Using Extensions

How to browse, install, activate, and manage LNbits extensions that add features like point-of-sale terminals, LNURL tools, and submarine swaps.

Extensions add features to LNbits - from point-of-sale terminals to atomic swaps.

Browsing extensions

1. Log in to your LNbits account
2. Click Extensions in the sidebar (or the manage extensions icon)
3. Browse the available extensions with descriptions, ratings, and version info

Installing an extension

Via the UI

1. Find the extension in the extensions list
2. Click Install
3. Wait for download and database setup
4. Click Enable to activate it for your account

Via the API

# Install
curl -X POST https://your-lnbits.com/api/v1/extension \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"ext_id": "lnurlp", "source_repo": "official"}'

# Activate for your account
curl -X PUT https://your-lnbits.com/api/v1/extension/lnurlp \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"active": true}'

Core extensions

LNbits ships with these built-in extensions:

Extension	Description
LNURLp	Create static LNURL-pay links and payment pages
TPoS	Point-of-sale terminal for merchants
Withdraw	LNURL-withdraw link management
Paywall	Gate content behind Lightning payments
SatsPay	On-chain + Lightning payment pages for merchants
Boltz	Submarine swaps (on-chain ↔ Lightning)
NWC Provider	Nostr Wallet Connect server
Watch Only	Monitor on-chain wallets (xpub/zpub)
Split Payments	Automatically split incoming payments
Scrub	Forward payments to external wallets
TipJar	Receive tips with custom pages
Decoder	Decode BOLT11 invoices and LNURL

Extension management

Per-user activation

Extensions are installed instance-wide but activated per-user. Each user chooses which extensions they want in their dashboard.

Admin-only extensions

Admins can restrict certain extensions:

LNBITS_ADMIN_EXTENSIONS=watchonly,boltz

Default extensions for new users

LNBITS_USER_DEFAULT_EXTENSIONS=lnurlp,tpos

Extension URLs

Once activated, each extension is available at:

https://your-lnbits.com/<extension-id>/

Extension API endpoints are at:

https://your-lnbits.com/<extension-id>/api/v1/...

Uninstalling

curl -X DELETE https://your-lnbits.com/api/v1/extension/EXTENSION_ID \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN"

Data is preserved

Uninstalling an extension removes its code and UI, but does not delete its database tables. Your data is preserved and will be restored if the extension is reinstalled.

Extension manifest format

LNbits discovers extensions through manifest files - JSON documents that list available extensions and their download URLs. The official LNbits registry is a manifest, and you can add custom manifests.

Adding custom extension sources

# Via environment variable
LNBITS_EXTENSIONS_MANIFESTS='["https://example.com/my-manifest.json"]'

Or via the Admin UI under Admin → Server → Extension Sources.

Manifests support two modes:

• Explicit release - each version is listed directly with a download URL and hash
• GitHub repository - LNbits auto-discovers releases from a GitHub repo

See Remote Manifest for the full manifest format specification.

Three-state activation

Extensions have three states:

State	Description
Not installed	Extension is not present on the instance
Installed (disabled)	Code is present but not active for any user
Installed (enabled)	Active and available - users can toggle it in their dashboard

Admins control installation and instance-level enablement. Individual users control whether an enabled extension appears in their personal dashboard.

Related Pages

• Extensions Directory - browse all available LNbits extensions
• Admin Dashboard - manage extensions and server settings
• Building Extensions - develop your own LNbits extensions
• Deploying Extensions - packaging, distribution, and installation methods