myotis
Free & open source · Desktop · Android

Ethereum, verified on your own device.

Myotis is an app that runs next to your wallet. It talks to the Ethereum network directly and checks every answer with cryptography — so the balance your wallet shows comes from the network itself, not from some company's server.

Get Myotis How does it work?

Myotis never holds your keys or your money. It is young software, under active development — try it with small amounts first.

What is Myotis?

When you open a wallet such as MetaMask and look at your balance, the wallet does not look at Ethereum itself. It asks a server run by a company — “what is this address’s balance?” — and shows you whatever comes back. You have no way to check that answer, and your wallet only works for as long as that company keeps answering.

Myotis replaces that server with one that runs on your phone or computer. It joins the Ethereum network like any other participant, fetches just the small pieces your wallet asks about, and checks each one against proofs signed by the network itself. Your wallet keeps working exactly as before — you just point it at Myotis instead of the company.

The usual way

One company answers every question. You cannot check its answers, and it can be wrong, switched off, or pressured into blocking you.

With Myotis

Answers come from the network and are proven before your wallet sees them. If something cannot be proven, Myotis says so instead of guessing.

Myotis is not a wallet. It has no keys, no seed phrase and no money of yours. You keep using your own wallet to sign and send. Myotis is the part that tells your wallet what is true on the blockchain, and hands your signed transactions to the network.

Why it matters

Ethereum was built so that nobody has to be trusted. Myotis brings that back to the everyday part — looking at your money and sending it.

Nobody can lie to you

Every balance and every result is checked with cryptography before your wallet sees it. A made-up answer simply fails the check.

No gatekeeper

No account, no sign-up, no terms of service. No company can block you, switch you off, or go down and take your wallet with it.

No company in the middle

Your questions go to ordinary computers on Ethereum’s network, not to one company that has you on file. They are not hidden, though: the computers Myotis asks can see which addresses you look up, and your internet address. Better privacy is being worked on.

Free and open

Myotis costs nothing and its code is public, under the Apache 2.0 licence. Anyone can read it, check it and build on it.

Beyond your wallet

Myotis also works inside other apps, and for apps that need more than today’s balances.

Freedom browser

The Freedom browser has Myotis built in, as an experimental option on desktop and iPhone. It runs quietly next to the browser’s Swarm and IPFS nodes and looks up .eth names, such as myotis.eth, straight from the Ethereum network, verified, with no company in between.

deboot

deboot-efi starts a computer from a .eth name instead of a disk. Myotis is built into it: before the operating system loads, it proves the name straight from the Ethereum network, with no company in between. The computer then fetches the system that name points to from Swarm and runs it from memory. Once it is up, debootd runs whatever its .eth name lists, including Myotis for Ethereum and Gnosis Chain, and a Swarm node that uses Myotis as its Gnosis Chain connection.

Swarm

A Swarm node (Bee) needs a connection to Gnosis Chain, usually a hosted service. Myotis can be that connection, given the right data: Bee needs the full history of Swarm’s postage-stamp contract from its first minute.

RAILGUN

RAILGUN wallets keep balances private and rebuild them by reading the whole history of RAILGUN’s contract. Myotis can serve that history to a RAILGUN wallet, such as the Terminal Wallet, in place of a public provider, given the right data.

What “the right data” means. Swarm and RAILGUN need years of one contract’s history, not just the current state. Myotis can collect that history itself and checks every piece it collects, but going back years takes days. Started from a prepared copy of the history, it is ready in minutes. Myotis takes that copy on the word of whoever prepared it, and a wrong copy could make it show wrong results without noticing. So for now the Swarm and RAILGUN builds are demonstrations: the Mac downloads with bee-poc and railgun-poc in their names. The RAILGUN history can also be loaded into the Android app by hand.

Get Myotis

Pick your device. Each guide takes you from download to a wallet that reads verified data.

Mac

macOS on Apple silicon (M1 and newer) or Intel.

Linux

Debian, Ubuntu and their relatives, on 64-bit PCs or ARM.

Android

Android 10 or newer.

Windows & iPhone

Not yet. See the questions below.

Desktop: Mac and Linux

Myotis runs as a normal app on your computer. Your browser wallet — for example the MetaMask extension — then reads from it.

