XBT guide · updated 2026-11-15

XBT FAQ: BTCB2, replay protection and the August 2026 split

Quick version

Custody means your XBT sits at an address whose seed only you hold.
Bitcoin from after August 8, 2026 carries no XBT. Trade it for XBT on an exchange.
BTC and XBT are separate coins: keep them in separate wallets with separate seeds.

Getting and holding XBT

How do I take custody of XBT?

Get an XBT wallet only you control: a hardware wallet that signs XBT, or Shrike on your computer (it needs your own Bitcoin Knots node). Create a brand-new seed, write it on paper, and confirm the backup. Then send your XBT to a receive address from that wallet, small test first. Once your XBT sits at an address whose seed only you hold, it’s in your custody. Step by step: Start here.

Can I sell bitcoin I got after August 8, 2026 for XBT?

Yes, by trading, not by splitting. Coins confirmed in block 961,632 or later exist only on the BTC chain and carry no XBT. Trade them for XBT on an exchange with a BTC market (NonKYC’s BTCB2/BTC, SafeTrade’s XBT/BTC, or NeoxEX, which BitcoinBIP110.org rates high-risk), then withdraw the XBT to your own wallet. See Bought after Aug 8.

How do I tell whether a coin is from before the split?

Look up the transaction that paid you on a block explorer and read its block height. 961,631 or lower: it predates the split and has an XBT twin (unless already spent on XBT). 961,632 or higher: normally BTC-only; search its transaction ID on mempool.guide to be sure. How to check.

I only have dollars. Can I get XBT?

Yes. Buy bitcoin (or USDT/USDC) on a mainstream app, send it to an exchange that lists XBT, trade, and withdraw the XBT to your own wallet. See I have dollars.

Can I use Sparrow?

Not regular Sparrow for XBT: it follows the BTC chain. Use Shrike (a Sparrow fork with replay protection on by default) or the paulscode Sparrow BLAKE2b build. Shrike needs your own Bitcoin Knots node (directly or through your own BLAKE2b-aware Electrum server); the Sparrow BLAKE2b build needs a BLAKE2b-aware Electrum server. Regular Sparrow is still fine on the BTC side, for example coin control when you split coins you held before the split.

Should I consolidate my XBT?

If it’s spread across many wallets or small coins, gathering it into one wallet you control can make it easier to protect and cheaper to spend later. It costs a fee and links your coins together publicly. See Withdraw and consolidate.

More questions

Do I have to convert my BTC into XBT?

No. If you controlled the keys to bitcoin before block 961,632 (August 8, 2026), the same keys control the same amount of XBT. Nothing is converted and nothing is claimed.

Is XBT the same as BTCB2 or Bitcoin BLAKE2b?

Yes. Exchanges list the same coin as XBT, BTCB2 or, on SafeTrade, BIP110. On Kraken and other large platforms, “XBT” means ordinary bitcoin, so always check the network.

My coins were on an exchange at the split. Do I have XBT?

Only if you controlled the keys. Coins on an exchange sit in the exchange’s wallets, so whether customers get credited is up to that exchange.

Can I use my normal Bitcoin wallet?

No. Regular Bitcoin wallets follow the SHA-256 chain. You need a wallet built for BLAKE2b, such as Shrike, the Sparrow BLAKE2b build or Bitcoin Knots. See Start here, step 1.

What is replay protection?

A way to make a transaction valid on only one chain. On XBT, signing with SIGHASH_UNIFIED makes a transaction invalid on Bitcoin. On the Bitcoin side, including one BTC-only coin, or an OP_RETURN over 83 bytes, makes a transaction invalid on XBT. See the split guide.

Which hardware wallets support XBT?

No mainstream hardware wallet supports XBT on its normal firmware yet (checked November 15, 2026). What can sign XBT with replay protection today: Paperclip Krux, a $70 XBT-only signer; a SeedSigner with privkeyio’s community firmware; and Trezor or Coldcard devices re-flashed with privkeyio’s unofficial firmware. Bitkey works through the unofficial Lazarus Key app, where the phone key adds the protection. Stock Ledger, Trezor, Coldcard, BitBox02, Jade, Keystone and Passport can’t. Coinkite and SatoshiLabs have both declined to add it, and BitcoinBIP110.org says no hardware wallet officially supports it. A stock device still holds the keys to pre-split XBT, but it signs the legacy, replayable way. Full table, best pick and setup steps.

Can I use my Ledger or Trezor?

Not on their normal firmware: it doesn’t sign with SIGHASH_UNIFIED. Ledger has no XBT option. A spare Trezor can run unofficial XBT firmware with Shrike, but flashing erases it, so never use the one holding your bitcoin. If in doubt, move your BTC away first (split guide, Method 1) so the old device only guards XBT. See How to self-custody XBT.

