Sparrow Bitcoin Wallet on Arch or Manjaro
While the Arch User Repository (AUR) is convenient for general software, it introduces a third party into the chain of custody. For the software that manages your Bitcoin, we do not prioritize convenience. We prioritize verification.
Do not use pacman or yay. Fetch the binaries directly from the source, verify the cryptographic signatures, and install it manually. This approach is distribution-agnostic and ensures you are running exactly what Craig Raw.
Part 1: Preparation
First, create a clean workspace. This prevents from mixing critical financial software with random debris in the Downloads folder.
# Create and enter a dedicated directory
mkdir -p ~/Downloads/sparrow-install
cd ~/Downloads/sparrow-install
Part 2: Acquisition
Retrieve three specific assets from the official GitHub repository. Use curl to fetch the software, the manifest (the list of valid fingerprints), and the signature (the developer's "wax seal").
Note: This guide uses version 2.3.1. Always check for the latest release.
# 1. The Application (Linux Standalone Tarball)
curl -LO https://github.com/sparrowwallet/sparrow/releases/download/2.3.1/sparrowwallet-2.3.1-x86_64.tar.gz
# 2. The Manifest (Contains the official SHA256 hashes)
curl -LO https://github.com/sparrowwallet/sparrow/releases/download/2.3.1/sparrow-2.3.1-manifest.txt
# 3. The Signature (Craig Raw's cryptographic signature of the manifest)
curl -LO https://github.com/sparrowwallet/sparrow/releases/download/2.3.1/sparrow-2.3.1-manifest.txt.asc
Command Flags Explained:
curl: The tool to transfer data.-L: (Location) Follows any redirects if the file has moved.-O: (Output) Saves the file with its original name from the URL.
Part 3: Verification
Never trust a downloaded file.
Verify Authenticity: Check that the manifest file was signed by the developer, Craig Raw. First, import his public key, then verify the signature file against the manifest.
# Import Craig Raw's PGP key
curl https://keybase.io/craigraw/pgp_keys.asc | gpg --import
# Verify
gpg --verify sparrow-2.3.1-manifest.txt.asc sparrow-2.3.1-manifest.txt
Look for the output: Good signature from "Craig Raw...".
(Note: You may see a warning that the key is "not certified with a trusted signature." This is expected unless you have personally met Craig and signed his key. The signature itself is valid.)
Verify Integrity: Now that we trust the manifest, we check that our downloaded tarball matches the fingerprint listed inside it.
sha256sum --check sparrow-2.3.1-manifest.txt --ignore-missing
Success criteria:
You must see: sparrowwallet-2.3.1-x86_64.tar.gz: OK.
If you see anything else, delete the files and stop.
Part 4: Installation
Install the software into /opt, a standard directory for standalone or add-on software packages.
Extraction: Extract the tarball. Note that the internal directory structure uses a capitalized "Sparrow" folder.
tar -xvf sparrowwallet-2.3.1-x86_64.tar.gz
Placement:
Move the extracted folder to /opt/sparrow, renaming it to lowercase to follow Linux conventions, and ensure your user owns the directory.
# Move and rename
sudo mv Sparrow /opt/sparrow
# Take ownership (replace 'satoshis' with your username if different)
sudo chown -R $USER:$USER /opt/sparrow
Part 5: System Integration
To launch Sparrow like a native app (via your start menu or launcher like Rofi/Wofi), we need to create a .desktop file.
# Create the local applications directory
mkdir -p ~/.local/share/applications
# Create the desktop entry
cat <<EOF > ~/.local/share/applications/sparrow.desktop
[Desktop Entry]
Name=Sparrow
Comment=Bitcoin Wallet
Exec=/opt/sparrow/bin/Sparrow
Icon=/opt/sparrow/lib/Sparrow.png
Terminal=false
Type=Application
Categories=Utility;Finance;
EOF
Note for Wayland Users: If you are running a Wayland session (common on modern GNOME or KDE setups) and experience graphical glitches or crashes on launch, you may need to force the application to use the X11 backend.
If—and only if—you have issues, modify the Exec line in the file above to:
Exec=env GDK_BACKEND=x11 /opt/sparrow/bin/Sparrow
Part 6: Cleanup and Launch
The installation is complete. You can now remove the artifacts from your Downloads folder.
cd ~
rm -rf ~/Downloads/sparrow-install
You can now launch Sparrow from your application menu. You have a verified, sovereign, self-managed installation that does not rely on package maintainers.