  1. Download

    Open the Myotis releases page. Find the topmost entry whose name starts with Myotis v — that is the newest version. Click Assets below its notes and download the one file that fits your computer:

    Mac with Apple silicon (M1, M2, M3, M4…)Myotis-v…-arm64.dmg
    Mac with an Intel processorMyotis-v…-x64.dmg
    Linux PC (most computers)Myotis-v…-x64.deb
    Linux on ARMMyotis-v…-arm64.deb

    Not sure which Mac you have? Apple menu → About This Mac: it says Chip: Apple M… or Processor: Intel. Ignore every other file on the page — files with bee-poc or railgun-poc in the name are the Swarm and RAILGUN demos, the rest are for developers.

  2. Install

    Mac: open the downloaded .dmg and drag Myotis into Applications.

    The first time you open it, macOS refuses with a warning that Apple could not check the app. That is because Myotis is not yet registered (“notarised”) with Apple. To open it anyway — you only need to do this once:

    • macOS 15 (Sequoia) and newer: try to open Myotis once and close the warning. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll down to the note about Myotis, click Open Anyway and confirm.
    • Older macOS: in Applications, right-click (or Control-click) Myotis, choose Open, then Open again.

    Linux: double-click the .deb to install it with your software centre, or run sudo apt install ./Myotis-v…-x64.deb in a terminal, from the folder you downloaded it to.

  3. Start Myotis and let it catch up

    Open Myotis. It connects to Ethereum by itself, and the Status tab shows how far it has got. The very first start takes a few minutes; after that it is ready in about ten seconds. Wait until it says Ready with a green bar — what the colours mean.

    Keep Myotis open while you use your wallet; minimising the window is fine. Closing the window quits Myotis, and your wallet loses its connection until you start it again.

  4. Connect your wallet

    Point your wallet at Myotis — see Connect your wallet below. A browser extension wallet such as MetaMask needs one extra click in Myotis the first time: allowing it.

Android

Myotis runs in the background on your phone while a wallet app such as MetaMask reads from it. It is not in the Play Store yet, so you install it directly.

  1. Download

    On your phone, open the Myotis releases page. Find the topmost entry whose name starts with Myotis v — that is the newest version. Tap Assets below its notes and download:

    Android phone or tabletMyotis-v…-android-debug.apk

    It is about 110 MB, so Wi-Fi is a good idea. You need Android 10 or newer on a 64-bit device — practically every phone from the last several years.

  2. Install

    Open the downloaded file. Android asks whether your browser may install apps: allow Install unknown apps for it, go back and tap Install. If Google Play Protect warns about an unknown app, choose More details → Install anyway.

    Then switch Install unknown apps off again for your browser (Android Settings → Apps → Special app access → Install unknown apps), so nothing else can install apps through it.

    Only ever install Myotis, and its updates, from the official page above. This Android version is a test (“debug”) build, signed with a key that anyone can use. Android would accept a lookalike file from someone else as an “update” to Myotis, and a fake Myotis could feed your wallet false numbers. More about the warnings.

  3. Open Myotis and let it catch up

    Myotis starts by itself when you open it and keeps running in the background while you switch to your wallet. It shows a notification, Myotis node running, while it works. On Android 13 and newer you only see it after allowing notifications for Myotis (Android Settings → Apps → Myotis → Notifications). That is worth doing: Myotis also uses a notification to tell you when a website asks to use it.

    The very first start takes a few minutes; after that it is ready in about ten seconds. Wait until the Status tab says Ready with a green bar — what the colours mean.

  4. Connect your wallet

    Point MetaMask on the same phone at Myotis — see Connect your wallet below. Wallet apps work straight away; nothing needs allowing.

  5. Good to know: Myotis sleeps to save battery

    After five minutes without wallet requests, Myotis goes to sleep: the status turns grey and says Sleeping, and it stops using the network. As soon as your wallet asks something, it wakes up by itself — the first answer just takes a few seconds longer. While the phone is plugged in on Wi-Fi, it stays awake; on mobile data or a metered hotspot it goes to sleep as usual, even while charging. You can change both under Settings → Power (Idle sleep after and Stay awake while charging), and stop a network with Stop on the Status tab. Once no network is running, Myotis stops completely.

