Can't sign a message with bitcoin core

[darkv0rt3x]

Hello.

I'm trying to sign a message with the node that created an address but I'm getting the error message saying:

Code:

$ bitcoin-cli signmessage "bc1.......................8x" "I confirm to be the sole owner of the (BTC) address used for b.....4-e...-45.....-b.....-dc..........."
error code: -3
error message:
Address does not refer to key

If I unlock the wallet and dump the priv key, it dumps it, which I think it means the address was created with this node for sure or at least that this node has the priv key.

So, why am I getting this error message??

[1714183041]

1714183041

[1714183041]

1714183041

[1714183041]

1714183041

[1714183041]

1714183041

[LoyceV]

So, why am I getting this error message??

As far as I know, Bitcoin Core can't sign messages from Bech32 addresses.

[Charles-Tim]

This may not be necessary, but just saying. If you can not sign a message with Bitcoin Core using natiive segwit address, you can use Electrum using Tor to generate address and sign message from there. That do not affect your privacy unless you want to use the address for sending and receiving bitcoin.

[darkv0rt3x]

This may not be necessary, but just saying. If you can not sign a message with Bitcoin Core using natiive segwit address, you can use Electrum using Tor to generate address and sign message from there. That do not affect your privacy unless you want to use the address for sending and receiving bitcoin.

That is the case. Receive Bitcoin. The app I'm buying from is asking me to sign a message so that it can confirm I'm actually the owner of that address!

[Charles-Tim]

That is the case. Receive Bitcoin. The app I'm buying from is asking me to sign a message so that it can confirm I'm actually the owner of that address!

This is just my opinion, I think you can also wait for the opinion of others.

You can do this offline, not make the Electrum wallet sychronize with the blockchain:
If you are able to export the private key (child private key, not master private key), of the address you use for purchase, you can import it on Electrum, sign a message with the address on Electrum.

After you have successfully done that and successfully make the purchase, you can delete the Electrum wallet.

[darkv0rt3x]

That is the case. Receive Bitcoin. The app I'm buying from is asking me to sign a message so that it can confirm I'm actually the owner of that address!

This is just my opinion, I think you can also wait for the opinion of others.

You can do this offline, not make the Electrum wallet sychronize with the blockchain:
If you are able to the export/see the  private key (child private key, not master private key), of the address you use for purchase, you can import it on Electrum, sign a message with the address on Electrum. Use Tor.

After you have successfully done that and successfully make the purchase, you can delete the Electrum wallet.

Well, thing is that I didn't want to expose the priv key to the internet. I create these addresses in offline nodes so that the priv keys never "sees" the internet!
If I don't have another way, I'll do that, and then, I will create a fresh new address in my offline node and transfer the Bitcoin there!

[Charles-Tim]

Well, thing is that I didn't want to expose the priv key to the internet. I create these addresses in offline nodes so that the priv keys never "sees" the internet!
If I don't have another way, I'll do that, and then, I will create a fresh new address in my offline node and transfer the Bitcoin there!

If you use cold wallet with Bitcoin Core, like hardware wallet. The Electrum wallet can be on a perfectly airgapped device if setup properly. It should not even sychronize with the blockchain.

[BitMaxz]

Well, thing is that I didn't want to expose the priv key to the internet. I create these addresses in offline nodes so that the priv keys never "sees" the internet!
If I don't have another way, I'll do that, and then, I will create a fresh new address in my offline node and transfer the Bitcoin there!

For now, there is no other way but you can still use Electrum on an offline PC without the internet or transfer the portable Electrum through a USB flash drive and open it from your offline PC/Node. Since you said you never connect it to the internet it is safe to simply import the private key to Electrum and make a signed message.

Or if you think or feel after doing that address is not safe anymore then you can generate a new address with Bitcoin core and then transfer all of your funds to that address.

[DireWolfM14]

This may not be necessary, but just saying. If you can not sign a message with Bitcoin Core using natiive segwit address, you can use Electrum using Tor to generate address and sign message from there. That do not affect your privacy unless you want to use the address for sending and receiving bitcoin.

There's little risk to privacy if you import a single private key into a new Electrum wallet and connect to a public server.  Since there are no other keys associated with the master public key, there are no other addresses to associate with the one that's being imported.

[nc50lc]

-snip-

If I don't have another way, I'll do that, and then, I will create a fresh new address in my offline node and transfer the Bitcoin there!

