Watch only address (not deterministic).

[wiseby]

So I have a KEY -> ADDRESS pair.
I want to monitor my balance on a server.

Requirements:
 can run full node
 don't use third party services like blockchain.info
 don't import KEY on the server for obvious security reasons.
 don't use deterministic wallet

Armory does offer watch only wallets, but only for it's own type of determenistic wallets.
My own KEY -> ADDRESS is not an armory deterministic wallet. It is just a regular pair.

Any way to monitor my balance on a server?
That should be so damn simple! I mean Armory can do 99.99% of that task.
How can I achieve it?

[1714111635]

1714111635

[1714111635]

1714111635

[Kupsi]

Armory can watch an imported address:

1. Make a new (deterministic) wallet on the offline computer
2. Import the private key to the wallet
3. Export the watch only wallet
4. Import the watch only wallet on the online computer

[wiseby]

Aha!
That sounds much better!
Thanks a lot!

[e4xit]

Armory can watch an imported address:

1. Make a new (deterministic) wallet on the offline computer
2. Import the private key to the wallet
3. Export the watch only wallet
4. Import the watch only wallet on the online computer

Do you have to do this each time you add a new key? add the priv key to the offline comp's wallet and then export watching only wallet again?

Do I then have two watching only wallets on the online comp?

Y U no have "import watching only key" Armory?

[etotheipi]

Armory can watch an imported address:

1. Make a new (deterministic) wallet on the offline computer
2. Import the private key to the wallet
3. Export the watch only wallet
4. Import the watch only wallet on the online computer

Do you have to do this each time you add a new key? add the priv key to the offline comp's wallet and then export watching only wallet again?

Do I then have two watching only wallets on the online comp?

Y U no have "import watching only key" Armory?

There's a ton of synchronization complexity with importing arbitrary watch-only addresses.  You now have a wallet that looks like you have some amount of money, but some of it is in addresses for which you don't have the private key, and now all your offline transactions can't be signed because it keeps creating tx using inputs from keys you don't own.  You have to go into expert mode and use coin control, and even then you may have to do a lot of work to figure out what addresses you have keys for and you don't.

The way it's implemented, you must have the private key to add a watch-only address.  However, I have thought about adding a special "other addresses" wallet which could be used for this purpose.  Just for addresses you want to watch for which you don't have the private key.

[Automatic]

The way it's implemented, you must have the private key to add a watch-only address.  However, I have thought about adding a special "other addresses" wallet which could be used for this purpose.  Just for addresses you want to watch for which you don't have the private key.

I would love this, there's a casino I bet at sometimes that isn't very popular and only has a hot wallet of about .5BTC at any given time, sometimes, people run in and withdraw .5 and it means nobody else can withdraw until the owner hops on to refill it.

I'd love the ability to monitor the casino's address, rather than having to find previous transactions, head to blockchain.info, etc...

[goatpig]

It shouldn't be hard to implement, but it'll most likely have to wait for the new wallet file format, as we shouldn't be going around adding features to a wallet format we intent to upgrade to begin with.

[etotheipi]

It shouldn't be hard to implement, but it'll most likely have to wait for the new wallet file format, as we shouldn't be going around adding features to a wallet format we intent to upgrade to begin with.

It is basically already supported in Armory wallets now, I just don't have the interface to make it happen.  The problem is how terribly you can mess yourself up getting your online and offline wallets out of sync.  As I said, users who don't realize what they're doing will end up DoS'ing themselves and no obvious way to resolve it.  The only way I see it working is if you have a dedicated wallet for watch-only addresses with no expectation of having the private keys anywhere. 

[Automatic]

It shouldn't be hard to implement, but it'll most likely have to wait for the new wallet file format, as we shouldn't be going around adding features to a wallet format we intent to upgrade to begin with.

It is basically already supported in Armory wallets now, I just don't have the interface to make it happen.  The problem is how terribly you can mess yourself up getting your online and offline wallets out of sync.  As I said, users who don't realize what they're doing will end up DoS'ing themselves and no obvious way to resolve it.  The only way I see it working is if you have a dedicated wallet for watch-only addresses with no expectation of having the private keys anywhere. 

Better than nothing, just have a wallet named "Not our addresses" or something.