---
bip: 382
title: "Segwit Output Script Descriptors"
status: Deployed
type: Specification
layer: "Applications"
authors: ["Pieter Wuille","Ava Chow"]
assigned: 2021-06-27
last_modified: 2026-09-17
requires: [380]
topics: ["wallets"]
license: "BSD-2-Clause"
url: https://bipexplorer.com/bip/382
source: https://github.com/bitcoin/bips/blob/master/bip-0382.mediawiki
---

# BIP 382: Segwit Output Script Descriptors

> **In plain English:** Defines the descriptor functions for native SegWit outputs, covering both single-key addresses and script-based ones. With these, wallets can precisely describe and back up SegWit wallets, including multisig setups.

## Abstract

This document specifies `wpkh()`, and `wsh()` output script descriptors. `wpkh()` descriptors take a key and produces a P2WPKH output script. `wsh()` descriptors take a script and produces a P2WSH output script.

## Copyright

This BIP is licensed under the BSD 2-clause license.

## Motivation

Segregated Witness added 2 additional standard output script formats: P2WPKH and P2WSH. These expressions allow specifying those formats as a descriptor.

## Specification

Two new script expressions are defined: `wpkh()`, and `wsh()`.

### `wpkh()`

The `wpkh(KEY)` expression can be used as a top level expression, or inside of a `sh()` descriptor. It takes a single key expression as an argument and produces a P2WPKH output script. Only keys which are/have compressed public keys can be contained in a `wpkh()` expression.

The output script produced is:

```
OP_0 <KEY_hash160>
```

### `wsh()`

The `wsh(SCRIPT)` expression can be used as a top level expression, or inside of a `sh()` descriptor. It takes a single script expression as an argument and produces a P2WSH output script. `wsh()` expressions also create a witnessScript which is required in order to spend outputs which use its output script. This redeemScript is the output script produced by the `SCRIPT` argument to `wsh()`. Any key expression found in any script expression contained by a `wsh()` expression must only produce compressed public keys.

The output script produced is:

```
OP_0 <SCRIPT_sha256>
```

## Test Vectors

Valid descriptors followed by the scripts they produce. Descriptors involving derived child keys will have the 0th, 1st, and 2nd scripts listed.

-   `wpkh(L4rK1yDtCWekvXuE6oXD9jCYfFNV2cWRpVuPLBcCU2z8TrisoyY1)`
    -   `00149a1c78a507689f6f54b847ad1cef1e614ee23f1e`
-   `wpkh(03a34b99f22c790c4e36b2b3c2c35a36db06226e41c692fc82b8b56ac1c540c5bd)`
    -   `00149a1c78a507689f6f54b847ad1cef1e614ee23f1e`
-   `wpkh([ffffffff/13']xprv9vHkqa6EV4sPZHYqZznhT2NPtPCjKuDKGY38FBWLvgaDx45zo9WQRUT3dKYnjwih2yJD9mkrocEZXo1ex8G81dwSM1fwqWpWkeS3v86pgKt/1/2/0)`
    -   `0014326b2249e3a25d5dc60935f044ee835d090ba859`
-   `wpkh([ffffffff/13']xpub69H7F5d8KSRgmmdJg2KhpAK8SR3DjMwAdkxj3ZuxV27CprR9LgpeyGmXUbC6wb7ERfvrnKZjXoUmmDznezpbZb7ap6r1D3tgFxHmwMkQTPH/1/2/*)`
    
    -   `0014326b2249e3a25d5dc60935f044ee835d090ba859`
    
    -   `0014af0bd98abc2f2cae66e36896a39ffe2d32984fb7`
    
    -   `00141fa798efd1cbf95cebf912c031b8a4a6e9fb9f27`
-   `sh(wpkh(xprv9s21ZrQH143K3QTDL4LXw2F7HEK3wJUD2nW2nRk4stbPy6cq3jPPqjiChkVvvNKmPGJxWUtg6LnF5kejMRNNU3TGtRBeJgk33yuGBxrMPHi/10/20/30/40/*'))`
    
    -   `a9149a4d9901d6af519b2a23d4a2f51650fcba87ce7b87`
    
    -   `a914bed59fc0024fae941d6e20a3b44a109ae740129287`
    
    -   `a9148483aa1116eb9c05c482a72bada4b1db24af654387`
-   `sh(wpkh(xprv9s21ZrQH143K3QTDL4LXw2F7HEK3wJUD2nW2nRk4stbPy6cq3jPPqjiChkVvvNKmPGJxWUtg6LnF5kejMRNNU3TGtRBeJgk33yuGBxrMPHi/10/20/30/40/*h))`
    
