How to connect MetaMask to Hyperliquid

What connecting actually does

Two separate things happen, and keeping them apart removes most of the anxiety about this step.

Connect shares your public address with the interface. It grants no permission over anything.

Establish Connection is a second, gas-free signature. It registers an agent key so the app can submit your orders without a MetaMask pop-up on each one. That key can place and cancel orders. It cannot withdraw your funds.

That split is why trading here feels like a centralised exchange while custody stays with you. It is also why a phishing clone of this flow is dangerous: a request that looks similar can be asking for something else entirely.

Step by step

1. Install MetaMask and back up the recovery phrase

   Install from your browser’s own extension store, never from a link in a message. Write the twelve-word recovery phrase on paper before you put any money near the wallet. Anyone who has that phrase has your funds, and nobody can reverse a theft.

   You should see a MetaMask extension with an account, and the phrase written on paper

2. Add the Arbitrum network, if it is not already there

   Recent MetaMask versions include Arbitrum by default. If yours does not, add it from MetaMask’s own network list rather than from a third-party site that offers to add it for you.

   You need this to deposit USDC from Arbitrum, which is usually the cheapest route. It is not needed to connect.

   You should see Arbitrum One selectable in the network dropdown

3. Open the app through a referral link

   Going through the link applies the code automatically. You can also type it on the referrals screen. Either way, do it before your first order.

   You should see the referrals screen showing a code attached to your address, before any trade

4. Click Connect and choose MetaMask

   MetaMask asks which account to connect and whether to allow the site. This step shares your address and nothing else.

   You should see your address shortened in the top-right corner

5. Accept the terms, and sign that too

   An easy step to be surprised by: accepting the Terms of Use and cookie policy is recorded as a signed message, not just a click. It costs no gas. Check the request comes from app.hyperliquid.xyz before you confirm.

   You should see two ticked checkboxes, then a signature request of type Hyperliquid:AcceptTerms

6. Click Establish Connection and sign

   Read the request before signing. It is gas-free and it authorises order placement only. If a signature request asks for a token approval or a transfer at this point, you are not on the right site.

   You should see the order ticket becoming active

7. Deposit USDC

   Send USDC on Arbitrum, Ethereum, Base or Polygon to the address in the deposit window. Keep a small amount of that chain’s gas token to send the transaction. Trading itself costs no gas. Full detail is in the deposit guide.

   You should see a USDC balance on your Perps account within a few minutes

What a first trade costs once you are in

At the entry tier a taker order costs 0.045% of notional, or 0.0432% with a referral code applied. The wallet you choose changes none of this; the referral code and your maker-taker split do.

Troubleshooting

The Connect button does nothing. Another wallet extension is intercepting the request. Disable the others, or pick MetaMask explicitly from the wallet list rather than the default button.

MetaMask opens but the site still shows disconnected. Remove the site under Settings → Connected sites in MetaMask, refresh, and connect again.

The signature request looks unfamiliar. Stop. Check the domain character by character. Hundreds of lookalike domains exist for this exchange specifically, and a wrong site is the single most expensive mistake available here.

You are on the wrong network. For connecting it does not matter. For depositing it matters completely: send on a chain the deposit window lists for that asset, and send a small test amount the first time.

Your deposit has not appeared. Check the source chain explorer first, then check whether it landed in your Spot balance rather than Perps. Those are separate balances on the same account and moving between them is free.

Is MetaMask the right choice

It works fully, and if you already use it there is no reason to switch. If you are choosing fresh, Rabby previews the effect of what you are signing and switches networks for you, which prevents a category of mistake that MetaMask lets you make. Our wallet comparison puts the options side by side.

For a balance you would be upset to lose, pair a hardware wallet through MetaMask. The agent-key model means you confirm on the device once at setup and again for withdrawals, not on every order.