How to Safely Claim Your Bitcoin Puzzle Reward (Without Losing It to Bots)

So you found a private key in Bitcoin Puzzle. What now?

Take a deep breath. Don't panic, don't get carried away with excitement. If you follow this guide carefully, step by step, you'll be able to claim your reward safely — without losing it to front-running bots.

We'll use a real private key and address throughout this guide to make things more concrete:

Private Key (Hex):
e7751904351bce5e4b99705d0f73f49ad46a0bfcfe6ad3329b2815cff5e51c65

Bitcoin Address:
1HFEcnxP2J1WMT8PF1LkSkcYs2LsKWMBCH

Step 1 — Store your private key somewhere safe

Write the hex key down on paper or store it in a secure, encrypted location. If it makes you feel safer, you can disconnect from the internet at this point.

Step 2 — Download Electrum 4.3.4

This is one of the last versions that allows you to disable RBF (Replace-By-Fee). Do not use a newer version.

https://download.electrum.org/4.3.4/

If the installer prompts you to update, decline and continue with the current version.

Step 3 — Convert your key to WIF format

Electrum requires the private key in WIF (Wallet Import Format). You have three options:

Option A: Use our tool offline: https://btcpuzzle.info/tools/hex-to-wif

Option B: Run the following Python script yourself:

import base58
import hashlib

def hex_to_wif(hex_private_key):
    extended_key = '80' + hex_private_key
    first_hash = hashlib.sha256(bytes.fromhex(extended_key)).digest()
    second_hash = hashlib.sha256(first_hash).digest()
    checksum = second_hash[:4]
    extended_key += checksum.hex()
    wif = base58.b58encode(bytes.fromhex(extended_key)).decode()
    return wif

wif = hex_to_wif("e7751904351bce5e4b99705d0f73f49ad46a0bfcfe6ad3329b2815cff5e51c65")
print("WIF:", wif)

Option C: You can use any other method you trust. We do not recommend any website for this purpose (including btcpuzzle.info). You can easily do this on your own computer with your own simple code.

Step 4 — Open Electrum and import your key

Click through the setup until you reach the wallet type screen. Select "Import Bitcoin addresses or private keys". Paste your WIF-formatted key into the field. You can skip setting a password if you prefer.

Step 5 — Disable RBF

Go to Tools → Preferences. Turn off "Use Replace-By-Fee". On the same screen, enable "Advanced Preview". This step is critical — if RBF is left on, bots can replace your transaction with a higher-fee one and steal your funds.

Step 6 — Set up the send screen

Go to the Send tab. Enter your own wallet address as the destination. Use the "Max" button to fill in the amount. Sending the full balance is essential — if any amount is left behind, bots can sweep it.

Step 7 — Set the fee rate

In the advanced preview window, confirm that RBF is shown as disabled in the top right. Then update the "Target fee" field at the bottom using the minimum fee rate listed on: https://slipstream.mara.com

You can go higher than the minimum if you want faster confirmation.

Step 8 — Finalize, but do NOT broadcast

Click "Finalize". Double-check the destination address and the amount. Do not click "Broadcast" — that would push the transaction directly to the mempool, where bots are watching.

Step 9 — Sign and export to file

Click "Sign". Then use "Export → Export to file" in the bottom left to save the signed transaction file. Close Electrum.

Step 10 — Submit via Slipstream

Open the exported file with a text editor. Copy the long hex string starting with 020... (it may start differently in some cases). Go to https://slipstream.mara.com, paste the value into the input field, and click "Activate Slipstream".

If you see "Transaction submitted" — you're done.

With this method, your transaction never enters the public mempool. It goes directly to MARA Pool miners and gets confirmed in the next block. All you have to do now is wait.

This is the most reliable way to protect yourself against front-running bots.

Good luck 🍀 to all