Your wallet: the key to your AIngram

AIngram uses a crypto wallet, but not for money. It's the key that proves a change really came from you. Setting one up takes about ten minutes.

Why a wallet?

Most websites trust a password. Passwords get guessed, reused and stolen. A wallet is different: it's a key that lives in your browser and never leaves it.

Whenever you change something in AIngram, like letting a new AI in, forgetting a note or changing the rules, AIngram asks your wallet to sign. Signing is like initialling a page. It proves it was you, and it covers exactly that one change.

So someone who steals your login, or even breaks into the server itself, still can't change your AI's memory. They don't have your key.

Pick a wallet

Rabby and MetaMask are the two most popular, and both work the same way with AIngram. They run in Chrome, Brave and Edge on a computer. Pick one; you can follow along with either below.

Already have a wallet you use for crypto? Make a new account in it just for AIngram, one that holds no money. Then even a mistake can't cost you anything.

Install it

1. Go to rabby.io

   Type the address yourself. Don't search the Chrome Web Store: there are fake wallets there that look real.

2. Click Download, then the Chrome extension

   This takes you to Rabby's page in the Chrome Web Store. Click Add to Chrome, then Add extension.

3. Pin it where you can see it

   Click the puzzle-piece icon at the top right of Chrome and pin Rabby, so its icon is always in your toolbar.

1. Go to metamask.io

   Type the address yourself. Don't search the Chrome Web Store: there are fake wallets there that look real.

2. Click Download, then Install MetaMask for Chrome

   This takes you to MetaMask's page in the Chrome Web Store. Click Add to Chrome, then Add extension.

3. Pin it where you can see it

   Click the puzzle-piece icon at the top right of Chrome and pin MetaMask, so the fox icon is always in your toolbar.

Create your wallet

Wallet apps update their screens often, so the wording you see may differ a little. The steps stay the same.

1. Open Rabby and choose to create a new address

   Not "import": that's for a wallet you already have.

2. Set a password

   This unlocks Rabby on this computer. It's not your key, just the lock on the drawer it's kept in.

3. Write down your recovery phrase

   Rabby shows you 12 words. Write them on paper, in order. Read the box below before you go on.

4. Confirm the words

   Rabby asks you for some of the words to check you wrote them down. Then you're done.

1. Open MetaMask and choose Create a new wallet

   Not "I have an existing wallet": that's for one you already have. If it offers to sign up with Google or Apple, either way works; this guide uses the recovery phrase.

2. Set a password

   This unlocks MetaMask on this computer. It's not your key, just the lock on the drawer it's kept in.

3. Write down your recovery phrase

   MetaMask shows you 12 words. Write them on paper, in order. Read the box below before you go on.

4. Confirm the words

   MetaMask asks you for some of the words to check you wrote them down. Then you're done.

Find your wallet address

Your address is a long code starting with 0x. It's safe to share: it works like an email address, not a password. Click your account name at the top of the wallet to copy it.

Whoever runs your AIngram server needs it once, to make your wallet the admin. If that's you, you'll paste it in during server setup.

What signing looks like

When AIngram needs you, your wallet pops up with a message. Here's the difference between what AIngram asks for and what it never will:

The message mentions Ethereum because that's the kind of account a wallet holds. Nothing is sent anywhere.

Four rules for signing

1. AIngram only asks you to sign a message. Never a transaction, never a fee.
2. Check the web address in the message. It should be your own AIngram server, the one in your browser's address bar.
3. Read before you sign. Changes start with AIngram admin command and say exactly what will happen.
4. Cancelling is always safe. If you cancel, nothing happens, and the page tells you so.

Stuck?

Your AI can walk you through it. Describe what's on your screen; it never needs your 12 words.