Connect your wallet

Myotis offers your wallet the same kind of connection it normally gets from a company — just at a local address on your own device. Any wallet that lets you set a custom “RPC URL” can use it. Here is how with MetaMask.

The values to enter

NetworkRPC URLChain IDCurrency
Ethereum http://127.0.0.1:8545 1ETH
Gnosis Chain http://127.0.0.1:8546 100XDAI
Sepolia (test network, play money) http://127.0.0.1:8547 11155111SepoliaETH

Only Ethereum is switched on when you install Myotis. Turn the others on under Settings → Networks in Myotis; each one gets its own address, so add each to your wallet separately. 127.0.0.1 is every device’s address for itself: the connection never leaves your phone or computer, and other devices cannot use it.

In MetaMask

  1. Open the network’s settings

    In MetaMask, open the network list, find Ethereum Mainnet and choose Edit. (On the phone: Settings → Networks → Ethereum Mainnet.)

  2. Add Myotis as its RPC URL

    Open the RPC URL list and choose Add RPC URL. Enter http://127.0.0.1:8545, give it a name such as Myotis, and add it.

  3. Select it and save

    Make sure Myotis is the selected RPC URL, then save. Your balance now comes from Myotis. To switch back at any time, select MetaMask’s original entry again.

MetaMask’s menus move a little between versions. If you cannot find Add RPC URL, look for Add network → Add a network manually and enter the values from the table. Other wallets work the same way, as long as they let you set a custom RPC URL.

Using the MetaMask browser extension? Allow it once. To protect you, Myotis refuses web pages by default — otherwise any website open in your browser could quietly use it. A browser extension counts as a web page too. The first time MetaMask connects, Myotis shows a banner on its Status screen, A web page was refused, with an Allow button; a notification points you there. Allow it only if it appeared right when you connected your wallet. You can review the list any time under Settings → Web page access.

What the banner names depends on your browser. For MetaMask from the Chrome Web Store it says MetaMask (Chrome extension). In Firefox, Edge and others it shows a code instead, such as moz-extension://…; in Firefox you can match it against MetaMask’s Internal UUID on the page about:debugging#/runtime/this-firefox.

Wallet apps on your phone, such as MetaMask Mobile, are not web pages and work right away.

Inside the app

Myotis has three tabs: Status, Query and Settings. On a phone they sit at the bottom of the screen, on a computer along the top. The chips next to the name are the networks you switched on: tap one to see its status. Start and Stop act on the selected network.

Status: is it ready?

A coloured bar under the header and a card with a headline tell you, at a glance, whether your wallet can rely on Myotis right now.

  • Green — Ready. Your wallet gets verified answers. A thicker, brighter green means Myotis has found plenty of helpers on the network, so even heavy wallet screens load quickly.

  • Amber — Almost ready. Myotis has caught up and is waiting for the newest block. Your wallet may show a brief error; just wait a moment. (If you use the log index from Expert mode, amber can also read Ready — log index catching up: everything works except searches for the very latest contract events, until the index has caught up.)

  • Red — Syncing, or something needs you. Red does not always mean a problem: Syncing is normal while Myotis catches up, so wait. The other red headlines tell you what to do: Not running — tap the start button (it names the network, e.g. Start mainnet); No internet connection; Update required — install the newest version; Needs your decision — see this question.

  • Grey — Sleeping (Android). Myotis paused itself to save battery. Your wallet’s next request wakes it up.

Query: check an address yourself

Type an address (0x…) or an ENS name such as vitalik.eth and tap Look up. Myotis shows the balance with a ✓ Verified badge once it has checked it — a quick way to see Myotis at work without any wallet.

Settings

Networks switches Ethereum, Gnosis Chain and Sepolia on and off. Web page access decides which websites and browser extensions may use Myotis. On Android, Power controls the battery-saving sleep. Everything else sits behind Expert mode — you will not need it for everyday use.

Questions

Can Myotis touch my money?

No. Myotis has no keys and no seed phrase, so it cannot sign anything or move funds. Your wallet signs your transactions; Myotis only passes on what your wallet has already signed, to the Ethereum network.

What does “verified” actually mean?

