Lightning Payouts

OCEAN mining pool supports Lightning Network payouts using BOLT12 offers, a modern protocol for reusable, privacy-enhanced payment requests on the Lightning Network. BOLT12 enables static offers that can be paid multiple times without generating new invoices each time, improving usability and receiver privacy through blinded paths.

To maintain security and privacy, OCEAN requires a signed message linking your OCEAN Bitcoin address to a BOLT12 offer. This signature verifies ownership without exposing sensitive details.

Key Requirements:

• A Lightning node supporting BOLT12 (see supported implementations below).
• Sufficient inbound liquidity and open channels to receive payments.
• Wallet or signing device that supports Bitcoin message signing (e.g., Electrum, Sparrow, or hardware wallets like Ledger/Trezor). Note: Larger BOLT12 offers with blinded paths may cause issues with message size during signing; e.g., Coldcard has this problem.

Fallback Mechanism: If a Lightning payout fails (e.g., due to insufficient liquidity), OCEAN will retry paying the owed amount via Lightning every block until the accumulated earnings reach the on-chain threshold (currently 0.01048576 BTC). At that point, earnings will payout on-chain to your Bitcoin address.

As of December 2025, BOLT12 is widely supported following its official merge into the Lightning specification in September 2024. OCEAN recommends the following implementations:

• Alby Hub: Self-custodial wallet with seamless BOLT12 support for OCEAN payouts (see dedicated section below).
• Core Lightning & Eclair: A self-custodial wallet for the people who are running a routing node, or who want to run a Lightning node.
• LDK wallet-based: All the wallets that are based on LDK should be able to support BOLT12, so if you do not see BOLT12, you can request that it be supported by the relevant team.
• Others: Lightspark and emerging implementations may work, but need a proper wallet using it. Note: Phoenix Wallet (built on lightning-kmp) supports BOLT12 but is not yet compatible with OCEAN payouts; support is planned for the near future, though no clear ETA is available.

For the latest compatibility, check the Lightning Network specification repository.

Alby Hub is a self-custodial Lightning wallet that supports BOLT12 offers, enabling seamless receipt of OCEAN mining rewards directly into your on-chain or Lightning balance. For detailed setup instructions, refer to Alby's blog post: How to earn Bitcoin Mining rewards from Ocean with Alby Hub .

1. Log in to your OCEAN dashboard and navigate to "My Stats" for your Bitcoin address.
2. Click "Configuration" next to "Next Block."
3. Paste your BOLT12 offer into the form.
4. Set block height to "latest" (or specify for time-locked configs).
5. Click "GENERATE" and copy the unsigned message (e.g., "Configure OCEAN payout to [BOLT12] at block [height]").

Create a static offer for recurring payouts. Instructions vary by implementation; see your node's documentation or the Alby Hub blog post linked above.

Example Offer: lno1qgsqvgnwgcg35z6ee2h3yczraddm72xrfua9sxw... (truncated for brevity).

Sign the message with your Bitcoin private key to prove ownership. This uses standard Bitcoin message signing (per BIP standards, such as BIP-322 or legacy formats) and is not a Lightning-specific signature. Use tools supporting these BIP formats.

• Electrum:
  1. Tools > Sign/Verify Message.
  2. Paste message, select address, sign.
  3. Copy Base64 signature.
• Sparrow Wallet:
  1. Copy your Bitcoin address.
  2. Tools > Sign Message > Paste your Bitcoin address
  3. Input message, sign with key.
  4. Export signature.

• Ledger:
  1. Connect via Ledger Live or Electrum.
  2. Use Electrum's sign message feature (Ledger supports via app).
• Trezor:
  1. Via Trezor Suite: Tools > Sign & Verify.
  2. Paste message, sign.
• Coldcard:
  1. Advanced > MicroSD > Sign Text File.
  2. Upload message file, sign, download signature.

Security Tip: Never sign messages on untrusted devices. Verify the message matches OCEAN's generated text.

1. Return to the configuration form.
2. Paste the signature.
3. Click "CONFIRM."
4. OCEAN will verify and enable Lightning payouts. Test with a small earning cycle.

• Payment Fails: Check inbound liquidity with your node's tools. Add liquidity if needed.
• Invalid Offer: Ensure BOLT12 format and node online.
• Signature Errors: Double-check address matches and use correct BIP signing format (e.g., legacy vs. SegWit).
• No Payouts: Confirm earnings via dashboard; Lightning attempts (with retries) precede on-chain fallback.

For feedback or issues, contact OCEAN support email lightning@ocean.xyz. If you are having issues configuring your address please confirm that your Lightning implementation is supported.

Looking for the old documentation? Click here.