Import and Export Keys

Tidecoin wallets can move value through several different artifacts. They are not interchangeable. A wallet backup restores a Core wallet, WIF exports a single private key, a PQHD seed restores deterministic PQHD derivation, a descriptor describes scripts and paths, and PSBT moves an unsigned or partially signed transaction between tools.

This page is an operational guide for moving wallet material. It is not the descriptor or PQHD protocol specification; see PQHD and PSBT and Offline Signing for the canonical formats.

Format Summary

Format	What it contains	Use it for	Secret
Core wallet backup	Wallet database, keys, PQHD seeds, descriptors, labels, and wallet metadata	Full Core backup and restore	Yes
WIF private key	One private key encoded for a Tidecoin network	Moving or recovering one address/key	Yes
PQHD master seed hex	32 bytes of master seed material	Restoring deterministic PQHD derivation	Yes
Descriptor	Script type, derivation path, seed ID, range, and checksum	Watch-only tracking and wallet reconstruction metadata	Usually no
PSBT	Unsigned, partially signed, or finalized transaction data	Offline signing and transaction handoff	No, unless a wallet adds secrets outside the PSBT standard

Prefer a Core wallet backup when your goal is “restore this Core wallet exactly.” Use key or seed exports only when you intentionally need interoperability with another wallet or recovery process.

Core Backup and Restore

Create Core wallet backups with the GUI backup action or the backupwallet RPC. Do not copy a live wallet database file while the node is running.


tidecoin-cli -rpcwallet="main" backupwallet "/secure/backups/main-wallet.dat"

Restore with restorewallet:


tidecoin-cli restorewallet "restored-main" "/secure/backups/main-wallet.dat"

After restore, wait for the node to sync and check the balance, recent transactions, receive addresses, and PQHD seed inventory.

Export and Import WIF Keys

WIF is useful for moving one private key. It is not a full wallet backup. A wallet with many addresses may need many WIF exports.

Export a key for an address controlled by the wallet:


tidecoin-cli -rpcwallet="source" dumpprivkey "<address>"

Import the WIF into another wallet:


tidecoin-cli -rpcwallet="target" importprivkey "<wif-private-key>" "imported-key" true

Run help importprivkey on your node for the exact argument order supported by your release. Imported keys may require a rescan before old transactions appear.

Tidecoin’s current WIF uses the network secret-key prefix from chain parameters. The node also recognizes an older legacy Tidecoin WIF layout used by old Falcon-512 wallets. Treat both formats as full spend authority.

Import PQHD Seeds

PQHD seed import restores deterministic PQHD derivation into a Core wallet. The input is a 32-byte seed encoded as 64 hex characters:


tidecoin-cli -rpcwallet="main" importpqhdseed "<64-hex-master-seed>"
tidecoin-cli -rpcwallet="main" listpqhdseeds

After importing, select receive/change defaults if needed:


tidecoin-cli -rpcwallet="main" setpqhdseed "<receive-seed-id>" "<change-seed-id>"

Seed IDs are identifiers. They are not the same thing as the master seed. Do not log, paste, or commit master seed hex.

Descriptors

Tidecoin descriptor wallets use pqhd(...) expressions, for example:


wpkh(pqhd(<seedid32>)/10007h/6868h/7h/0h/0h/*h)

Descriptors are useful for watch-only tracking, offline signing metadata, and wallet reconstruction. A descriptor string by itself is not enough to spend from a PQHD wallet, because it carries a seed ID and derivation path, not the master seed. PQHD descriptor parsing is hardened-only and does not treat BIP32 xpubs as PQHD substitutes.

Do not rely on WIF private keys inside PQHD descriptors. Keep WIF imports and PQHD descriptor imports as separate recovery paths unless a specific tool documents a supported combined flow.

PSBT Handoff

Use PSBT when an online wallet prepares a transaction and another device signs it. The online wallet can hold descriptors and UTXO state; the signer needs the matching key or PQHD seed material.

For PQHD offline signing, include PQHD origin metadata where the wallet RPC supports it. Without origin metadata, the signer may not know which seed, scheme, account, branch, and index should produce the signing key.

Moving Between Wallet Types

From	To	Preferred path
Core	Core	`backupwallet` and `restorewallet`
Core	Core, one address only	`dumpprivkey` and `importprivkey`
Core PQHD	Core PQHD	wallet backup, or `importpqhdseed` plus descriptors/policy
Web or mobile wallet	Core	Use the wallet’s documented export format, then import WIF or seed material if Core supports that format
Watch-only wallet	Signer	PSBT with PQHD origin metadata

Never assume a mnemonic, seed string, WIF, or descriptor from one wallet is compatible with another wallet until you test recovery with a small amount.

Safety Checklist

Export keys only on a machine you trust.
Disconnect from screen sharing, remote support sessions, and browser extensions before revealing secret material.
Make a fresh wallet backup after importing keys or seeds.
Keep old backups until you have confirmed the new wallet can spend.
Sweep imported legacy keys to a fresh PQHD address when practical.
Do not publish descriptors that reveal business-sensitive address structure.