Get started

You can think of your account as consisting of a passkey and a tag name, like bob.zk.money.

Passkey

A passkey is a credential that your device or password manager holds. You unlock it with your face, your fingerprint, a PIN, or a security key. It is what proves the wallet is yours, and it should never be given out. It gives you two keys, one for your funds and one for your privacy; see Your two keys.

zk.money works with a passkey saved in iCloud Keychain, Google Password Manager or 1Password, or kept on a YubiKey 5 security key. Passkeys explains how to reach yours on each device and what to do when it does not work.

If you lose every device and credential that can produce your passkey, you lose the wallet. There is no escrow and no reset. Read Trust model before you put funds into zk.money.

Your tag

Your tag is the name people pay you by, like bob.zk.money. You can pick any name that is not already taken. A small number of names are reserved; see below.

Claiming a tag records it alongside your account address as a public pair on Ethereum, although no one can see the transfers, amounts, or participants in the transactions that occur on the zk.money system, inside of the Aztec Network. See Privacy.

Reserved names

A small number of names are reserved by the zk.money team, and the sign-up flow will not issue them. If you type one, zk.money tells you it is reserved.

A reserved name can be claimed only by messaging the zk.money account on X, @zk_money, from the X account whose handle exactly matches the reserved tag. If the handle matches, you will be sent a claim link for that tag.

Reserved names are the only exception. Every other tag is first come, first served; see Trust model.

What you need to get started

  • A phone that keeps passkeys in iCloud Keychain, Google Password Manager or 1Password, or a YubiKey 5 security key. See Which passkeys work.
  • A first deposit of at least $15 in USDC, USDT or DAI. Claiming a tag costs $4.90, and an additional $0.10 goes to the fee-paying contract, so $15 in DAI leaves you with $10. USDC and USDT are swapped to DAI on the way in, so the opening balance also moves with the swap rate; see Limits.
  • The sign-up flow has two ways to waive the $4.90 tag fee. With it waived, a first deposit of at least $5 is still required, and you'll pay $0.60 in fees to cover registration, so $5 in DAI leaves you with $4.40.
    1. Prove that you own a wallet from the prior zk.money system that sunset in 2024.
    2. Get one person to claim zk.money tags through your share link.

How to get started

  1. Navigate to the sign-up flow.
  2. You type the tag you want.
  3. You create a passkey. On a phone, you confirm with your face or fingerprint, or tap your security key. On a computer, you scan a QR code with your phone and confirm there, or use your security key. zk.money does not accept a passkey saved on the computer itself at sign-up.
  4. You send a first deposit of at least $15 in USDC, USDT or DAI, and pay the Ethereum gas on it. $5 of it covers the tag and the fees, so $15 leaves you with $10. If your tag fee is waived, zk.money asks for $5 instead.
  5. Your tag becomes active. The claim usually settles in about one minute. zk.money tells you when it takes longer.

Troubleshooting failed sign-ups

If a sign-up does not finish, one of these is usually the cause:

  • You canceled the sign-in, or about an hour passed. The claim expires. Start again.
  • The tag is taken. Someone claimed it first. Choose another.
  • The tag is reserved. zk.money will not issue it in sign-up. If it matches your X handle, see Reserved names above; otherwise choose another.
  • You used a different passkey than the one that started the claim. The claim is bound to the passkey that opened it, so zk.money refuses the new one. Start again with the original passkey.
  • Your claim is still in flight. Deposit addresses become available once it settles.
  • zk.money refused your passkey. See Problems at sign-up.

For problems signing in, see Problems at sign-in.

Keeping access to your wallet

Keeping your passkey is keeping your wallet. No one in the system can restore it for you.

Do these things today:

  • Make sure your passkey provider syncs your passkey to more than one device.
  • If your passkey is on a security key, keep the key safe. It holds the only copy.
  • Test the sign-in on a second device before you put in a large amount.
  • Keep your passkey provider account safe. That account is now the root of your wallet.

The same passkey will give you access to the same wallet, and your payment history, on a different computer. Until your tag is active, a different browser may not find your wallet; see "No wallet for this passkey".