LND Autopilot Configuration -- Auto-Open Channels Automatically

What is LND Autopilot?

LND Autopilot automatically opens channels to well-connected peers based on your configured budget and preferences. It removes the need to manually select peers.

Enable Autopilot in lnd.conf

[autopilot]
active=1
maxchannels=5
allocation=0.6
heuristic=externalscore:0.95
heuristic=preferential:0.05

Key Parameters

- active: 1 to enable

- maxchannels: maximum number of channels autopilot can open

- allocation: fraction of wallet funds to use (0.6 = 60%)

- minchansize: minimum channel size in satoshis (default 20000)

- maxchansize: maximum channel size in satoshis

Heuristics

externalscore — uses node scores from an external source (recommended)

preferential — favors nodes that are already well-connected in your network

# externalscore source
externalscores.autopilot.lightning.finance

Check Autopilot Status

lncli autopilot status

Modify at Runtime

# Enable
lncli autopilot enable

# Disable
lncli autopilot disable

Common Issues

- Channels not opening: insufficient on-chain balance, or all funds already in channels

- Bad peer selection: switch to externalscore heuristic for better quality peers

- Over-allocation: keep allocation below 0.8 to retain on-chain reserves

Tip

Autopilot works best when combined with manual channel management. Use it to build initial network connectivity, then manually open strategic channels to high-volume routing nodes.