If your bitcoin is held in a multisig wallet, such as a 2-of-3 set up in Sparrow or Nunchuk, you can verify your address by providing the wallet's output descriptor.
A descriptor is a single line of text that describes your whole wallet: the script type, the public keys of every cosigner, and how addresses are derived. It contains no private keys, and sharing it never moves any funds.
The descriptor method is the multisig equivalent of providing an extended public key (xpub). One descriptor lets Bitaroo confirm that every address your wallet can produce belongs to you, so you only have to verify once.
When to use this method
Use a descriptor when your address belongs to a multisig wallet. Multisig addresses cannot be verified with ordinary message signing, and a single extended public key does not describe a multisig wallet on its own.
If your wallet is single-key (an ordinary single-signature wallet), use message signing or your extended public key instead.
Before you start
- Open the app you used to create the multisig wallet, known as the coordinator. This is usually Sparrow or Nunchuk. A single signing device on its own does not hold the whole-wallet descriptor.
- Keep the Bitaroo verification screen open so that you can paste the descriptor.
The steps at a glance
- On the Bitaroo verification screen, choose Wallet Descriptor.
- In your coordinator app, find and copy your wallet's output descriptor. Steps for common wallets are below.
- Paste the complete descriptor into Bitaroo, including the checksum at the end (the part after the # symbol, if your wallet shows one).
- Select Verify. If the descriptor is valid, your wallet is confirmed and you can continue.
A verified wallet is remembered, so you will not need to repeat this for future deposits or withdrawals with the same wallet.
Exporting your descriptor
Sparrow
Open the multisig wallet, go to the Settings tab, and find the Descriptor field. Use the copy control there to copy the full output descriptor.
Nunchuk
Open the wallet, open its configuration or export options, and copy the output descriptor as text. Nunchuk can also export a BSMS file, but Bitaroo needs the text descriptor, not a file.
Hardware wallets and other signing devices
A signing device on its own does not hold the full multisig descriptor. Export the descriptor from the coordinator app you used to build the multisig, such as Sparrow or Nunchuk.
wsh( (native SegWit) or sh( (P2SH or nested SegWit). Taproot multisig descriptors, which begin with tr(, are not yet supported. Copy the descriptor exactly as your wallet shows it, including the checksum after the # symbol.A descriptor typically looks like this:
wsh(sortedmulti(2,[abcd1234/48h/0h/0h/2h]xpub6E.../0/*,[ef567890/48h/0h/0h/2h]xpub6D.../0/*,[12ab34cd/48h/0h/0h/2h]xpub6F.../0/*))#ab12cd34
Is this safe? Does sharing a descriptor move my bitcoin?
Yes, it is safe. A descriptor is a read-only description of your wallet. It contains public keys only, never private keys, and it cannot create a transaction or move any funds.
Like an extended public key, a descriptor does let Bitaroo derive the addresses your wallet can generate, so it reveals more than signing a single message does. If you would rather prove control of just one address, and your wallet is able to sign messages, message signing is the more private option. For most multisig wallets, however, the descriptor is the simplest method that works.
Privacy Matters
Bitaroo built this verification model to protect your privacy, as well as the privacy of all our other users.
The Travel Rule, introduced on 1 July 2026, forces exchanges to routinely share customers' personally identifiable information with globally centralised third parties whenever bitcoin moves to or from a custodial service.
Bitaroo chose to opt out of these "information-sharing" arrangements.
By verifying that you control your own wallet, we can keep your personal information out of unnecessary hands.
Still need help?
If you have tried the steps above and verification still fails, please contact our support team and we will help.