Is there a deadline?

No. Pre-split XBT stays at your addresses until you move it.

What is the coinbase lock?

A soft fork on XBT that makes newly mined block rewards wait before they can be spent. It doesn’t affect pre-split coins or coins bought on an exchange.

Is selling XBT taxable?

It may be, depending on where you live. Receiving, splitting or selling fork coins can have tax consequences, so talk to a tax professional. xbt.live publishes a daily reference price and a tax helper for record-keeping (information only).

Will this guide ever ask for my seed?

Never. These pages have no logins, no wallet connections and nothing to type a seed into. Anyone using this guide’s name to ask for a seed is a scammer.

Glossary

UTXO (coin): An “unspent transaction output”: one chunk of coins you received in a single payment. A wallet’s balance is the sum of its UTXOs. Spending uses up whole UTXOs and sends any leftover back to you as change.
Split (chain split): When one blockchain becomes two. BTC and XBT split at block 961,632 on August 8, 2026; everything up to block 961,631 is shared. “Splitting your coins” also means moving them so your BTC and XBT end up under different keys.
Replay: Copying a transaction from one chain onto the other. A normal transaction that spends pre-split coins is valid on both, so anyone can rebroadcast it on the other chain.
Replay protection / SIGHASH_UNIFIED: A way to make a transaction valid on only one chain. XBT wallets sign with SIGHASH_UNIFIED (0x21 instead of the normal 0x01), which BTC rejects. On the BTC side, including one BTC-only coin does the same job.
Self-custody: Holding coins in a wallet whose seed only you control, rather than on an exchange. “Not your keys, not your coins.”
Seed (recovery words): The 12 or 24 words that can rebuild your wallet. Whoever has them owns the coins. Keep them offline, on paper or steel, and never type them into a website.
Consolidation: Sending several UTXOs, or several wallets’ balances, into one coin in one wallet you control.
Block height: A block’s number in the chain. A block explorer shows the height of the block that confirmed each transaction.
Block explorer: A read-only website for looking up blocks, transactions and addresses. mempool.guide shows the XBT chain; mempool.space shows BTC.
BLAKE2b: The mining algorithm XBT switched to at block 961,640 on August 30, 2026. It’s why exchanges call the coin “Bitcoin BLAKE2b”.
Electrum server: A server that desktop wallets like Shrike connect to for balances and history, running in front of a node. For XBT it has to be BLAKE2b-aware; your own is the most private.
Node (full node): Software that downloads and checks the whole blockchain itself. For XBT that means Bitcoin Knots (a recent release), often run on a home node box such as Start9 or Umbrel. Shrike needs one.
Shrike: A free desktop XBT wallet for Windows, Mac and Linux, built from Sparrow. This guide’s main wallet. Set it up.
Hardware wallet (signer): A small device that keeps your seed offline and signs transactions on its own screen. Only a few can sign XBT safely yet: device table.
Firmware: The software inside a hardware wallet. “Stock” firmware is the maker’s own; “community” or “unofficial” firmware is built by someone else.
xpub (extended public key): What a hardware wallet shares with Shrike so it can show your balance and addresses. It can’t spend, but it reveals your whole wallet history, so keep it private.
Watch-only / air-gapped: Watch-only: the computer wallet can see coins but not spend them. Air-gapped: the signing device never connects to a computer; it passes transactions by QR code or microSD card.
PSBT: A “partially signed bitcoin transaction”: the unsigned transaction Shrike builds and passes to your hardware wallet to sign.
Coin control (UTXOs tab): Choosing exactly which coins a transaction spends, instead of letting the wallet pick.
OP_RETURN: A transaction output that carries a small piece of data instead of paying anyone. XBT rejects ones over 83 bytes; Bitcoin Core 30 relays much larger ones by default.
Stablecoin (USDT, USDC): A crypto token meant to stay worth one US dollar. Some XBT exchanges trade XBT against them.
KYC: “Know your customer”: an exchange’s identity check, usually a photo ID.
Limit order: An order to buy or sell only at the price you set. Safer than a market order on thin order books.
sat/vB: The unit for transaction fees: satoshis (hundred-millionths of a coin) per virtual byte of transaction size.

Sources: Shrike README, Bitcoin wiki: Privacy, xbt.live FAQ, wallets, cold storage, history. Checked 2026-11-15.

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Not financial or tax advice. This guide is education only. Splitting, selling or trading fork coins may be a taxable event where you live; talk to a tax professional. The XBT wallets and firmware mentioned are new, community-built and unaudited. Test with small amounts; you are responsible for your own keys. We never ask for seeds, keys or money. See sources.