BIP 382 guide covering Deployed wpkh() and wsh() descriptors, compressed-key rules, witnessScript recovery, nesting constraints, checksums and test vectors.
This guide explains BIP 382 SegWit descriptors in plain English. It covers the problem behind the BIP, why it matters and whether the proposal is part of Bitcoin today.
BIP 382 SegWit descriptors: BIP 382 is Deployed and Informational and requires BIP 380. Its expressions describe SegWit version-zero script forms, not Taproot version one.
A node operator is checking BIP 382 SegWit descriptors. It produces witness version zero plus a 20-byte key hash and accepts only key expressions that produce compressed public keys.
BIP 382 is Deployed and Informational and requires BIP 380. Its expressions describe SegWit version-zero script forms, not Taproot version one.
wpkh(KEY) can be top level or inside sh(). It produces witness version zero plus a 20-byte key hash and accepts only key expressions that produce compressed public keys.
wsh(SCRIPT) can be top level or inside sh(). It produces witness version zero plus the SHA256 of the nested script and also generates the witnessScript required to spend.
Every key anywhere beneath wsh() must produce compressed public keys. Reject uncompressed WIFs or points even when a general key parser accepts them elsewhere.
Reject wpkh inside wsh, wsh inside wsh, raw keys passed directly to wsh and script expressions passed to wpkh. Only the specified top-level and sh-wrapped forms are valid.
Back up the complete checksummed descriptor, origins, wildcard branch, range and highest-used indexes. A witness program alone cannot reconstruct a complex witnessScript or identify keys.
Run published valid and invalid cases, derive several child indexes, compare scriptPubKeys and redeem/witness scripts, and test watch-only import, signing and restoration independently. Build a revision-pinned evidence pack on an isolated node, wallet or protocol harness. Record source commit, binary hash, network, chain identity, configuration and dependencies.
BIP 382 SegWit descriptors: BIP 382 is Deployed and Informational and requires BIP 380. Its expressions describe SegWit version-zero script forms, not Taproot version one.
BIP 382 is Deployed and Informational and requires BIP 380. Its expressions describe SegWit version-zero script forms, not Taproot version one.
wpkh(KEY) can be top level or inside sh(). It produces witness version zero plus a 20-byte key hash and accepts only key expressions that produce compressed public keys.
wsh(SCRIPT) can be top level or inside sh(). It produces witness version zero plus the SHA256 of the nested script and also generates the witnessScript required to spend.
BIP 382 standardises how wallets describe P2WPKH and P2WSH policy. Its safety comes from strict compressed-key and nesting rules plus complete descriptor recovery, not merely recognising a version-zero witness program.
Check the current specification status and the documentation for the exact implementation you operate before moving production funds or changing a mining node.
BIP 450 guide to Draft Formosa themed mnemonic stories, entropy and checksum mapping, theme JSON, BIP39 conversion, passphrases and recovery safety.
BIP 393 guide to Draft descriptor annotations for birth height, gap limit and Silent Payment max label, checksum rules, parsing and recovery safety.
BIP 392 guide to Draft sp() descriptors, spscan and spspend encodings, watch-only and full-wallet forms, key origins, recovery and validation.
Join the ASIC Mining Discussion
Members can read and join the discussion
Log in to read comments from other miners. Create a free account if you would like to ask a question or share your experience.
Membership helps us protect the discussion from spam and keep answers useful.