AI-generated analysisPublished automatically and not human-verified. Validated context appears in community notes below.
← Watch feed
Low 47 Bitcoin

blinded_path: only compact introduction nodes via channels enabled both ways

Public commit record

What the developer wrote

Authored by Vincenzo Palazzo

81/100 · Strong
blinded_path: only compact introduction nodes via channels enabled both ways

When selecting a channel to reference a compact (DirectedShortChannelId)
introduction node, only consider channels that are enabled in both
directions. Disabled channels cannot be used to reach the introduction
node, and such channels may linger in the local network graph long after
being disabled or even closed (e.g., when sourcing gossip from rapid
gossip sync, which never removes closed channels). Previously, the
oldest channel of the introduction node was selected unconditionally,
which could produce blinded paths that senders cannot resolve or route
to, silently breaking long-lived paths such as those embedded in BOLT 12
offers.

If no enabled channel is found, the NodeId encoding is kept.

Fixes #4826.
✓ Specific, descriptive subject✓ Names a concrete action or component✓ Provides detailed explanatory context✓ Links an issue, advisory, or supporting reference
The short version

What changed, and why it matters

This change fixes a bug in how Lightning blinded paths choose a compact reference to the introduction node. Previously, the code could pick an old channel that was disabled or effectively closed, making the resulting BOLT 12 offer or blinded path unusable for senders. The fix only selects channels that are enabled in both directions, and falls back to a full node identifier if none qualify. The main risk is reliability and path reachability, not theft of funds or direct remote exploitation.

Recommended action

Review and merge the fix; ensure downstream BOLT 12 offer generation re-encodes or refreshes blinded paths after upgrading, since previously generated offers may still embed unresolvable compact introduction nodes.

Security signals we found

01

Blinded path reachability failure

02

BOLT 12 offer path invalidation

03

Disabled channel selection bug

04

Rapid gossip sync stale channel retention

05

Silent long-lived path breakage

Risk score

Why this scored 47/100

Our methodology →
Potential impact 12/30
Exploitability 5/25
Stealth signal 8/15
Affected reach 10/15
Confidence 8/10
Evidence quality 4/5
Human-validated context

Community notes

Notes can correct, qualify, or add evidence to the AI analysis. Every note shown here has been validated by a human moderator.

No validated notes yet.

The AI analysis stands alone for now. Submit a note if you can add evidence or important context.