# Connect LND to Clams with a Read-Only LNC Pairing Phrase > Create a read-only LNC pairing phrase for your LND node with Lightning Terminal, then connect it to Clams to track routing fees and cost basis for taxes. Published 2026-11-14 at https://clams.tech/blog/lnd-node-bitcoin-accounting-setup-guide/ Clams connects to [LND](https://github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd) nodes with **Lightning Node Connect (LNC)**, using a 10-word pairing phrase. The easiest way to create one is **Lightning Terminal**, Lightning Labs' web dashboard for LND, where a few clicks give you a **read-only** phrase. This guide shows those clicks, then the Clams commands that connect and sync your node. ## What Clams Imports From LND - **Routing fee income** from every forwarded payment - **Channel opens and closes**, including the on-chain fees you paid - **Lightning invoices and payments** - **On-chain transactions** in your node's wallet, including channel funding ## Before You Start **What You'll Need:** - An LND node that is running and synced - **Lightning Terminal** connected to that node (setup below) - [Clams](/downloads/) installed and set up If you have not set Clams up yet, install it and run `clams init`, which signs you in and creates your workspace and profile: ```bash curl -fsSL https://clams.tech/install.sh | sh clams init ``` ## Get Lightning Terminal [Lightning Terminal](https://github.com/lightninglabs/lightning-terminal) (`litd`) connects to your LND node and gives you a web UI for it. If you already use it, skip to the next section. Otherwise, download and run it yourself or install it from your node platform's app store. ### Option 1: Download and Run It Yourself 1. Download the latest release for your operating system from [Lightning Terminal's GitHub releases](https://github.com/lightninglabs/lightning-terminal/releases). Each release only works with recent LND versions (current releases need LND 0.19 or newer), so check the [compatibility notes](https://github.com/lightninglabs/lightning-terminal#lnd-version-compatibility) against your node. 2. Add this line to your node's `lnd.conf`, then restart LND: ```text rpcmiddleware.enable=true ``` 3. If LND runs on the same machine with its default data directory on mainnet, Lightning Terminal finds it automatically and you can skip this step. Otherwise, create a `lit.conf` that points at your node's gRPC address, TLS certificate and admin macaroon: ```text lnd-mode=remote remote.lnd.rpcserver=127.0.0.1:10009 remote.lnd.tlscertpath=/path/to/tls.cert remote.lnd.macaroonpath=/path/to/admin.macaroon ``` 4. Start Lightning Terminal with a password of your choice (at least 8 characters), then open [https://localhost:8443](https://localhost:8443) and log in. Your browser will warn about the self-signed certificate; that is expected for a local install. ```bash ./litd --uipassword=YOUR_PASSWORD ``` To run Lightning Terminal on a different computer from LND, copy `tls.cert` and `admin.macaroon` across, use your node's address in `remote.lnd.rpcserver`, and set LND up to accept remote connections as described in the Quickstart of Lightning Labs' [remote LND guide](https://github.com/lightninglabs/lightning-terminal/blob/master/docs/config-lnd-remote.md). That guide also shows where `lit.conf` lives on each operating system. Lightning Terminal needs the admin macaroon, but Clams never sees it. Clams only gets the read-only pairing phrase. ### Option 2: Install It on Start9, Umbrel or myNode All three platforms package Lightning Terminal and connect it to the LND node they already run: - **Start9:** install [Lightning Terminal](https://github.com/Start9Labs/lightning-terminal-startos) from the StartOS Marketplace and run its **Create Password** task (copy the password, as it is shown only once). Then start it and open its **Web UI**. If you lose the password, the **Reset Password** action makes a new one. - **Umbrel:** install [Lightning Terminal](https://apps.umbrel.com/app/lightning-terminal) from the Umbrel App Store. It needs Umbrel's Lightning Node app, which runs LND. - **myNode:** Lightning Terminal comes with myNode. Open it from the Lightning page, and use the password shown there under **show password**, not your myNode password. See myNode's [Lightning Terminal guide](https://docs.mynodebtc.com/lightning/lightning-terminal). ## Create a Read-Only Pairing Phrase A pairing phrase is 10 words that let an app reach your node over LNC. The session's permissions set what that app can do, so always choose **Read Only** for Clams. 