I'm new to this also, but asking an LLM it said this:
No, you do not need a Lightning channel open to receive a BOLT12 offer payment¹[1]²[2]³[3]. BOLT12, also known as Offers, is a new payment protocol for the Lightning Network that offers enhanced privacy, reusable payment codes, refunds, and more¹[1].
Here's how it works:
1. A merchant publishes an offer, such as on a web page or a QR code⁴[4].
2. The user scans the offer and sends an invoice request to the intended recipient over the Lightning Network¹[1]⁵[5].
3. The recipient replies with an invoice containing a unique payment hash¹[1].
This process happens without a dedicated server, thanks to a technology called onion messages¹[1]. Onion messages are very similar to onion payments, but they're more efficient and don't require locking any liquidity²[2]. Importantly, channel liquidity—or channels, for that matter—aren't even required¹[1]. So, you can receive a BOLT12 offer payment without having a Lightning channel open.
Source: Conversation with Bing, 5/1/2024
(1) BOLT12 Has Arrived | Lightning Dev Kit Documentation. https://lightningdevkit.org/blog/bolt12-has-arrived/.
(2) bolt12.org: Lightning's Native Experience, Everywhere. http://www.bolt12.org/.
(3) What Are Lightning Offers (BOLT 12) - The Bitcoin Manual. https://thebitcoinmanual.com/articles/lightning-offers-bolt12/.
(4) BOLT #12: Revision 836069516148132c0e4d571489b8b18f044292e4. https://bolt12.org/bolt12.html.
(5) BOLT 12 – Natively Enhancing Lightning’s User Experience. https://voltage.cloud/blog/lightning-network-faq/bolt-12-enhancing-lightning-networks-users-experience/.
papaslag
npub1py0…7ryh
2024-05-01 21:36:05
in reply to nevent1q…7j0w
Author Public Key
npub1py0w8ymhdsll4tksvk69u0ethqdp32k4cdcmwhlaz8sfv6p8as8sc77ryhPublished at
2024-05-01 21:36:05Event JSON
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"pubkey": "091ee393776c3ffaaed065b45e3f2bb81a18aad5c371b75ffd11e0966827ec0f",
"created_at": 1714592165,
"kind": 1,
"tags": [
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"content": "I'm new to this also, but asking an LLM it said this:\n\n\nNo, you do not need a Lightning channel open to receive a BOLT12 offer payment¹[1]²[2]³[3]. BOLT12, also known as Offers, is a new payment protocol for the Lightning Network that offers enhanced privacy, reusable payment codes, refunds, and more¹[1]. \n\nHere's how it works:\n1. A merchant publishes an offer, such as on a web page or a QR code⁴[4].\n2. The user scans the offer and sends an invoice request to the intended recipient over the Lightning Network¹[1]⁵[5].\n3. The recipient replies with an invoice containing a unique payment hash¹[1].\n\nThis process happens without a dedicated server, thanks to a technology called onion messages¹[1]. Onion messages are very similar to onion payments, but they're more efficient and don't require locking any liquidity²[2]. Importantly, channel liquidity—or channels, for that matter—aren't even required¹[1]. So, you can receive a BOLT12 offer payment without having a Lightning channel open.\n\nSource: Conversation with Bing, 5/1/2024\n(1) BOLT12 Has Arrived | Lightning Dev Kit Documentation. https://lightningdevkit.org/blog/bolt12-has-arrived/.\n(2) bolt12.org: Lightning's Native Experience, Everywhere. http://www.bolt12.org/.\n(3) What Are Lightning Offers (BOLT 12) - The Bitcoin Manual. https://thebitcoinmanual.com/articles/lightning-offers-bolt12/.\n(4) BOLT #12: Revision 836069516148132c0e4d571489b8b18f044292e4. https://bolt12.org/bolt12.html.\n(5) BOLT 12 – Natively Enhancing Lightning’s User Experience. https://voltage.cloud/blog/lightning-network-faq/bolt-12-enhancing-lightning-networks-users-experience/.",
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}