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faradayxrpl/faraday-usb-signer

Analysis updated 2026-05-18

0CAudience · developerComplexity · 5/5LicenseSetup · hard

TLDR

Firmware for an ESP32-S3 touchscreen device that signs XRPL cryptocurrency transactions completely offline, showing each transaction on screen before a physical hold to sign approval.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((repo))
    What it does
      Offline XRPL signer
      Sign what you see
      Seed never leaves device
    Tech stack
      C
      ESP32-S3
      PlatformIO
    Use cases
      Sign crypto transactions offline
      Pair with desktop companion app
    Audience
      Crypto hardware developers
      Security conscious users

Code map

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What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Sign XRPL cryptocurrency transactions offline on dedicated hardware, keeping your seed off any networked device.

USE CASE 2

Review transaction details on a physical screen before approving with a hold to sign gesture.

USE CASE 3

Pair this firmware with the Faraday Electron companion app to build and broadcast transactions.

USE CASE 4

Flash this firmware onto an ESP32-S3 touch LCD board using PlatformIO.

What is it built with?

CESP32-S3PlatformIO

How does it compare?

faradayxrpl/faraday-usb-signerac000/find-flvacc4github/kdenlive-omnifade
Stars00
LanguageCCC
Last pushed2013-04-05
MaintenanceDormant
Setup difficultyhardmoderatemoderate
Complexity5/52/52/5
Audiencedeveloperdevelopergeneral

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · hard Time to first run · 1h+

Requires specific ESP32-S3 touch LCD hardware and PlatformIO to build and flash.

Free to use and view for non commercial purposes only under PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0, commercial use requires contacting the author directly.

In plain English

Faraday USB Signer is firmware for a small piece of hardware that acts as an offline signing device for XRPL, the network behind the XRP cryptocurrency. It runs on an ESP32-S3 microcontroller with a built in touchscreen, and its whole purpose is to keep a wallet's private seed completely isolated from any computer or network. The device never connects to WiFi or Bluetooth. Instead, an unsigned transaction is sent to it over a plain USB cable from a companion desktop app. The device displays the transaction's details on its own screen, field by field, so the person holding it can actually see what they are about to approve, rather than trusting whatever a connected computer claims the transaction says. Approving requires physically holding down a touch control, after which the device signs the transaction internally and sends the signed result back over the same USB connection, still without the seed itself ever leaving the hardware. The firmware only works with the XRPL mainnet, and it only recognizes a fixed, limited list of transaction types, such as payments, trading offers, and account settings changes. Anything outside that list is refused. Communication between the device and the computer follows a simple text based protocol over a serial connection, with clear messages for submitting a transaction, acknowledging it, and returning either a signed result or a rejection. To build and install this firmware, a person needs the specific touchscreen hardware it targets and a tool called PlatformIO, then runs a couple of command line steps to compile the code and flash it onto the device. It is meant to be used together with a separate desktop companion application that builds the transactions in the first place. The code is shared publicly but only for non commercial use, and security issues are meant to be reported privately rather than posted as public bug reports.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
Walk me through flashing this firmware onto an ESP32-S3 touch LCD board with PlatformIO.
Prompt 2
Explain the USB serial protocol this device uses to receive and sign transactions.
Prompt 3
Help me understand which XRPL transaction types this signer allows.
Prompt 4
Explain how the sign what you see security model works in this firmware.

Frequently asked questions

What is faraday-usb-signer?

Firmware for an ESP32-S3 touchscreen device that signs XRPL cryptocurrency transactions completely offline, showing each transaction on screen before a physical hold to sign approval.

What language is faraday-usb-signer written in?

Mainly C. The stack also includes C, ESP32-S3, PlatformIO.

What license does faraday-usb-signer use?

Free to use and view for non commercial purposes only under PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0, commercial use requires contacting the author directly.

How hard is faraday-usb-signer to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated hard, with roughly 1h+ to a first successful run.

Who is faraday-usb-signer for?

Mainly developer.

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