diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index 9967c7c..3968272 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -225,6 +225,12 @@ dependencies = [
  "rand 0.8.5",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "arrayvec"
+version = "0.7.4"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "96d30a06541fbafbc7f82ed10c06164cfbd2c401138f6addd8404629c4b16711"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "async-channel"
 version = "1.9.0"
@@ -302,6 +308,16 @@ version = "0.2.0"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "4c7f02d4ea65f2c1853089ffd8d2787bdbc63de2f0d29dedbcf8ccdfa0ccd4cf"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "base58ck"
+version = "0.1.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "2c8d66485a3a2ea485c1913c4572ce0256067a5377ac8c75c4960e1cda98605f"
+dependencies = [
+ "bitcoin-internals",
+ "bitcoin_hashes 0.14.0",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "base64"
 version = "0.13.1"
@@ -332,6 +348,12 @@ version = "0.9.1"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "d86b93f97252c47b41663388e6d155714a9d0c398b99f1005cbc5f978b29f445"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "bech32"
+version = "0.11.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "d965446196e3b7decd44aa7ee49e31d630118f90ef12f97900f262eb915c951d"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "bft-crdt-derive"
 version = "0.1.0"
@@ -370,12 +392,50 @@ dependencies = [
  "serde",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "bitcoin"
+version = "0.32.2"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "ea507acc1cd80fc084ace38544bbcf7ced7c2aa65b653b102de0ce718df668f6"
+dependencies = [
+ "base58ck",
+ "bech32 0.11.0",
+ "bitcoin-internals",
+ "bitcoin-io",
+ "bitcoin-units",
+ "bitcoin_hashes 0.14.0",
+ "hex-conservative",
+ "hex_lit",
+ "secp256k1 0.29.0",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "bitcoin-internals"
+version = "0.3.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "30bdbe14aa07b06e6cfeffc529a1f099e5fbe249524f8125358604df99a4bed2"
+
+[[package]]
+name = "bitcoin-io"
+version = "0.1.2"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "340e09e8399c7bd8912f495af6aa58bea0c9214773417ffaa8f6460f93aaee56"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "bitcoin-private"
 version = "0.1.0"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "73290177011694f38ec25e165d0387ab7ea749a4b81cd4c80dae5988229f7a57"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "bitcoin-units"
+version = "0.1.1"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "cb54da0b28892f3c52203a7191534033e051b6f4b52bc15480681b57b7e036f5"
+dependencies = [
+ "bitcoin-internals",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "bitcoin_hashes"
 version = "0.12.0"
@@ -385,6 +445,16 @@ dependencies = [
  "bitcoin-private",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "bitcoin_hashes"
+version = "0.14.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "bb18c03d0db0247e147a21a6faafd5a7eb851c743db062de72018b6b7e8e4d16"
+dependencies = [
+ "bitcoin-io",
+ "hex-conservative",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "bitflags"
 version = "1.3.2"
@@ -1016,7 +1086,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "ark-serialize",
  "auto_ops",
  "base64ct",
- "bech32",
+ "bech32 0.9.1",
  "bincode",
  "blake2",
  "blst",
@@ -1042,7 +1112,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "rfc6979",
  "rsa",
  "schemars",
- "secp256k1",
+ "secp256k1 0.27.0",
  "serde",
  "serde_json",
  "serde_with 2.3.3",
@@ -1299,12 +1369,27 @@ version = "0.4.3"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "7f24254aa9a54b5c858eaee2f5bccdb46aaf0e486a595ed5fd8f86ba55232a70"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "hex-conservative"
+version = "0.2.1"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "5313b072ce3c597065a808dbf612c4c8e8590bdbf8b579508bf7a762c5eae6cd"
+dependencies = [
+ "arrayvec",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "hex-literal"
 version = "0.4.1"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "6fe2267d4ed49bc07b63801559be28c718ea06c4738b7a03c94df7386d2cde46"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "hex_lit"
+version = "0.1.1"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "3011d1213f159867b13cfd6ac92d2cd5f1345762c63be3554e84092d85a50bbd"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "hkdf"
 version = "0.12.4"
@@ -2114,9 +2199,19 @@ version = "0.27.0"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "25996b82292a7a57ed3508f052cfff8640d38d32018784acd714758b43da9c8f"
 dependencies = [
- "bitcoin_hashes",
+ "bitcoin_hashes 0.12.0",
  "rand 0.8.5",
- "secp256k1-sys",
+ "secp256k1-sys 0.8.1",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "secp256k1"
+version = "0.29.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "0e0cc0f1cf93f4969faf3ea1c7d8a9faed25918d96affa959720823dfe86d4f3"
+dependencies = [
+ "bitcoin_hashes 0.12.0",
+ "secp256k1-sys 0.10.0",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -2128,6 +2223,15 @@ dependencies = [
  "cc",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "secp256k1-sys"
+version = "0.10.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "1433bd67156263443f14d603720b082dd3121779323fce20cba2aa07b874bc1b"
+dependencies = [
+ "cc",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "semver"
 version = "1.0.23"
@@ -2318,6 +2422,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "async-trait",
  "bft-crdt-derive",
  "bft-json-crdt",
+ "bitcoin",
  "clap 4.5.4",
  "dirs",
  "ezsockets",
diff --git a/side-node/Cargo.toml b/side-node/Cargo.toml
index d202bb5..2c443a9 100644
--- a/side-node/Cargo.toml
+++ b/side-node/Cargo.toml
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ edition = "2021"
 async-trait = "0.1.52"
 bft-json-crdt = { path = "../crates/bft-json-crdt" }
 bft-crdt-derive = { path = "../crates/bft-json-crdt/bft-crdt-derive" }
+bitcoin = "0.32.2"
 clap = { version = "4.5.4", features = ["derive"] }
 dirs = "5.0.1"
 ezsockets = { version = "*", features = ["client"] }
diff --git a/side-node/src/init/mod.rs b/side-node/src/init/mod.rs
index cca68ee..453c720 100644
--- a/side-node/src/init/mod.rs
+++ b/side-node/src/init/mod.rs
@@ -53,6 +53,24 @@ mod tests {
         (SideNodeConfig { name: name.clone() }, name)
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn creates_bitcoin_keys() {
+        let (config, name) = side_node_config();
+        let side_dir = format!("/tmp/side/{name}");
+
+        let mut key_file_path = PathBuf::new();
+        key_file_path.push(side_dir.clone());
+        key_file_path.push(utils::BFT_CRDT_KEY_FILE);
+
+        let _ = init(PathBuf::from_str(&side_dir).unwrap(), config);
+        assert!(key_file_path.exists());
+
+        // check that the pem is readable
+        let data = fs::read_to_string(key_file_path).expect("couldn't read key file");
+        let keys = Ed25519KeyPair::decode_base64(&data).expect("couldn't load keypair from file");
+        assert_eq!(keys.public().as_bytes().len(), 32);
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn creates_side_node_directory() {
         let (config, name) = side_node_config();
@@ -67,13 +85,13 @@ mod tests {
     }
 
