Crypto Wallets
📁 Crypto Wallets — Chapter Description
This chapter documents the setup, use, and maintenance of cryptocurrency wallets, with a focus on self-custody, security, and interoperability across devices and nodes.
It covers both software wallets (e.g. Sparrow Wallet, Ledger Live) and hardware wallets (e.g. Coldcard, Ledger Stax, Trezor Model T), including their integration with personal infrastructure such as full nodes.
The emphasis is on maintaining control over private keys, ensuring verifiable and reproducible setups, and documenting practical workflows such as transactions, updates, and recovery procedures.
Topics include wallet installation and upgrades, hardware wallet pairing, node connectivity, backup and recovery strategies, and security considerations.
This chapter reflects a self-sovereign approach to digital assets, prioritising open-source tools, local verification, and minimal trust in third parties.

Ledger Live AppImage on Linux Mint — Persistent Launcher & Update Workflow
🎯 Objective
Create and maintain a stable Ledger Live setup on Linux Mint that:
uses a custom persistent icon
survives log out / reboot
continues to work after AppImage updates
avoids repeated manual configuration
🧩 Overview
Ledger Live is run as an AppImage stored in a fixed location, with a 
.desktop launcher pointing to:
a static AppImage filename
a separate, permanent icon file
This ensures updates only affect the binary, not the launcher or icon.
⚙️ Folder Structure
~/AppImages/
├── ledger-live.AppImage
└── icons/
└── ledger.png
ledger-live.AppImage → replaced on updates
ledger.png → permanent icon (never changes)
🧾 Desktop Launcher
Location:
~/Desktop/ledger-live.desktop
Contents:
[Desktop Entry]
Type=Application
Name=Ledger Live
Exec=/home/coolbaron/AppImages/ledger-live.AppImage
Icon=/home/coolbaron/AppImages/icons/ledger.png
Terminal=false
Categories=Finance;
🧠 Key Principle
The setup separates responsibilities:
AppImage = replaceable component (software)
Icon = static asset (visual identity)
Launcher = fixed reference (glue)
🔄 Update Workflow
1. Download new version
Saved to:
~/Downloads/ledger-live-desktop-<version>.AppImage
2. Verify download (recommended)
ls -lh ~/Downloads | grep ledger
Expected size: ~150MB+
3. Replace existing AppImage (safe method)
mv ~/Downloads/ledger-live-desktop-2*.AppImage ~/AppImages/ledger-live.AppImage
chmod +x ~/AppImages/ledger-live.AppImage
4. Test before use
~/AppImages/ledger-live.AppImage
🖼️ Icon Handling
Icon location:
/home/coolbaron/AppImages/icons/ledger.png
✔ Behaviour
Not affected by updates
Not tied to Ledger Live version
No need to re-download
❗ Do NOT
delete or move the icon
change the icon path
⚡ Auto vs Manual Updates
🧠 In-App Auto Update Behaviour
When clicking “Update” inside Ledger Live:
downloads a new AppImage (usually to 
~/Downloads or 
/tmp)
launches the new version
does not reliably:
replace existing AppImage
preserve filename
remove older versions
⚠️ Impact on This Setup
Your launcher points to:
Exec=/home/coolbaron/AppImages/ledger-live.AppImage
If auto-update downloads a new version:
Desktop shortcut → still opens old version
New version → only runs manually
Multiple AppImages may accumulate
❌ Why Auto Update Is Not Ideal
breaks single-file structure
introduces version drift
creates duplicate binaries
reduces predictability
✅ Recommended Approach — Manual Update
mv ~/Downloads/ledger-live-desktop-2*.AppImage ~/AppImages/ledger-live.AppImage
chmod +x ~/AppImages/ledger-live.AppImage
✔ Benefits
deterministic behaviour
single source of truth
launcher always correct
no duplicates
🔁 Optional Hybrid Approach
Allow Ledger Live to download update
Then manually replace:
ls -lh ~/Downloads | grep ledger
mv ~/Downloads/ledger-live-desktop-2*.AppImage ~/AppImages/ledger-live.AppImage
chmod +x ~/AppImages/ledger-live.AppImage
⚠️ Common Pitfalls
Corrupted AppImage (e.g. 75 bytes)
Symptoms:
ls -lh ~/AppImages/ledger-live.AppImage
Shows very small file size
➡️ Cause:
incomplete download
incorrect wildcard match
➡️ Fix:
delete file
re-download
move explicitly
Duplicate AppImages
ledger-live-desktop-2.x.x.AppImage
➡️ Remove duplicates and keep:
ledger-live.AppImage
Launcher failure
Error:
“There was an error launching the application”
➡️ Cause:
broken AppImage
➡️ Fix:
replace AppImage
🧪 Verification Commands
ls -lh ~/AppImages/ledger-live.AppImage
ls -l ~/AppImages/icons/ledger.png
cat ~/Desktop/ledger-live.desktop
🔧 Troubleshooting
chmod +x ~/Desktop/ledger-live.desktop
cinnamon --replace &
💡 Maintenance Notes
Only one AppImage should exist
Icon remains unchanged indefinitely
Launcher requires no further edits
✅ Conclusion
This setup provides a clean, reliable, and controlled way to run Ledger Live on Linux Mint.
By separating:
executable (AppImage)
icon (static asset)
launcher (fixed reference)
you achieve a stable, repeatable, low-maintenance workflow.
🔁 Update Command (Final)
mv ~/Downloads/ledger-live-desktop-2*.AppImage ~/AppImages/ledger-live.AppImage
chmod +x ~/AppImages/ledger-live.AppImage
💡 Guiding Principle
One AppImage. One path. One launcher.

