ColdfrontWays to use a cold wallet on Hyperliquid, compared
There are four common ways to trade on Hyperliquid when your funds are on a cold wallet. Connecting the cold wallet each time is safe but means the device and a connected browser wallet every session. Coldfront keeps the account on the cold wallet, trades in the official app with an API key that can't withdraw, and needs no wallet connected while you trade.
| Way | Where you trade | Wallet connected while trading | Withdrawals | Cold wallet needed for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Connect the cold wallet each time | Official app | Yes, through MetaMask or Rabby | Needs the cold wallet | Enabling trading in each browser, withdrawals, transfers |
| Hot wallet (MetaMask or Rabby, no device) | Official app | Yes | Anyone who gets the wallet or a signature from you | Nothing |
| API key in a bot or script | Your own code | No | Can't: an API key can't withdraw | Authorizing the API wallet, withdrawals |
| Coldfront | Official app | No | Can't: an API key can't withdraw | Authorizing the API wallet (up to every 180 days), withdrawals, transfers |
Connect the cold wallet each time
This is how most people start. The cold wallet reaches the site through MetaMask or Rabby, and it signs when you enable trading, when you switch browsers, and when you withdraw. It's safe for your funds. The cost is a browser wallet connected to a trading site and the device nearby.
Hot wallet
The easiest to use and the riskiest: the key lives in the browser, so malware or one signature on a fake site can empty the account.
API key in a bot or script
Good for automated trading. The API key can't withdraw, but you trade through your own code rather than the Hyperliquid app, and the API key usually sits unencrypted in a config file.
Coldfront
A free Chrome extension. Your cold wallet authorizes an API wallet once. Coldfront keeps the API key encrypted with your passphrase, gives it to the official Hyperliquid app when you unlock with the passphrase or Touch ID (passkey), and locks by itself. How it works.
Questions
Is there a Chrome extension for trading on Hyperliquid with a cold wallet?
Yes. Coldfront is a free Chrome extension that lets you trade in the official Hyperliquid app from your cold wallet's account without connecting the wallet each time. It works in Chrome, Brave, Edge and Arc.
What's the difference between Coldfront and Hyperliquid's Enable Trading?
Enable Trading also signs orders with a session key, but the app needs your wallet connected to show the account, and each new browser needs the cold wallet again. Coldfront uses an API wallet you authorize once, keeps it encrypted with your passphrase, and needs no wallet connected while you trade.