    -   `a9149a4d9901d6af519b2a23d4a2f51650fcba87ce7b87`
    
    -   `a914bed59fc0024fae941d6e20a3b44a109ae740129287`
    
    -   `a9148483aa1116eb9c05c482a72bada4b1db24af654387`
-   `wsh(pkh(L4rK1yDtCWekvXuE6oXD9jCYfFNV2cWRpVuPLBcCU2z8TrisoyY1))`
    -   `0020338e023079b91c58571b20e602d7805fb808c22473cbc391a41b1bd3a192e75b`
-   `wsh(pkh(03a34b99f22c790c4e36b2b3c2c35a36db06226e41c692fc82b8b56ac1c540c5bd))`
    -   `0020338e023079b91c58571b20e602d7805fb808c22473cbc391a41b1bd3a192e75b`
-   `wsh(pk(L4rK1yDtCWekvXuE6oXD9jCYfFNV2cWRpVuPLBcCU2z8TrisoyY1))`
    -   `00202e271faa2325c199d25d22e1ead982e45b64eeb4f31e73dbdf41bd4b5fec23fa`
-   `wsh(pk(03a34b99f22c790c4e36b2b3c2c35a36db06226e41c692fc82b8b56ac1c540c5bd))`
    -   `00202e271faa2325c199d25d22e1ead982e45b64eeb4f31e73dbdf41bd4b5fec23fa`
-   `sh(wsh(pkh(L4rK1yDtCWekvXuE6oXD9jCYfFNV2cWRpVuPLBcCU2z8TrisoyY1)))`
    -   `a914b61b92e2ca21bac1e72a3ab859a742982bea960a87`
-   `sh(wsh(pkh(03a34b99f22c790c4e36b2b3c2c35a36db06226e41c692fc82b8b56ac1c540c5bd)))`
    -   `a914b61b92e2ca21bac1e72a3ab859a742982bea960a87`

Invalid descriptors with descriptions

-   Uncompressed public key in `wpkh()`: `wpkh(5KYZdUEo39z3FPrtuX2QbbwGnNP5zTd7yyr2SC1j299sBCnWjss)`

-   Uncompressed public key in `wpkh()`: `sh(wpkh(5KYZdUEo39z3FPrtuX2QbbwGnNP5zTd7yyr2SC1j299sBCnWjss))`

-   Uncompressed public key in `wpkh()`: `wpkh(04a34b99f22c790c4e36b2b3c2c35a36db06226e41c692fc82b8b56ac1c540c5bd5b8dec5235a0fa8722476c7709c02559e3aa73aa03918ba2d492eea75abea235)`

-   Uncompressed public key in `wpkh()`: `sh(wpkh(04a34b99f22c790c4e36b2b3c2c35a36db06226e41c692fc82b8b56ac1c540c5bd5b8dec5235a0fa8722476c7709c02559e3aa73aa03918ba2d492eea75abea235))`

-   Uncompressed public keys under `wsh()`: `wsh(pk(5KYZdUEo39z3FPrtuX2QbbwGnNP5zTd7yyr2SC1j299sBCnWjss))`

-   Uncompressed public keys under `wsh()`: `wsh(pk(04a34b99f22c790c4e36b2b3c2c35a36db06226e41c692fc82b8b56ac1c540c5bd5b8dec5235a0fa8722476c7709c02559e3aa73aa03918ba2d492eea75abea235))`

-   `wpkh()` nested in `wsh()`: `wsh(wpkh(03a34b99f22c790c4e36b2b3c2c35a36db06226e41c692fc82b8b56ac1c540c5bd))`

-   `wsh()` nested in `wsh()`: `wsh(wsh(pkh(03a34b99f22c790c4e36b2b3c2c35a36db06226e41c692fc82b8b56ac1c540c5bd)))`

-   `wsh()` nested in `wsh()`: `sh(wsh(wsh(pkh(03a34b99f22c790c4e36b2b3c2c35a36db06226e41c692fc82b8b56ac1c540c5bd))))`

-   Script in `wpkh()`: `wpkh(wsh(pkh(03a34b99f22c790c4e36b2b3c2c35a36db06226e41c692fc82b8b56ac1c540c5bd)))`

-   Key in `wsh()`: `wsh(03a34b99f22c790c4e36b2b3c2c35a36db06226e41c692fc82b8b56ac1c540c5bd)`

## Backwards Compatibility

`wpkh()`, and `wsh()` descriptors use the format and general operation specified in [380](https://bipexplorer.com/bip/380). As these are a wholly new descriptors, they are not compatible with any implementation. However the scripts produced are standard scripts so existing software are likely to be familiar with them.

## Reference Implementation

`wpkh()`, and `wsh()` descriptors have been implemented in Bitcoin Core since version 0.17.