Introducing Ashigaru Desktop

Ashigaru Desktop 1.0.0 is a native GUI front-end for Ashigaru Terminal, bringing Whirlpool zeroleak coinjoin, Tor-by-default networking, BIP-329 labelsm BIP47 message verification and much more in the future. No command line, no clearnet, no certificate authorities, just Bitcoin signatures.

Ashigaru Terminal already gave you everything you need for private Bitcoin: Whirlpool, Tor only, remixing, mix-to etc. The catch? You had to use a terminal. Ashigaru Desktop 1.0.0 wraps that same engine in a native desktop interface: same privacy, same power, no command line required.

Where It Comes From

Ashigaru Desktop isn't a from-scratch wallet, it's a GUI front-end for Ashigaru Terminal. Same engine, same Whirlpool integration, same Tor-first networking. What it adds is approachability: a native desktop experience that makes all of Terminal's power accessible to people who don't want to live in a terminal window.

Based on experiences with users, it seemed like many were intimidated by Ashigaru Terminal and it may have prevented them from going "pool side". My hope is that Ashigaru Desktop alleviates that burden and gives users confidence to take their bitcoin privacy to the next level.
What's In The Box

Whirlpool Zeroleak Coinjoin

Ashigaru Terminal already had full Whirlpool support: Tx0, Premix, Postmix, Badbank, the works. You could watch progress bars in the terminal. What Ashigaru Desktop adds is visibility. The UTXO table has a live Stage column that shows you exactly where each UTXO is in the mixing process: Connecting (10%), Registered Input (30%), Confirmed Input (50%), so you know at a glance what's happening without parsing terminal output.

As with terminal, you also get Mix To support, so you can route postmix funds to a cold wallet automatically. And the Deposit screen has a Select All toggle for batch UTXO selection; small thing, big quality-of-life improvement.

And lastly, you can now select a specific UTXO to be a candidate for the next mix using the "Mix Selected UTXOs" button. I'vve always wanted this feature when I've found myself with UTXOs that have 9 mixes, while the other has one.

Tor By Default

All external connections go through Tor. Electrum servers, the Whirlpool coordinator, fee estimation, everything. You can configure a custom proxy if you want, but the default is privacy-first. No clearnet leaks.

BIP47 Message Verifier

This one's personal. Based on my previous experience working on https://paymentcode.io, I simply used my demo code from the lab portion to build out a BIP47 Message Verifier as the first tool of many that will be available.

Every release is signed using a BIP47 Payment Code notification address, the same cryptographic identity behind PayNyms. You can verify releases right inside Ashigaru Desktop using the built-in BIP47 Message Verifier (Tools → Verify BIP47 Message), or use a web verifier like the tool I previously made on my website (paymentcode.io/lab) or Ashigaru Mobile.

Import/Export Labels (BIP-329)

Your wallet labels belong to you. Ashigaru Desktop supports BIP-329 label import/export, so you can move your transaction and address labels to any compatible wallet software (@FOUNDATIONdvcs , @SparrowWallet etc). Lock-in is the enemy of self-custody.

Also, I knew this one would make @btcqna happy. So, definitely worth it to keep the robot off of my back!

Cross-Platform Packaging

Windows (.exe, .msi), macOS (.dmg for both Apple Silicon and Intel), and Linux (.deb, .rpm, .tar.gz, and now .AppImage). There's also a headless server build for Linux. macOS builds are ad-hoc signed (they run without a paid Apple Developer Program account) and the README walks you through the one-line quarantine removal if Gatekeeper blocks you.

The Release Signing Model

Here's the unconventional part. Every Ashigaru Desktop release is attested using a BIP47 Payment Code. The release includes SHA256SUMS, MESSAGE.txt, and RELEASE-BIP47-SIGNATURE.txt. Verification is three steps:

Check the file hash against SHA256SUMS
Verify the hash commitment in MESSAGE.txt
Verify the Bitcoin message signature against the payment code's notification address

The release signing identity is public: paynym.rs/+linkinparkrulz. This means anyone can verify that a release came from the same person, without trust.

What's Next

1.0.0 is the foundation. The roadmap includes:

@eigenwallet Integration: Atomic swap bad bank funds into XMR
Dojo Bay Public Server Selection: Geographically dispersed electrum servers with BIP47 verified reputations
UTXO Analysis: AmIExposed or @bithypha integration for analyzing your own UTXO set
Dojo Integration: Nextblock estimates, personal electrum server detail, and more And anything else you can think of!

Get It

Download Ashigaru Desktop 1.0.0 from the GitHub [Releases](https://github.com/linkinparkrulz/ashigaru-desktop/releases) page.

Verify your download using the instructions in the README, or use the built-in BIP47 Message Verifier.

Want to build from source? You'll need JDK 21:

git clone --recursive https://github.com/linkinparkrulz/ashigaru-desktop.git
cd ashigaru-desktop
./gradlew jpackage

Prefer an AppImage on Linux?

./gradlew packageAppImage

Ashigaru Desktop is open source under GNU GPLv3. It's built by people who believe privacy is a human fight, not a premium feature. If that resonates, come contribute or just run a UTXO through Whirlpool and start stacking mixes.

As I said in the release notes, thank you to Max Tannahill, standard, Sneed, btcwrestle, kortik and Colonial for your help testing. You saved me a lot of time!