Guides for getting started

What is a crypto wallet?

A crypto wallet holds the keys that prove you control addresses on a blockchain. It does not “store coins” the way a bank app stores a balance in a company database — the network tracks balances; your wallet signs transactions.

Smart Wallet is a browser extension wallet: it runs in Chrome, keeps software keys encrypted on your device, and can also work with Ledger hardware for Solana and EVM.

How to install Smart Wallet

1. Open the official Chrome Web Store listing.
2. Click Add to Chrome and confirm.
3. Pin the extension from Chrome’s puzzle menu.
4. Open Smart Wallet and follow onboarding.

Step-by-step detail lives on the Download / install page.

How to create or import

Create: Smart Wallet generates a new recovery phrase. Write it down offline (paper or metal), store it safely, and never type it into a website or chat. Anyone with that phrase can move your funds.

Import: Enter an existing recovery phrase or private key only inside the official extension UI — never into a form on a random site claiming to “validate” your wallet.

You can also connect Ledger for Solana and EVM so signing stays on the device.

How to connect Ledger and link EVM

1. Connect your Ledger to your computer with USB, unlock it, and close Ledger Live. Bluetooth is not supported in the desktop extension.
2. Open the Solana app on your Ledger. In Smart Wallet, open Accounts in the full wallet window and choose a Derivation # (0 is the first Ledger account).
3. Click Connect Ledger and allow the device in Chrome's chooser. Select the connected Ledger account in Smart Wallet.
4. To use EVM chains with that account, open the Ethereum app on your Ledger and click Link EVM. This links EVM to the selected Ledger account; it does not create a new account.

Keep the same derivation number when reconnecting the same account. Ledger support for Bitcoin and Sui is not available yet.

How to enable messaging on a Ledger account

1. Select your connected Ledger account, then open Settings > Inbox > Ledger messaging devices in the full wallet window.
2. Click Enable Ledger, allow the USB device if Chrome asks, and review the off-chain authorization on your Ledger. Approve it on the device to enable messaging for this account on this browser.

Smart Wallet creates a separate non-exportable key on this device and authorizes it for messaging. It signs mail actions without asking your Ledger to approve every message. You can revoke this device's messaging authorization from the same settings section.

This key is not your Ledger seed phrase or transaction private key. The authorization is not a blockchain transaction: it uses no gas, cannot move funds, and does not reveal your Ledger keys.

How to connect to a dApp

On a site that supports wallets, choose Smart Wallet (or WalletConnect when offered). Approve the connection request in the extension after checking the site URL.

Smart Wallet speaks Solana Wallet Standard, EIP-1193, and WalletConnect. Connecting a site is not the same as approving a spend — still review every signature request.

How to set up a Helius Solana RPC endpoint

This guide is for Solana only. You will set up a Solana mainnet HTTP RPC endpoint from Helius. An RPC endpoint is simply the server address (a normal https:// link) that a wallet uses to read the blockchain and send transactions.

What it is mainly used for: Smart Wallet already includes built-in public Solana endpoints. If you save your own, the wallet tries yours first for Solana requests, including the ones that load your SOL and token balances in Holdings. A personal endpoint can help Holdings load more reliably than shared public endpoints, which can be slow or limit how many requests they accept. If your endpoint ever fails, the wallet falls back to its built-in public ones. This setting is optional, and it does not change anything on other networks.

You only need a link to paste into the wallet. You do not need to write code or follow Helius's developer API guides.

1. Go to the Helius dashboard: dashboard.helius.dev.
2. Create an account with Continue with Google or Continue with email. With email, choose a password of at least 10 characters, then open the verification link Helius sends you. The sign-up page shows 1M free credits for new accounts.
3. Signed in, look in the left sidebar for API Keys (Helius's documentation points to this section for your key). If you have no key yet, click Create New API Key, give it a name such as Smart Wallet, and copy it right away - Helius's docs warn a new key may not be shown again once you leave the page. Helius also lists endpoint links in an RPCs section of the dashboard. Menu names can change, so if you do not see these names, look for the page that shows your key or endpoint links.
4. Get the Solana mainnet HTTPS link. It looks like https://mainnet.helius-rpc.com/?api-key=YOUR_KEY, where YOUR_KEY is your key. If the dashboard only shows the key, type https://mainnet.helius-rpc.com/?api-key= and put your key straight after it. Use mainnet, not devnet (devnet is for testing). Do not use a wss:// link.
5. In Smart Wallet, open Accounts in the full wallet window and expand Advanced - RPC.
6. Find the row labeled Solana, paste the full https:// link into its box, and click Save. The wallet checks the endpoint first, then confirms it was saved. If Solana is not your active network, switch to it so the new endpoint is used.
7. Open Home with a Solana account selected to confirm your balances and tokens load in Holdings.

To go back to the built-in endpoints, click Clear on the Solana row in the same place.

Keep the link private. The link contains your personal API key (the part after api-key=). Do not post it, screenshot it, or paste it into chats or websites. Anyone who has it can use your Helius quota. If it leaks, create a new key in the Helius dashboard and delete the old one. This key is not your seed phrase - Helius never needs your seed phrase, and neither does anyone else.

Free plan limits. At the time of writing, Helius's free plan includes 1 million credits per month and 10 RPC requests per second. If you go over, requests can be slowed or rejected, and Smart Wallet will use its built-in public endpoints instead. Plans and limits are set by Helius, a third-party service, and can change - see Helius pricing for current numbers.

Common scams / never share your seed

• Fake support: Nobody legitimate needs your seed phrase, private key, or “sync phrase” over email, Telegram, or Discord.
• Airdrop / mint sites: Phishing pages mimic real apps and ask you to connect then sign a drain. Check the URL and read the confirm carefully.
• Fake extensions: Only install from the official Chrome Web Store listing linked from this site.
• Urgent pressure: Scammers create panic (“your wallet will be wiped”). Slow down and verify independently.

If you are unsure about a signature, deny it. Fail closed.

What non-custodial means

Non-custodial means you control the keys. Smart Wallet does not hold funds for you like an exchange account. Software keys stay encrypted on your device; Ledger keys stay on the Ledger.

That freedom comes with responsibility: protect your recovery phrase, keep backups offline, and understand that lost keys usually mean lost access — the team cannot “reset” a non-custodial wallet for you.