Take note that they wont be able to verify your message with other software.
They'll have to specifically use Electrum, so include it to your email/chat or the signed message itself.

[LoyceV]

The app I'm buying from is asking me to sign a message so that it can confirm I'm actually the owner of that address!

I haven't seen that before. Is that an AML thing?

You can do this offline
~
Use Tor.

No need for Tor on an air-gapped system.

Well, thing is that I didn't want to expose the priv key to the internet. I create these addresses in offline nodes so that the priv keys never "sees" the internet!

That makes it even easier: put Electrum on a USB-stick (or CDR), and install it on your offline node. Import privkey and sign offline.

A different approach: pay from a legacy address It's weird that Bitcoin Core still can't sign a message from a Segwit address, while it made Segwit the default. That basically removed functionality.

[darkv0rt3x]

Well, thing is that I didn't want to expose the priv key to the internet. I create these addresses in offline nodes so that the priv keys never "sees" the internet!
If I don't have another way, I'll do that, and then, I will create a fresh new address in my offline node and transfer the Bitcoin there!

For now, there is no other way but you can still use Electrum on an offline PC without the internet or transfer the portable Electrum through a USB flash drive and open it from your offline PC/Node. Since you said you never connect it to the internet it is safe to simply import the private key to Electrum and make a signed message.

Or if you think or feel after doing that address is not safe anymore then you can generate a new address with Bitcoin core and then transfer all of your funds to that address.

I'll do that!

Well, thing is that I didn't want to expose the priv key to the internet. I create these addresses in offline nodes so that the priv keys never "sees" the internet!
If I don't have another way, I'll do that, and then, I will create a fresh new address in my offline node and transfer the Bitcoin there!

For now, there is no other way but you can still use Electrum on an offline PC without the internet or transfer the portable Electrum through a USB flash drive and open it from your offline PC/Node. Since you said you never connect it to the internet it is safe to simply import the private key to Electrum and make a signed message.

Or if you think or feel after doing that address is not safe anymore then you can generate a new address with Bitcoin core and then transfer all of your funds to that address.

yeah, I'm going for Electrum for now!

This may not be necessary, but just saying. If you can not sign a message with Bitcoin Core using natiive segwit address, you can use Electrum using Tor to generate address and sign message from there. That do not affect your privacy unless you want to use the address for sending and receiving bitcoin.

There's little risk to privacy if you import a single private key into a new Electrum wallet and connect to a public server.  Since there are no other keys associated with the master public key, there are no other addresses to associate with the one that's being imported.

There will be no internet connection whatsoever!

-snip-

If I don't have another way, I'll do that, and then, I will create a fresh new address in my offline node and transfer the Bitcoin there!

Take note that they wont be able to verify your message with other software.
They'll have to specifically use Electrum, so include it to your email/chat or the signed message itself.

What you mean? They, who? The message is given to me to sign. I'm not sure I can change it!

The app I'm buying from is asking me to sign a message so that it can confirm I'm actually the owner of that address!

I haven't seen that before. Is that an AML thing?

You can do this offline
~
Use Tor.

No need for Tor on an air-gapped system.

Well, thing is that I didn't want to expose the priv key to the internet. I create these addresses in offline nodes so that the priv keys never "sees" the internet!

That makes it even easier: put Electrum on a USB-stick (or CDR), and install it on your offline node. Import privkey and sign offline.

A different approach: pay from a legacy address It's weird that Bitcoin Core still can't sign a message from a Segwit address, while it made Segwit the default. That basically removed functionality.

Yeah, I'll do that!

[{One}]

Hi, I don't want to disturb your thread, but can you please message me darkv0rt3x. I have some same problems as you about earlier posts of you (tor configuration in bitcoin core). I want to ask you how you solved those problems and therefore I want to message you, but your account is closed for "newbies", so they advised me to "post in their relevant thread to remind them to enable this setting".

Can you please message me so I can ask my question? (I will delete this message after that to avoid cluttering the post).


Thanks

[nc50lc]

Take note that they wont be able to verify your message with other software.
They'll have to specifically use Electrum, so include it to your email/chat or the signed message itself.

What you mean? They, who? The message is given to me to sign. I'm not sure I can change it!

Then just include a note saying "verify using Electrum" together with the signed message.

