XBT guide · updated 2026-11-15

Set up Shrike, the desktop XBT wallet: a beginner tutorial

Taking custody of XBT means holding it at an address whose seed only you have. This tutorial gets you there with Shrike, the free desktop XBT wallet xbt.live recommends, in 11 steps. The one step that catches people out is the first: Shrike needs your own node.

Want a hardware wallet? Most stock devices can’t sign XBT safely yet. See How to self-custody XBT for which ones can (Paperclip Krux, SeedSigner with XBT firmware, Trezor or Coldcard with unofficial firmware). You still use Shrike with them, so follow steps 1–5 here, then pair the device.

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. Regular Sparrow is still fine on the BTC side, for example its coin control when you split coins you held before the split.

Everything here is new and unaudited. Shrike’s own README says: “Not audited. Use at your own risk.” Verify every download and start with a small amount.

1. Get a node running (start this first)

Shrike ships with no public servers, on purpose: its docs say the usual public ones “are still on the SHA256d chain” (the BTC chain), so they would answer about the wrong coin. You point it at a node you run. Shrike’s quick start says to do this first, because “it is the slowest part because the node has to sync.”

• The node software: Bitcoin Knots. Shrike needs v29.4.1.knots20260508 or later. Use the newest release (v29.5.knots20260508, published November 6, 2026, when we checked): xbt.live notes that XBT’s coinbase-lock rule is enforced by Knots 29.4.3 and newer. Bitcoin Core won’t work; it stayed on the BTC chain.
• The easier route for most people: a home node box. Shrike’s docs point to a Bitcoin University video, “Running Bitcoin On Blake2B (Start9, Umbrel)”, which covers Start9 and Umbrel and installing Shrike against them. Shrike notes it’s a community recording made before the current release.
• Already ran a node before the split? Shrike warns a node pruned before the fork “may stall rather than follow the new work.” Check it’s past block 961,640 and following BLAKE2b before relying on it.

Sources: Shrike quick start and connecting a node; Bitcoin Knots releases; xbt.live FAQ (coinbase lock). Checked 2026-11-15.

2. Download Shrike from its official page

Go to github.com/privkeyio/shrike/releases. Skip search ads, DMs and “mirror” links. Into one folder, download the installer for your system plus three check files:

File names are from the release published October 29, 2026, checked November 15, 2026. Newer releases will have new numbers; use the latest one.

3. Verify the download

This proves the file is the one the developer signed, not a look-alike. Fake wallets are a common way people lose coins. Open a terminal (Windows: PowerShell) in the download folder.

Linux (the commands from Shrike’s README):

gpg --import privkeyio-signing-key.asc
gpg --verify SHA256SUMS.asc SHA256SUMS
sha256sum --ignore-missing -c SHA256SUMS

Mac (Apple chip shown; use the x86_64 file name on an Intel Mac):

gpg --import privkeyio-signing-key.asc
gpg --verify SHA256SUMS.asc SHA256SUMS
shasum -a 256 Shrike-2.5.6-1-arm64-unsigned.dmg
grep dmg SHA256SUMS

Windows (with Gpg4win installed):

gpg --import privkeyio-signing-key.asc
gpg --verify SHA256SUMS.asc SHA256SUMS
certutil -hashfile Shrike-2.5.6-1.msi SHA256
Select-String msi SHA256SUMS

What you should see:

• Good signature from "Kyle Santiago <kyle@privkey.io>"
• Primary key fingerprint: A47D 99B6 DB0D 715D 40C5 9A20 23AE 8A8E A7E2 4E38. Compare it with the key printed in Shrike’s README; they must match.
• On Linux, OK next to your file. On Mac and Windows, the long hash from shasum or certutil must match the line for your file in SHA256SUMS exactly (capital or small letters don’t matter).

A warning that the key “is not certified” is expected; it only means you haven’t marked the key as trusted yourself. If the signature is bad or a hash doesn’t match, stop. Delete the files and ask on the project’s Issues page. Already have Shrike? Its release notes say you can use Tools > Verify Download instead.

Sources: Shrike README (“Releases”) and v2.5.6-blake2b.1 release notes, checked 2026-11-15. The Mac and Windows hash commands are the standard shasum and certutil tools.

4. Install it (and get past the warnings)

Shrike’s README says its Mac builds aren’t notarized and its Windows installer isn’t Authenticode-signed, “so both are reported as untrusted on first launch.” That’s expected. Only continue if step 3 passed.

• Windows: run the .msi. If Windows SmartScreen says it protected your PC, choose More info, then Run anyway.
• Mac: open the .dmg and drag Shrike to Applications. The first launch is blocked. Open System Settings > Privacy & Security, scroll to Security, and click Open Anyway (from the release notes). The README also gives a terminal route: xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Shrike.app. It warns that clearing quarantine removes the check that would stop a tampered download, so verify first.
• Linux (Debian/Ubuntu): sudo apt install ./shrike_2.5.6-1_amd64.deb, or unpack the .tar.gz.

