Install your wallet and start trading on Ikiraro
This guide assumes you've never used a crypto wallet before. It takes about 10 minutes and you don't need any blockchain knowledge going in: we'll go click by click.
Step 1 — Install MetaMask
MetaMask is a wallet: an app that holds your cryptocurrencies and, at the same time, is the key you use to log into Ikiraro (no username or password).
Always go through the official source
Type metamask.io directly into your browser's address bar, or open your browser's official store (Chrome Web Store, Firefox Add-ons, Microsoft Edge Add-ons) or your app store (App Store, Google Play) and search for "MetaMask". Never go through a link from an ad, a message, or social media.
Check who publishes it
The developer should be listed as "MetaMask" (Consensys), with millions of downloads and reviews. If you see a similar-looking icon with an odd name or few reviews, it's not the real app.
Install it and pin it
If it's the browser extension, pin the fox icon to your toolbar so you can find it quickly. If it's the app, you'll see it like any other app on your phone.
Step 2 — Create your wallet
Open MetaMask for the first time and choose "Create a new wallet" (not "Import", that option is for when you already have a wallet from somewhere else).
Choose a password
This is the password for THIS device: MetaMask will ask for it every time you open it here. If you forget it, you can reinstall and recover everything with the phrase from the next step.
Write down your Secret Recovery Phrase
MetaMask shows you 12 words in a specific order. It's the only real copy of your wallet: whoever has them has your funds. Write them down by hand on paper (not on your phone, not a photo, not an email) and keep it somewhere safe.
Confirm the words
MetaMask asks you to re-enter them in the same order, to make sure you wrote them down correctly before continuing.
Step 3 — Pick the right network
A blockchain isn't a single network: there are several, each separate from the others (Ethereum, Polygon, etc.). Ikiraro runs on Polygon. Sending or receiving funds on the wrong network makes them disappear: there's no way to recover them.
MetaMask ships with Ethereum by default
That is NOT Ikiraro's network. You'll need to add/enable Polygon in addition to the one that comes preloaded.
Let Ikiraro add it for you
The first time you connect your wallet here (Step 5), if your MetaMask doesn't have Polygon set up, the site will show you a prompt to add it and switch automatically. Just accept it.
Double-check before every operation
MetaMask always shows the active network's name at the top. Before buying, selling, or sending funds, confirm it says Polygon.
Step 4 — Load funds into your wallet
Ikiraro is paid in USDT or USDC (stablecoins, always worth 1-to-1 with the dollar). On top of that, you'll need a small amount of POL, the native token of Polygon, used to pay the network fee ("gas") for every transaction -- without POL, no transaction can go through, even if you have plenty of USDT or USDC.
Buy crypto on an exchange
On a platform like Binance (there are others) you buy USDT or USDC with your local currency, a card, or a bank transfer -- same as you'd buy any other online financial product.
Withdraw to your MetaMask address
Copy your address from MetaMask (it starts with "0x...") and paste it into "Withdraw" on the exchange. The critical step: in the "Network" dropdown, pick Polygon -- not Ethereum (ERC-20) or anything else. Picking the wrong network is the most common cause of lost funds.
Get a bit of POL too
You buy and withdraw it the same way as USDT/USDC, on the same network. A small amount covers the gas for several operations on Ikiraro.
Step 5 — Connect your wallet to Ikiraro
Tap "Connect wallet"
You'll find it at the top right of any page on Ikiraro.
MetaMask opens on its own
You choose which account to share with Ikiraro and confirm. It will never ask for your recovery phrase for this.
You sign a message (not a transaction)
It's free and doesn't move any funds: it just proves the wallet is yours. That's how Ikiraro identifies you, with no username or password.
Done
Your wallet is now connected. You can buy, sell, and your funds on any purchase are protected by Ikiraro's escrow contract.
Want to understand why Ikiraro works this way, with no traditional username or password? We explain it in Your wallet is your account.