Two RGB lines
Since mid-2025 there have been two implementations that both call themselves RGB. They share a history up to v0.11.0-beta.9 (November 2024). After that they diverged, and contracts, consignments and invoices from one don't work with the other. Both install a command-line tool called rgb.
This site covers both. Every page says which line it applies to:
- Line A: RGB v0.12, maintained by the LNP/BP Standards Association in the RGB-WG GitHub org (rgb.tech).
- Line B: RGB v0.11, maintained by the RGB Protocol Association in the rgb-protocol and RGB-Tools orgs (rgb.info, docs.rgb.info).
At a glance​
| Line A: v0.12 (RGB-WG) | Line B: v0.11 (RGB Protocol Association) | |
|---|---|---|
| Pinned on this site | rgb-wallet 0.12.0-rc.3 (2025-07-15) | rgb-cmd 0.11.1 (2026-09-16) |
| Release status | Consensus crate rgb-core 0.12.0 final (2025-07-10). Standard library, runtime and wallet are still release candidates, with no release since July 2025. | Final since 2026-09-16. 0.11.2-rc.1 is out (2026-10-09). |
| Networks | The CLI refuses mainnet; testnet, signet and regtest only | Mainnet, testnet, signet and regtest |
| Install | cargo install --locked rgb-wallet --version 0.12.0-rc.3 | cargo install --locked rgb-cmd --version 0.11.1 |
| Core crates | rgb-core, rgb-std, rgb-runtime, rgb-invoice, rgb-psbt | rgb-consensus, rgb-ops, rgb-api, rgb-invoicing, rgb-psbt-utils, rgb-schemas |
| Application library | Rust only (rgb-runtime) | rgb-lib: Rust with Kotlin, Swift, Python and Node.js bindings |
| Contract model | Codexes, issuers and APIs (SONIC/UltraSONIC), with state held as field elements | Schemas: NIA, IFA, UDA, CFA, PFA |
| Virtual machine | zk-AluVM 0.12 | rgb-aluvm (a fork of AluVM 0.11) |
| Tapret commitment prefix | 29 × OP_NOP (0x61) | 29 × OP_RESERVED (0x50) |
| Invoice format | contract:tb@<id>/… | rgb:<id>/<schema>/… |
| Lightning | No implementation | RGB Lightning Node (alpha, regtest and testnet) |
| Main users | Bitlight Labs | Bitfinex, Tether (USDâ‚® announced), Utexo, Iris, KaleidoSwap, BitMask and others |
The tapret prefix row is a consensus difference: a tapret commitment made by one line doesn't verify under the other. Source: bp-core dbc/src/tapret/tapscript.rs (Line A) and rgb-consensus src/dbc/tapret/tapscript.rs (Line B).
How the split happened​
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 2024-11 | v0.11.0-beta.9: the last common, audited base. |
| 2025-05-20 | v0.12 release candidate 1, a protocol redesign. RGB-WG states that contracts issued before it aren't compatible. |
| 2025-07-01 | The rgb-protocol org publishes rgb-consensus / rgb-cmd 0.11.1-rc.1, continuing v0.11. |
| 2025-07-10 | RGB-WG releases the v0.12 consensus layer (rgb-core 0.12.0). |
| 2025-07-15 | rgb-wallet / rgb-runtime 0.12.0-rc.3, the last Line A release. The RGB Protocol Association is founded. |
| 2025-07-16 | Line B goes live on Bitcoin mainnet (on 0.11.1 release candidates). |
| 2025-07-18 | LNP/BP publishes a security notice calling Line B a fork and recommending only v0.12 for production. |
| 2025-08-28 | Tether announces USDâ‚® on RGB (Line B). |
| 2026-09-16 | Line B 0.11.1 final. |
| 2026-10-09 | Line B 0.11.2-rc.1: a new consignment format, and contracts issued with the old IFA schema become invalid. |
Each side gives its own reasons. RGB-WG presents v0.12 as a smaller, zk-ready consensus layer (release post, notice on the fork). The Association says v0.12 dropped privacy features and Lightning support and would have thrown away years of audit work (comparison). This site doesn't take sides. It documents what each release actually does, checked against its source.
Which one should I use?​
- To build a wallet or app, or to work with assets people hold today (including Lightning): use Line B. Start with the rgb-sandbox regtest demo and
rgb-lib. - To study the v0.12 design (zk-AluVM, codexes, field-element state): use Line A on testnet or regtest. It is a release candidate and refuses mainnet.
- Don't mix them. A wallet, invoice or consignment from one line can't be used with the other, and both binaries are called
rgb, so keep them on separatePATHs.
Line B 0.11.2 (release candidate since 2026-10-09) changes the consignment format, and it makes contracts issued with the old IFA schema invalid. This site is pinned to 0.11.1 and will move when 0.11.2 is final.
Not RGB​
- RGB++ (Nervos CKB) is a different protocol that borrows the name.
- Taproot Assets (Lightning Labs) is a different asset protocol on Bitcoin.
- SONIC, UltraSONIC and Prism are names RGB-WG uses for parts of the v0.12 design. Ultraviolet is a separate project of Pandora Prime.