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Check or change the SPV helper

The SPV helper is the read-only lookup service Bob uses in SPV mode for name state, transactions, and coins. It is not the SPV versus full-node switch.

Use Bob LearnHNS, not original Bob 2.1.0

Original Bob Wallet 2.1.0 (the 2024 Kyokan build) hard-codes the retired helper at https://api.handshakeapi.com/hsd. That service is no longer online, and original Bob has no setting to change it. That is why names can still appear in a list while TLD details, records, and edits stay empty after a resync.

The helper URL can be viewed and changed only in Bob LearnHNS 2.3.0 or newer. Most people should run LearnHNS alone. You do not need original Bob running beside it.

Where the helper is configured

  1. Fully quit original Bob if it is still running. Closing a window is not enough; quit from the menu or the system tray / Dock.
  2. Open the app named Bob LearnHNS, not Bob.
  3. Confirm the sidebar version is 2.3.9 or newer.
  4. Go to Settings → Network & Connection.
  5. Find the SPV Helper API card. It is below the SPV Node enable/disable switch.
  6. Confirm Active Helper is https://spv.learnhns.com/hsd.

If the URL is different and you did not set a custom helper on purpose, click Reset Default, then restart Bob LearnHNS.

The SPV switch is not the helper

Settings also has an SPV Node toggle. That only chooses lightweight SPV mode versus a local full node. Original Bob 2.1.0 shows that toggle and nothing else. The helper URL lives in a separate SPV Helper API card that original Bob never shipped.

New LearnHNS installs already default to the LearnHNS helper and migrate the retired HandshakeAPI default automatically. You only need to paste a URL if you operate your own compatible helper.

If Bob LearnHNS fails to load

Production Bob LearnHNS uses the same local HSD ports as original Bob. If original Bob is still running, LearnHNS often fails at startup with a list of bind or “port already in use” errors.

  1. Quit original Bob completely, then open Bob LearnHNS again.
  2. If LearnHNS still will not start, send the exact error text, operating system, and installer filename. Do not reset, delete, or migrate the data folder to fix a launch error.
  3. Once LearnHNS opens, it uses a separate app-data folder. If it looks empty, restore with your seed phrase (or optionally copy the original Bob folder — see the migrate guide) rather than creating a second wallet.