Managing your keys
Before you can be added as a signer on a vault, you need to register at least one public key in your Signing Profile. You register a public key from the wallet you will sign with. SQRL receives only the public key. Your private key stays in your wallet.
#Registering a public key
Required: Your Signing Profile must be unlocked.
- On the Signing Profile page, open the Registered Keys section.
- Select Register Key. The Register a Public Key dialog opens.
- Choose the source of the key you are registering:
- Software wallet (BIP84 seed). Your key comes from a software wallet built on a seed, the master secret your wallet is generated from. SQRL derives your account public key from that wallet, protected by your wallet password. Enter your Wallet Password. SQRL stores the derived public key only.
- Hardware wallet (Trezor). SQRL connects to your Trezor device to read your account public key. Follow the prompts on the device to approve the connection. Your private key never leaves the device.
- Enter an optional Label, for example "Treasury signing key". Labels help you tell keys apart when you have more than one.
- Complete the registration.
You register your public key only. Whether you use a software wallet or a hardware device, your private key stays with you and is never submitted to SQRL. Signing always happens in your own wallet or on your device. You then submit the signed result back to the platform.
A hardware wallet is a dedicated physical device that stores your private key in isolated hardware and signs without exposing the key to your computer. A software wallet manages your key in an application. SQRL works with both. In either case, signing happens outside SQRL.
#Viewing registered keys
Your registered keys appear in the Registered Keys section of the Signing Profile page. For each key you can see its label, status, and a truncated key identifier.
A key's status is one of the following:
- Active. Ready to use in vault signing workflows.
- Deprecated. No longer the current key, retained for reference.
- Revoked. Withdrawn from use.
- Compromised. Marked as no longer safe to use.
You use active keys to participate in vault signing.
You have one active key per network. When you register a new key for a network on which you already have an active key, the previous key is retired and the new key becomes active. Keys already added to a vault continue to reference the key that was registered at the time. Review your vault signer lists after changing a key.
#Your profile address and balance
Your Signing Profile shows your profile address and its BTC balance. You do not need to hold funds in your Signing Profile to act as a signer. The address exists so that you can hold a working balance if you choose to.
#Sending BTC
You can send BTC from your Signing Profile address.
Required: Your Signing Profile must be unlocked and hold a sufficient balance.
- On the Signing Profile page, select the option to send BTC.
- Enter the Recipient Address.
- Enter the Amount (BTC).
- Select a fee priority: Fast (~10 min), Standard (~20 min), Economy (~1 hr), or Low (~2 hr). A higher priority confirms sooner and costs more in network fees.
- Select Send BTC.
A BTC send is broadcast to the Bitcoin network and cannot be reversed. Verify the recipient address and amount before you send.