'\" t
.\"     Title: lightning-close
.\"    Author: [see the "AUTHOR" section]
.\" Generator: DocBook XSL Stylesheets v1.79.1 <http://docbook.sf.net/>
.\"      Date: 04/15/2018
.\"    Manual: \ \&
.\"    Source: \ \&
.\"  Language: English
.\"
.TH "LIGHTNING\-CLOSE" "7" "04/15/2018" "\ \&" "\ \&"
.\" -----------------------------------------------------------------
.\" * Define some portability stuff
.\" -----------------------------------------------------------------
.\" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
.\" http://bugs.debian.org/507673
.\" http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/groff/2009-02/msg00013.html
.\" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
.ie \n(.g .ds Aq \(aq
.el       .ds Aq '
.\" -----------------------------------------------------------------
.\" * set default formatting
.\" -----------------------------------------------------------------
.\" disable hyphenation
.nh
.\" disable justification (adjust text to left margin only)
.ad l
.\" -----------------------------------------------------------------
.\" * MAIN CONTENT STARTS HERE *
.\" -----------------------------------------------------------------
.SH "NAME"
lightning-close \- Command for closing channels with direct peers
.SH "SYNOPSIS"
.sp
\fBclose\fR \fIid\fR [\fIforce\fR] [\fItimeout\fR]
.SH "DESCRIPTION"
.sp
The \fBclose\fR RPC command attempts to close the channel cooperatively with the peer\&. It applies to the active channel of the direct peer corresponding to the given peer \fIid\fR\&.
.sp
The \fBclose\fR command will time out and return with an error when the number of seconds specified in \fItimeout\fR is reached\&. If unspecified, it times out in 30 seconds\&.
.sp
The \fIforce\fR argument, if the JSON value \fItrue\fR, will cause the channel to be unilaterally closed when the timeout is reached\&. If so, timeout will not cause an error, but instead cause the channel to be failed and put onchain unilaterally\&. Unilateral closes will lead to your funds getting locked according to the \fIto_self_delay\fR parameter of the peer\&.
.sp
Normally the peer needs to be live and connected in order to negotiate a mutual close\&. Forcing a unilateral close can be used if you suspect you can no longer contact the peer\&.
.SH "RETURN VALUE"
.sp
On success, an object with fields \fItx\fR and \fItxid\fR containing the closing transaction are returned\&. It will also have a field \fItype\fR which is either the JSON string \fImutual\fR or the JSON string \fIunilateral\fR\&. A \fImutual\fR close means that we could negotiate a close with the peer, while a \fIunilateral\fR close means that the \fIforce\fR flag was set and we had to close the channel without waiting for the counterparty\&.
.sp
A unilateral close may still occur with \fIforce\fR set to \fIfalse\fR if the peer did not behave correctly during the close negotiation\&.
.sp
Unilateral closes will return your funds after a delay\&. The delay will vary based on the peer \fIto_self_delay\fR setting, not your own setting\&.
.sp
On failure, if \fBclose\fR failed due to timing out with \fIforce\fR argument \fIfalse\fR, the channel will still eventually close once we have contacted the peer\&.
.SH "AUTHOR"
.sp
ZmnSCPxj <ZmnSCPxj@protonmail\&.com> is mainly responsible\&.
.SH "SEE ALSO"
.SH "RESOURCES"
.sp
Main web site: https://github\&.com/ElementsProject/lightning