name: bitcoin-infrastructure-specter-desktop
description: |
Specter Desktop: open-source GUI for Bitcoin Core + multisig
coordination + HW wallet. Designed for self-custody power users.
USE WHEN: setting up multisig with Specter, evaluating coordinator
options.
allowed-tools: Read, Grep, Glob
Specter Desktop
GUI on top of Bitcoin Core, focused on multisig + HW wallet
coordination.
Repo: github.com/cryptoadvance/specter-desktop (Python).
Features
- Multi-wallet management (single-sig + multi-sig).
- HW wallet integration via HWI: Trezor, Ledger, Coldcard,
BitBox02, Jade.
- Multisig coordinator: n-of-m setup with descriptors.
- PSBT signing flow with multiple devices.
- Watch-only wallets via xpub.
- CoinJoin coordinator integration (JoinMarket, Wabisabi).
- Lightning via LND / CLN.
- Tor support.
Setup
pip install specter-desktop
specter
Or use installer for Mac/Windows/Linux. Connects to local
bitcoind via cookie auth or ~/.specter/config.json.
Multisig flow
- Create wallet → "Multi-sig".
- Add devices: each connected via USB or imported xpub.
- Pick threshold (e.g., 2-of-3).
- Verify each device shows the same multisig address.
- Receive funds.
- To spend: build PSBT in Specter; send to each device for partial
sig; combine + finalize + broadcast.
Compared
| Aspect | Specter Desktop | Sparrow | Caravan |
|---|
| Stack | Python + Vue | Java | Web |
| Bitcoin Core required | yes (or alt) | yes (or alt) | no (direct API) |
| HW wallet support | rich | best | basic |
| Lightning | yes | partial | no |
| CoinJoin | yes | yes | no |
| Mobile | no | no | no |
Use cases
- Power users managing multiple wallets / multisig setups.
- Cross-vendor multisig coordination.
- Custody-aware businesses.
Common issues
- Bitcoin Core connection: cookie file path or RPC credentials
must be correct.
- HWI permissions on Linux: udev rules.
- PSBT version mismatches in some flows.
See also