diff --git a/docs/developer/api.md b/docs/developer/api.md
index 614a5a1..e16b152 100644
--- a/docs/developer/api.md
+++ b/docs/developer/api.md
@@ -237,6 +237,10 @@ requires interactive input and output, preflights local Bitcoin Core before
 entropy or recovery input, and initializes a user-selected wallet after every
 share is confirmed. CLI creation does not accept Core Lightning profiles; CL
 generation and sharing remain API-only.
+Supplied Bitcoin seed bytes and existing Bitcoin secrets must form a valid
+BIP32 root before a creation ceremony selects entropy or emits recovery cards.
+Parsing a codex32 string remains a format check; Core Lightning has no BIP32
+root requirement.
 Without `--existing`, omitting the Bitcoin header creates an unshared master
 seed. With `--existing` and no sharing threshold, a supplied codex32 secret is
 emitted and confirmed unchanged, and the original validated artifact initializes
diff --git a/docs/security/model.md b/docs/security/model.md
index 8a07c3d..dd2da50 100644
--- a/docs/security/model.md
+++ b/docs/security/model.md
@@ -156,7 +156,12 @@ multiplication. The original ceremony result, not re-entered text, remains the
 source for automatic wallet setup.
 
 Sharing an existing secret generates and confirms *k−1* random initial shares
-before deriving the remaining shares. Recovery requires exactly the declared
+before deriving the remaining shares. Supplied Bitcoin seed bytes and existing
+Bitcoin secrets must form a valid BIP32 root. `CreationCeremony.from_secret`
+checks this before selecting an identifier or drawing entropy; a parsed
+`MasterSeed` alone establishes format validity, not this creation precondition.
+Core Lightning secrets have no BIP32-root requirement.
+Recovery requires exactly the declared
 threshold of compatible shares with distinct indices. Derivation requires a
 new share index not used by its inputs. Every output is reparsed before release.
 
diff --git a/src/codex32/generation.py b/src/codex32/generation.py
index a99d0ac..818918f 100644
--- a/src/codex32/generation.py
+++ b/src/codex32/generation.py
@@ -295,13 +295,12 @@ def from_secret(
         """Start a ceremony that shares an existing validated secret."""
         if not isinstance(secret, (MasterSeed, CoreLightningSecret)):
             raise TypeError("from_secret accepts only MasterSeed or CoreLightningSecret")
+        if isinstance(secret, MasterSeed) and not _valid_root(secret.seed_bytes):
+            raise CodexError("master seed does not form a valid BIP32 root")
         threshold = _threshold(threshold, allow_zero=False)
         random_identifier = identifier is None
         identifier = _random_identifier() if random_identifier else _identifier(identifier)
-        while (threshold, identifier) == (
-            secret.header.threshold,
-            secret.header.identifier,
-        ):
+        while (threshold, identifier) == (secret.header.threshold, secret.header.identifier):
             if not random_identifier:
                 raise HeaderCollision("new share set must use a different set header")
             identifier = _random_identifier()
diff --git a/tests/test_generation.py b/tests/test_generation.py
index 2ce8ab3..64870af 100644
--- a/tests/test_generation.py
+++ b/tests/test_generation.py
@@ -169,6 +169,23 @@ def test_supplied_seed_must_form_a_valid_bip32_root(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPa
         generate_master_seed(bytes(16), identifier="test")
 
 
+def test_existing_bitcoin_secret_requires_a_valid_root_before_any_entropy(
+    monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
+) -> None:
+    source = MasterSeed.from_seed(bytes(range(16)), identifier="test")
+    lightning = generate_core_lightning_secret(bytes(range(32)), identifier="test")
+    monkeypatch.setattr(generation_module, "_valid_root", lambda _seed: False)
+
+    def no_entropy(_length: int) -> bytes:
+        pytest.fail("invalid Bitcoin root reached entropy selection")
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(generation_module.secrets, "token_bytes", no_entropy)
+    with pytest.raises(CodexError, match="master seed does not form a valid BIP32 root"):
+        CreationCeremony.from_secret(source, threshold=2, indices="ac")
+    # BIP32 root validity does not apply to Core Lightning's HSM secret.
+    CreationCeremony.from_secret(lightning, threshold=2, indices="ac", identifier="name")
+
+
 def test_explicit_and_random_output_order_contracts() -> None:
     source = generate_master_seed(bytes(range(16)), identifier="test")
     _secret, shares = _complete(