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Bitcoin Core has two different replacement-related controls: -walletrbf governs whether wallet-created transactions signal that they can be replaced, while the historical -mempoolfullrbf option governed a node’s policy for accepting replacements without that signal. They are not interchangeable. Check your Bitcoin Core version before following older setup advice: -mempoolfullrbf became the default in Bitcoin Core 28 and was removed in Bitcoin Core 29. To raise the fee on an unconfirmed payment, use your wallet’s fee-bump feature rather than relying on a node startup flag.

What the two settings control

Setting What it controls Current relevance
-walletrbf Whether Bitcoin Core’s wallet creates transactions that signal opt-in replaceability. Bitcoin Core 24.0.1 changed its default to enabled. The Bitcoin Core 31.0 send RPC also has a replaceable option for wallet-created transactions. See the 24.0.1 release notes and 31.0.0 send RPC documentation.
-mempoolfullrbf Historically, whether a node would accept replacements without BIP125 opt-in signaling. Bitcoin Core 28.0 made it default to 1; Bitcoin Core 29.0 removed the option. Do not try to set it on versions where it no longer exists. See the 28.0 release notes and 29.0 release notes.

In short, wallet signaling concerns how your transaction is created; node policy concerns which replacement transactions a node will accept into its mempool. A wallet setting does not dictate other nodes’ policies, and a node’s policy setting does not mark transactions created by your wallet as replaceable.

How opt-in RBF signaling works

Under BIP125, a transaction explicitly signals opt-in replaceability when an input sequence number is below 0xffffffff - 1. Replaceability can also be inherited from an unconfirmed ancestor. This signal is a policy indicator, not a guarantee that every node will relay a replacement. Read BIP 125 for the signaling definition and recipient considerations.

The wallet-side -walletrbf option affects transactions your Bitcoin Core wallet creates. Bitcoin Core’s historical 0.14.0 release notes described its default as false; Bitcoin Core 24.0.1 changed the default to true. Treat defaults as version-specific rather than as a timeless instruction. In Bitcoin Core 31.0, the send RPC documents an optional replaceable boolean for marking a transaction as BIP125-replaceable. The right control depends on how you create the transaction and which version you run.

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How to bump an unconfirmed transaction’s fee

If you sent a transaction with a fee that is too low for current conditions, use the fee-bump function supported by your wallet and consult documentation for your installed version. Bitcoin Core’s FAQ lists fee increases as one possible use of opt-in RBF, but no single fee rate is guaranteed to make a replacement acceptable or promptly confirmed. See the Bitcoin Core opt-in RBF FAQ.

For Bitcoin Core 31.0, the psbtbumpfee RPC creates a PSBT to bump the fee of an unconfirmed wallet transaction. Its documentation notes that the replacement must pay an additional relay fee and describes a replaceable option controlling BIP125 signaling for the replacement. Unconfirmed ancestors may still make some replacements practically replaceable even when explicit signaling is disabled. Check the 31.0.0 psbtbumpfee RPC documentation for the version-specific parameters and requirements.

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What changed in Bitcoin Core 31.0

Bitcoin Core 31.0 introduced cluster mempool and updated replacement validation. Its release notes state that replacements are accepted only when the resulting mempool’s feerate diagram is strictly better than before the replacement. For a singleton transaction, the described rule is satisfied by a replacement with both a higher fee and a higher feerate than the original. This updated rule means older generalizations of BIP125 limits are not a complete description of current Bitcoin Core replacement policy. See the 31.0 release notes.

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When to change a setting—and when not to

If you may need to raise a transaction’s fee

Use wallet functionality that supports fee bumping, and make the transaction replaceable where your wallet workflow offers that choice. This gives you an option to attempt a replacement; it does not guarantee relay or confirmation.

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If you are following instructions to set -mempoolfullrbf

First identify your Bitcoin Core version. The option’s default changed in version 28, and version 29 removed it after full-RBF became standard behavior. Instructions to add that flag to current versions are obsolete. The older -mempoolreplacement setting, removed in Bitcoin Core 0.19, is a separate historical option and should not be confused with wallet-side -walletrbf.

If you receive unconfirmed payments

Do not treat first-seen status as final. Bitcoin Core 24.0.1 release notes explain: “The Bitcoin Protocol does not, and cannot, provide any assurance that the first version of an unconfirmed transaction seen by a particular node will be the version that gets confirmed.” BIP125 likewise suggests that recipients convey suspicion about opt-in transactions or wait for confirmation. Choose a confirmation policy suited to the value and risk of the payment; a sender’s preference cannot make an unconfirmed payment final.

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