Watch-only wallets
Intended reader: someone who wants to watch an address without holding its keys in the browser. Goal: visibility of balances and assets with no signing capability present. Prerequisites: the extended public key of the wallet you want to watch. Safety: a watch-only wallet cannot spend. That is its entire value.
What it is
Section titled “What it is”A cold wallet import brings in public key material only. The wallet can derive addresses, show balances, show assets, and build unsigned transactions. It holds nothing that can authorize a spend.
What it is for
Section titled “What it is for”- Watching cold storage. Keys stay on a device that never touches a browser; the extension shows you what is there.
- Preparing transactions offline. Build the transaction in the browser, sign it elsewhere, then broadcast.
- Reducing exposure. Nothing in the browser profile can move those funds, so a compromised browser is a privacy problem rather than a loss.
- Open Settings, then About, and enable developer mode by tapping the version repeatedly.
- Add a wallet, and choose the cold wallet option.
- Scan the extended public key QR from your signing device.
- Confirm the derived addresses match the ones your signing device shows.
Expected result
Section titled “Expected result”A wallet entry that shows balances and assets, and that offers no path to sign a transaction. Any attempt to spend produces an unsigned transaction for you to sign elsewhere.
How to verify
Section titled “How to verify”Compare the first derived address against what your signing device displays. If they differ, the derivation path or account index does not match. Do not receive to an address you have not verified on the signing device itself.
Common failures
Section titled “Common failures”| What you see | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| No cold wallet option | Developer mode is not enabled | Enable it in About |
| Addresses do not match the device | Wrong derivation path or account | Recheck the path on the signing device |
| Balance is zero but the device shows funds | Different address type or path | See Address types |
Recovery path
Section titled “Recovery path”A watch-only wallet holds nothing to lose. Remove it and re-import at any time. Your funds are governed entirely by the device holding the keys.