Generic signmessage
Also covering Signmessage and BIP322
Generic signmessage is a method that allows wallets to sign or partially sign a message for any script from which they could conceivably spend.
The BIP322 generic signed message format allows a wallet to sign a text string by producing a signature for a virtual Bitcoin transaction. This means a signed message can be produced for any script or address that a wallet would be able to spend. Additionally, two or more wallets can cooperate to create a BIP322 signed message for multisig scripts.
When signing for legacy P2PKH addresses, BIP322 instead uses the
traditional signmessage format that was first implemented in an
early version of the Bitcoin software, making the proposal backwards
compatible with existing software that verifies signed messages for
P2PKH addresses.
Primary code and documentation
Optech newsletter and website mentions
2023
2022
- Proposed BIP for multiformat single-sig message signing
- BIPs #1279 updates BIP322 with clarifications and test vectors
2021
- Preparing for taproot: generic signmessage still needed
- BIPs #1048 rewrites BIP322 to simplify implementation
- Proposed rewrite of BIP322 to simplify implementation
2020
- 2020 year in review: generic signmessage
- BIP322 updated to use virtual transactions
- Alternative proposal for generic signmessage using virtual transactions
- Simplified BIP322, only allowing signatures from one script per proof
- Proposed update to BIP322 generic signmessage
- Additional request for feedback on BIP322 generic signmessage
2019
2018
Previous Topic:
Gap limits
Next Topic:
HD key generation