1. In Lightning Terminal, open **Lightning Node Connect** in the left menu and click **Create a new session**: Lightning Terminal Lightning Node Connect page with the menu item and the Create a new session button circled 2. Give the session a label (for example `Clams`), set **Permissions** to **Read Only**, then click **Submit**: New session form with the label Clams, Permissions set to Read Only and the Submit button circled 3. Check that the new session's type says **Read-Only**, then click the **copy** icon next to it. This copies the 10-word pairing phrase: Session list showing the Clams session as Read-Only with the copy pairing phrase icon circled **Use the phrase within 10 minutes.** A new session must make its first connection within 10 minutes, or it expires unused. If that happens, delete it and create a new one. ## Connect LND to Clams **1. Set your profile's currency and cost basis method.** Clams needs both before it can sync. Pick your own fiat currency, and FIFO, LIFO, HIFO, LOFO or AVG_COST as the method: ```bash clams profiles set --fiat-currency USD --gains-algorithm FIFO ``` **2. Set up a Bitcoin chain source.** Clams reads on-chain data through a chain source, set up once per profile. If you've used Clams before, you likely have one (`clams chain-sources list` to check). Otherwise add one and select it, using [Blockstream's](https://blockstream.info) public server or your own node: ```bash clams chain-sources create --label bitcoin --kind Electrum --url ssl://electrum.blockstream.info:50002 --select ``` **3. Create the LND connection,** pasting your pairing phrase in place of `YOUR_PAIRING_PHRASE`. Keep the command on one line: ```bash clams connections create --label lnd --kind Lnd --configuration '{"transport":"lnc","config":{"pairing_phrase":"YOUR_PAIRING_PHRASE"}}' ``` **4. Sync your node's history** and process it into journal entries: ```bash clams connections sync lnd clams journals process ``` The first sync imports your full history, so it can take a while on a busy routing node. Re-run both commands anytime to pull in new activity. ## What Read Only Allows A **Read Only** session lets Clams see balances, channels, payments and forwards, but it cannot open channels, make payments or move funds. Your keys never leave your node. LNC traffic passes through a relay run by Lightning Labs, but it is end-to-end encrypted between your node and Clams, so the relay cannot read it. You can revoke the session at any time with the red **X** next to it in Lightning Terminal. Clams can no longer sync that connection after that. ## Tips - **Keep your node online when you sync.** Clams reads from your node at sync time, so Lightning Terminal and LND need to be running when you run `clams connections sync`. - **Multiple nodes:** create a separate session and connection for each node, with descriptive labels (for example `lnd-routing` and `lnd-merchant`), then sync them all with `clams connections sync --all`. ## Next Steps **Generate a capital gains report:** ```bash clams reports capital-gains --format csv ``` **Check your node's profitability** with the [Lightning node profitability report](/blog/release-v1-1-0/#lightning-node-profitability-report). It shows routing income, liquidity and on-chain fees, net result and annualized yield for the connection. Add `--channels` for a per-channel breakdown: ```bash clams reports lightning-pnl --connection lnd ``` For an overview of what Clams tracks for LND, see the [LND integration page](/integrations/lnd/). ## Get Help For help connecting your node: - Join our [Discord community](https://discord.gg/eWfHuJZVaB) for quick assistance - Email us directly: support@clams.tech **Common issues:** - **Sync can't connect:** Make sure LND and Lightning Terminal are both running, and that you used the phrase within 10 minutes of creating the session - **Session shows Admin:** Delete it and create a new one with Permissions set to **Read Only** - **Command errors in the terminal:** Check the whole command is on one line, with the single quotes around the JSON intact --- **About LND:** LND is a widely used Lightning Network implementation, developed by [Lightning Labs](https://lightning.engineering/). Lightning Terminal is its companion dashboard for liquidity management and Lightning Node Connect. **About Clams:** [Clams](/) is purpose-built Bitcoin accounting software that provides accurate cost basis tracking and exports reports like capital gains for individuals, businesses and enterprises.