MetaMask rolls out AI wallet with built-in spending guardrails
AI & Agents ·
The self-custodial Agent Wallet lets AI agents trade on-chain within limits users configure themselves, rather than granting the software free rein over funds.
MetaMask introduced Agent Wallet on Thursday, a self-custodial product built for traders and developers who rely on AI agents to track markets and carry out transactions without manual input, according to Decrypt. Before an agent can act, the account holder defines how much it can spend, which protocols it may touch, and what risk posture applies, choosing between two automation tiers called Guard Mode and Beast Mode.
The wallet works with several agent frameworks, including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, OpenClaw, Hermes, and OpenCode, and connects to Hyperliquid alongside Ethereum Virtual Machine-compatible networks. A gas abstraction feature lets fees be paid in whatever asset is being moved, removing the need to hold a chain's native token just to cover network costs.
On the security side, MetaMask says supported transactions run through simulation checks, threat scanning, and MEV protection via its smart transactions system, an approach the company frames as enforcing permissions at the wallet level instead of trusting the agent's judgment outright. Eligible transactions that clear those checks but still result in losses are covered by Transaction Protection up to $10,000 per month.
This launch expands an effort MetaMask began in June, when Agent Wallet was rolled out to roughly 200 early access users, and lands amid broader industry movement toward AI-driven portfolio tools: Coinbase launched Agentic Wallets in February, and MoonPay broadened its AI agent push in March before extending its MoonAgents platform to Telegram in July.
What remains unclear is how the spending-cap and allowlist system performs at scale once more users and third-party agents connect to the wallet, and whether the $10,000 monthly Transaction Protection ceiling will hold as adoption grows beyond the initial access group.