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Transfer TAO from Metamask to SS58 Address

In this tutorial you will learn how to transfer TAO from your Metamask wallet to your Bittensor SS58 address for a coldkey (wallet) or a hotkey. There are two different options:

Prerequisites​

Option 1: Transfer using a Precompiled Contract​

Best for: Most users. You do NOT need the private key or seed for your SS58 address.

This option uses a precompiled contract to transfer TAO from your Metamask wallet to any SS58 address (coldkey or hotkey).

Configure the destination address​

Open withdraw.js in the EVM-Bittensor repo. Find the following line:

// Destination address can be replaced with any ss58 address here:
const destinationAddress = account.address;

Replace it with your own SS58 address:

const destinationAddress = "5HgU7B3xfSfisR1A7wDMt7FHX5Uizj6xtWWHwhwJMZSrdN7y";

Run the transfer script​

node transfer.js
1 TAO = 1e18

In Bittensor EVM, 1 TAO is written as 1e18 (just like on Ethereum). For example, to send 0.5 TAO:

const value = BigInt(0.5 * 1e18).toString();

Run the withdraw script​

node withdraw.js

You should see output similar to:

node withdraw.js
2024-10-07 15:34:58        REGISTRY: Unknown signed extensions SubtensorSignedExtension, CommitmentsSignedExtension found, treating them as no-effect
...
Sending balance to ss58 address: 5HgU7B3xfSfisR1A7wDMt7FHX5Uizj6xtWWHwhwJMZSrdN7y
pubk = f873b72b75b9029397edceaa04cf08cc97909c8b6304f2ccc3593641bf92e97c
Transaction response: ContractTransactionResponse { ... }
Transaction confirmed.
info

The ss58 address is your destination (coldkey or hotkey). The from address is your Metamask wallet.

Check your SS58 balance​

Use the Bittensor CLI to check your new balance:

btcli wallet balance --ss58 5HgU7B3xfSfisR1A7wDMt7FHX5Uizj6xtWWHwhwJMZSrdN7y

Option 2: Transfer using the withdraw Extrinsic in the Subtensor EVM Pallet​

Best for: Advanced users. You WILL need the private key for your SS58 address.

This option uses the withdraw extrinsic in the EVM pallet, allowing you to transfer from an EVM address to an SS58 address using Polkadot.js Apps.

Copy your SS58 address​

For example: 5FHneW46xGXgs5mUiveU4sbTyGBzmstUspZC92UhjJM694ty. You will need the private key for this address set up in the Polkadot.js extension.

Edit the destination in the script​

Open withdraw-address.js and set your SS58 address:

const ss58Address = "<your SS58 address>";

Run the withdraw-address script​

node withdraw-address.js

Copy the "Ethereum mirror" output address​

The script will output an "Ethereum mirror" address. Copy this address.

Transfer TAO to the mirror address using Metamask​

  • Open Metamask and send the desired amount of TAO to the mirror address.
  • If you restarted the network, clear Metamask's activity tab data: Settings > Advanced > Clear activity tab data.

Ensure your destination address is funded​

Make sure the destination address has enough TAO to pay for transaction fees.

Open the Extrinsics page in Polkadot.js Apps​

Polkadot.js Apps Extrinsics

Submit the withdraw extrinsic​

  • Select the evm pallet and withdraw extrinsic.
  • Paste the "Ethereum mirror" address into the address field.
  • Enter the amount you are transferring.
  • Note: Metamask balances are by 10^9 lower than Polkadot Apps UI balances (Metamask does not respect 10^9 decimals for native currency).

Submit the transaction​

Check your SS58 balance​

btcli wallet balance --ss58 <your SS58 address>