wallet: rpc: Deprecate `encryptwallet` RPC for encrypting existing wallets. #36387

pull davidgumberg wants to merge 8 commits into bitcoin:master from davidgumberg:2026-09-29-deprecate-encryptwallet changing 18 files +150 −73

davidgumberg commented at 2:11 AM on September 30, 2026: contributor
For more context, see: #36027

Encrypting existing wallets that are unencrypted is fraught with footguns and complexity both for users and for developers.

For example:
- No efforts are made to ensure that remnants of unencrypted key material are not left on the user's disk, as attempting to ensure this would be difficult and dangerous, and for some SSD's infeasible.
- Encrypting a wallet that has manually imported descriptors will cause the wallet to change the spending conditions out from under the user. (https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin/issues/26607)
- Because new keys are made after encryption, restoring from a backup made before encryption may result in loss of funds.
LLM Disclosure: Used gemma4-26B and qwen3.8-next-flash as research and drafting tools, but all code and text present here were written by me.

refactor: test: Avoid encryptwallet in interface_bitcoin_cli.py

This RPC will be deprecated in a future commit, so tests should avoid
relying on it. This commit also adds scaffolding to init_wallet that
will be used when refactoring other tests.

645ea8b9b2

refactor: test: rpc_psbt.py extract encrypted wallet signing

This improves legibility of the test and avoids the use of
`encryptwallet` which will be deprecated.

2587fe96a8

refactor: test: wallet_bumpfee.py isolate encrypted wallet tests f5f099eb58
refactor: test: wallet_fundrawtransaction.py avoid encryptwallet
A later commit will deprecate this RPC.
0af48177dd
refactor: test: wallet_listdescriptors.py extract encrypted wallet test 2c247497ff
test: refactor: wallet_multiwallet.py use a new encrypted wallet d6aebe0ebc
refactor: test: signrawtransaction isolate encrypted wallet test
This is useful since a future commit will deprecate `encryptwallet`.
df3ac8100e

wallet: rpc: Deprecate `encryptwallet`

Encrypting wallets from creation will still be supported, but there are
footguns both for users and for developers in supporting wallets that
are created unencrypted and then later become encrypted.

The functional tests where the `deprecatedrpc` argument is added are
ones where functionality or behavior of `encryptwallet` is being tested,
they should be kept until the RPC command is removed.

2cc0946985

DrahtBot added the label Wallet on Sep 30, 2026
DrahtBot commented at 2:11 AM on September 30, 2026: contributor


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Code Coverage & Benchmarks

For details see: https://corecheck.dev/bitcoin/bitcoin/pulls/36387.



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Concept ACK pseudoramdom, w0xlt

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Conflicts

Reviewers, this pull request conflicts with the following ones:
- #36257 <sub><img src="https://drahtbot.space/ack_count/bitcoin/bitcoin/36257.svg"></sub> (qa: assert_equals -> assert_true/assert_false by hodlinator)
- #33954 <sub><img src="https://drahtbot.space/ack_count/bitcoin/bitcoin/33954.svg"></sub> (test: add functional test for outbound connection management by mzumsande)
If you consider this pull request important, please also help to review the conflicting pull requests. Ideally, start with the one that should be merged first.
pseudoramdom commented at 5:00 AM on September 30, 2026: contributor

Concept ACK, will review when I get a chance.
w0xlt commented at 5:33 PM on September 30, 2026: contributor

Concept ACK

Type	Reviewers
Concept ACK	pseudoramdom, w0xlt

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Linked (view graph)

#26607 `encryptwallet` generates new keys or descriptors for a wallet with previously imported keys or descriptors #36027 [rfc] Remove encrypting wallets that already exist

wallet: rpc: Deprecate `encryptwallet` RPC for encrypting existing wallets. #36387

Code Coverage & Benchmarks

Reviews

Conflicts