Adding Solana to MetaMask

While you cannot add the Solana network to your MetaMask wallet, you can use your MetaMask wallet to connect to Solana dApps through the Solana Wallet Snap. 

Key Takeaways

• Thanks to MetaMask Snaps you can now connect to non-EVM networks through your MetaMask wallets.

• Solana is one of the networks for which a wallet Snap has already been developed. Investors on the network can now manage their assets without downloading a special Solana wallet.

• In this article, we go through the installation procedure and the basic operations for the Solana Wallet Snap.

Solana blockchain has earned quite a reputation in the crypto space, the smart contract and Web3 blockchain houses hundreds of decentralized applications and smart contracts. DefiLlama reports over $310 million worth of crypto assets locked in Solana DeFi protocols. Artemis reports an average of 200,000 active users and over 13 million transactions executed on the network daily. 

Solana’s acclaimed speed and cost-effectiveness have earned it quite a significant user base but unlike other similar networks like BNB Smart chain (BSC), Fantom Opera Chain, and Polygon POS chain, Solana is not an EVM network and can only be directly accessed via Solana-specific wallets like Phantom. Well, this could be in the past…

Can You Add Solana to MetaMask?

MetaMask is arguably the most used cryptocurrency wallet. A reported excess of 10 million cryptocurrency investors hold their assets in the cryptocurrency wallet. However, MetaMask only supports EVM networks. It has maintained this pattern since it launched the first-ever version. Users on new and existing EVM networks can easily plug into their network by setting them up on MetaMask. 

In an attempt to move away from the focus on EVM networks and open up its infrastructure to other networks including Bitcoin and Solana, Consensys has introduced MetaMask Snaps. By developing a Solana Wallet Snap, Solflare offers potential Solana investors and MetaMask users a way to connect to the Solana network without needing a specific Solana wallet.

However, it is important to note that this arrangement is considerably different from the usual EVM network integration on MetaMask. Instead of adding an EVM network through RPC details, Solana wallet Snap users connect to supported Web3 applications by selecting MetaMask as their wallet.

What Are MetaMask Snaps?

MetaMask Snaps lets developers create external applications that can operate on the MetaMask infrastructure. Snaps are permissioned third-party Javascript applications that can be installed on the MetaMask wallet to allow users to add extra functionalities to the regular operations on the wallet. 

Interoperability snaps hope to open MetaMask to the wider blockchain space, while other MetaMask Snaps categories include transaction insights to improve security, and notifications to keep you updated. 

However, while a Snap can connect you to a non-EVM network, you cannot manage your assets directly from the MetaMask interface. Instead, you might need to connect to a different interface to manage your Solana wallet.

Now, let’s go through the process of installing and using the Solana Wallet snap.

How to Install Solana Wallet Snap Through MetaMask Snaps

To use the Solana Wallet Snap, we will need to install it first. The MetaMask Snap Directory is the recommended source of MetaMask Snaps. MetaMask claims that Snaps in the directory have passed third-party audits before being listed. While you can also install Snap from the Snaps developer’s platform, it is important to consider security and verify authenticity in either case.

For this tutorial, we will use the Solana wallet by Solflare. Note that this is not a recommendation and you can also use any other available Solana Wallet Snaps. The installation process and other basic operations are generally similar.

Installing and Setting Up

1. Visit the MetaMask Snap directory and search for Solana wallet in the search bar.

2. Select the Solana Wallet by Solflare, then click Add to MetaMask from the right corner to start the installation.

3. An installation dialog opens up. Click Connect from the dialog. Follow the subsequent prompts and accept permission requests.

4. Understand the application permissions and accept them if you are comfortable with the requested permissions.

5. The Solana Wallet is now installed on MetaMask. To use the wallet, you will need to run a set-up as well from the wallet provider’s platform.

Setting Up Wallet on Solflare

1. Visit the Solflare Solana Snap platform and click Get Started to begin the onboarding process.

2. Click Enter Solana to continue. Allow the procedure to complete.

3. Once completed, your Solflare Solana Wallet will be ready for use, and you can bridge your assets to Soflare. 

Note that you will always need to return to this interface to manage your Solflare portfolio. 

