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Low 34 Bitcoin

Add 0-reserve to `accept_inbound_channel_from_trusted_peer`

Public commit record

What the developer wrote

Authored by Leo Nash

65/100 · Adequate
Add 0-reserve to `accept_inbound_channel_from_trusted_peer`

This new flag sets 0-reserve for the channel opener.
✓ Specific, descriptive subject✓ Names a concrete action or component✓ Provides an explanatory body
The short version

What changed, and why it matters

This commit renames and expands a special Lightning channel-acceptance API. Previously, users could manually accept an inbound channel from a trusted peer and treat it as confirmed immediately (zero-conf). Now the same API also allows setting the counterparty's required channel reserve to zero. A zero reserve means the peer can spend their entire balance and force-close the channel at no cost to themselves, which removes a key financial deterrent against cheating. The change is explicitly documented as dangerous and only appropriate for trusted peers, but it introduces a new risky option that did not exist before.

Recommended action

Treat this as a feature addition with significant security caveats rather than a vulnerability fix. Review downstream callers of `accept_inbound_channel_from_trusted_peer` to ensure they do not select `ZeroReserve` or `ZeroConfZeroReserve` for peers that are not fully trusted, and verify that user-facing documentation and API naming make the risks clear. No urgent patch is required, but consider whether the enum should be marked `non_exhaustive` or gated further to prevent accidental misuse.

Security signals we found

01

New API option explicitly removes counterparty channel reserve (zero-reserve), eliminating the economic penalty for revoked commitment broadcasts

02

Documentation warns that zero-reserve lets the counterparty force-close with a revoked commitment 'for free'

03

Safety checks in channel reserve validation are relaxed only for the exact zero value, not for arbitrary low reserves

04

Existing zero-conf behavior is preserved and combined with the new zero-reserve option

05

No CVE, advisory, or vendor security disclosure is present in the supplied materials

Risk score

Why this scored 34/100

Our methodology →
Potential impact 8/30
Exploitability 5/25
Stealth signal 4/15
Affected reach 6/15
Confidence 7/10
Evidence quality 4/5
Human-validated context

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