)

2019

• Descriptors extended with sortedmulti
• Descriptor checksum support added

2018

• Key origin support
• First use of descriptors in Bitcoin Core

See also

• Miniscript

• Partially-Signed Bitcoin Transactions (PSBTs)

  
  

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