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Learn how to withdraw Bitcoin from your Spark wallet back to Layer 1. This guide covers cooperative exits, fee estimation, and the complete withdrawal process.
Withdraw to L1

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Withdrawal Flow

The complete process for withdrawing Bitcoin from Spark back to Layer 1:
1

Get Fee Quote

Request a fee quote for your withdrawal with different speed options.
const feeQuote = await wallet.getWithdrawalFeeQuote({
  amountSats: 50000,
  withdrawalAddress: "bc1p..." // Your Bitcoin address
});
console.log("Fee quote:", feeQuote);
2

Initiate Withdrawal

Start the withdrawal process using the fee quote.
const withdrawal = await wallet.withdraw({
  onchainAddress: "bc1p...", // Your Bitcoin address
  exitSpeed: "fast", // or "medium", "slow"
  amountSats: 50000,
  feeQuote: feeQuote,
  deductFeeFromWithdrawalAmount: false
});
console.log("Withdrawal initiated:", withdrawal);
3

Monitor Status

Track the withdrawal status until completion.
const exitRequest = await wallet.getCoopExitRequest(withdrawal.id);
console.log("Withdrawal status:", exitRequest.status);
console.log("Transaction ID:", exitRequest.txid);

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Get Withdrawal Fee Quote

Request fee quotes for different withdrawal speeds before initiating a withdrawal. getWithdrawalFeeQuote(params) Gets a fee quote for a cooperative exit (on-chain withdrawal). The quote includes options for different speeds and an expiry time and must be passed to withdraw before it expires. 
const feeQuote = await wallet.getWithdrawalFeeQuote({
  amountSats: 100000,
  withdrawalAddress: "bc1p5d7rjq7g6rdk2yhzks9smtbqtedr4dekq08ge8ztwac72sfr9rusxg3297"
});

console.log("Fee quote:", feeQuote);
console.log("Fast option:", feeQuote.fast);
console.log("Medium option:", feeQuote.medium);
console.log("Slow option:", feeQuote.slow);

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Initiate Withdrawal

Start the withdrawal process using a fee quote. withdraw(params) Initiates a cooperative exit to withdraw Bitcoin from Spark to Layer 1. 
const withdrawal = await wallet.withdraw({
  onchainAddress: "bc1p5d7rjq7g6rdk2yhzks9smtbqtedr4dekq08ge8ztwac72sfr9rusxg3297",
  exitSpeed: "fast", // "fast", "medium", or "slow"
  amountSats: 100000,
  feeQuote: feeQuote,
  deductFeeFromWithdrawalAmount: false
});

console.log("Withdrawal ID:", withdrawal.id);
console.log("Status:", withdrawal.status);

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Monitor Withdrawal Status

Track the status of your withdrawal request. getCoopExitRequest(id) Gets a cooperative exit request by ID to check withdrawal status. 
const exitRequest = await wallet.getCoopExitRequest(withdrawalId);
console.log("Withdrawal status:", exitRequest.status);
console.log("Transaction ID:", exitRequest.txid);
console.log("Amount:", exitRequest.amountSats, "sats");

// Check if withdrawal is complete
if (exitRequest.status === "completed") {
  console.log("Withdrawal completed successfully!");
}

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Withdrawal Speeds

Spark offers three withdrawal speed options with different fee structures:

Fast

Highest priority
Higher fees
~1-2 hours
Best for urgent withdrawals

Medium

Balanced option
Moderate fees
~4-6 hours
Good for most use cases

Slow

Lowest priority
Lowest fees
~12-24 hours
Best for non-urgent withdrawals

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Real-time Withdrawal Monitoring

Monitor withdrawal status using event listeners. 
// Listen for withdrawal events
wallet.on("transfer:claimed", (transferId, updatedBalance) => {
  console.log(`Transfer ${transferId} claimed. New balance: ${updatedBalance} sats`);
});

