🔒 Why Tails OS?
Tails OS is a security-focused Linux distribution that runs entirely from USB, routes all traffic through Tor, and leaves no trace on the host computer. It’s the perfect operating system for self-sovereign individuals who want to:
- 🧅 Use the internet anonymously
- 🧾 Manage cryptocurrency wallets without surveillance
- 📦 Trade peer-to-peer without KYC
- 💾 Retain wallet data using encrypted persistent storage
This guide collects everything you need to run privacy tools — including Monero wallets, decentralized exchanges, and hardware wallets — all from within Tails OS.
💰 1. Installing Cake Wallet on Tails OS
Cake Wallet is a user-friendly Monero wallet that supports desktop AppImage builds, meaning you can run it from your persistent volume without installation. Our guide walks you through:
- Storing Cake Wallet on persistent storage
- Launching it on Tails with one command
- Saving wallet files securely across reboots
🍰 How to Install Cake Wallet on Tails OS
Bonus: We also show you how to sync Cake Wallet over Tor using public .onion Monero nodes:
🌐 Fix Cake Wallet Sync: Use Tor Nodes
🪙 2. Accessing Ledger Nano Wallets with Cake Wallet
If you use a Ledger Nano S/X to secure your Monero, Cake Wallet can connect to it directly via USB — no Ledger Live required. This post shows you how to:
- Connect Ledger to Tails
- Open the Monero app on-device
- Use Cake Wallet to manage funds without exposing your seed
🔐 Access Ledger Nano Wallets Using Cake Wallet on Tails OS
🚫 3. Can You Use a Ledger Seed in Cake, Feather, or Sparrow?
We explain why you shouldn’t use your Ledger seed phrase directly in hot wallets like Cake Wallet, Feather Wallet, or Sparrow:
- Breaks hardware-level isolation
- Won’t generate the correct addresses
- Can lead to loss of funds if misused
🧠 Can You Use a Ledger Seed in Cake Wallet, Feather, or Sparrow?
⚖️ 4. Installing Bisq on Tails OS via .deb
Bisq is a decentralized Bitcoin exchange that works entirely over Tor — no KYC, no sign-up. We show you how to:
- Download the .deb build on Tails
- Run it using temporary package installs
- Configure Bisq to store wallet and trade history in persistent storage
⚖️ Install Bisq via .deb on Tails OS
🧅 5. Running Retoswap (Haveno) on Tails OS
Retoswap (formerly Haveno) is a privacy-focused Monero DEX built for Tor and I2P. We explain how to:
- Use the portable AppImage build
- Store it and its config files persistently
- Launch with a single script each boot
💻 How to Install Retoswap on Tails OS
🔄 6. How to Upgrade Tails OS While Keeping Persistence
Worried about losing your wallets and settings during a Tails upgrade? We’ve got a clean USB-to-USB clone method that updates Tails OS (e.g. from 6 to 7) while preserving encrypted persistent storage.
📦 Manual Upgrade from Tails OS 6 to 7 Without Losing Persistent Storage
🧠 Terms Explained
- Persistent Storage: An encrypted volume that lives on your Tails USB, used to save wallets, keys, and settings across reboots.
- AppImage: A self-contained Linux executable — ideal for Tails where you can’t permanently install software.
- .onion Node: A Monero full node accessible over Tor, required for Cake Wallet or Retoswap to sync anonymously.
- Monero (XMR): A privacy-by-default cryptocurrency with stealth addresses, ring signatures, and no blockchain analysis traceability.
- Tor: A network for anonymous internet use. All Tails OS traffic is routed through it automatically.
- Ledger: A hardware wallet device that isolates private keys from the host machine.
🛡️ Why This Matters: Self-Sovereignty and Privacy
If you want real control over your money and identity, you need tools that don’t rely on banks, exchanges, or cloud platforms. That’s where Tails OS shines — it gives you a live, encrypted, private environment that pairs perfectly with decentralized financial tools.
- 💳 No KYC. No surveillance. No lockouts.
- 🗂️ Wallets you can back up, restore, and run anywhere.
- 📡 Tor access to Monero and Bitcoin without revealing IPs or metadata.
This guide gives you everything you need to live off the grid — digitally.
📌 Final Thoughts
If you’ve been curious about building a truly private financial toolkit — no surveillance, no gatekeepers — these guides are for you. Tails OS gives you the sandbox, and tools like Cake, Bisq, and Retoswap are your instruments of freedom.
Start small. Try Cake Wallet or Bisq. Set up persistence. Then level up.
💬 Questions or improvements? Ping me on Nostr or drop a reply on Citizen Erased.
