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Utility RPC Methods

Utility RPCs provide various helper functions including address validation, message signing, descriptor utilities, and fee estimation.

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Address Validation

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validateaddress

Validates a Bitcoin address and returns information about it. 
bitcoin-cli validateaddress "bc1qar0srrr7xfkvy5l643lydnw9re59gtzzwf5mdq"
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isvalid
boolean
Whether address is valid
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address
string
The validated bitcoin address
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scriptPubKey
string
Hex-encoded scriptPubKey
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isscript
boolean
Whether address is a script address
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iswitness
boolean
Whether address is a witness address
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witness_version
number
Witness version (0 for P2WPKH/P2WSH, 1 for P2TR)
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witness_program
string
Hex-encoded witness program
This RPC only validates the address format. For wallet-specific information (like ownership), use the wallet’s getaddressinfo RPC.

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Message Signing

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signmessagewithprivkey

Signs a message with a private key. 
bitcoin-cli signmessagewithprivkey "privkey" "my message"
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result
string
Base64-encoded signature
Never expose private keys. This RPC is primarily for testing. For wallet-managed keys, use the wallet’s signmessage RPC.

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verifymessage

Verifies a signed message. 
bitcoin-cli verifymessage "bc1q..." "signature" "my message"
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result
boolean
Whether signature is valid

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Descriptor Utilities

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getdescriptorinfo

Analyzes a descriptor and returns information about it. 
bitcoin-cli getdescriptorinfo "wpkh([d34db33f/84h/0h/0h]xpub6ERApfZwUNrhLCkDtcHTcxd75RbzS1ed54G1LkBUHQVHQKqhMkhgbmJbZRkrgZw4koxb5JaHWkY4ALHY2grBGRjaDMzQLcgJvLJuZZvRcEL/0/*)"
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descriptor
string
Canonical descriptor with computed checksum
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checksum
string
Checksum for the descriptor
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isrange
boolean
Whether descriptor is ranged
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issolvable
boolean
Whether descriptor is solvable
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hasprivatekeys
boolean
Whether descriptor has private keys

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deriveaddresses

Derives addresses from a descriptor. 
# Derive single address
bitcoin-cli deriveaddresses "wpkh([d34db33f/84h/0h/0h]xpub.../0/*)#checksum" 0

# Derive range of addresses
bitcoin-cli deriveaddresses "wpkh([d34db33f/84h/0h/0h]xpub.../0/*)#checksum" "[0,2]"
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result
array
Array of derived Bitcoin addresses

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Fee Estimation

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estimatesmartfee

Estimates the fee rate needed for confirmation within target blocks. 
# Estimate fee for confirmation in 6 blocks
bitcoin-cli estimatesmartfee 6

# Economical estimate
bitcoin-cli estimatesmartfee 6 "economical"
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feerate
number
Estimated fee rate in BTC/kvB
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blocks
number
Block number where estimate was found
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errors
array
Array of error messages (if any)
Fee estimation requires the node to have observed sufficient transaction history. New nodes may not have enough data for accurate estimates.

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Data Encoding

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createrawtransaction

Creates a raw transaction (hex-encoded). 
# Create transaction
bitcoin-cli createrawtransaction \
  '[{"txid":"mytxid","vout":0}]' \
  '{"bc1q...": 0.01}'
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result
string
Hex-encoded raw transaction

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decoderawtransaction

Decodes a raw transaction to JSON. 
bitcoin-cli decoderawtransaction "020000000001..."
Returns detailed transaction object with all inputs, outputs, and metadata.

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decodescript

Decodes a hex-encoded script. 
bitcoin-cli decodescript "76a914..."
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asm
string
Script assembly representation
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type
string
Script type (e.g., pubkeyhash, scripthash, witness_v0_keyhash)
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reqSigs
number
Required signatures (deprecated)
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addresses
array
Array of bitcoin addresses (deprecated)
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p2sh
string
P2SH address for this script
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segwit
object
Segwit-specific information

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PSBT Utilities

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decodepsbt

Decodes a PSBT (Partially Signed Bitcoin Transaction) to JSON. 
bitcoin-cli decodepsbt "cHNidP8BAH..."
Returns detailed PSBT structure including:
  • Transaction details
  • Input metadata (UTXOs, signatures, derivation paths)
  • Output metadata
  • Unknown fields

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combinepsbt

Combines multiple PSBTs into one. 
bitcoin-cli combinepsbt '["psbt1", "psbt2"]'
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result
string
Combined PSBT (base64)

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finalizepsbt

Finalizes a PSBT if possible. 
bitcoin-cli finalizepsbt "cHNidP8BAH..."
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psbt
string
Base64-encoded PSBT (if not extracted or not complete)
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hex
string
Hex-encoded network transaction (if complete and extracted)
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complete
boolean
Whether transaction is complete

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analyzepsbt

Analyzes a PSBT and provides information about what is missing. 
bitcoin-cli analyzepsbt "cHNidP8BAH..."
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inputs
array
Analysis of each input (missing signatures, pubkeys, etc.)
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estimated_vsize
number
Estimated virtual size of final transaction
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estimated_feerate
number
Estimated feerate (BTC/kvB)
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fee
number
Transaction fee in BTC
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next
string
Role of next signer: signer, finalizer, extractor

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Miscellaneous

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getindexinfo

Returns status of optional indices. 
# Get all indices
bitcoin-cli getindexinfo

# Get specific index
bitcoin-cli getindexinfo "txindex"
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synced
boolean
Whether index is synced to chain tip
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best_block_height
number
Height index is synced to

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logging

Gets and sets logging configuration. 
# Get current logging configuration
bitcoin-cli logging

# Enable net and mempool logging
bitcoin-cli logging '["net", "mempool"]' '["http"]'
Available log categories:
  • net: Network messages
  • tor: Tor connection info
  • mempool: Mempool operations
  • http: HTTP server
  • bench: Benchmarking
  • zmq: ZMQ notifications
  • walletdb: Wallet database operations
  • rpc: RPC calls
  • estimatefee: Fee estimation
  • addrman: Address manager
  • selectcoins: Coin selection
  • validation: Block/transaction validation
  • And more…

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uptime

Returns the total uptime of the server in seconds. 
bitcoin-cli uptime
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result
number
Server uptime in seconds

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echo

Echoes back input arguments (for testing). 
bitcoin-cli echo "test" 123