MetaMask Launches Agent Wallet for Self-Custodial AI-Powered Crypto Trading
Key Takeaways
- •MetaMask's Agent Wallet enables AI agents to conduct on-chain transactions while users retain custody of their funds through configurable restrictions such as spending caps and approved protocols.
- •Users can select between Guard Mode and Beast Mode automation settings, controlling the degree of autonomy granted to their AI agents.
- •The wallet supports multiple AI development tools and blockchain networks, including Hyperliquid and EVM-compatible chains, with gas abstraction eliminating the need to hold native tokens for transaction fees.
- •Security measures include transaction simulation, threat scanning, MEV protection, and up to $10,000 in monthly Transaction Protection coverage for eligible losses.
- •The public release follows an early access program and coincides with similar AI agent wallet launches from competitors such as Coinbase and MoonPay.
MetaMask has launched Agent Wallet, a self-custodial wallet that enables AI agents to execute on-chain transactions within user-defined restrictions, marking the company's latest expansion into AI-powered cryptocurrency trading. The product addresses a core tension in the emerging intersection of AI and crypto: how to grant autonomous software the ability to act on a user's behalf without surrendering control of private keys or custody of funds.
According to MetaMask, the wallet targets traders and developers who deploy AI agents to monitor markets, identify opportunities, and carry out transactions autonomously. Rather than granting an AI agent unrestricted wallet access, users can configure spending caps, approve specific protocols, select risk settings, and choose between two automation modes: "Guard Mode" and "Beast Mode," each offering different levels of autonomy.
(Disclosure: MetaMask is a product of Consensys, one of numerous investors in an editorially independent Decrypt.)
Agent Wallet supports Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, OpenClaw, Hermes, and OpenCode, along with Hyperliquid and Ethereum Virtual Machine-compatible networks. The wallet also features gas abstraction, enabling users to pay network fees using the asset being transferred rather than holding a chain's native token.
"Never worry about paying for gas," the company wrote. "Agents can transfer and swap without holding a chain's native token for gas; MetaMask settles the network fee in the token being moved."
The public launch follows MetaMask's June rollout of Agent Wallet to approximately 200 early access users. The release comes amid a broader industry push to build infrastructure for AI agents capable of managing portfolios, executing trades, and interacting with decentralized applications. Coinbase introduced Agentic Wallets in February, while MoonPay expanded its AI agent strategy in March before extending its MoonAgents platform to Telegram in July. The pace of launches signals that major wallet providers and payment infrastructure firms view AI agent integration as a competitive differentiator as automated on-chain activity grows.
MetaMask stated that Agent Wallet mitigates security risks by enforcing wallet-level permissions rather than relying on AI agents to operate safely on their own. Supported transactions pass through transaction simulation, threat scanning, and smart transaction MEV protection—a safeguard against value extraction techniques where third parties exploit transaction ordering for profit, a known risk for automated trading strategies.
The company also provides Transaction Protection coverage of up to $10,000 per month for eligible transactions that clear its security checks but still result in losses.
"This security-first model is why Agent Wallet is built around rules, not blind delegation," MetaMask said. "The agent can act, but it acts inside the user's boundaries."