Poor Richard's Wallet

The simplest possible EVM wallet. Private keys are generated locally and encrypted at rest.

Dependencies

• Cryptography: OpenSSL, dotenvx
• [OPTIONAL]: League of Entropy, node:crypto
• Runtime: Bun, viem, valibot

Usage

1. Install dependencies

bun install

2. Generate new wallet

⚠️ WARNING: Overwrites existing keys!

bun overwrite-with-new-key

3. [OPTIONAL]: Mix key with randomness beacon

⚠️ WARNING: Overwrites existing keys!

Mixes local entropy with web-based entropy to create a new key.

bun overwrite-with-mixed-key

When to use mixing

• Use mixing if you want to inject external entropy due to concerns about local key generation
• Skip mixing step when external dependencies are inappropriate

Tradeoffs:

• Mixing:

  • ✅ Adds external entropy from public randomness beacon
  • ❌ Requires internet connection to fetch beacon
  • ❌ Introduces external dependency

• Local-only key generation:

  • ✅ Fewer dependencies
  • ✅ Works offline
  • ❌ No external entropy source (relies on OpenSSL's PRNG)

4. View public address

bun view-account

5. Export private key

⚠️ WARNING: Run this in a secure setting only!

bunx dotenvx get PK > secret.key

Important

• Backup .env.keys: This file is used to decrypt your keys. If lost, funds may be lost.

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Inspired by @iammatthias' post.