> 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/getting-started/connecting-your-wallet.md).

# Connecting your wallet

You sign in to Surge by signing a short message with your Cardano browser wallet. There is no email, password or seed phrase involved, and the message you sign cannot move funds.

### Connect your wallet

1. Open Surge and click **Connect wallet**. A dialog lists the wallets installed in your browser (see [Supported wallets](/getting-started/supported-wallets.md)).
2. Choose a wallet. The extension asks you to allow Surge to connect. Approve it.
3. Surge requires your wallet to use the **Cardano mainnet**. Switch your wallet to mainnet if the connection stops.
4. Surge requests a one-time login message from its server. The message starts with `surge.finance login |` and contains your wallet address, the network, a timestamp and a random nonce. Surge shows the message and refuses anything else. This prevents a transaction being disguised as a login request.
5. Click **Sign**. Your wallet extension prompts you to sign the message (a "data signature", not a transaction). Approve it.
6. Surge verifies the signature and starts your session.

The login stepper shows four steps: nonce, sign, login, and complete. It identifies the failed step if something goes wrong.

### Your session

* A session lasts as long as you keep using the app; the access token is refreshed automatically in the background (it expires after 15 minutes if not refreshed, and Surge refreshes it around the 10-minute mark and on every return to the tab).
* If refresh fails because the session was revoked or expired, Surge shows "Session expired", disconnects the wallet and returns you to login.
* Surge supports Cardano mainnet only. If your wallet changes network, Surge disconnects immediately.

### Reconnecting

When you return to Surge, it reconnects to the last wallet silently. If the extension is slow to load, Surge retries three times at one-second intervals before giving up and showing the connect button.

### Log out

Use the wallet menu in the header. "Log out" ends this session; the login page also offers "log out and use a different wallet". Logging out does not delete your strategy wallets or their keys from this browser. See [Wallets in Surge](/core-concepts/wallets-in-surge.md).

### Login errors

| Message                   | Cause                                                                                  | Fix                                                            |
| ------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Nonce expired / not found | You took too long between requesting the message and signing it, or signed a stale one | Surge automatically requests a fresh message; sign again       |
| Invalid signature         | The wallet signed with a different address than the one that requested the nonce       | Make sure the wallet's active account is the one you connected |
| Too many requests         | Login is limited to 5 attempts per minute per IP address                               | Wait a minute                                                  |
| Network mismatch          | Wallet is not using Cardano mainnet                                                    | Switch the wallet to Cardano mainnet                           |


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