Setting up a Zallet wallet

WARNING: This process is currently unstable, very manual, and subject to change as we make Zallet easier to use.

Create a config file

Zallet by default uses $HOME/.zallet as its data directory. You can override this with the -d/--datadir flag.

Once you have picked a datadir for Zallet, create a zallet.toml file in it. You currently need at least the following:

[builder.limits]

[consensus]
network = "main"

[database]

[external]

[features]
as_of_version = "0.0.0"

[features.deprecated]

[features.experimental]

[indexer]
validator_user = ".."
validator_password = ".."

[keystore]

[note_management]

[rpc]
bind = ["127.0.0.1:SOMEPORT"]

In particular, you currently need to configure the [indexer] section to point at your full node's JSON-RPC endpoint. The relevant config options in that section are:

• validator_address (if not running on localhost at the default port)
• validator_cookie_auth = true and validator_cookie_path (if using cookie auth)
• validator_user and validator_password (if using basic auth)

If you have an existing zcash.conf, you can use it as a starting point:

$ zallet migrate-zcash-conf --datadir /path/to/zcashd/datadir -o /path/to/zallet/datadir/zallet.toml

Reference

Initialize the wallet encryption

Zallet uses age encryption to encrypt all key material internally. Currently you can use two kinds of age identities, which you can generate with rage:

• A plain identity file directly on disk:

  $ rage-keygen -o /path/to/zallet/datadir/encryption-identity.txt
  Public key: age1...
  

• A passphrase-encrypted identity file:

  $ rage -p -o /path/to/zallet/datadir/encryption-identity.txt <(rage-keygen)
  Public key: age1...
  Using an autogenerated passphrase:
      drip-lecture-engine-wood-play-business-blame-kitchen-month-combine
  

(age plugins will also be supported but currently are tricky to set up.)

Once you have created your identity file, initialize your Zallet wallet:

$ zallet -d /path/to/zallet/datadir init-wallet-encryption

Reference

Generate a mnemonic phrase

$ zallet -d /path/to/zallet/datadir generate-mnemonic

Reference

Each time you run this, a new BIP 39 mnemonic will be added to the wallet. Be careful to only run it multiple times if you want multiple independent roots of spend authority!

Start Zallet

$ zallet -d /path/to/zallet/datadir start

Reference