     #[test]
-    fn creates_key_file() {
+    fn creates_bft_crdt_key_file() {
         let (config, name) = side_node_config();
         let side_dir = format!("/tmp/side/{name}");
 
         let mut key_file_path = PathBuf::new();
         key_file_path.push(side_dir.clone());
-        key_file_path.push(utils::KEY_FILE);
+        key_file_path.push(utils::BFT_CRDT_KEY_FILE);
 
         let _ = init(PathBuf::from_str(&side_dir).unwrap(), config);
         assert!(key_file_path.exists());
diff --git a/side-node/src/stdin.rs b/side-node/src/stdin.rs
index 9d74705..b71083f 100644
--- a/side-node/src/stdin.rs
+++ b/side-node/src/stdin.rs
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@ pub(crate) fn input(stdin_sender: std::sync::mpsc::Sender<String>) {
     let stdin = std::io::stdin();
     let lines = stdin.lock().lines();
     for line in lines {
-        println!("We're in stdin_input");
         let line = line.unwrap();
         stdin_sender.send(line).unwrap();
     }
diff --git a/side-node/src/utils.rs b/side-node/src/utils.rs
index 17fb4cb..f70d865 100644
--- a/side-node/src/utils.rs
+++ b/side-node/src/utils.rs
@@ -3,13 +3,13 @@ use std::path::PathBuf;
 use bft_json_crdt::json_crdt::SignedOp;
 use serde_json::{json, Value};
 
-pub(crate) const KEY_FILE: &str = "keys.pem";
+pub(crate) const BFT_CRDT_KEY_FILE: &str = "keys.pem";
 pub(crate) const CONFIG_FILE: &str = "config.toml";
 
 /// Returns the path to the key file and config for this host OS.
 pub(crate) fn side_paths(prefix: PathBuf) -> (PathBuf, PathBuf) {
     let mut key_path = prefix.clone();
-    key_path.push(KEY_FILE);
+    key_path.push(BFT_CRDT_KEY_FILE);
 
     let mut config_path = prefix.clone();
     config_path.push(CONFIG_FILE);
diff --git a/side-node/src/websocket.rs b/side-node/src/websocket.rs
index de6ee5d..b3a1e05 100644
--- a/side-node/src/websocket.rs
+++ b/side-node/src/websocket.rs
@@ -47,9 +47,7 @@ impl ezsockets::ClientExt for WebSocketClient {
         let object_sha = utils::shappy(incoming.clone());
         println!("deserialized: {}", object_sha);
         if string_sha != object_sha {
-            println!("SHA mismatch: {string_sha} != {object_sha}");
-            println!("text: {text}");
-            println!("incoming: {incoming:?}");
+            panic!("sha mismatch: {string_sha} != {object_sha}, bft-crdt has failed");
         }
         self.incoming_sender.send(incoming).await?;
         Ok(())