Biscuit Wallet

Guide · · 5 min read

How to use a Monero wallet on Tails, swaps included

A wallet that lives on a USB stick, talks only through Tor, and survives a restart

Short answer: turn on Tails’ Persistent Storage with its Persistent Folder, download the Biscuit AppImage in Tor Browser, verify it, move it into Persistent and run it. Biscuit sees that it is on Tails: it uses Tails’ Tor instead of starting its own, keeps your wallets next to the AppImage so they survive a restart, and stays in Tor mode, swaps included.

Everything below takes about a quarter of an hour, most of it spent on the first sync.

Why use a wallet on Tails?

Tails is a system you start from a USB stick. It sends every connection through Tor, and it forgets everything when you shut down, except what you put in its encrypted Persistent Storage. For a wallet, that means:

Tails doesn’t protect against everything. A computer with spyware in its firmware, or a hardware keylogger, sees what you type on Tails too. And a USB stick can be lost or die: your seeds, written on paper, are what really holds your coins.

What do you need?

How to install a Monero wallet on Tails, step by step

  1. Turn on Persistent Storage. In Tails, open Applications › Tails › Persistent Storage, create it if you haven’t, and make sure Persistent Folder is on. Restart Tails and unlock it on the Welcome Screen.
  2. Download Biscuit in Tor Browser. Open biscuitwallet.com, or our onion address, biscuit6qpejzxfr7us7oibhjasvrozfeno7xonffzzoj4lmw6o3kbyd.onion. On the download page, take the Linux AppImage, the signed checksum list hashes-<version>-plain.txt and the release key biscuit-release-key.asc. When Tor Browser asks where to save, choose Persistent › Tor Browser: Tor Browser on Tails can only save there or in its own folder, which is wiped at shutdown.
  3. Verify the download. Tails includes GnuPG. Open a terminal (under Applications › Utilities) and run: 
    cd ~/Persistent/"Tor Browser"
gpg --import biscuit-release-key.asc
gpg --verify hashes-*-plain.txt
sha256sum biscuit-*.AppImage
    The first check must say Good signature from “Biscuit Wallet releases”, with the fingerprint D714 332E 6101 C1DA AC60 E644 202F 1FA3 98DE CEFA. The checksum of the AppImage must appear, next to its name, in the list. Rather click than type? Tails also has Kleopatra; our Kleopatra guide shows how to import a key in it. More in Verify your download.
  4. Move the AppImage into Persistent. In Files, move it from Persistent › Tor Browser to Persistent itself, or to a folder of its own in it. Then make it executable: right-click › Properties › Executable as Program, or chmod +x biscuit-*.AppImage in the terminal.
  5. Start it with a double-click. Biscuit recognizes Tails: it skips the Tor question it asks elsewhere, uses Tails’ Tor, and creates a biscuit_data folder next to the AppImage for your wallets and settings.
  6. Create or restore a wallet. Write the seed on paper, not in a file: a seed in a file is only as safe as everything that ever reads that USB stick. If you add other cryptos, they have their own 12 words: write those down too.

Don’t install the .deb package with apt on Tails: Tails would forget it at the next start. The AppImage in Persistent is the way that lasts.

How does a Monero wallet sync on Tails?

On Tails, Biscuit reaches Monero nodes at .onion addresses, through Tor, from the very first sync. No node ever sees your IP address. Tor is slower than a direct connection, so:

Your other cryptos sync through Tor too: their Electrum servers and nodes see a Tor exit, never you.

Can you swap crypto on Tails?

Yes. Biscuit is always in Tor mode on Tails, and since version 1.2.1 Tor mode has its own exchanges:

A swap in progress is saved in biscuit_data, in Persistent. If you shut Tails down in the middle, Biscuit picks the swap up again at the next start. An atomic swap does need Biscuit to be open at its key moments, so plan on keeping Tails running for the hour it takes.

Trocador, the aggregator Biscuit uses outside Tor mode, is off on Tails: it requires the IP address of each swap to be recorded, which Tor hides.

How do you update Biscuit on Tails?

The same way as anywhere else. When a new version is out, a button appears in the status bar. Biscuit checks the new version against our signature, writes it next to the old AppImage, in Persistent, and starts it when you click Restart. It finds the same biscuit_data folder, so your wallets are there. Delete the old AppImage once the new one works.

Quick answers

Does Biscuit start its own Tor on Tails?

No. It uses Tails’ Tor and waits for Tails to be connected. It doesn’t ask the Tor question at first launch either: on Tails, there is only Tor.

Where are my wallets on Tails?

In the biscuit_data folder next to the AppImage, in Persistent. Copy that folder, with Biscuit closed, to back up your wallet files, labels and settings. Your seeds are still the real backup.

What if I lose the USB stick?

Your coins are on their blockchains, not on the stick. Restore your wallets from your seeds, on a new Tails or in Biscuit on any computer. Whoever finds the stick faces two locks: the Persistent Storage passphrase, then the wallet password.

Does Feather work on Tails too?

Yes. Biscuit is built on Feather, and Feather publishes its own Tails instructions. Feather holds Monero only; Biscuit adds other cryptos and swaps. Our comparison helps you choose.

And Whonix?

Biscuit recognizes Whonix as well. Run it in the Workstation, from the AppImage or the .deb: it uses the Gateway’s Tor, and swaps work the same way. See Tails and Whonix.

Learn more

Questions? Write to us through the contact page.

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