LND Inbound Liquidity -- How to Get It

Inbound liquidity is the capacity others can use to send payments to you. Without it, you cannot receive Lightning payments.

Check Current Inbound Capacity

lncli listchannels | jq '.channels[] | {remote_pubkey, remote_balance}'

Methods to Get Inbound Liquidity

1. Submarine Swap (Loop In)

loop in --amt 1000000

Converts on-chain BTC to inbound channel capacity via Lightning Loop.

2. Open a Channel and Get Someone to Open Back

Use services like LSPS (Lightning Service Providers) or ask a peer to open a channel toward you.

3. Liquidity Ads (CLN / experimental)

Advertise your desire for inbound liquidity. Peers with outbound capacity can open balanced channels.

4. Receive a Payment First

If you open a channel, any payment you receive shifts balance from outbound to inbound. Make a real purchase or use a testnet faucet.

5. Circular Rebalancing via a Third Peer

lncli payinvoice --amt 500000 <invoice_from_your_own_node>

Route a payment from one of your channels, through the network, back to another of your channels.

Check After Rebalance

lncli listchannels | jq '.channels[] | {chan_id, local_balance, remote_balance}'

Key Insight

Inbound liquidity requires someone else to commit capital toward you. It cannot be created unilaterally. Plan this when opening your first channels.