Connecting Your Wallet

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Overview

GenLayer Points uses your Ethereum wallet as your identity. This guide covers everything you need to know about connecting, managing, and troubleshooting your wallet connection.

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Supported Wallets

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Primary Support

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Alternative Wallets

Any wallet that:

• Injects window.ethereum provider
• Supports EIP-1193 (Ethereum Provider API)
• Can sign messages (EIP-191)

Examples: Coinbase Wallet, Brave Wallet, Trust Wallet

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Installation

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First-Time Connection

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Connection States

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Not Connected

• Button shows “Connect Wallet”
• No user profile accessible
• Limited to public pages only

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Connecting

• Loading spinner appears
• Button disabled during connection
• MetaMask prompts may be open

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Connected

• Button shows your display name or shortened address
• Dropdown arrow indicates menu available
• Full access to all features

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Managing Your Connection

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Account Dropdown Menu

Click your name/address to access:

View Public Profile

Navigate to your public-facing participant profile at /participant/[your-address]

Edit Profile

Access the profile editor at /profile to update:

• Display name and bio
• Contact information
• Social links
• Validator node settings

Disconnect

Logs you out by:

• Clearing your session on the backend
• Removing session cookies
• Resetting authentication state
• Clearing user data from local storage

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Automatic Session Management

• No need to re-sign messages
• Session persists across browser tabs
• Survives page refreshes
• Expires after extended inactivity (~24 hours)

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Account Switching

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In MetaMask

When you switch accounts in MetaMask:

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Multiple Accounts

You can have multiple accounts in MetaMask:

• Each account has separate contribution history
• Each requires independent authentication
• Switch accounts freely via MetaMask
• Consider which account you want to use for the Testnet Program

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Network Switching

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Changing Networks in MetaMask

This ensures:

• Consistent application state
• No stale blockchain data
• Proper network configuration
• Clean reconnection process

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Required Network

For blockchain interactions (validator operations):

• GenLayer Testnet (Chain ID: 4221)
• RPC URL: Available in validator documentation

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Connection Persistence

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Same Device

• Close and reopen browser - still connected
• Computer restart - still connected (if MetaMask is unlocked)
• Page refresh - no re-authentication needed

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Multiple Devices

• Each device maintains independent sessions
• Can be logged in on multiple devices simultaneously
• No limit on concurrent sessions
• Logging out on one device doesn’t affect others

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Session Expiration

Sessions expire when:

• You manually disconnect
• Extended period of inactivity (~24 hours)
• MetaMask is locked and you refresh the page
• Browser cookies are cleared

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Wallet Security

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What GenLayer Points CAN Access

✅ Your public Ethereum address
✅ Ability to request message signatures
✅ Current account selection

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What GenLayer Points CANNOT Access

❌ Your private keys
❌ Your seed phrase
❌ Ability to send transactions without your approval
❌ Wallet balance (unless you explicitly share)
❌ Access to other accounts

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Best Practices

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Troubleshooting

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”MetaMask is not installed”

Solution: Install MetaMask from metamask.io/download

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”No wallet detected”

Possible causes:

• MetaMask not installed
• Browser extension disabled
• Using unsupported browser (mobile Safari, etc.)

Solution:

1. Verify MetaMask is installed and enabled
2. Check browser extension settings
3. Try in Chrome/Firefox if using another browser

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”Connection rejected” or “User rejected”

Cause: You clicked “Cancel” or “Reject” in MetaMask Solution: Click “Connect Wallet” again and approve the request

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”Signature verification failed”

Possible causes:

• Wrong account selected
• Signature cancelled
• Network connectivity issues
• Nonce expired (took too long to sign)

Solution:

1. Try connecting again
2. Check you selected the correct account
3. Approve the signature promptly (within 5 minutes)

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“Please unlock your wallet”

Cause: MetaMask is locked (password required) Solution:

1. Click the MetaMask extension icon
2. Enter your password
3. Try connecting again

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MetaMask Popup Blocked

Cause: Browser blocked the MetaMask popup window Solution:

1. Look for popup blocker icon in address bar
2. Allow popups for this site
3. Try connecting again

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Wrong Account Connected

Solution:

1. Open MetaMask extension
2. Click the account icon (top-right)
3. Select the correct account
4. GenLayer Points will detect the change and prompt re-authentication

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Session Lost After Browser Restart

Possible causes:

• Browser set to clear cookies on exit
• Incognito/private browsing mode
• “Clear data on exit” enabled

Solution:

1. Disable cookie clearing in browser settings
2. Use normal browsing mode (not private/incognito)
3. Reconnect wallet after browser restart

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Multiple MetaMask Extensions

Cause: Multiple wallet extensions installed causing conflicts Solution:

1. Disable all wallet extensions except one
2. Refresh the page
3. Try connecting again

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Mobile Wallet Support

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MetaMask Mobile App

To use GenLayer Points on mobile:

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Limitations

• Some features may not work optimally on mobile
• Image cropping may be difficult on small screens
• Recommend using desktop for profile setup and contribution submissions

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Advanced: WalletConnect

Potential benefits:

• Mobile wallet support
• Hardware wallet integration
• Multi-wallet support
• QR code connection

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Next Steps