How to Use the Solana Wallet Snap

The Solana Wallet snap is an almost complete Solana and Web3 wallet. It provides you with a personal wallet and other extra facilities including a bridge and asset swap. Here are some things you can do with your Solana Wallet Snap.

Managing Your Solana Portfolio with Solflare

On your Solflare interface, you can receive and send crypto assets.  To receive an asset, you can copy your indicated address or click Receive from the right corner to see the address or scan the barcode.

To send assets from your wallet, click Send from the right corner.

Enter the amount you wish to send and the receiving address. Click Send to continue

Click on Confirm and Approve the transaction from your MetaMask wallet.

How to Swap and Stake With Solflare

1. Navigate to the Swap section and enter the asset you wish to swap.

2. Click Swap and confirm the transaction from your MetaMask wallet.

You can also stake your assets from your Solflare wallet interface.

1. Navigate to the Staking interface and click Stake Now to continue.

2. On the staking page, enter the amount you wish to stake and select a staking operator. 

Solflare is the only available staking operator at the time of writing. When more operators become available, you can select an operator you wish to stake to.

3. Click Stake to continue.

4. Confirm and approve the transaction from your MetaMask wallet to complete.

Bridging Your Assets Using the Solana Wallet Snap

The Solflare also allows you to bridge assets to other networks through your wallet. You can bridge to Ethereum, BSC, Polygon, and Arbitrum from your Solflare interface.

1. Navigate to the bridge section 

2. Set the bridging direction and select the assets you wish to bridge, then enter the amount you want to bridge and click Review.

Note that your MetaMask wallet is automatically selected as the recipient account. 

3. Confirm and approve from your MetaMask wallet. 

Connecting to a dApp via Solana Wallet Snap

You can connect to any Solana dApp that supports the MetaMask Snap. This is likely available for every platform that supports the Solflare web wallet. Marinade Finance, the top protocol on Solana by TVL, is one of these platforms. Let’s connect to Marinade Finance through the MetaMask Snap.

1. Visit the Marinade Finance dApp and click Connect Wallet.

2. Select MetaMask. You will see a small Solana icon next to the MetaMask fox.  

3. A popup window will appear – click Continue to establish a connection between the Snap and the app.

4. This then opens another popup window. You will need to keep this window open throughout your connection to the dApp.

5. Connect your Solana Wallet to the dApp.

6. You can now stake SOL on Marinade Finance from your Solana Wallet Snap. You can also use the Solflare interface, a widget embedded in connected Solana apps to manage your portfolio.

FAQs Around the Solana Wallet Snap

Here are a few things you might need to know:

Custodianship

The Solflare wallet is managed from the related MetaMask wallet. Solflare doesn’t provide users with new private keys when they create the Solana Snap wallet. The wallet is attached to your Solana Wallet Snap, and wallet details are unique to your Solana Wallet Snap.

What Happens When You Delete and Re-Install Your Solana Snap?

Deleting or disabling your Solana wallet Snap stops it from interacting with your MetaMask wallet. However, when you re-install your Solana wallet Snap to your MetaMask wallet, your old portfolio is retained.

Can You Manage Your Solana Assets Within MetaMask?

No, you cannot manage your Solana assets directly through MetaMask, but you can either use the Solflare interface, a widget within connected Solana apps as seen above, or you can connect your MetaMask to Solflare.com, where you can view and manage your assets.

Final Thoughts

MetaMask has built a large user base and the new Snaps feature is opening it up to more use cases and more communities. MetaMask users who crave to manage their crypto assets from just one wallet provider can now leverage snaps to run operations on other networks they are invested in. The Solana Wallet Snap is just one of the many facilities that have been created using the new snap technology. We have gone through the basic operations in the course of this tutorial; however, this guide is not exhaustive of everything you could do with the Solana wallet snap on MetaMask.

As the feature continues to mature, more use cases for non-EVM networks connecting to MetaMask through snaps could emerge. Ensure to understand how these affect your wallet and apply risk management strategies when due. Also, note that this article is only for educational purposes and not financial advice. Featured applications are not a recommendation or a form of endorsement.