diff --git a/autopilot/interface.go b/autopilot/interface.go
index 1886929af..34ef75978 100644
--- a/autopilot/interface.go
+++ b/autopilot/interface.go
@@ -9,6 +9,11 @@ import (
 	"github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/lnwire"
 )
 
+// DefaultConfTarget is the default confirmation target for autopilot channels.
+// TODO(halseth): possibly make dynamic, going aggressive->lax as more channels
+// are opened.
+const DefaultConfTarget = 3
+
 // Node node is an interface which represents n abstract vertex within the
 // channel graph. All nodes should have at least a single edge to/from them
 // within the graph.
diff --git a/config.go b/config.go
index 27a599884..a65123be8 100644
--- a/config.go
+++ b/config.go
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/btcsuite/btcutil"
 	flags "github.com/jessevdk/go-flags"
+	"github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/autopilot"
 	"github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/build"
 	"github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/chanbackup"
 	"github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/channeldb"
@@ -209,6 +210,7 @@ type autoPilotConfig struct {
 	MaxChannelSize int64              `long:"maxchansize" description:"The largest channel that the autopilot agent should create"`
 	Private        bool               `long:"private" description:"Whether the channels created by the autopilot agent should be private or not. Private channels won't be announced to the network."`
 	MinConfs       int32              `long:"minconfs" description:"The minimum number of confirmations each of your inputs in funding transactions created by the autopilot agent must have."`
+	ConfTarget     uint32             `long:"conftarget" description:"The confirmation target (in blocks) for channels opened by autopilot."`
 }
 
 type torConfig struct {
@@ -389,6 +391,7 @@ func loadConfig() (*config, error) {
 			Allocation:     0.6,
 			MinChannelSize: int64(minChanFundingSize),
 			MaxChannelSize: int64(MaxFundingAmount),
+			ConfTarget:     autopilot.DefaultConfTarget,
 			Heuristic: map[string]float64{
 				"preferential": 1.0,
 			},
@@ -559,6 +562,12 @@ func loadConfig() (*config, error) {
 		fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr, err)
 		return nil, err
 	}
+	if cfg.Autopilot.ConfTarget < 1 {
+		str := "%s: autopilot.conftarget must be positive"
+		err := fmt.Errorf(str, funcName)
+		fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr, err)
+		return nil, err
+	}
 
 	// Ensure that the specified values for the min and max channel size
 	// don't are within the bounds of the normal chan size constraints.
diff --git a/pilot.go b/pilot.go
index b8f3831ad..5748cf974 100644
--- a/pilot.go
+++ b/pilot.go
@@ -71,9 +71,10 @@ func validateAtplCfg(cfg *autoPilotConfig) ([]*autopilot.WeightedHeuristic,
 // chanController is an implementation of the autopilot.ChannelController
 // interface that's backed by a running lnd instance.
 type chanController struct {
-	server   *server
-	private  bool
-	minConfs int32
+	server     *server
+	private    bool
+	minConfs   int32
+	confTarget uint32
 }
 
 // OpenChannel opens a channel to a target peer, with a capacity of the
@@ -84,7 +85,9 @@ func (c *chanController) OpenChannel(target *btcec.PublicKey,
 
 	// With the connection established, we'll now establish our connection
 	// to the target peer, waiting for the first update before we exit.
-	feePerKw, err := c.server.cc.feeEstimator.EstimateFeePerKW(3)
+	feePerKw, err := c.server.cc.feeEstimator.EstimateFeePerKW(
+		c.confTarget,
+	)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
@@ -167,9 +170,10 @@ func initAutoPilot(svr *server, cfg *autoPilotConfig) (*autopilot.ManagerCfg, er
 		Self:      self,
 		Heuristic: weightedAttachment,
 		ChanController: &chanController{
-			server:   svr,
-			private:  cfg.Private,
-			minConfs: cfg.MinConfs,
+			server:     svr,
+			private:    cfg.Private,
+			minConfs:   cfg.MinConfs,
+			confTarget: cfg.ConfTarget,
 		},
 		WalletBalance: func() (btcutil.Amount, error) {
 			return svr.cc.wallet.ConfirmedBalance(cfg.MinConfs)