Accounts
An account is a label bound to one BIP32 derivation path inside the wallet's single seed. A wallet
holds as many as you create, and one named default exists from the moment the wallet is
initialised.
The record is two fields, a label and a parent derivation path
(libwallet/src/types.rs:997). The label is the storage key
(impls/src/backends/lmdb.rs:830), so it is fixed once created.
Everything the wallet stores about coins is keyed on the path.
What belongs to an account
| Scoped to one account | Shared by the whole wallet |
|---|---|
| Outputs and the balance computed from them | The seed and the recovery phrase |
| Transaction log entries, numbered from 0 in each account | The password |
| The next child derivation index | Finalised transactions in saved_txs/ |
| Last confirmed height | The in-flight slate cache |
| The epicbox and payment proof addresses | The last scanned block height |
The balance summary, the output list and the transaction list all read one account
(libwallet/src/internal/updater.rs:475). Transaction log ids
restart at 0 per account (impls/src/backends/lmdb.rs:727), so an
id is only unique within the account that holds it.
epic-wallet address prints the identifiers of one account, and each account has its own
(controller/src/command.rs:1360). See
addresses.
Derivation
default is a depth-2 identifier with every child index at zero. Account n takes the highest
existing first index and adds one (libwallet/src/internal/keys.rs:81),
so paths are allocated in creation order and never reused.
The accounts method returns the label and the path identifier as hex, one depth byte followed by
four big-endian child indices:
[
{
"label": "default",
"path": "0200000000000000000000000000000000"
}
]
Captured from a wallet running 4.0.0 on 2026-08-26. An account created second returns
0200000001000000000000000000000000
(api/src/owner_rpc_s.rs:99).
Two branches hang below each account path. Output keys are m/<n>/0/<index>, and address keys are
m/<n>/1/<index>, hashed with blake2b into a secp256k1 secret
(libwallet/src/address.rs:31). A tool holding the seed can
derive both for any account without the wallet database. The label is the one thing the database
alone carries.
From the command line
epic-wallet account # list every label with its derivation path
epic-wallet account -c savings # create one
epic-wallet -a savings info # run any command against it
-a defaults to default (src/cmd/wallet_args.rs:81) and takes
effect when the wallet opens, so it selects the account for that one invocation. The listing prints
two columns, the name and the parent BIP-32 derivation path
(controller/src/display.rs:431).
Which account a transfer uses
Sending spends from the account -a selected. On the Owner API, src_acct_name in InitTxArgs
names it for a single call, and a label that is not in accounts resolves to the active account
(libwallet/src/api_impl/owner.rs:383). Pass a label the
accounts method returned.
Receiving over file or http credits the account -a selected. The Foreign API takes it as
dest_acct_name on receive_tx.
Receiving over epicbox credits the account that was active when the listener opened the wallet
(impls/src/adapters/epicbox.rs:520). That listener subscribes
with that account's address, so one process serves one account.
Moving value between two accounts in one wallet uses the self transport, where -d names the
destination account:
epic-wallet -a savings send -m self -d default 1.5
See transports.
Refreshing and scanning
refresh_from_node updates the active account
(libwallet/src/internal/updater.rs:241). scan walks every
account, because it recovers outputs by the derivation path each one carries
(libwallet/src/internal/scan.rs:376). The scan cursor is
wallet-wide while last confirmed height is per account, so after a scan each account's height is set
from its own outputs.
After a recovery
A wallet restored from its phrase recovers derivation paths, not labels. default keeps its name and
every other path discovered is labelled account_1, account_2 and so on in discovery order
(libwallet/src/internal/scan.rs:512). Funds land in the branch
they were derived under.
See what recovery does not bring back.