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Multisig Setup

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Sparrow multisig on Linux: udev rules and setup

Last reviewed: October 2026

TL;DR

Linux works well as the signing computer. Only steps 2 and 3 change: you install Sparrow’s .deb or .rpm, verify it with gpg and sha256sum, and make sure the udev rules are in place so the hardware wallets can be reached over USB. The .deb and .rpm install those rules for you; with the .tar.gz, Tools → Install Udev Rules shows the commands. From step 4 on, nothing changes.

The setup guide uses a Windows laptop. I haven’t run this setup on Linux myself, so the steps below follow Sparrow’s download page and its Linux install scripts, and the makers’ own Linux instructions, checked October 2026. Still deciding? See Windows or Linux. For the Mac version of this page, see Sparrow on a Mac.

What changes, at a glance

Windows (the guide)Linux
Sparrow downloadSparrow-2.5.5.msisparrowwallet_2.5.5-1_amd64.deb (Ubuntu, Debian), .rpm (Fedora and similar) or a standalone .tar.gz; each also for ARM64
Signature checkGpg4wingpg, usually already installed
Hash checkCertUtilsha256sum
Hardware wallets over USBWork straight awayNeed udev rules (the .deb and .rpm add them)
Trezor SuiteInstallerAppImage (x86_64 and ARM64)
BitBoxAppInstaller.deb, .rpm or AppImage (x86_64)
Ledger WalletInstallerAppImage (x86_64 only)

What you need

  • A laptop you’ll use for nothing else. The house rules from step 2 apply unchanged.
  • A mainstream distribution with long-term support: Ubuntu LTS or Debian. Fewer surprises, and it’s what the makers test against.
  • A 64-bit Intel or AMD processor. Ledger Wallet and the BitBoxApp only come for x86_64 on Linux, so an ARM laptop can’t run all three makers’ apps.
  • About an hour.

Prepare the laptop

  1. Install the distribution from scratch and pick the disk encryption option in the installer. Set a strong password.
  2. Skip any online or cloud accounts the installer offers. No file sync, no shared clipboard.
  3. Install all updates, reboot, and repeat until nothing is left. Turn on automatic security updates.
  4. Install nothing except Sparrow and the three makers’ apps.

Download and verify Sparrow

Version 2.5.5 is current at the time of writing; use whatever the download page shows. Ubuntu and Debian want the .deb, Fedora and similar the .rpm. Pick amd64 or x86_64 for Intel and AMD, arm64 or aarch64 for ARM.

  1. Type sparrowwallet.com/download into the address bar yourself. Download three files into your Downloads folder: the package, sparrow-2.5.5-manifest.txt and sparrow-2.5.5-manifest.txt.asc.
  2. Download the developer’s key from keybase.io/craigraw/pgp_keys.asc into the same folder.
  3. Open a terminal and run the commands below. The fingerprint must match exactly, as in step 3: compare it with the download page and one other source.
  4. gpg --verify should say Good signature from “Craig Raw”. The warning that the key isn’t certified with a trusted signature is normal.
  5. sha256sum --check should print the name of your package followed by OK.
cd ~/Downloads
gpg --import pgp_keys.asc
gpg --fingerprint [email protected]
expected: D4D0 D320 2FC0 6849 A257 B38D E946 1833 4C67 4B40
gpg --verify sparrow-2.5.5-manifest.txt.asc sparrow-2.5.5-manifest.txt
sha256sum --check sparrow-2.5.5-manifest.txt --ignore-missing

Anything doesn’t match? Don’t install. Delete the files and start again.

Install, and the udev rules

Linux only lets ordinary users talk to a USB device when a udev rule says so. Without the rules, Sparrow simply doesn’t see your hardware wallets. Sparrow ships the makers’ own rule files for Ledger, Trezor, BitBox02, Coldcard, Jade and KeepKey.

On Ubuntu or Debian, install the package from the Downloads folder. On Fedora, use sudo dnf install with the .rpm instead.

sudo apt install ./sparrowwallet_2.5.5-1_amd64.deb

The package’s install script does the rest: it copies the rule files to /etc/udev/rules.d, creates the plugdev group if it’s missing, adds your user to it and reloads udev. Log out and back in afterwards, so your new group membership counts.

With the standalone .tar.gz there’s no install script. Start Sparrow and open Tools → Install Udev Rules. The menu item only appears on Linux. It shows the commands to run in a terminal, already adjusted to the folder you unpacked Sparrow into. For the standard install location they are:

sudo install -m 644 /opt/sparrowwallet/lib/runtime/conf/udev/*.rules /etc/udev/rules.d
sudo udevadm control --reload
sudo udevadm trigger
sudo groupadd -f -r plugdev
sudo usermod -aG plugdev `whoami`

Then log out and back in. Start Sparrow, connect it to its server as in step 3 (Public Server, electrum.blockstream.info, Test Connection), and plug in a device. In a keystore tab, Connected Hardware Wallet should find it.

Don’t run Sparrow with sudo

If a device isn’t found, fix the rules instead of starting Sparrow as root. Check that the files are in /etc/udev/rules.d, that groups lists plugdev, then unplug the device, plug it back in, or reboot.

Install Sparrow only from sparrowwallet.com, not from an app store or a software center.

The makers’ apps on Linux

You need them for the first setup and firmware updates. Download each from the maker’s own site, typing the address yourself, and close it before you open Sparrow.

  • Trezor Suite is an AppImage. Trezor’s Linux guide says to install libfuse2 on Ubuntu first (on Ubuntu 24.04 and later the package is called libfuse2t64), mark the file as executable under Properties, and on Ubuntu 25.04 and later start it with --no-sandbox. Trezor’s own udev rules come with Sparrow’s set, so you don’t need Trezor’s extra package for them.
  • BitBoxApp comes as a .deb, .rpm or AppImage, x86_64 only. The .deb installs BitBox’s udev rules too. Older BitBoxApp versions take exclusive hold of the device, so close it and replug if Sparrow can’t see the BitBox02.
  • Ledger Wallet is an AppImage for x86_64 only. Ledger’s shop lists Ubuntu LTS 20.04 and 22.04 on 64-bit, non-ARM computers as supported; newer versions aren’t on that list. Sparrow’s rules include Ledger’s file.

Everything else

From step 4 (initialize the devices) through step 10 (rehearse a recovery), follow the guide as written. The derivation path, the descriptor backup, registering the wallet on the BitBox02 and the Ledger and the test transaction don’t depend on the operating system. For the recovery rehearsal, a second user account gives you a fresh Sparrow, just like on Windows. Add that account to the plugdev group too: sudo usermod -aG plugdev followed by its user name.

Device not showing up at all? See Sparrow can’t find your hardware wallet.

Common mistakes

  • Forgetting to log out and back in after installing, then wondering why no device shows up.
  • Installing a “Sparrow” package from a software center instead of sparrowwallet.com.
  • Running Sparrow with sudo to get around missing udev rules.
  • Buying an ARM laptop and then finding Ledger Wallet won’t run on it.
  • Skipping the sha256sum line because the signature was good.

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