Verify ownership (prove control)

To put a wallet on a statement, you prove you control it. You do this by signing a short message with your wallet.

Signing a message cannot move funds. It is not a transaction. Nothing is broadcast to the Bitcoin network.

Why verify

Only want to track a wallet? You can leave it pending.

The message looks like this:

I, the owner, affirm sole control of this account. No other third-party claims/access permitted. Ownership revocable solely by me. ID=…

The ID is unique to your account. You sign with the wallet’s first receive address (path ending /0/0).

You sign right after adding a wallet. To finish later, open the pending account and select Continue.

Select Download to save hoseki-ownership-claim.txt. Copy it to your MicroSD card. Do not edit it.
On the COLDCARD, go to Advanced/Tools → File Management → Sign Text File. Pick the file. Press Enter.
Upload the new hoseki-ownership-claim-signed.txt. Select Prove Control.

When it works, you see Claim Verified! Choose Generate Statement, Connect Another Account, or Back to Home.

Verification does not expire. You sign once per wallet.
The message says “the owner”. It does not include your name. Your name on statements comes from Settings.
Multisig needs a signature from enough keys to meet your quorum. See Multisig.
Stuck waiting for the device? After 20 seconds, a link appears to reset the step.

Message	Fix
Invalid signature	Sign the exact message shown, with the exact address shown. Don’t add spaces or line breaks.
Signing address does not match the account key	You signed with a different address or wallet. Use the address shown.
File not downloaded or copied	Download or copy the message file before you select Next.
The signing process did not complete successfully (COLDCARD)	Upload the file ending `-signed.txt`, not the original.