| name | lnd |
| description | Run and interact with lnd Lightning Network daemon in Docker. Use for Lightning development, testing payment channels on regtest, managing lnd containers, and calling lnd RPC endpoints (getinfo, connect, open/close channels, pay/receive). Supports bitcoind, btcd, and neutrino backends. |
LND Lightning Network Skill
LND (Lightning Network Daemon) is a complete implementation of a Lightning Network node. This skill helps you run lnd in Docker for development and testing, with support for multiple backends.
Prerequisites
- Docker and Docker Compose installed
- (Optional)
gh CLI for building from GitHub PRs
Quick Start
Start the full regtest stack (Bitcoin Core + LND):
cd ~/.claude/skills/lnd/templates
docker-compose up -d --build
docker-compose up -d
This starts:
lnd-bitcoind: Bitcoin Core 30 in regtest mode with ZMQlnd: LND built from local source
Notes:
- LND is built from source at
/users/roasbeef/gocode/src/github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd
- First build takes ~3-5 minutes to compile Go code
- Uses
--noseedbackup for testing (no wallet seed required)
Check status:
~/.claude/skills/lnd/scripts/lncli.sh getinfo
Backend Options
LND supports three backend options:
| Backend | Description | Best For |
|---|
| bitcoind | Bitcoin Core | Production, regtest development, interop testing |
| btcd | btcd (Go implementation) | Simnet testing, fast iteration |
| neutrino | Light client (BIP 157/158) | Testnet, mobile simulation |
Standalone Mode (bitcoind backend - default)
cd ~/.claude/skills/lnd/templates
docker-compose up -d
Shared Mode (interop with eclair)
cd ~/.claude/skills/eclair/templates
docker-compose up -d
cd ~/.claude/skills/lnd/templates
docker-compose -f docker-compose-shared.yml up -d
btcd Mode (simnet)
cd ~/.claude/skills/lnd/templates
docker-compose -f docker-compose-btcd.yml up -d
Neutrino Mode (light client)
cd ~/.claude/skills/lnd/templates
docker-compose -f docker-compose-neutrino.yml up -d
NETWORK=signet docker-compose -f docker-compose-neutrino.yml up -d
Docker Management
Build Image (from lnd source)
~/.claude/skills/lnd/scripts/docker-build.sh
~/.claude/skills/lnd/scripts/docker-build.sh --branch simple-taproot-chans
~/.claude/skills/lnd/scripts/docker-build.sh --pr 1234
~/.claude/skills/lnd/scripts/docker-build.sh --commit abc123
~/.claude/skills/lnd/scripts/build-pr.sh 1234
Start Containers
~/.claude/skills/lnd/scripts/docker-start.sh
~/.claude/skills/lnd/scripts/docker-start.sh --shared
~/.claude/skills/lnd/scripts/docker-start.sh --btcd
~/.claude/skills/lnd/scripts/docker-start.sh --neutrino
~/.claude/skills/lnd/scripts/docker-start.sh --build
Stop Containers
~/.claude/skills/lnd/scripts/docker-stop.sh
~/.claude/skills/lnd/scripts/docker-stop.sh --clean
View Logs
docker logs -f lnd
docker logs -f lnd-bitcoind
Essential lncli Operations
All commands use lncli.sh wrapper which auto-detects the lnd container.
