claude-dev-suite Taproot Assets (TAP)
Lightning Labs' protocol for issuing and transferring assets on Bitcoin and routing them over Lightning. Assets live in Taproot outputs; transfers use client-side validation.
Repo: github.com/lightninglabs/taproot-assets (Go).
Concept
- An asset is "minted" by committing its definition to a Taproot leaf script.
- Asset state lives off-chain in client wallets; chain just commits hashes.
- Transfers reveal Merkle proofs of ownership (similar to RGB's client-side validation).
- For privacy: only the parties involved in a transfer see asset amounts.
Components
tapd (daemon)
Companion to LND. Runs alongside, provides:
- Asset minting RPC.
- Asset transfer handling.
- Address generation (TAP-aware).
- Lightning channel asset support.
Assets
Each asset has:
- Asset ID — derived from minting tx + script.
- Group key — optional, for collections of related assets.
- Universe — the public registry of asset metadata.
- Genesis — initial issuance event.
Lightning integration (v0.6 / v0.7+)
Multi-asset Lightning channels:
- Channel can hold BTC + multiple assets.
- Invoices priced in asset amount; channel routing converts via Lightning's existing path.
- Multi-hop asset payments routed through bitcoin liquidity.
v0.7 features (Dec 2025)
- AddressV2: static, reusable Taproot Assets addresses with grouped assets and zero-amount-friendly support.
- Set-and-forget asset layer: minting + LN integration unified workflow.
v0.6 features (June 2025)
- "Decentralized FX": Lightning routes assets via BTC, enabling cross-asset payments with conversion at routing nodes.
Compared to RGB
| Aspect | Taproot Assets | RGB |
|---|---|---|
| Backing | Lightning Labs | LNP/BP Standards Association |
| LN integration | Native (tapd + LND) | rgb-lightning-node |
| Asset model | Single-issuer + multi-issuance | Schema-based, contracts |
| State validation | Sparse-merkle commitments | Client-side validation |
| Maturity (late 2025) | v0.7 production | rgb-lightning beta |
| LND ecosystem | Tight | Loose |
Use cases
- Stablecoins on Bitcoin — Tether announced USDT-on-TAP roadmap.
- Tokenized funds / securities — regulated asset issuance.
- Reward points / loyalty tokens with LN spendability.
- NFT-like collectibles — though not the primary focus.
API
# Mint an asset
tapcli assets mint --type normal \
--name "USDC-Test" --supply 1000000 --meta "..."
# Generate receive address
tapcli addrs new --asset_id <id> --amt 1000
# Send asset
tapcli assets send --addrs <recipient_addr>
# Lightning asset invoice
tapcli ln invoice --asset_id <id> --amount 100
Universe
Asset metadata + proofs are published to universes — server-side indexers that act as discovery layer:
- Public asset registries (Lightning Labs runs one).
- Per-issuer universes.
- Federated universes (multiple servers cross-replicate).
Wallets query universes to verify asset existence and lookup metadata.
Implementation status
- tapd — production for asset issuance + transfer (mainnet).
- LND integration — production for asset Lightning channels (v0.7).
- Wallets:
- Lightning Labs' Lit (Lightning Terminal) — UI.
- Stripe's BTCPay integration — partial.
Common bugs
- Asset proof validation requires complete history; missing proof fragment = unable to verify.
- LND + tapd version mismatch → channel asset features fail.
- Universe sync delay → outdated metadata in wallet.