Opening a Lightning Network Channel for the Selected Node in Electrum

Electrum, a popular open-source Bitcoin client for Windows, macOS, and Linux, provides a convenient way to manage Bitcoin network connections. However, not all nodes are available in the Electrum Open Channel (OC) dialog. In this article, we will see how to open a Lightning Network channel for a selected node in Electrum.

Why can’t I open a channel to a specific node?

When trying to open an OC channel using Electrum, the connection to the specified node may not be possible for various reasons:

• Host is not available: The host may be down or unavailable.

• Node not connected to network: The node’s connection to the Bitcoin network may have been lost or interrupted.

• Node has a large number of connections: Electrum may not be able to establish a new channel with a particular node due to high load on its network.

How ​​to open a Lightning Network channel for a selected node in Electrum

To open a Lightning Network channel for a selected node, follow these steps:

• Open Electrum and navigate to the “Open Channel” dialog.

• Click the “Trampoline” option at the top of the dialog.

• In the Trampoline menu, select “Connect to…” (not available in the current version of Electrum).

• Click the “Advanced” or “Settings” button instead to access additional options.

Accessing Advanced Options

In the Advanced Options, you will find a new option called “Use External Connection”. To use this feature:

• Click “Edit” in the top right corner of the “Trampoline” menu.

• In the editing window, scroll down to the “Trampoline” section and check the box next to “Use external connection”.

• Set the desired node as the target in the “Target node” field.

Target node configuration

To select a specific node for a new channel:

• Click the “Edit” button in the advanced settings.

• In the editing window, scroll down to the “Trampoline” section and enter the node address (e.g., npx@) in the “Target node” field.

Connection confirmation

After configuring the target node, Electrum will attempt to establish a new channel to that node. You can verify this by checking your Electrum wallet balance or viewing your transaction history.

Please keep in mind that opening a Lightning Network channel on a specific node requires a stable and connected connection. If you encounter any issues during the process, you may need to restart Electrum or wait a few minutes before trying again.

Additional Tips

• Make sure you are using the correct wallet address for the target node.

• Be aware of Electrum network congestion and consider using an alternate method if it affects your connection speed.

• Please note that opening new channels may affect the stability of your Electrum client.