Ethereum’s validators — the computers that secure the network — continuously sign off on the latest state of the chain. Myotis checks those signatures, and then checks that every answer it receives matches what was signed, using the proofs that come with it. A computer that made up a balance could not produce a matching proof, so Myotis would reject it.

If an answer cannot be proven, Myotis tells your wallet so, rather than passing on something it could not check.

How long does it take to get going?

The very first start takes a few minutes. After that, Myotis is ready in about ten seconds. If it has been switched off for a while, it needs a little longer to catch up — the Status tab shows the progress. If it has been off for longer than its safety limit, it stops and asks you first: see “Needs your decision”.

How much storage and internet data does it use?

Storage: almost none. Myotis does not download the blockchain — it keeps well under 1 MB per network.

Data: up to about 10 MB to get started. While it is awake, it uses roughly 2 to 6 MB per minute to stay up to date. On a phone it sleeps when not in use, so it uses very little; the exception is while it charges on Wi-Fi, when it stays awake (you can switch that off under Settings → Power). On mobile data — or a Wi-Fi network your phone treats as metered, such as a hotspot — it sleeps even while charging. A computer keeps it awake all the time, which can add up to several gigabytes a day — no problem on home internet, but worth knowing on a metered connection. Sending a transaction costs about 1 to 2 MB.

Will it drain my phone’s battery?

Myotis sleeps after five minutes without wallet requests and wakes up when your wallet needs it, so it stays out of the way most of the time. You can shorten or lengthen that under Settings → Power, or tap Stop on the Status tab when you do not need it at all.

Why do my phone and my Mac warn me about the app?

Because Myotis is not distributed through the Play Store or registered with Apple yet. Both systems warn about any app that comes from elsewhere. The app is free and its full source code is public, so anyone can check what it does.

On Android there is one more thing to know: the file is a test (“debug”) build, signed with a key that anyone can use, so Android cannot tell a real Myotis update from a lookalike. Only download Myotis from its official page: github.com/biafra23/myotis/releases.

The status says “Needs your decision”. What now?

Myotis checks the chain onwards from a point it already trusts: the one built into the app, or the point where it last left off, whichever is newer. If that point is older than a safety limit — about two weeks on Ethereum, about a day and a half on Gnosis Chain — the signatures Myotis checks can no longer rule out a forged chain. So it stops and asks you instead of carrying on.

This happens after installing a version whose built-in point is already that old, or when Myotis has been off for longer than the limit. On Gnosis Chain, with its short limit, it is common and expected.

The safe answer is to install the newest version, which carries a fresher starting point. If that does not help, or you cannot update right now, Review → Sync anyway (accept risk) continues for this run. Choose it only if you trust your internet connection: you accept a small risk that someone feeds Myotis a fake chain that it cannot tell from the real one.

Can anyone see what I look up?

Partly, yes. Myotis asks other computers on the Ethereum network for the data your wallet needs. The computer it asks can see which address a question is about, and your internet address — just as a wallet company’s server can. Myotis checks that the answers are true; it does not yet hide who is asking. Private lookups are being worked on. If you want to hide your internet address in the meantime, a VPN helps.

Which networks does Myotis support?

Ethereum (switched on from the start), Gnosis Chain, and the Sepolia test network, which uses play money and is mainly for developers. Switch them on under Settings → Networks.

Does my wallet stop talking to companies altogether?

Not entirely. Myotis replaces the connection your wallet uses to read the blockchain and to send transactions — balances, token amounts, fees, the confirmation screen. Many wallets also use their own services for extras such as prices, token lists or an activity history; those are settings in your wallet, not in Myotis.

Can I use Myotis on my computer from a wallet on my phone?

No — on purpose. Myotis only answers wallets on the same device, so nobody else on your network can use it. Run Myotis on each device where you use a wallet.

Is there a Windows or iPhone version?

Windows: not yet.

iPhone: not as an app you can install. iOS pauses apps that are in the background, so a separate wallet could not rely on Myotis there. The way forward on iPhone is apps that build Myotis in directly. The Freedom browser already does, for .eth names.

Is Myotis finished?

No. It works end to end — reading balances, preparing and sending real transactions — but it is young software under active development. Try it with small amounts first, keep your wallet’s recovery phrase safe as always, and please report anything that goes wrong.