Polkadot-JS Guides about Asset Hub Ledger App
Because of required WebUSB support, Ledger wallets currently only work on Chromium-based browsers like Brave, Chrome or Edge.
The Asset Hub has a Ledger application that is compatible with the Ledger Nano S and Ledger Nano X devices. The Ledger devices are hardware wallets that keep your private key secured on a physical device that does not get directly exposed to your computer or the internet.
The Statemine application allows you to manage your KSM and other tokens on the Asset Hub parachain. It supports most of the available transaction types of the network in the XL version of the app (details below).
If you have trouble using Ledger or following the directions below, you can try searching for your issue on the Polkadot Support page.
Please check out our intro to Ledger video on YouTube for more information.
Requirements
Here is a list of what you will need before starting:
- A Ledger Nano S or a Ledger Nano X.
- The latest firmware installed.
- Ledger Live is installed and at version 2.29 or newer (see settings -> about to find out if you're up to date).
- A web browser is installed that you can use to access Polkadot-JS Apps UI.
Installing the Ledger Application
Using Ledger Live
There are two versions of the Statemine app: the normal (light) version and the XL version. The light version has smaller size but it supports only basic functionality. If you want access to all the supported extrinsics, you need to install the XL version of the app. You can see here a full list of the extrinsics supported by both versions.
- Open the "Manager" tab in Ledger Live.
- Connect and unlock your Ledger device.
- If asked, allow the manager on your device by pressing both buttons on the YES screen.
- Search for Statemine in the app catalog.
- If you are using a Ledger Nano S, install either the normal (light) version or the XL version. For Ledger Nano X, there will only be one app available.
Please proceed to the usage instructions below.
Using on Polkadot-JS Apps UI
The Polkadot extension doesn't support Statemine Ledger accounts at this point, so you need to add your account on Polkadot-JS UI as described below.
Adding Your Account
These instructions will guide you on how to add a Ledger account that's only available on the Asset Hub. If you want to use the same Ledger account on both Kusama and the Asset Hub check the instructions below.
Polkadot-JS Apps UI already has an integration with the Ledger application so that your device will work with the browser interface after installation. The functionality is currently gated behind a feature setting that you will need to turn on.
In order to turn on the interoperability with the Statemine Ledger application, go to the "Settings" tab in Polkadot-JS Apps UI. Find the option for attaching Ledger devices and switch the option from the default "Do not attach Ledger devices" to "Attach Ledger via WebUSB" (but see note above).
Click "Save" to keep your settings.
Now when you go to the "Accounts" tab you will see a new button that says "Add via Ledger". Ensure that your Ledger device is unlocked, Ledger Live is closed and you have switched over to the Statemine application, then click this button.
A popup will appear asking you to select an account and derivation path.
The first option lets you select an account. You can have multiple accounts on a single Ledger device. The second dropdown lets you pick a derivation path - think of it like a formula from which child accounts are generated. If in doubt, pick the default option for both.
Once you confirm your selection, depending on your browser and its security settings, you might need to confirm the USB connection through a popup like the one below when adding the Ledger device for the first time:
You should now be able to scroll down and find a new account on the page with the type "ledger".
You can now use this account to interact with the Asset Hub on Polkadot-JS Apps UI and it will prompt your ledger for confirmation when you initiate a transaction.
Working on Relay Chains and Asset Hubs
Polkadot and Kusama accounts from the extension will show up in the Asset Hub, even if they're not set to be used on all chains. The Asset Hub is a system parachains on
However, as mentioned above, the Polkadot extension does not support Statemine Ledger accounts at the moment, but the Polkadot-JS UI does. So, if your Kusama account is in the Polkadot extension, you'll need to remove it from there and re-add it on Polkadot-JS UI directly as a Kusama account, as described here. After that, you will be able to make transactions with that account.
To remove an account from the Polkadot extension:
- Open the extension
- Click on the three dots next to the account
- Select "Forget account".
As mentioned above, a
Confirming the Address on your Device
On the "Accounts" tab, find your Ledger-connected account. Click on the three vertical dots at the end of the row. This will open a new menu, here you can click the "Show address on hardware device" option to display the address on your device.
Here you can scroll through and make sure the address matches to what is displayed on Polkadot-JS Apps UI.
Using Polkadot-JS Apps
Once you have your account loaded on the "Accounts" tab it should show a row with your Ledger account. At the far right of the row is located your account's DOT balance. If you expand the balance arrow, it will show details of your balance such as locks or reserved amounts.
Sending a Transfer
If you would like to send a transfer from your account housed on the Ledger device, the easiest method is to use Polkadot-JS Apps UI.
Transferring in this way sends tokens to another account on the Asset Hub parachain. If you need to transfer KSM between the Asset Hub and Kusama, see the Teleporting section below.
- Click on the "Send" button next to your account.
- In the second input, select one of the accounts from the drop-down menu or paste the address that you want to transfer funds to.
- In the third input, enter the amount of KSM you want to transfer.
- Click the "Make Transfer" button.
- Confirm the transaction on your device.
- A green success notification will be displayed when the transaction is included in a block.
Note the "Transfer with Keep-Alive Checks" toggle. While this toggle is in the On state, your account will be unable to make transactions which would get its balance below the existential deposit. This prevents reaping of accounts with low balances. If you toggle this to Off, you will be able to go below existential deposit balance, causing your account to be deleted and any dust amount of KSM to be burned. If you encounter KeepAlive errors when making transactions, this might be the reason.
A detailed guide on doing transfers is available here.
Receiving a Transfer
In order to receive a transfer on the accounts stored on your Ledger device, you will need to provide the sender (i.e. the payer) with your address.
The easiest way to get your address is to click on the account name which will open a sidebar. Your address will be shown in this sidebar, along with some other information. Another method is just clicking on your account's avatar icon - this immediately copies your address to the clipboard.
Make sure that you clarify to the sender that you wish to receive your tokens on the Asset Hub parachain, otherwise (if you're receiving KSM tokens) they could be sent on the Kusama chain.
Make sure it matches what's really on the Ledger by confirming the address on your device. Some malware will intercept clicks and clipboard requests and can change your copied value in-flight, so being extra vigilant around copy-paste operations makes sense.
Teleporting
Teleporting allows you to send tokens between the Relay Chain and a parachain, or between different parachains.
The Statemine Ledger app doesn't support the teleport extrinsic at this point, so an intermediary
account needs to be created first.
To teleport KSM to the Relay Chain follow these steps:
- Create an account outside your Ledger. Instructions can be found here.
- Transfer the desired amount as described above. If you want to send exactly the amount you want to teleport, don't forget take into account the fees for teleporting that will be deducted in the next step.
- Teleport your tokens following the instructions you will find here.
Teleporting to a Ledger account from a non-Ledger account doesn't require these extra steps.
Support
If you need support, please visit the Polkadot Support page.