Bittensor Wallets

A Bittensor wallet represents a user or entity’s identity and signing authority on the network. It stores cryptographic keys used to access TAO, delegate stake, and authorize operations.

• A wallet contains or references two key roles: a security-critical coldkey, and one or more operational hotkeys.
• Wallet operations include creating/importing keys, viewing balances, staking/unstaking, and registering participants.

References: Wallets (learnbittensor.org), BTCLI Reference

What a wallet does

• Proves identity for transactions and on-chain actions.
• Controls TAO and stake (via the coldkey) and runs roles like miners/validators (via hotkeys).
• Interfaces with CLI (btcli) or SDKs to manage keys and send transactions.

Managing a wallet (conceptual)

• Create or import a wallet using the CLI or SDK.
• Securely store the seed phrase (mnemonic) offline.
• Generate a hotkey for operational roles.

Security guidelines

• Keep seed phrases private and offline.
• Verify you are using official documentation and released binaries.
• Use hardware-backed or dedicated secure storage for the coldkey if possible.

Further Reading

• Wallets, Coldkeys and Hotkeys
• Working with Keys
• BTCLI Reference