img width: 750px; iframe.movie width: 750px; height: 450px; Kaia wallet extension setup and usage guide
Kaia wallet extension setup and usage guide
First, ensure your browser supports Chromium-based platforms (Chrome, Brave, or Edge version 89+). Navigate to the official store for your browser and search for „Token Vault Companion“ by its creator, Ground X. Click „Add to [Browser Name]“ and confirm the permission request that lists „Read and change your data on a limited set of sites.“ After installation, pin the Companion icon to your toolbar for quick access.
Upon clicking the icon, you will see a single button: „Create a fresh Vault.“ Click it. Write down the twelve-word recovery phrase displayed on screen–this sequence is your sole backup for all stored assets. Store this phrase offline, away from any device connected to the internet, and never share it. Confirm a random word from the phrase to finalize creation. You are now authenticated within the ecosystem without any email or password.
To receive assets, click „Receive“ inside the Vault. Copy your public address (a string of 42 alphanumeric characters starting with „0x“) or scan the QR code generated. Test the address by sending a very small amount (e.g., 0.01 KLAY) from an external exchange before moving larger sums. For sending, click „Send,“ paste the recipient’s public address, input the quantity, and review the gas fee estimate. The Transaction Confirmation screen will show the total cost, including the fee; approve only if the details match your intent.
When interacting with decentralized applications (dApps), click „Connect“ on the dApp’s interface. A permission prompt will appear in the Companion–select the account you wish to link. Each dApp transaction requires a distinct approval in the Companion: review the contract address, function name, and the amount being transferred. Reject any request that does not match your expected action. Use this same process to sign data messages for logging into platforms without sharing your private key.
Kaia Wallet Extension Setup and Usage Guide
Download the official browser plugin only from the project’s GitHub releases page or the Chrome Web Store listing verified by the development team, avoiding third-party mirrors. After installation, click the plugin icon in your toolbar, select „Create a new vault,“ and write down the 12-word recovery seed on paper (never store it digitally or photograph it). Set a strong password (minimum 12 characters, mixed case, numbers, and symbols) to encrypt the local data on your machine. For testnet interaction, switch the network dropdown to „Goerli“ or a custom RPC using a URL like `https://rpc.ankr.com/eth_goerli` and add a block explorer `https://goerli.etherscan.io`.
To send assets, open the app, click „Send,“ paste the recipient’s public address (0x-prefixed hexadecimal string, 42 characters total), enter the amount in the native token (ETH decimals are 18), adjust the gas limit to 21000 for simple transfers or 45000 for contract interactions, and set the priority fee to 1.5 gwei for near-instant confirmation on a non-congested chain. For connecting to a dApp, click the plugin icon while on the site, approve the connection request, and sign transactions by verifying the hex data payload (e.g., `0x095ea7b300000000…`) against the contract’s ABI before hitting „Confirm.“ Always revoke unused connections via the „Connected Sites“ menu in the settings panel to prevent unauthorized access.
Downloading and Installing the Kaia Wallet Extension from the Chrome Web Store
Navigate directly to the official Chrome Web Store listing for this tool by using the specific URL provided on the project’s official documentation page, never via a search engine result to avoid phishing clones. Before clicking „Add to Chrome,“ verify the publisher is the verified developer „Kaia Team“ and confirm the extension has at least 50,000 active users alongside a recent update date within the last 30 days. After installation, immediately pin the tool to your toolbar by clicking the puzzle piece icon in Chrome's top-right corner, then the pin icon next to the newly added icon. Open the tool, proceed through the 5-step onboarding flow, and generate your recovery seed phrase physically writing it on a fireproof paper sheet stored in a safety deposit box–never digitally screenshotting or typing it. Discard any browser prompts offering to save this phrase to your Google account.
Verification Check Acceptable Value
Published by Kaia Team (verified checkmark)
User count ≥ 50,000+
Last updated Within 30 days
Permissions requested Only „storage“ and „notifications“ (no „clipboardRead“ or „history“)
After confirming these checks, execute the final installation step by clicking the „Add to Chrome“ button, then approving the minimal permission requests for storage and notifications only. The extension icon will appear grayed out initially–open the popup by clicking it, accept the terms of service (read the 3 clauses on data handling), and select „Create a new keyring.“ The system will present a 24-word mnemonic seed; validate your backup by restoring it immediately in a separate browser profile on a different device to confirm the derived address matches. Proceed to set a 12-character minimum password containing one uppercase letter, one number, and one special symbol; avoid using birthdays, pet names, or any word from the recovery phrase itself. Failure to pass the seed confirmation step will lock you out of the tool–reinstall and repeat the process from scratch rather than attempting to bypass.