// Check withdrawal status periodically
const checkWithdrawalStatus = async (withdrawalId) => {
  const exitRequest = await wallet.getCoopExitRequest(withdrawalId);
  
  switch (exitRequest.status) {
    case "completed":
      console.log("Withdrawal completed!");
      return true;
    case "failed":
      console.log("Withdrawal failed");
      return false;
    default:
      console.log("Withdrawal pending...");
      setTimeout(() => checkWithdrawalStatus(withdrawalId), 30000); // Check again in 30 seconds
      return false;
  }
};

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Error Handling

Implement proper error handling for withdrawal operations. 
async function withdrawSafely(params) {
  try {
    // 1. Get fee quote first
    const feeQuote = await wallet.getWithdrawalFeeQuote({
      amountSats: params.amountSats,
      withdrawalAddress: params.onchainAddress
    });

    if (!feeQuote) {
      throw new Error("Unable to get fee quote");
    }

    // 2. Check if quote is still valid
    const now = Date.now();
    if (feeQuote.expiryTime && now > feeQuote.expiryTime) {
      throw new Error("Fee quote expired, please get a new one");
    }

    // 3. Initiate withdrawal
    const withdrawal = await wallet.withdraw({
      ...params,
      feeQuote: feeQuote
    });

    console.log("Withdrawal initiated successfully:", withdrawal.id);
    return withdrawal;

  } catch (error) {
    console.error("Withdrawal failed:", error.message);
    
    // Handle specific error types
    if (error.message.includes("Insufficient")) {
      console.log("Please check your balance");
    } else if (error.message.includes("expired")) {
      console.log("Please get a new fee quote");
    } else if (error.message.includes("Invalid address")) {
      console.log("Please verify the withdrawal address");
    }
    
    throw error;
  }
}

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Best Practices

  • Get fresh quotes - Fee quotes expire, always get a new one before withdrawing
  • Choose appropriate speed - Balance urgency with cost for your use case
  • Monitor status - Use polling or events to track withdrawal progress
  • Handle errors - Implement proper error handling for failed withdrawals
  • Verify addresses - Always validate Bitcoin addresses before withdrawing
  • Test first - Use regtest network for testing withdrawal flows

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Example: Complete Withdrawal Flow

import { SparkWallet } from "@buildonspark/spark-sdk";

async function completeWithdrawal() {
  const { wallet } = await SparkWallet.initialize({
    options: { network: "REGTEST" }
  });

  try {
    // 1. Check current balance
    const balance = await wallet.getBalance();
    console.log("Current balance:", balance.balance, "sats");

    // 2. Set up event listeners
    wallet.on("transfer:claimed", (transferId, updatedBalance) => {
      console.log(`Transfer ${transferId} claimed. New balance: ${updatedBalance} sats`);
    });

    // 3. Get fee quote
    const feeQuote = await wallet.getWithdrawalFeeQuote({
      amountSats: 50000,
      withdrawalAddress: "bc1p5d7rjq7g6rdk2yhzks9smtbqtedr4dekq08ge8ztwac72sfr9rusxg3297"
    });

    console.log("Fee quote:", feeQuote);

    // 4. Initiate withdrawal
    const withdrawal = await wallet.withdraw({
      onchainAddress: "bc1p5d7rjq7g6rdk2yhzks9smtbqtedr4dekq08ge8ztwac72sfr9rusxg3297",
      exitSpeed: "medium",
      amountSats: 50000,
      feeQuote: feeQuote,
      deductFeeFromWithdrawalAmount: false
    });

    console.log("Withdrawal initiated:", withdrawal.id);

    // 5. Monitor withdrawal status
    const monitorWithdrawal = async () => {
      const exitRequest = await wallet.getCoopExitRequest(withdrawal.id);
      
      if (exitRequest.status === "completed") {
        console.log("Withdrawal completed successfully!");
        console.log("Transaction ID:", exitRequest.txid);
      } else if (exitRequest.status === "failed") {
        console.log("Withdrawal failed");
      } else {
        console.log("Withdrawal pending...");
        setTimeout(monitorWithdrawal, 30000); // Check again in 30 seconds
      }
    };

    await monitorWithdrawal();

  } catch (error) {
    console.error("Withdrawal failed:", error);
  }
}