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Funding your account

After installation, your Gnosis VPN account must be funded before you can connect. To use Gnosis VPN, you need both wxHOPR and xDAI on Gnosis Chain.

Privacy consideration

If you want stronger privacy, consider separating your everyday wallet from the one you use to fund your Gnosis VPN account. Because blockchain transactions are public, it's best to reduce onchain links between identities before acquiring HOPR.

For example, you can use privacypools.com to deposit ETH from your regular wallet into a pool on Ethereum mainnet, wait until your transaction blends with others, and then withdraw to a fresh wallet. To improve privacy, avoid withdrawing a unique amount — choose a common denomination (e.g. 0.01 ETH) that many others are likely to use. You can then use the ETH in the new wallet to acquire HOPR and fund your Gnosis VPN account while keeping identities more separate.

This makes it harder to link your everyday wallet to your Gnosis VPN usage, but it does not guarantee anonymity. Your privacy level depends on factors like pool size, timing, amount selection, and your overall onchain behavior.

If you already have wxHOPR and xDAI​

  1. Make sure your wallet is connected to Gnosis Chain.
  2. Send wxHOPR and xDAI to the funding address shown in the Gnosis VPN app.
  3. You can use the QR code or the Copy Address button to fund your account from any wallet.

If you don't have wxHOPR and/or xDAI yet​

Step 1: Buy HOPR and DAI​

Buy HOPR and DAI on Ethereum Mainnet using:

  • a centralized exchange (e.g. Coinbase), or
  • a decentralized exchange such as CowSwap.

Step 2: Bridge tokens to Gnosis Chain​

You can bridge your tokens using one of the following options.

Option A: Use the Gnosis Chain Bridge

  1. Go to the Gnosis Chain Bridge.
  2. Connect your wallet on Ethereum Mainnet.
  3. Select DAI and bridge it to Gnosis Chain. Once completed, you will have xDAI.
  4. Stay on the Gnosis Chain Bridge.
  5. Select HOPR and bridge it to Gnosis Chain. Once completed, you will have xHOPR.

Option B: Use Trust Wallet

  1. Open Trust Wallet.
  2. Use the built-in Swap / Bridge feature.
  3. Bridge DAI → xDAI and HOPR → xHOPR. Trust Wallet will guide you through the process and handle the cross-chain transfer.

Step 3: Wrap xHOPR to wxHOPR​

  1. Open https://wrapper.hoprnet.org/
  2. Connect your wallet on Gnosis Chain.
  3. Convert xHOPR → wxHOPR.

Funding your account for the first time​

Once you have wxHOPR and xDAI in your wallet:

  1. Open the Gnosis VPN app.
  2. Use the QR code or Copy Address button to send both tokens to your funding address.

Topping up your account​

  1. Open the Gnosis VPN app.
  2. Click the wallet icon in the top-right corner — a new window will open.
  3. Click Add funds. You'll see your EOA address to top up xDAI, and your Safe wallet address to top up wxHOPR.

Funding via the faucet​

If you have been given a secret code, you can also fund your Gnosis VPN account via the faucet:

https://faucet.vpn.gnosis.eth.limo

Your identity​

Every Gnosis VPN node manages access to the tokens it needs to function via a Safe smart account powered by HOPR Safe Staking. Your identity key is what links your client to that Safe, which handles payment channels and ticket settlement on Gnosis Chain.

Warning!

If the identity file is deleted or lost, the client generates a new one — meaning any funds, open payment channels, or Safe association tied to the old identity are no longer reachable from that client and can't be restored.

Where your identity is stored:

The identity is stored in /Library/Application Support/GnosisVPN/.config. To get there:

sudo su -
cd /Library/Application\ Support/GnosisVPN/

For a complete list of files and directories used by Gnosis VPN, see the reference pages for macOS and Debian.