"They" are the ones who'll receive your signed message, if they try to verify your message using Bitcoin Core or other tool, it will fail to verify.
At the moment, only Electrum can verify messages signed with Native SegWit address via Electrum (with exceptions to a few tools).

[DaveF]

If they can't use electrum to verify the address the other way to do it is to use another app and then import the private key into your core wallet.
It is a lot more convoluted but it can be done and not the best but it can be done. What I wound up doing when I had to do it.

1) Old wiped android phone with no wi-fi or cell access install coinomi though USB
2) generate new wallet and recovery phrase, get address and write down phrase
3) iancoleman on an offline PC to get private key and import into core
4) Sign with coinomi save as text document on phone move file though USB (or copy by hand, like I'm not going to make a mistake by hand)

Not as secure, a lot more cumbersome but I got it done.

-Dave

[darkv0rt3x]

Well, I don't want to get into processes that I don't know very well and as of now, I'm facing other problems.
I'm not being able to transfer Electrum binaries to my offline vm. I have to wait for some help becauseI'm getting some errors, but not going to discuss them here, I guess. This is now Linux related, not Bitcoin itself or Electrum.
When I'm able to send Electrum binaries to the offline machine, I'll see if I have the needed dependencies to run the binary and sign the message! :p

One problem never comes alone! xD
And I don't want to use samba because that makes me to use network devices in the vm and I don't want!
Gimme some time to see if I can solve the problem of trnasferring Electrum to the offline vm and then I'll give some feedback here!

[{One}]

Well, I don't want to get into processes that I don't know very well and as of now, I'm facing other problems.
I'm not being able to transfer Electrum binaries to my offline vm. I have to wait for some help becauseI'm getting some errors, but not going to discuss them here, I guess. This is now Linux related, not Bitcoin itself or Electrum.
When I'm able to send Electrum binaries to the offline machine, I'll see if I have the needed dependencies to run the binary and sign the message! :p

One problem never comes alone! xD
And I don't want to use samba because that makes me to use network devices in the vm and I don't want!
Gimme some time to see if I can solve the problem of trnasferring Electrum to the offline vm and then I'll give some feedback here!

Can you please message me to give me your experience on the "Socks5() connect to xxxx.onion:xxxx failed: host unreachable" problem and the tor permissions problem you faced in earlier threads? I don't get an answer out of the threads and I can't find an answer anywhere else.
 
Thanks

[darkv0rt3x]

Well, I don't want to get into processes that I don't know very well and as of now, I'm facing other problems.
I'm not being able to transfer Electrum binaries to my offline vm. I have to wait for some help becauseI'm getting some errors, but not going to discuss them here, I guess. This is now Linux related, not Bitcoin itself or Electrum.
When I'm able to send Electrum binaries to the offline machine, I'll see if I have the needed dependencies to run the binary and sign the message! :p

One problem never comes alone! xD
And I don't want to use samba because that makes me to use network devices in the vm and I don't want!
Gimme some time to see if I can solve the problem of trnasferring Electrum to the offline vm and then I'll give some feedback here!

Can you please message me to give me your experience on the "Socks5() connect to xxxx.onion:xxxx failed: host unreachable" problem and the tor permissions problem you faced in earlier threads? I don't get an answer out of the threads and I can't find an answer anywhere else.
 
Thanks

Just create a thread and describe your own problem. People will help you as I'm not focused on that now! I have this problem to fix. I may be able to help after I fix my issue, ok? Sorry, man!

[dkbit98]

I don't know if you could try connecting your bitcoin node with Trezor Suite app (if you own a Trezor hardware wallet) and sign a message with their app instead of using Bitcoin core.
They recently added this option and I think they are supporting Bech32 address types, but I didn't test this myself so I can't confirm.
Here are all the pages I found with instructions for that:
https://wiki.trezor.io/Full-node_wallet
https://wiki.trezor.io/User_manual:Signing_and_verifying_messages

[darkv0rt3x]

I don't know if you could try connecting your bitcoin node with Trezor Suite app (if you own a Trezor hardware wallet) and sign a message with their app instead of using Bitcoin core.
They recently added this option and I think they are supporting Bech32 address types, but I didn't test this myself so I can't confirm.
Here are all the pages I found with instructions for that:
https://wiki.trezor.io/Full-node_wallet
https://wiki.trezor.io/User_manual:Signing_and_verifying_messages

I don't have/use any of that stuff! I might very well be in a dead end here! Not sure yet, regarding my situation!