Introduction

Coalesce is a multi-party payment channel: a group shares one on-chain Bitcoin UTXO, a cluster, and pays each other off-chain, settling to the blockchain only on open and close. There's no server and no coordinator: every node holds only its own key share and wallet.

This section assumes you already know what Coalesce is and want to run it. If you're looking for the pitch, see the marketing site.

Where to go next

• Installation: install coalesce-node and set up prerequisites.
• Quickstart: a no-Bitcoin local demo, then the full flow on signet.
• Concepts: how dealerless keygen, checkpoints, the quorum safety model, and privacy actually work.
• CLI Reference: every subcommand, prompt command, and flag.
• Guides: task-oriented walkthroughs (networking, discovery, recovery, migration).
• FAQ: audit status, source availability, mainnet status, and other common questions.

Status

Coalesce runs live on Bitcoin signet, across a real multi-node cluster, not a simulation. It is not audited and not mainnet-ready. Don't route real funds through it yet.

Binaries are distributed via coalesce-releases, the only public Coalesce repo, and it ships binaries only; the source isn't public yet. See FAQ: Is the source code public?