<p>No, taproot outputs contain a public key. Every public key has a corresponding private key.</p>
<p>If a taproot output doesn't contain a valid public key, it can't be spent at all (neither key path or script path).</p>

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2022-05-02T02:40:10.143Z
2022-05-02T02:40:10.143Z
Pieter Wuille
<p>I'm wondering if there's any valid public key that is known to not have a corresponding private key that can be used as the primary taproot key. The goal would be to ensure that the address can't be spent by any other means other than by a MAST spend path, even if QC was able to crack public keys.</p>
<p>I assume based on <a href="https://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/questions/35842/is-it-actually-possible-to-create-a-verifiably-unspendable-address">this question</a> that this isn't known how to do, but I figured i'd ask from a different angle.</p>

<taproot><quantum-computing>
Is it possible to create a taproot address that a quantum computer can't spend via the keyspend path?
B T
# Is it possible to create a taproot address that a quantum computer can't spend via the keyspend path?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2022-05-01)

I'm wondering if there's any valid public key that is known to not have a corresponding private key that can be used as the primary taproot key. The goal would be to ensure that the address can't be spent by any other means other than by a MAST spend path, even if QC was able to crack public keys.

I assume based on [this question](https://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/questions/35842/is-it-actually-possible-to-create-a-verifiably-unspendable-address) that this isn't known how to do, but I figured i'd ask from a different angle.

**Tags:** taproot, quantum-computing


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2022-05-02. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

No, taproot outputs contain a public key. Every public key has a corresponding private key.

If a taproot output doesn't contain a valid public key, it can't be spent at all (neither key path or script path).


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