Run Litd

Helper scripts for setting up and running a Lightning node using Lightning Terminal (litd).

These scripts are designed to help developers get set up quickly for testing and application development. Please do appropriate testing before using in production.

Source: github.com/HannahMR/run-litd
Demo video: youtu.be/lopHP_nF0tE

Current target versions: bitcoind v31.0 · litd v0.16.1-alpha · LND v0.20.1-beta

---

Which setup is right for you?

	Quick Start	Routing Node	Remote Signer
Who it's for	Get up and running fast	Production routing node	Security-focused / app builders
Bitcoin backend	Neutrino (lightweight SPV)	bitcoind (full node)	bitcoind or Neutrino
Disk required	~1 GB	80 GB+ pruned / 800 GB+ full	Same as above
Sync time	Minutes	Hours–days	Same as above
Mainnet routing	Not recommended	✓	✓
Signet / dev	✓ Ideal	✓	✓
Scripts	scripts/neutrino/	scripts/	scripts/remote-signer/ + scripts/neutrino/

---

Server Requirements

Tested on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (also works on 22.04).

Setup	CPU	RAM	Storage
Quick Start (Neutrino)	2+ cores	4 GB+	~10 GB
Routing Node (bitcoind)	2+ cores	4 GB+	80 GB+ pruned / 800 GB+ full
Remote Signer	2+ cores per machine	4 GB+	Same as above

For full mainnet nodes on an attached disk, set datadir=/path/to/disk in bitcoin.conf.

---

Quick Start (Neutrino)

Best for: signet testing, development, getting up and running fast.
Not recommended for: mainnet production routing nodes (peer dependency, reliability limitations).

Neutrino is a lightweight Bitcoin client built into LND — no bitcoind required. Your node syncs from peers in minutes rather than days.

Scripts are in scripts/neutrino/.

Single node (litd + Neutrino)

chmod +x scripts/neutrino/neutrino_setup_binary.sh scripts/neutrino/neutrino_setup3.sh

# Step 1 — install litd and configure Neutrino backend
sudo ./scripts/neutrino/neutrino_setup_binary.sh

# Step 2 — create the LND wallet (run as non-root user)
litd   # start litd in one terminal
lncli --network=signet create   # create wallet in another terminal
# Back up your seed phrase!
# Stop litd (Ctrl-C)

# Step 3 — enable auto-unlock and systemd service
sudo ./scripts/neutrino/neutrino_setup3.sh

Remote signer with Neutrino signer node

For the split architecture but without bitcoind on the signer machine.
The routing node still uses bitcoind for reliability.

# On the signer machine
chmod +x scripts/neutrino/remote-signer-neutrino-binary.sh
sudo ./scripts/neutrino/remote-signer-neutrino-binary.sh

# Copy three files to the routing node, then follow the Routing Node steps below

---

Routing Node Setup (bitcoind + litd)

Best for: production mainnet routing nodes, reliable long-running nodes.

Scripts are in scripts/.

Step 1 — Bitcoin Core

Two options: build from source or download a binary. Both are idempotent — safe to re-run if interrupted.

chmod +x scripts/bitcoind_setup.sh scripts/bitcoind_setup_binary.sh

# Binary install (recommended — faster)
sudo ./scripts/bitcoind_setup.sh

# Source build
sudo ./scripts/bitcoind_setup_binary.sh

Step 2 — litd

Binary install (recommended):

chmod +x scripts/litd_setup_binary.sh scripts/litd_setup3.sh
sudo ./scripts/litd_setup_binary.sh

# Create the LND wallet (run as non-root user)
litd   # start litd in one terminal
lncli --network=<mainnet|signet> create   # create wallet in another
# Back up your seed phrase!
# Stop litd (Ctrl-C)

sudo ./scripts/litd_setup3.sh

Source build:

chmod +x scripts/litd_setup.sh scripts/litd_setup2.sh scripts/litd_setup3.sh
sudo ./scripts/litd_setup.sh      # installs Go, Node, Yarn
# exit and start a new shell session
sudo ./scripts/litd_setup2.sh     # clones and builds litd
# create wallet as above
sudo ./scripts/litd_setup3.sh     # enables auto-unlock + systemd

---

Remote Signer Setup

The remote signer architecture splits key-holding and routing across two machines:

Role	Holds keys?	Internet-exposed?
Signer node	Yes — wallet + private keys	No — ideally on a private network
Routing node	No — watch-only wallet	Yes — public Lightning node

When litd needs a signature, it calls the signer over an authenticated gRPC connection. Private keys never touch the internet-exposed machine.

Three files are generated on the signer and transferred to the routing node:

• tls.cert → rename to signer-tls.cert on the routing node
• signer.macaroon — minimum-permission signing macaroon
• accounts.json — xpubs used to initialise the watch-only wallet

Scripts are in scripts/remote-signer/.

Step 1 — Signer node

Both machines need bitcoind. Run bitcoind_setup_binary.sh on each first.

chmod +x scripts/remote-signer/remote-signer-binary.sh
sudo ./scripts/remote-signer/remote-signer-binary.sh

Alternatively, use the Neutrino-based signer (no bitcoind needed on the signer machine):

chmod +x scripts/neutrino/remote-signer-neutrino-binary.sh
sudo ./scripts/neutrino/remote-signer-neutrino-binary.sh

Step 2 — Transfer files to routing node

scp ubuntu@<signer-ip>:~/.lnd/tls.cert        ~/.lnd/signer-tls.cert
scp ubuntu@<signer-ip>:~/.lnd/signer.macaroon ~/.lnd/signer.macaroon
scp ubuntu@<signer-ip>:~/.lnd/accounts.json   ~/.lnd/accounts.json

Step 3 — Routing node

All three signer files must be in ~/.lnd/ before running.

Binary install:

chmod +x scripts/remote-signer/routing-node-binary.sh scripts/remote-signer/routing-node3.sh
sudo ./scripts/remote-signer/routing-node-binary.sh

# Create the watch-only wallet (run as non-root user)
litd   # start litd in one terminal
lncli --network=<mainnet|signet> createwatchonly ~/.lnd/accounts.json
# Stop litd (Ctrl-C)

sudo ./scripts/remote-signer/routing-node3.sh

Source build:

chmod +x scripts/remote-signer/routing-node.sh scripts/remote-signer/routing-node2.sh scripts/remote-signer/routing-node3.sh
sudo ./scripts/remote-signer/routing-node.sh    # installs Go, Node, Yarn
# exit and start a new shell session
sudo ./scripts/remote-signer/routing-node2.sh   # builds litd
# create watch-only wallet as above
sudo ./scripts/remote-signer/routing-node3.sh   # enables auto-unlock + systemd

---

Server Prep

If starting from a fresh VPS as root, scripts/server_setup.sh creates an ubuntu user with sudo access, adds SSH keys, and hardens SSH. All further scripts should be run as the ubuntu user with sudo.

---

Further Reading

• RUN LND — detailed Lightning node configuration reference
• Lightning Terminal docs
• LND docs