Opening a Channel
The following is the procedure that will allow you to open a LN channel on your node. As mentioned in step 4, you can open it with or without adding a RGB asset on top of it.- In the sidebar, open Liquidity → Open Channel.
- Select a Peer: pick a Suggested Node (e.g. KaleidoSwap LSP), a Connected Peer, or Connect manually with
pubkey@host:port. Click Configure Channel (and Connect if the app asks to connect to the peer first). - Set Channel Capacity (presets or slider; minimum 50,000 sats, maximum your spendable on-chain balance).
- [Optional] Add RGB Assets by doing the following:
- Under Add RGB Assets, pick an asset from the dropdown instead of No Asset.
- Only assets you hold on-chain are listed, so you need to already have received or issued the asset to open a channel with it. If your purpose is to include an asset that you don’t already have seen in your wallet - as it’s usually the case for first time users - the best way to proceed is to buy a channel instead.
- Set the amount to allocate to the channel. This step is required if you want to use the channel to swap one or more RGB assets.
- Choose a Fee Rate (Slow/Normal/Fast/Custom), a Channel Lock Duration, and whether it is a Public Channel. Click Continue.
- Double-check all the information on Review & Confirm:
- Bitcoin amount.
- RGB asset amounts (if present).
- Peer information.
- Open Channel: on Review & Confirm, click Open Channel. The channel then shows as Pending in Manage Channels until the funding transaction confirms.
Channel Opening Process
The following is the high-level flow required to operate with a newly-opened channel:- Confirmation: The app will display a confirmation screen with the channel details.
- Funding Transaction: The funding transaction will be broadcast to the Bitcoin network.
- Waiting Period: Wait for the required number of confirmations (around 6 blocks, roughly an hour on mainnet).
- Channel Active: Once confirmed, your channel will be ready for use.
Important Notes
- Minimum channel size: 50,000 SATs
- Required confirmations: around 6 blocks
- Channel capacity cannot be changed after opening
- RGB assets cannot be added to a channel after opening — include them when creating the channel
- Keep your node online during the opening process
Next: Buy New Channel
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