> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.surgecardano.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.surgecardano.com/core-concepts/wallets-in-surge.md). # Wallets in Surge Surge uses two kinds of wallet. Your **browser wallet** (Eternl, Lace, …) is your identity and your funding source. **Strategy wallets** are extra wallets Surge creates inside your browser; each automated strategy trades from one of them. Understanding which wallet does what, and where each key lives, is the most important thing on this page. ### Browser wallet vs strategy wallet | | Browser wallet | Strategy wallet | | -------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Created by | You, in the wallet extension | Surge, in your browser (Wallets → Generate) | | Key stored | In the extension | In an encrypted vault in this browser, and in the key file you download as a backup | | Signs | Login message, funding transfers, manual swaps, sends | Every automated strategy trade, order cancels for that strategy | | Prompts you | The extension's own confirmation dialog, every time | Nothing by default (Automate signing is on); the Surge Signing Approval window if you turn it off | | How many | One connected at a time | Up to 20 | | Used by strategies? | No — strategies never spend from it | Yes — one strategy per wallet | | Counted in Portfolio | **No** — the Portfolio page sums strategy wallets only | Yes | You can run a manual swap from either kind of wallet. The swap page lists your browser wallet plus every active strategy wallet you own. ### Why strategies use a separate wallet A strategy needs to sign trades in the background, at any hour, without a wallet extension popping up. Extensions cannot do that, so Surge generates a wallet whose key it can use from your browser. Keeping that wallet separate also caps what a strategy can ever touch: only the funds you put in it. ### Where the strategy wallet key is stored * The key is generated in your browser and **never sent to Surge's servers**. Surge stores the wallet's address and public key only, after you prove ownership by signing a challenge with the new key. * At rest, the key is encrypted with a wrapping key that the browser will not export (an AES-GCM key marked non-extractable, held in the browser's IndexedDB storage). Copying the browser's storage files to another machine does not recover the wallet. * While a strategy is armed, the decrypted key is in the browser tab's memory. This is why the browser you run Surge in must be one you trust: malicious extensions or a compromised page could read it. * The key exists only in **this browser profile** on **this device**. Another browser, another device, or a cleared browser storage will not have it — see below. ### Back up strategy wallets Export every strategy wallet before funding it. Save the key file in a secure location on your device. Anyone with this file controls the wallet. * **Back up / Download key file** on the Wallets page writes the wallet key to a file. * **Export wallets** on the Wallets page, or in **Settings → General → Data management**, exports all wallets at once. * **Import** (Wallets page) accepts the same CSV/JSON files, including from another device. * **Reconnect from key file** (wallet detail page) re-attaches a wallet's key to a browser that knows about the wallet but does not have its key. Each wallet card shows a connection status: | Status | Meaning | | ------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Connected | Backed up to Surge (address registered) and the key is in this browser — the wallet can sign here | | Not connected | Surge knows the wallet, but this browser does not have its key. Reconnect from a key file to use it here | | Not backed up | The key is in this browser but the wallet is not yet registered with Surge — nothing can be run from it until it is | **Clear all data** in Settings wipes this browser's Surge storage — your wallet list, settings and cached data — so strategy wallets become unusable here until re-imported. `[VERIFY: whether the encrypted key vault itself is also cleared.]` Export first. ### Fund a strategy wallet Click **Fund** on a wallet. You choose an ADA amount and, optionally, a token and amount; your browser wallet signs the transfer. A "funding settling" banner shows for two minutes. Every strategy builder shows the required balance for the strategy you are configuring; send at least that plus a few ADA of headroom. ### Move funds out * **Send** (wallet detail) builds a transfer from the strategy wallet to any address; the strategy wallet signs it in your browser after the transaction guard checks it. * **Sweep** moves all funds from a wallet to one designated wallet. Open the [Surge sweep tool](https://sweep.surgecardano.com/), then provide the source wallet key file and destination address. * **Receive** shows the wallet's address and QR code. ### Link wallets to strategies A strategy wallet can be linked to exactly one strategy. The builders only offer wallets that are unlinked, owned by your connected wallet, on the current network, and have their key in this browser. Links are shown on the wallet card and on the strategy's **Linked wallet** tab. Deleting a strategy releases its wallet. `[VERIFY: whether archiving does too.]` ### Deactivate or delete a wallet **Deactivate** hides a wallet from strategy builders and the swap page without removing its key. **Delete** removes the wallet from Surge and from this browser; it does not move any funds, so empty the wallet first. ### Security summary * Surge's servers cannot spend from any of your wallets. * A strategy can spend only from its own strategy wallet, only within the [transaction guard](/core-concepts/signing-and-approvals.md) limits, and — if you turn Automate signing off — only with your approval. * Losing the browser profile *and* the key file means losing the wallet. Back up. * The key file and the export file contain plaintext private keys. Treat them as such. --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com. ## Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter, and the optional `goal` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.surgecardano.com/core-concepts/wallets-in-surge.md?ask=&goal= ``` `ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. `goal` is optional and describes the broader end goal you are ultimately trying to accomplish on behalf of the user. GitBook uses it to tailor the answer towards what is most useful for that goal. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.