Node Information
~/.claude/skills/lnd/scripts/lncli.sh getinfo
~/.claude/skills/lnd/scripts/lncli.sh walletbalance
~/.claude/skills/lnd/scripts/lncli.sh channelbalance
Wallet & Addresses
~/.claude/skills/lnd/scripts/lncli.sh newaddress p2wkh
~/.claude/skills/lnd/scripts/lncli.sh newaddress np2wkh
~/.claude/skills/lnd/scripts/lncli.sh newaddress p2tr
~/.claude/skills/lnd/scripts/lncli.sh sendcoins --addr=<address> --amt=<satoshis>
Connect to Peers
~/.claude/skills/lnd/scripts/lncli.sh connect <pubkey>@<host>:9735
~/.claude/skills/lnd/scripts/lncli.sh listpeers
~/.claude/skills/lnd/scripts/lncli.sh disconnect <pubkey>
Channel Management
~/.claude/skills/lnd/scripts/lncli.sh openchannel --node_key=<pubkey> --local_amt=1000000
~/.claude/skills/lnd/scripts/lncli.sh listchannels
~/.claude/skills/lnd/scripts/lncli.sh channelbalance
~/.claude/skills/lnd/scripts/lncli.sh closechannel --funding_txid=<txid> --output_index=<n>
~/.claude/skills/lnd/scripts/lncli.sh closechannel --funding_txid=<txid> --output_index=<n> --force
Payments
~/.claude/skills/lnd/scripts/lncli.sh addinvoice --amt=<satoshis> --memo="test payment"
~/.claude/skills/lnd/scripts/lncli.sh decodepayreq <bolt11_invoice>
~/.claude/skills/lnd/scripts/lncli.sh sendpayment --pay_req=<bolt11_invoice>
~/.claude/skills/lnd/scripts/lncli.sh listpayments
~/.claude/skills/lnd/scripts/lncli.sh listinvoices
Regtest Development Workflow
1. Start the Stack
cd ~/.claude/skills/lnd/templates
docker-compose up -d
2. Initialize Regtest Environment
~/.claude/skills/lnd/scripts/regtest-setup.sh
Or manually:
~/.claude/skills/lnd/scripts/mine.sh 101
LND_ADDR=$(~/.claude/skills/lnd/scripts/lncli.sh newaddress p2wkh | jq -r '.address')
~/.claude/skills/lnd/scripts/bitcoin-cli.sh sendtoaddress $LND_ADDR 10
~/.claude/skills/lnd/scripts/mine.sh 1
~/.claude/skills/lnd/scripts/lncli.sh walletbalance
3. Open a Channel (with second node)
~/.claude/skills/lnd/scripts/lncli.sh connect <nodeId>@<host>:9735
~/.claude/skills/lnd/scripts/lncli.sh openchannel --node_key=<nodeId> --local_amt=1000000
~/.claude/skills/lnd/scripts/mine.sh 6
~/.claude/skills/lnd/scripts/lncli.sh listchannels
4. Send a Payment
INVOICE=$( lncli addinvoice --amt=50000 --memo="test" | jq -r '.payment_request')
~/.claude/skills/lnd/scripts/lncli.sh sendpayment --pay_req=$INVOICE
Multi-Node Testing
Run multiple lnd nodes for peer-to-peer testing:
Start Multi-Node Stack
~/.claude/skills/lnd/scripts/docker-start.sh --multi --build
cd ~/.claude/skills/lnd/templates
docker-compose -f docker-compose-multi.yml up -d --build
Initialize Multi-Node Environment
~/.claude/skills/lnd/scripts/multi-node-setup.sh
~/.claude/skills/lnd/scripts/multi-node-setup.sh --no-channel
Multi-Node Commands
~/.claude/skills/lnd/scripts/lncli.sh --node alice getinfo
~/.claude/skills/lnd/scripts/lncli.sh --node bob getinfo
ALICE_PUBKEY=$(~/.claude/skills/lnd/scripts/lncli.sh --node alice getinfo | jq -r '.identity_pubkey')
BOB_PUBKEY=$(~/.claude/skills/lnd/scripts/lncli.sh --node bob getinfo | jq -r '.identity_pubkey')
~/.claude/skills/lnd/scripts/lncli.sh --node alice connect ${BOB_PUBKEY}@lnd-bob:9735
~/.claude/skills/lnd/scripts/lncli.sh --node alice openchannel --node_key=$BOB_PUBKEY --local_amt=1000000
INVOICE=$(~/.claude/skills/lnd/scripts/lncli.sh --node bob addinvoice --amt=10000 | jq -r '.payment_request')
~/.claude/skills/lnd/scripts/lncli.sh --node alice sendpayment --pay_req=$INVOICE
Multi-Node Ports
| Node | P2P Port | gRPC Port | REST Port |
|---|
| alice | 9735 | 10009 | 8080 |
| bob | 9736 | 10010 | 8081 |
| charlie | 9737 | 10011 | 8082 |
Interop Testing with Eclair
Test channel operations between lnd and eclair:
cd ~/.claude/skills/eclair/templates
