How to set up a SeedSigner
I have built and used a SeedSigner, and it is my top-rated signing device, but it only earns that rating if you verify the software and test the backup yourself.
Buy a Raspberry Pi Zero 1.3, a Waveshare 1.3-inch 240x240 screen hat, a Pi Zero camera, and a microSD card from ordinary electronics stores. Download the 0.8.7 image, check its signature and SHA-256 hash, and write it to the card. Create a seed from dice rolls or camera entropy, write it down, pass the backup test, and transcribe a SeedQR. Then export the xpub as a QR code and scan it into Sparrow.
What you are building
SeedSigner is a stateless, air-gapped signing device built from generic parts. It holds your seed in memory only while it has power, and it talks to the outside world only through QR codes: it reads them with its camera and shows them on its screen. The code is MIT-licensed and maintained by volunteers, with no company behind it.
Because it forgets everything at power-off, you load your seed every time you sign. That is the main habit to learn, and the SeedQR in Step 5 cuts it to a few seconds.
Step 1: buy the parts
SeedSigner's README puts the core parts at usually under $50. You need:
- A Raspberry Pi Zero, preferably version 1.3, which has no WiFi or Bluetooth. A Zero W or 2W works too, but those boards carry radio hardware.
- A Waveshare 1.3-inch LCD hat with a 240x240 resolution. The project warns that several similar-looking Waveshare boards are not compatible.
- A Pi Zero-compatible camera. The README lists a 5MP module with the OV5647 sensor as tested.
- A microSD card, 64MB or larger.
You may need to solder the 40 GPIO pins onto the Pi, or buy a board sold with headers attached. The Open Pill and Orange Pill cases are free to 3D print.
Buy each part from a general electronics retailer. SeedSigner says there are no official or approved SeedSigner vendors, and a kit from a Bitcoin seller puts your name on that seller's customer list. My SeedSigner review explains why I skip kits.
Step 2: download and verify the image
The current release is 0.8.7, from July 8, 2026. Download the image for your board (the pi0 image covers the Pi Zero 1.3 and Zero W), plus the manifest file and its signature. Follow the verification steps in the README for the exact commands. The outline:
- 1Import the SeedSigner signing key and verify the manifest signature. You need a "Good signature" result.
- 2Check who owns that key. The README has you compare the key ID with the fingerprint on SeedSigner's Keybase profile, which links proofs on GitHub, Twitter, and seedsigner.com.
- 3Run the SHA-256 check against the manifest. Your image file must come back OK.
- 4Do all of this before you open or mount the image, because the README warns that some operating systems modify the file on mount, which makes the check fail.
Since v0.7.0 the release images are reproducible, so you can also build from source and compare hashes instead of trusting the one person who signs releases.
Step 3: flash the card and boot
Write the image to the microSD card with Balena Etcher or Raspberry Pi Imager, the two tools the README recommends, and let the tool finish its verify pass. Insert the card, connect USB power, and allow about 45 seconds for the logo to appear. After boot you can remove the SD card, which the project describes as a way to ensure no secret data can be written to it.
Step 4: create your seed from your own entropy
SeedSigner can make a seed phrase from dice rolls, from image entropy captured by its camera, or from words you pick, with the final checksum word calculated for you. I use dice: 50 rolls for 12 words or 99 rolls for 24 words, as in SeedSigner's dice verification guide. That guide also shows how to confirm, with a throwaway test seed and independent tools on an offline computer, that SeedSigner turns rolls into the right words.
- 1Write each word on paper, in order, with its number, away from cameras.
- 2Take the backup test SeedSigner offers after it shows the words. It quizzes you on your phrase and sends you back to review the words if you get one wrong.
- 3Note the fingerprint SeedSigner shows for the loaded seed. You will match it in your wallet app.
Copy the words onto metal before you fund the wallet. How to back up a seed phrase covers materials and where to store them, and 12 or 24 words covers the length.
Step 5: make a SeedQR
A SeedQR is your seed phrase as a QR code that SeedSigner scans to load the wallet. SeedSigner guides you through transcribing it by hand onto a printable template. The standard format is 25 by 25 for 12 words and 29 by 29 for 24 words, and the Compact format is 21 by 21 or 25 by 25. When you finish, SeedSigner has you scan your hand-drawn copy to confirm it matches.
Anyone who scans that card can spend your bitcoin. Treat it exactly like the written seed phrase and keep it apart from the device.
Step 6: pair SeedSigner with Sparrow
SeedSigner works with Sparrow, Nunchuk, Keeper, BlueWallet, and Specter Desktop, plus any Bitcoin wallet that reads QR codes. With Sparrow:
- 1Load the seed on SeedSigner, open its seed options, and choose Export xpub. Pick single sig and native segwit unless you are matching an existing wallet.
- 2In Sparrow, create a new wallet, choose the air-gapped hardware wallet option, select SeedSigner, and scan the animated QR with your webcam. Sparrow's QR guide shows the screens.
- 3Check that the fingerprint in Sparrow matches the one on SeedSigner.
My Sparrow setup guide covers verifying the Sparrow download and connecting it to your own node.
Step 7: test a receive and a send
Before real savings go in, prove the whole loop with a small amount:
- 1Scan a receive address from Sparrow with SeedSigner, which can check that a software wallet's address belongs to your seed.
- 2Send a small amount to that address and wait for a confirmation.
- 3Build a transaction in Sparrow, show it as a QR code, and scan it with SeedSigner.
- 4Check the recipient and amount on SeedSigner's screen, sign, and scan the signed QR back into Sparrow to broadcast.
Then move the rest with my guide to moving bitcoin to a hardware wallet.
Two security fixes are waiting for the next release
Release 0.8.7 trusts the coordinator in two places. A fix that stops a malicious coordinator from passing off an attacker's output as your change was merged on September 19, 2026, and a fix that verifies input amounts before showing the fee was merged on October 20, 2026. Both sit in the development branch, and as of November 7, 2026 neither is in a release. Both are logged on my security incident tracker.
Until the next release ships, build transactions only in a coordinator you run yourself, check every recipient address and amount on SeedSigner's screen, and cross-check the change and fee lines in Sparrow. Watch the releases page and flash the new image, verified the same way, when it lands.
Next steps
Read my SeedSigner review for the rating and trade-offs, and best DIY signing devices to compare it with Krux and Specter DIY. If you would rather flash a ready-made touchscreen board, my Krux setup guide covers that route. SeedSigner was built to make multisig cheaper, and it works well as one key in a multisig wallet.
Frequently asked questions
Which Raspberry Pi should I use for SeedSigner?
The Pi Zero 1.3, because it has no WiFi or Bluetooth hardware. The README also lists images for the Zero W, Zero 2 W, and the Pi 2, 3, and 4, so pick the image that matches your board.
Do I need to solder anything to build a SeedSigner?
Only the 40 GPIO header pins, and only if your Pi Zero comes without them. Most stores sell the board with headers already soldered.
Does SeedSigner store my seed phrase?
No. It keeps the seed in memory while powered and wipes it when you unplug it. You load the seed each session by scanning your SeedQR or typing the words.
How do I verify the SeedSigner software?
Verify the signed manifest with the SeedSigner key, confirm that key on SeedSigner's Keybase profile, then check the image's SHA-256 hash against the manifest. Do it before you mount the image.
Should I buy a SeedSigner kit?
I would not. SeedSigner has no official vendors, and a kit puts your name on a Bitcoin seller's customer list and asks you to trust whoever assembled it. Buy the parts separately and flash a verified image yourself.