Learn Bitcoin
by testing it.
Make a prediction. Inspect what real nodes did. Explain the result in your own words. Start with coins, keys and fees, then explore the rules that keep nodes in agreement.
Your node can run different rules. Other nodes still check blocks for themselves. The lab lets you see the difference.
Browser demo: no account, no AI, no node. It replays results recorded from real runs.
“Double the starting block subsidy.”
Recorded from a real run. The demo replays this comparison; the installed lab lets you apply and revert changes.
Closed beta testing
Invited testers: use the tester guide for the current beta candidate, installation steps and known limits. The default installer below downloads the latest stable release; beta candidates are distributed separately. Website help updates can appear before a new download.
Report a problem ↗Give your node a second opinion.
A node accepting its own blocks does not establish that other nodes will accept them. The lab compares two nodes so you can see where they agree and disagree.
Predict.
Before anything runs, you say what you think will happen. Thirteen ready-made experiments start you off, from "are your coins in your wallet?" to "how does mining power affect a stricter chain?". A five-lesson path guides beginners. No AI account is needed.
Observe.
Walk through each observation at your own pace, with definitions close at hand. The browser demo replays recorded node results. The installed lab runs the experiments on a private chain; custom changes can also be compiled and compared.
Understand.
Each outcome comes with what it would mean on a real network, fixed in the lesson source, with references and the limits of the experiment. Try varied practice, save optional reflections and return for a later review. Your original answers stay intact. Explore separate models of proof of work, privacy and Lightning.
Install the lab.
macOS or Linux. Windows users can run it in WSL2. It starts on regtest, a private chain that exists only on your machine.
One line
curl -fsSL https://github.com/hotpixelgroup/bitcoin/releases/latest/download/install.sh | sh
The installer published with the latest release. It installs that release, checks the ready-made node against its published SHA-256, and asks before running anyone else's installer. A matching prepared node avoids compilation. A first build from source takes several minutes or longer, depending on your machine.
Read the installer first
curl -fsSL https://github.com/hotpixelgroup/bitcoin/releases/latest/download/install.sh -o install.sh less install.sh VIBES_DRY_RUN=1 sh install.sh
Then run
~/bitcoin-vibes/vibes
The console opens in your browser. The ready-made experiments need nothing more. Requests in your own words need Claude Code, signed in with claude auth login.
Prefer the Mac app?
The prepared Mac app and node programs require Apple silicon and macOS 15 or later. The initial source download reports progress through notifications and the launch log; node setup continues in your browser. The app is not notarised by Apple yet, so macOS may block the first launch. Read the manual below for opening instructions.
Other Mac configurations, including Intel Macs, need a compatible source build and are not verified by this release workflow.
Download the latest release ↗Run with Docker
git clone -b master https://github.com/hotpixelgroup/bitcoin.git cd bitcoin docker compose -f contrib/vibes/docker-compose.yml up --build
Open the link from the logs. The container keeps its own Claude Code sign-in. In Docker a proposal is compiled only after you have reviewed it.
Already installed?
Use “Check for and take updates” in the console, then restart Bitcoin Vibes to load the updated lab. Like Bitcoin Core, the lab never updates by itself.
Read the full manual ↗A few things worth knowing.
Is the browser demo a real Bitcoin node?
No. It runs no AI and no node. Its ready-made experiments replay results that were recorded from real runs of the lab, so what you read there is what two real nodes did. Install Bitcoin Vibes to run your own.
Does a fresh install change Bitcoin's rules?
No. A fresh install has Bitcoin Core's consensus rules exactly; an automated check fails our build if the node source differs from upstream in anything but the name it reports. Every change after that is one you asked for.
Is it safe to let an AI rewrite a node on my machine?
The agent can read and edit files in its own copy of the source and nothing else: no commands, no network. What it writes is compiled and run inside an operating-system sandbox. That is confinement, not a guarantee, and you should still read the change. Where no sandbox is available, which includes Docker, the lab says so and compiles nothing until you have reviewed it.
What do the checks prove?
That the change compiles, which of Bitcoin Core's unit tests still pass, and what an unmodified node did with a limited set of blocks and transactions. A change to something those checks never exercise may show no difference. None of it proves a change is safe on a real network.
Can I use it on the real Bitcoin network?
It is a lab, not a wallet. On the real network you must confirm deliberately, the lab refuses to start any build whose comparison found a consensus difference, and the wallet stays disabled unless you switch it on. Do not point a wallet holding real funds at an experimental node.
Can I share an experiment?
You share the words you typed, never code. Because words are instructions to an AI agent, the recipient's lab treats them as untrusted: it shows them first, never applies them automatically, and the agent that reads them can only edit files.
What does it cost?
The software is free and MIT licensed. The ready-made experiments and the demo make no AI calls. Each request in your own words is a Claude Code session billed by your provider.
Is this an alternative to Bitcoin Core or Bitcoin Knots?
No. The tagline is a joke. Nothing made here is offered to Bitcoin Core, whose contribution policy requires an accountable human author who understands every change. Bitcoin Vibes is a way to see why changing a node does not change Bitcoin.