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Bitcoin Core Transaction Replacement Settings: What They Do and When to Change Them

Bitcoin Core’s wallet signaling and node replacement policy are separate. Learn which RBF settings still apply, how fee bumping works, and what recipients should know.
From TheFinanceBase Team3 min to read
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Bitcoin Core has two settings people often confuse: -walletrbf controls whether the wallet signals that its transactions may be replaced, while -mempoolfullrbf historically controlled whether a node accepted replacements even without that signal. The second option is gone in Bitcoin Core 29.0; in Bitcoin Core 31.0, replacement validation also changed. Check your installed version before following older configuration advice.

What do Bitcoin Core’s replacement settings control?

They govern different parts of transaction handling. A wallet can mark a transaction as replaceable; a node separately applies policy to decide whether to accept or relay a replacement. Neither setting guarantees that a replacement will reach miners or be confirmed.

Setting or feature What it controls Current context
-walletrbf Whether wallet-created transactions signal opt-in replaceability. Bitcoin Core 24.0.1 changed its default to true. The setting concerns wallet transaction creation, not other nodes’ acceptance policy. Bitcoin Core 24.0.1 release notes
-mempoolfullrbf Historically, whether a node accepted replacements without BIP125 signaling. Defaulted to 1 in Bitcoin Core 28.0 and was removed in 29.0, when full-RBF became standard behavior. It is not a current option to set. Bitcoin Core 28.0 release notes; Bitcoin Core 29.0 release notes

The older -mempoolreplacement option is different: it was used to disable replacement policy and was removed in Bitcoin Core 0.19. It should not be confused with the wallet’s -walletrbf. Bitcoin Core 28.0 release notes

What is opt-in RBF?

Opt-in replace-by-fee (RBF) is a signal that a transaction may be replaced by another version, typically one that pays a higher fee. Under BIP125, a transaction explicitly signals replaceability when an input uses a sequence number below 0xffffffff - 1. A transaction can also inherit replaceability from an unconfirmed ancestor. This is a policy signal, not a guarantee that every node will relay a replacement. BIP 125

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Should you change a setting to make a transaction replaceable?

If you want the option to raise a wallet transaction’s fee after broadcast, use the wallet workflow that marks it replaceable. Bitcoin Core’s 31.0 send RPC documents an optional replaceable boolean for marking a transaction as BIP125-replaceable. Which control is available depends on how you create the transaction and on your installed version. Bitcoin Core 31.0 send RPC

For a transaction that is already unconfirmed, Bitcoin Core’s 31.0 psbtbumpfee RPC can create a PSBT to increase its fee. The replacement must pay an additional relay fee; the RPC also documents a replaceable option for BIP125 signaling. An unconfirmed ancestor can affect practical replaceability even when explicit signaling is disabled. Consult the documentation for your installed version and use the wallet’s fee-bump feature rather than relying on a universal fee-rate number. Bitcoin Core 31.0 psbtbumpfee RPC

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RBF can improve a transaction’s chance of being included by allowing a higher fee, but it does not promise faster confirmation. Nodes apply their own mempool policies, and miners choose which transactions to include. Bitcoin Core opt-in RBF FAQ

Does Bitcoin Core 31.0 change replacement rules?

Yes. Bitcoin Core 31.0 introduced cluster mempool and updated replacement validation. Its release notes say a replacement is accepted only if the resulting mempool’s feerate diagram is strictly better than before. For a singleton transaction, the described rule is satisfied when the replacement has both a higher fee and a higher feerate than the original. Do not treat older summaries of BIP125 limits as a complete account of current Bitcoin Core policy. Bitcoin Core 31.0 release notes

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What should recipients know about replaceable payments?

An unconfirmed payment is not final merely because it was the first version a node saw. Bitcoin Core’s 24.0.1 release notes state: “The Bitcoin Protocol does not, and cannot, provide any assurance that the first version of an unconfirmed transaction seen by a particular node will be the version that gets confirmed.” Bitcoin Core 24.0.1 release notes

BIP125 advises recipients to treat opt-in transactions with suspicion or wait for confirmation. This is not a risk unique to RBF: first-seen status alone does not make an unconfirmed payment final. A recipient’s confirmation policy should reflect the payment’s value and their tolerance for settlement risk. BIP 125

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How to decide what to do

  • Identify your Bitcoin Core version. Advice about -mempoolfullrbf is obsolete for version 29.0 and later because the option was removed.
  • If creating a transaction, choose a wallet option that signals replaceability if you may want to bump the fee later; the control depends on your wallet workflow.
  • If a transaction is already unconfirmed, use your wallet’s fee-bump function and the RPC documentation matching your version.
  • If you accept payments, decide whether to wait for confirmation based on the transaction’s risk and your confirmation policy, not on which version you first saw.

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