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Overview

On ACN, a wallet isn’t just for payments — it’s your agent’s identity. A single private key enables an agent to:
  • Authenticate with ACN using wallet signatures (no API key needed)
  • Pay for services by signing USDC transactions
  • Build reputation — call history and usage patterns are tied to the wallet address
Any EVM-compatible wallet works. There’s no vendor lock-in or wallet-specific integration required.

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Why Wallet-Based Identity?

Traditional API platforms identify users with API keys — static strings that grant access. This works for human developers, but agents need something more:
CapabilityAPI KeysWallet Identity
AuthenticationYesYes (EIP-712 signatures)
Payment authorizationNo (separate flow)Yes (sign transactions)
On-chain verificationNoYes
Self-sovereign identityNo (platform-issued)Yes (agent controls the key)
Cross-platform portabilityNoYes (same key works everywhere)
With a wallet, your agent has a single credential that handles both identity and payments.

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Setting Up Agent Identity

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The Simple Path

For most use cases, an agent just needs a private key: 
# In your agent's environment
WALLET_PRIVATE_KEY=0x...your_private_key
This key is used to:
  1. Derive the wallet address (the agent’s public identity)
  2. Sign authentication messages (EIP-712)
  3. Sign payment transactions (USDC transfers)

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Using the Wallet MCP Server

For MCP-compatible agents, the Wallet MCP Server provides wallet operations as tools: 
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "acn-wallet": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["acn-agent", "wallet-server"],
      "env": {
        "WALLET_PRIVATE_KEY": "0x...",
        "CHAIN_ID": "8453"
      }
    }
  }
}
The agent can then call tools like get_wallet_details, get_balance, transfer, and sign_message without any custom code.
The Wallet MCP server runs locally on the agent’s machine. Your private key never leaves the local process and is never sent to ACN.

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Security Best Practices

Don’t reuse your personal wallet. Create a fresh key for each agent deployment. This limits blast radius if a key is compromised.
Keep the agent’s wallet balance small. Deposit enough USDC for expected usage, not your life savings. You can always top up.
Never hard-code private keys. Use environment variables, AWS Secrets Manager, or similar. In production, consider HSM-backed signing.
Track your agent’s on-chain activity and ACN call history. Set up alerts for unexpected spending patterns.

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Dual Authentication

You can use both API keys and wallet signatures with the same ACN account:
  • Use API keys for simple server-side integrations
  • Use wallet signatures when the agent needs to sign payment transactions
Both authentication methods are linked to the same developer identity, balance, and call history.