Shrike installs alongside a normal Sparrow without sharing settings; it keeps its own folder, ~/.shrike.

5. Connect Shrike to your node

Open Settings → Server and pick one of the two setups Shrike supports. Both need the Knots node from step 1.

• Simplest: connect straight to your Knots node. Choose Bitcoin Knots and point it at your node’s RPC. The server toggle in the status bar turns green once it connects. This is also the only setup where Shrike cross-checks the split height with your node.
• Most private and faster: your own Electrum server in front of that node. Choose Private Electrum; the toggle turns blue. Stock Fulcrum won’t work. Shrike links BLAKE2b-aware builds: Fulcrum with BLAKE2b (also packaged for StartOS) and electrs with BLAKE2b support (source only). Both are unofficial and unaudited.

What about public servers? Shrike removed its built-in ones “because they stopped at the activation height”. Its docs allow an Electrum server that is “your own, or one you know is current.” xbt.live mentions “Oracle Knots’ public server” for the Sparrow BLAKE2b build; we couldn’t confirm its address from a primary source, so we don’t list one.

Privacy note: any server you connect to sees which addresses you ask about. Shrike’s docs say a direct node connection keeps everything on your machine, but the node stores your balances and public keys unencrypted, “so it is a poor host for keys you are treating as cold storage.” Keep the keys on a hardware wallet for savings.

Source: Shrike connecting a node or Electrum server, quick start and README; xbt.live wallets. Checked 2026-11-15.

6. Create a new wallet

Shrike’s quick start says this part “is unchanged from upstream, so Sparrow’s documentation applies in full.” These names come from Sparrow’s Quick Start. Using a hardware wallet instead? Skip to pairing it with Shrike.

1. Click Create New Wallet, give it a name (for example “XBT savings”) and click New Wallet.
2. Leave Single Signature and Native Segwit as they are.
3. Choose New or Imported Software Wallet, then Mnemonic Words (BIP39).
4. Pick 12 or 24 words and click Generate New.

Always generate a brand-new seed for XBT. Never reuse a seed that holds bitcoin.

7. Write the seed down, offline

• Write the words in order on paper, clearly. Later, copy them onto steel if this is savings.
• Never type them into a website, chat, email or notes app. Never photograph them or put them in the cloud.
• Store the paper somewhere safe and private. Anyone with these words owns the coins.

8. Confirm the backup

1. Click Confirm Backup…, then Re-enter Words…, and type the words back in from your paper.
2. Look for Valid checksum. Then click Create Keystore, then Import Keystore.
3. Click Apply and choose a password for the wallet file.

9. Check replay protection

Shrike signs with XBT’s unified signature hash (0x21) by default, which makes transactions invalid on the BTC chain. Its README says to check the send screen before building anything: it shows whether the transaction is replay protected. A wallet made in step 6 holds its own key and “needs no mark”. If you use a hardware wallet, tick it under Replay protection in the keystore tab of the wallet settings; Shrike can’t tell which firmware a device runs, so it’s off until you say so. The README has screenshots of each screen.

10. Get a receive address

Open the Receive tab and click Get Next Address. Copy it with the copy button rather than by hand. On a hardware wallet, check the address on the device’s screen too. Label it as XBT: BTC and XBT addresses look identical. Shrike’s screens and docs still say “Bitcoin” and “BTC” and call the old chain “SHA256d”; in this guide, what Shrike holds is XBT, a separate coin from your BTC.

11. Do a small test, then move the rest

1. Send a small amount to that address (from an exchange, or your old wallet).
2. Watch it arrive in the Transactions tab.
3. Look it up on the XBT explorer mempool.guide. Shrike’s README says it uses mempool.guide for fee rates, explorer links and broadcasting.
4. Prove you can spend: send a small amount back to another address in the same wallet and check the send screen says replay protected.
5. Then move the rest. Your XBT is now in your custody.

Holding coins from before the split? Shrike’s README notes that such coins “are only separated once spent with an opted-in signature”. Follow the split guide before you open an old wallet here.

Optional: keep the keys on a hardware wallet

For savings, keep the seed on a device that never goes online and use Shrike only to watch and build transactions. Which devices work, the best pick, and how to pair one: How to self-custody XBT. Either way, mark the device under Replay protection in Shrike (step 9) and do the same small test first.

Other XBT wallets

No XBT wallet has been independently audited.

Sources: xbt.live wallets (last checked by xbt.live November 11, 2026); Shrike README and releases; Shrike quick start and node docs; Sparrow Quick Start; xbt.live cold storage guide. All checked 2026-11-15.

← Self-custody Next: Split BTC & XBT → Back to Start here

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.