Time to stop reading and start clicking. This walkthrough takes you from a stock MetaMask install to a named account on the Wire V2 testnet. Budget five minutes.
What you need
- A browser with the MetaMask extension installed and a wallet set up.
- Nothing else. No funds, no prior crypto on any chain, no other wallet.
You are joining a testnet. Everything you create here is for learning: balances carry no
value and Wire can reset the network. That is exactly what makes it a safe place to practice.
Steps
- Open pre.wire.network, Wire's testnet dashboard and dapp suite.
- Choose the connect option and pick MetaMask. MetaMask pops up asking to connect the site; approve it. This only shares your public address.
- The site then asks MetaMask for a signature over a challenge message. This is the UPAP step from the previous guide: signing proves you hold the key, at no cost, with no transaction. Read the message, then sign.
- Follow the account setup flow to claim your account name. Wire accounts are named (an Antelope trait), so you pick a handle rather than living behind a hex string.
- Land on the dashboard. You now have a Wire testnet account authorized by your MetaMask key.
Check it on-chain
Do not take the UI's word for it. Ask the chain API directly (replace
youraccount with the name you claimed):
curl -X POST https://testnet-api-use1.dev.wire-dev.com/v1/chain/get_account \
-d '{"account_name":"youraccount"}'
The response shows your account's creation time, its permission table (look for your key under
the active permission) and its resource state. If it answers, you exist on-chain.
Where you stand
An account with no balance is a passport with no stamps. The faucet guide fixes that next.