docker-compose up -d
~/.claude/skills/eclair/scripts/regtest-setup.sh
cd ~/.claude/skills/lnd/templates
docker-compose -f docker-compose-shared.yml up -d --build
sleep 10
~/.claude/skills/lnd/scripts/regtest-setup.sh --quick
ECLAIR_PUBKEY=$(docker exec eclair eclair-cli -p devpassword getinfo | jq -r '.nodeId')
echo "Eclair pubkey: $ECLAIR_PUBKEY"
~/.claude/skills/lnd/scripts/lncli.sh connect ${ECLAIR_PUBKEY}@eclair:9735
~/.claude/skills/lnd/scripts/lncli.sh openchannel --node_key=$ECLAIR_PUBKEY --local_amt=1000000
~/.claude/skills/eclair/scripts/mine.sh 6
~/.claude/skills/lnd/scripts/lncli.sh listchannels
docker exec eclair eclair-cli -p devpassword channels
Custom Arguments and Profiles
Pass extra arguments to lnd via LND_EXTRA_ARGS:
LND_EXTRA_ARGS="--restlisten=0.0.0.0:8081" docker-compose up -d
LND_EXTRA_ARGS="--debuglevel=HSWC=trace,PEER=debug" docker-compose up -d
LND_EXTRA_ARGS="--protocol.wumbo-channels --maxchansize=500000000" docker-compose up -d
Build Tags
LND supports various build tags for optional features:
| Tag | Description |
|---|
signrpc | Signing RPC service |
walletrpc | Wallet RPC service |
chainrpc | Chain RPC service |
invoicesrpc | Invoices RPC service |
routerrpc | Router RPC service |
peersrpc | Peers RPC service |
neutrinorpc | Neutrino RPC service |
watchtowerrpc | Watchtower RPC service |
kvdb_sqlite | SQLite database backend |
kvdb_postgres | PostgreSQL database backend |
dev | Development features |
Build with custom tags:
~/.claude/skills/lnd/scripts/docker-build.sh --tags "signrpc walletrpc routerrpc dev"
Helper Scripts
| Script | Description |
|---|
docker-build.sh | Build lnd image with branch/PR/commit support |
docker-start.sh | Start containers with mode selection |
docker-stop.sh | Stop containers, optionally clean volumes |
lncli.sh | Wrapper for lncli with container and node auto-detection |
bitcoin-cli.sh | Wrapper for bitcoin-cli |
mine.sh | Mine regtest blocks |
regtest-setup.sh | Initialize regtest with funded wallet |
multi-node-setup.sh | Initialize multi-node with funded wallets and channels |
build-pr.sh | Quick PR build convenience wrapper |
Environment Variables
| Variable | Description | Default |
|---|
LND_SOURCE | Path to lnd source directory | /users/roasbeef/gocode/src/github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd |
LND_IMAGE | Docker image tag | lnd:local |
LND_DEBUG | Log level | debug |
LND_EXTRA_ARGS | Additional lnd arguments | (empty) |
NETWORK | Bitcoin network | regtest |
BACKEND | Backend: bitcoind, btcd, neutrino | bitcoind |
Ports
| Port | Service | Description |
|---|
| 9735 | Lightning | Peer-to-peer Lightning protocol |
| 10009 | gRPC | LND RPC (for lncli) |
| 8080 | REST | REST API |
| 18443 | Bitcoin RPC | Bitcoin Core RPC (regtest) |
| 28332 | ZMQ | Block notifications |
| 28333 | ZMQ | Transaction notifications |
Troubleshooting
"transport: Error while dialing dial tcp: connection refused"
- LND is still starting up. Wait a few seconds and retry.
- Check logs:
docker logs lnd
"unable to find a path to destination"
- No route to the destination. Check channel balances.
- Run:
lncli.sh listchannels to see local/remote balances
Channel stuck in "pending open"
- Mine blocks to confirm:
~/.claude/skills/lnd/scripts/mine.sh 6
"insufficient funds available"
- Check wallet balance:
lncli.sh walletbalance
- Fund wallet using regtest-setup.sh
"rpc error: code = Unknown desc = chain backend is still syncing"
- LND is syncing with the blockchain. Wait for sync to complete.
- Check:
lncli.sh getinfo and look at synced_to_chain
Build fails with "go: module requires Go X.Y"
- Update Go version or use
--prod flag for production Dockerfile
Further Reading
