How to set up a Soulbound Token (SBT) wallet? (On-chain Identity)

Understanding Soulbound Token Wallet Requirements

1. A Soulbound Token wallet is not a standalone application but a compatible Ethereum-compatible wallet that supports EIP-4973 and EIP-5639 standards.

2. Users must hold an Ethereum address with sufficient ETH to cover gas fees for on-chain identity registration and SBT minting.

3. The wallet must allow interaction with smart contracts deployed on mainnet or supported L2s such as Base, Arbitrum, or Optimism.

4. Browser extension wallets like MetaMask or mobile-first wallets like Rainbow are widely used due to their support for custom RPC configurations and contract interaction.

5. Private key management remains critical—SBTs are non-transferable but permanently tied to the signing address, making key loss irreversible for identity anchoring.

Deploying or Connecting to an Identity Registry Contract

1. Developers or users initiate identity setup by interacting with a registry contract such as the one from Gitcoin Passport or the Biconomy Identity Hub.

2. The registry contract validates off-chain attestations (e.g., GitHub activity, POAP collection, DAO membership) before issuing an on-chain SBT.

3. Some registries require signature-based proof submission via EIP-712 typed data signing, which modern wallets handle natively.

4. Contracts may enforce revocation mechanisms through governance-controlled pausing or attester-level revocation keys, though most current implementations prioritize immutability.

5. Wallets must be configured to recognize the SBT’s ERC-1155 or ERC-721A interface to display tokens in the asset view without relying on centralized indexers.

Integrating SBTs into dApp Authentication Flows

1. Web3 applications use wallet connection events to fetch the user’s SBT balance via eth_getBalance and eth_call to the token contract’s balanceOf function.

2. Applications verify SBT ownership by checking if the caller’s address owns at least one token ID matching a required schema (e.g., “DAO Contributor v1” or “Gitcoin Steward Badge”).

3. Zero-knowledge proofs like zk-SNARKs can be generated off-chain to prove SBT possession without revealing token IDs—tools like Semaphore or Risc0 enable this integration.

4. Frontend libraries such as Wagmi or Viem abstract low-level calls, allowing developers to query SBT metadata using tokenURI and render credential attributes directly in UIs.

5. Session keys or delegated access protocols like EIP-5792 are sometimes layered atop SBTs to permit time-bound permissions while preserving long-term identity binding.

Managing Attestation Sources and Credential Hygiene

1. Users manually connect social accounts, email providers, or decentralized identifiers (DIDs) to attestation services like Verax or Clique to generate verifiable claims.

2. Each attestation maps to a unique SBT instance minted under a dedicated contract—no two issuers share the same contract address unless explicitly coordinated.

3. Wallet interfaces often display issuer reputation scores derived from historical attestation accuracy, measured on-chain via slashing events or community challenges.

4. Duplicate or conflicting SBTs from untrusted issuers may trigger frontend warnings, prompting users to audit provenance before granting access to high-stakes protocols.

5. On-chain identity graphs emerge organically as wallets aggregate SBTs across chains, with cross-layer bridges syncing issuance events via canonical message passing protocols.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I import an existing Ethereum address into a new wallet and retain my SBTs?A: Yes. Since SBTs are bound to the address—not the wallet software—any wallet controlling the private key will reflect all associated tokens once connected to the correct network.

Q: Do hardware wallets like Ledger support SBT interactions?A: Yes, provided the firmware supports EIP-712 signing and the wallet interface (e.g., Ledger Live or MyEtherWallet) allows custom contract calls to the SBT registry.

Q: Is it possible to hold SBTs on multiple chains simultaneously?A: Yes. Each chain maintains its own SBT contract deployment. An address may hold distinct but semantically equivalent SBTs on Ethereum, Polygon, and Arbitrum, each governed independently.

Q: What happens if I lose access to my wallet but recover the seed phrase later?A: All SBTs remain anchored to the address. Recovery restores full control over those tokens, including the ability to present them as credentials or respond to revocation signals.