Ledger Live Update (Linux Mint) Quick Guide
1. Download into the same folder
ledger-live-desktop-*-linux-x86_64.AppImage
ledger-live-desktop-*.sha512sum
ledger-live-desktop-*.sha512sum.sig
ledgerlive.pem
2. Verify Ledger's signature
openssl dgst -sha256 -verify ledgerlive.pem \
-signature ledger-live-desktop-*.sha512sum.sig \
ledger-live-desktop-*.sha512sum
Expected output:
Verified OK
3. Verify the Linux AppImage
grep "linux-x86_64.AppImage" ledger-live-desktop-*.sha512sum | sha512sum -c
Expected output:
ledger-live-desktop-*-linux-x86_64.AppImage: OK
4. Replace the old AppImage
Single-line version:
mv ledger-live-desktop-*-linux-x86_64.AppImage ~/AppImages/ledger-live.AppImage
Split-line version:
mv ledger-live-desktop-*-linux-x86_64.AppImage \
~/AppImages/ledger-live.AppImage
5. Make it executable
chmod +x ~/AppImages/ledger-live.AppImage
6. Launch Ledger Live
~/AppImages/ledger-live.AppImage
Notes
The 
* wildcard means you don't need to edit the version number for each release.
The wildcard works as long as there is only one Ledger Live download in your 
Downloads folder.
If older versions are still present, remove them first or specify the version explicitly.
When splitting a command across two lines, the backslash (
\) must be the final character on the first line, with no spaces after it.

🔐 SHA256 Verification
🎯 Objective
Verify that the downloaded Ledger Live AppImage has not been corrupted or altered before replacing the existing binary.
This adds a simple integrity check to the update workflow.
🧠 Why This Matters
An AppImage is a standalone executable.
Before moving it into the permanent location, it is good practice to verify:
the download completed properly
the file is not corrupted
the checksum matches the official release value
This is especially useful when manually managing binaries.
✅ Step 1 — Generate the local SHA256 hash
Run:
sha256sum ~/Downloads/ledger-live-desktop-2*.AppImage
Example output:
abcd1234... /home/coolbaron/Downloads/ledger-live-desktop-2.145.0-linux-x86_64.AppImage
✅ Step 2 — Compare with the official hash
Check the SHA256 value published by Ledger for that exact version and verify that:
the version matches
the filename matches
the hash matches exactly
If the hashes differ, do not use the file.
⚠️ Important
A valid file size alone is not enough.
Example:
correct size → suggests a complete download
matching SHA256 → confirms integrity
Both checks are useful, but SHA256 is the stronger verification.
✅ Recommended Verification Flow
1. Check file size
ls -lh ~/Downloads | grep ledger
2. Check SHA256
sha256sum ~/Downloads/ledger-live-desktop-2*.AppImage
3. Compare with official release hash
4. Move only after verification
mv ~/Downloads/ledger-live-desktop-2*.AppImage ~/AppImages/ledger-live.AppImage
chmod +x ~/AppImages/ledger-live.AppImage
❌ If the Hash Does Not Match
Do not move the file into 
~/AppImages.
Instead:
rm ~/Downloads/ledger-live-desktop-2*.AppImage
Then download it again and repeat the check.
🧩 Practical Note
For routine use, checking file size may be enough to catch obvious failures such as the earlier 75-byte corrupted AppImage.
For stronger assurance, especially with wallet-related software, SHA256 verification is the better habit.
💡 Guiding Principle
Verify first. Replace second.