---
title: "recv"
description: "Materialize an inbound payment surface, either a Lightning invoice or a fresh on-chain boarding address."
canonical: https://wavelength.lightning.engineering/cli/recv/
---

> Docs index: https://wavelength.lightning.engineering/llms.txt

# recv

Asks the daemon to materialize an inbound payment surface. With `--offchain` (the default) the daemon opens a receive swap and returns a BOLT-11 Lightning invoice signed with a daemon-managed key; `--amt` is required. With `--onchain` the daemon returns a fresh boarding address: fund it, and the daemon rolls the boarding output into the next round.

```bash
wavecli recv --offchain --amt 5000 --memo "coffee"
wavecli recv --onchain
```

## Flags

| Flag         | Default | Description                                                                                        |
| ------------ | ------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `--offchain` | `false` | Force offchain (Lightning invoice) recv. Default when neither `--offchain` nor `--onchain` is set. |
| `--onchain`  | `false` | Force onchain (boarding address) recv.                                                             |
| `--amt`      | `0`     | Amount in satoshis. Required for `--offchain`.                                                     |
| `--memo`     | (none)  | Optional human-readable memo embedded in the offchain invoice.                                     |
| `--amt_hint` | `0`     | Optional expected amount for `--onchain` (accounting only).                                        |

## Example

```bash
wavecli --no-tls recv --offchain --amt 25000 --memo "invoice for coffee run"
```

```json
{
  "invoice": "lnbcrt250u1p3xyz...",
  "entry": {
    "id": "b2c3d4e5f60718293a4b5c6d7e8f90a1b2c3d4e5f60718293a4b5c6d7e8f901",
    "kind": "ENTRY_KIND_RECV",
    "status": "ENTRY_STATUS_PENDING",
    "amount_sat": 25000
  },
  "credit_receive": null
}
```

An `--onchain` recv returns a fresh boarding address instead:

```json
{
  "onchain_address": "bcrt1qxy2kgdygjrsqtzq2n0yrf2493p83kkfjhx0wlh",
  "entry": {
    "id": "c3d4e5f60718293a4b5c6d7e8f90a1b2c3d4e5f60718293a4b5c6d7e8f9012a",
    "kind": "ENTRY_KIND_DEPOSIT",
    "status": "ENTRY_STATUS_PENDING"
  }
}
```

## Underlying RPC

The `--offchain` path calls [`WalletService.Recv`](/api/wallet/recv/); the `--onchain` path calls [`WalletService.Deposit`](/api/wallet/deposit/).