Migrating from Legacy Tidecoin

Older Tidecoin wallets predate the current PQHD wallet model. Migration should be treated as a funds-safety operation: preserve the old backup, import or sweep only with a synced current node, and verify the result with a small spend before depending on the migrated wallet.

This page covers operational migration. It is not the signature verification specification; see Verification Modes for legacy and strict verification rules.

Migration Goal

The recommended end state is a current Tidecoin Core wallet with:

a fresh wallet backup created by backupwallet;
current PQHD receive addresses for future funds;
imported legacy keys only where needed for recovery;
old wallet backups retained offline.

Do not delete the old wallet or old backups immediately after import. Keep them until you have confirmed balances, transaction history, and spendability.

Before You Start

Install a current Tidecoin Core build from the project source you normally trust.
Let the node sync on the correct network.
Back up the current destination wallet:


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

Make an offline copy of the old wallet data before opening or migrating it.
Record which old wallet file, old software version, and network you are migrating from.

Import Legacy WIF Keys

If the old wallet can export WIF private keys, import them into the current wallet:


tidecoin-cli -rpcwallet="main" importprivkey "<legacy-wif-private-key>" "legacy-import" true

The final true asks the wallet to rescan where supported. Large rescans can take time. Run help importprivkey on your node to confirm the exact argument shape for your release.

Tidecoin Core recognizes the current WIF format and an older legacy Tidecoin WIF layout used by old Falcon-512 wallets. Both formats are secret spend authority.

Import a Legacy Wallet Dump

If the old wallet can produce a wallet dump, use the current node’s wallet import flow:


tidecoin-cli -rpcwallet="main" importwallet "/secure/imports/legacy-wallet-dump.txt"

After import, wait for rescan to complete and compare expected addresses and balances. If the dump contains many keys, keep the node online and synced until the wallet has finished discovering historical transactions.

Built-In Migration Backups

Tidecoin Core’s wallet migration path creates a legacy backup named in the form:


<wallet-name>-<timestamp>.legacy.bak

Keep this file. It exists so that an incorrect migration can be restored with the wallet restore flow.

Sweep to Current PQHD Addresses

Once imported funds are visible, create a fresh current receive address from the destination wallet and move funds there:


tidecoin-cli -rpcwallet="main" getnewaddress "" "bech32pq"

Send a small test amount first. After it confirms and you have verified the new wallet backup, sweep the remaining funds according to your risk policy.

Sweeping is cleaner than leaving long-term funds on imported legacy keys because future wallet operations then use the current PQHD model, current descriptors, and current backup procedures.

Checks After Migration

Check	What to verify
Balance	Confirm expected spendable and watch-only balances.
Address history	Check old receive addresses for expected transactions.
Backup	Create a new `backupwallet` copy after imports and sweeps.
Test spend	Spend a small amount from imported funds before moving the rest.
New receive path	Confirm future deposits use current PQHD addresses.
Old backup	Store old wallet backup and `.legacy.bak` files offline.

Common Problems

Problem	Response
Imported balance is zero	Confirm network, sync height, rescan status, and the exact address set exported from the old wallet.
WIF import fails	Check whether the value is a real WIF private key, not a mnemonic, address, descriptor, or seed ID.
Old wallet cannot export	Keep the old environment intact and recover through a controlled legacy node or wallet dump flow.
Spend fails after import	Test with a current synced node, inspect the exact script and key type, and avoid deleting the old wallet.
Future deposits still use old keys	Generate and share new PQHD receive addresses after migration.