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

Bitcoin Core’s wallet RBF setting and node replacement policy do different jobs. Learn what changed in versions 28, 29, and 31, and how fee bumping works.
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In short: -walletrbf controls whether Bitcoin Core’s wallet signals that its transactions can be replaced; it does not control whether a node accepts replacements. -mempoolfullrbf was a node-policy option, but Bitcoin Core removed it in version 29. Before following an old configuration guide, check your Core version and distinguish wallet fee-bumping from node mempool policy.

Wallet signaling and node replacement policy are different

Replace-by-fee (RBF) lets a transaction sender try to replace an unconfirmed transaction with another version, typically one that pays a higher fee. Two separate questions determine how Bitcoin Core handles this: does the wallet signal that its transaction may be replaced, and does a node accept replacement transactions under its mempool policy?

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Setting or behavior What it controls Version context
-walletrbf Whether wallet-created transactions signal opt-in replaceability; it does not set other nodes’ acceptance policy. Bitcoin Core 24.0.1 changed the default to true. Earlier release notes described a false default. Bitcoin Core 24.0.1 release notes
-mempoolfullrbf Whether a node accepts replacements without BIP125 signaling, as part of its local mempool policy. Introduced in 24.0.1 with a default of off; set to 1 by default in 28.0; removed in 29.0. Bitcoin Core 28.0 release notes; Bitcoin Core 29.0 release notes
Full-RBF behavior Node-side acceptance of replacements regardless of opt-in signaling. Bitcoin Core 29.0 describes full-RBF as standard behavior and removed the option to disable it. Bitcoin Core 29.0 release notes

These are not interchangeable switches. A wallet can signal replaceability while a particular node applies its own acceptance policy; changing a node policy does not make a wallet mark its outgoing transactions replaceable.

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What opt-in RBF signaling means

BIP125 describes explicit signaling when an input sequence number is below 0xffffffff - 1. Replaceability can also be inherited: a transaction may be treated as replaceable if it spends an unconfirmed output from an ancestor that signaled replaceability. This is a policy signal, not a guarantee that every node will relay a replacement. See BIP125.

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Bitcoin Core’s FAQ describes opt-in RBF as useful when a sender needs to raise a transaction’s fee after broadcast. Whether a transaction can be bumped depends on the wallet workflow, the transaction, and the policy of nodes handling it; RBF does not guarantee faster confirmation. Bitcoin Core’s opt-in RBF FAQ

When to change a setting—and when not to

If you want your wallet to create transactions that can be fee-bumped

Check the options available in your wallet workflow. The Bitcoin Core 31.0 send RPC documents an optional replaceable boolean for marking a transaction as BIP125-replaceable. For startup configuration, -walletrbf controls wallet signaling; its default has changed across releases, so consult documentation for the Bitcoin Core version you run rather than assuming a timeless default.

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If you are following advice to set -mempoolfullrbf

First identify your Bitcoin Core version. Version 28 set the option’s default to 1; version 29 removed it. Do not add this option to a current configuration expecting to control full-RBF on Bitcoin Core 29 or later: that setting no longer exists there. The older -mempoolreplacement option is different and was removed in Bitcoin Core 0.19; it is not the wallet’s -walletrbf.

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If an unconfirmed transaction needs a higher fee

Use the wallet’s fee-bump functionality and documentation matching your installed version. Bitcoin Core 31.0’s psbtbumpfee RPC documentation describes creating a PSBT that bumps the fee of an unconfirmed wallet transaction. It notes that a replacement must pay an additional relay fee and provides a replaceable option controlling BIP125 signaling for the replacement. Unconfirmed ancestors can affect practical replaceability even when explicit signaling is disabled. No single fee increase guarantees acceptance or confirmation.

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Bitcoin Core 31.0 changes replacement validation

Bitcoin Core 31.0 introduced cluster mempool and updated replacement validation. Its release notes state that replacements are accepted only when the resulting mempool’s feerate diagram is strictly better than before the replacement. For singleton transactions, the notes describe a higher fee and a higher feerate than the original as sufficient under that rule. This version-specific logic means older summaries of BIP125 replacement limits should not be treated as a complete description of current policy. Bitcoin Core 31.0 release notes

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What recipients should know about an unconfirmed payment

Seeing a transaction first does not make it final. The Bitcoin Core 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.” BIP125 likewise advises recipients to consider opt-in transactions suspicious or wait for confirmation. For someone accepting a payment, confirmation policy and risk tolerance matter more than the sender’s RBF preference. Bitcoin Core 24.0.1 release notes; BIP125

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