Bitcoin Core Pulls Versions 30.0 and 30.1 Over Wallet Migration Bug That Can Delete Files

Bitcoin Core developers issued an urgent warning Monday regarding a critical wallet migration flaw affecting versions 30.0 and 30.1, prompting the immediate removal of both releases from official download channels.

The bug surfaces when users attempt to migrate legacy "wallet.dat" files stored in custom directories while running with pruning enabled. According to Lacie Zhang, a market analyst at Bitget Wallet, the migration process may appear successful, but faulty cleanup code subsequently removes the entire wallet directory. Users without external backups face certain loss of fund access as all local wallet files are erased.

Shawn Odonaghue, community lead at Orbs, noted the issue primarily affects outdated wallet configurations, with users of hardware wallets or contemporary wallet software largely unaffected.

Developers have advised against using wallet migration tools until version 30.2 becomes available. Users not attempting migrations can continue operating their nodes normally. Those running affected versions with legacy wallets should immediately create external backups and postpone any upgrades until the patched release arrives.

The incident highlights concentration risks within the Bitcoin ecosystem, as Bitcoin Core powers approximately 78% of reachable nodes according to Coin Dance. While not consensus-critical, the flaw demonstrates how wallet-level vulnerabilities can ripple across the network when a single implementation dominates market share.