Creating a New Wallet: Generating a Seed Phrase and Setting a Master Password
Initiate the creation process only on a secure, offline-capable device. The interface will first present 12 or 24 randomly generated words–this is your recovery seed. Write these terms exclusively on paper using a pen; never store them digitally via screenshots, cloud services, or text files. Any digital copy is a direct vulnerability. The system will then verify your retention by asking you to select three to five specific words from the list in sequence. Complete this verification step without error to proceed. After confirmation, define a master password of at least 12 mixed-case characters, numbers, and symbols. This password alone controls local access; losing it forces a full recovery using the paper seed.
Always prioritize physical security for the written seed. Use fireproof and waterproof storage, such as a steel capsule or laminated card, and store it in a location distinct from your main computing equipment. For the master password, leverage a password manager to generate and store a high-entropy string, as human-recallable phrases are often too weak. Test your password by entering it twice; a mismatch will require starting the entire procedure from the beginning. Do not reuse this password on any other platform.
Importing an Existing Wallet Using a Private Key or Mnemonic Phrase
Use only the private key or mnemonic phrase you generated offline or from a hardware device. Importing through a browser plugin creates a local copy; your original encrypted file or hardware device remains unaffected and can still be used independently.
Private key import: Paste a 64-character hexadecimal string (0x-prefix optional) or a raw 256-bit number. The validator checks length and checksum–select your crypto address from the dropdown list if multiple accounts are derived. A mismatched chain ID will show an error; switch your network in the top bar to match the original chain before proceeding. Mnemonic phrase import: Enter your 12, 18, or 24 words in the correct order and case. The BIP-39 standard enforces lowercase and specific whitespace. Misspelling one word produces a different seed; verify the derived address on the verification screen. The tool defaults to BIP-44 derivation path m/44'/60'/0'/0/0 for EVM chains–if your original setup used a custom path (e.g., m/44'/60'/0'/0/1), you can specify it manually in the advanced options panel.
After pasting the mnemonic, the interface generates the first five addresses. Check each one against your known public address. Click the correct entry, then confirm. This step prevents accidental replacement of your active browser session with a different derivation index.
Security check: Do not paste private keys or mnemonics into chat applications, email drafts, or online notepads. The browser plugin runs locally, but any clipboard reader malware can intercept the data. After import, clear your clipboard by copying a random string. Network mismatch handling: If the imported key was used on a testnet (e.g., Baobab), but your plugin is set to the main chain, the balance shows zero. Manually add the testnet RPC URL (e.g., https://public-en-baobab.klaytn.net) in the network settings before importing to see correct token holdings.
Once imported, rename the account in the settings panel (e.g., „Legacy hardware device“ or „Hot backup“). This label persists across browser sessions and helps distinguish multiple imports. The private key remains encrypted on disk using your screen lock password; you can export it again only by unlocking the plugin.
Test the import by sending a tiny amount (0.0001 native token) to a separate address you control. Confirm the transaction appears on a block explorer. If the transaction hash is missing or the balance does not decrease, re-check the derivation path or network ID–these two parameters cause 90% of import failures.
Q&A:
I just installed the Kaia wallet extension on Chrome, but I don't see any option to create a new wallet with a seed phrase. There is only a „Connect Hardware Wallet“ button. What am I missing?
You are likely seeing the initial screen before the wallet has been fully initialized. After you Install Kaia wallet on Chrome the extension from the Chrome Web Store, a welcome page should appear. On this page, you need to select the option labeled „Create New Wallet“ if this is your first time. If you only see „Connect Hardware Wallet,“ it usually means the extension has detected a previous installation or a corrupted cache. The simplest fix is to remove the Kaia Wallet extension completely from Chrome (go to chrome:extensions, find it, and click „Remove“). After that, restart your browser and reinstall the extension from the store. You should then see the standard options: „Create New Wallet,“ „Import Wallet,“ and „Connect Hardware Wallet.“ If you still only see the hardware option, check if you have a hardware wallet (like Ledger or Trezor) plugged in via USB, as some versions of the app auto-detect the device and skip the normal setup screen. I followed the setup and have my seed phrase written down on paper. However, when I try to send some KAIA tokens to an exchange, the transaction fails with an „Insufficient funds“ error, even though my balance shows enough tokens. What causes this? This is a standard issue on the Kaia (previously Klaytn) network related to gas fees. The error occurs because your KAIA balance must cover both the token amount you are sending *plus* the network transaction fee (gas). While you have enough KAIA for the transfer amount, you do not have enough leftover KAIA to pay the gas fee. For example, if you have 100 KAIA and try to send 99.9 KAIA, you might fail if the gas fee is 0.1 KAIA, because 99.9 + 0.1 = 100, leaving zero balance, which the network rejects. The wallet needs a small buffer. The specific solution is to reduce the amount you are sending by a small margin, typically 0.5 to 1 KAIA, to ensure there is enough KLAY left in your account to cover the gas cost for that specific transaction. You can check the „Advanced“ tab in the send screen to see the estimate gas fee before confirming the transaction.