> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.lumia.org/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.lumia.org/build-on-lumia/wallets/accounts-and-wallets-on-lumia.md).

# Accounts and wallets on Lumia

**Who this is for:** developers about to set up a wallet for Lumia, who want the model in their head before following a click-by-click guide.

**Prerequisites:** none. Read this before [Add Lumia to MetaMask](broken://pages/fd523d6c003855481e39c921d3b79174846df1cf) or [Add Lumia to FoxWallet](broken://pages/9d0a2c67eaeb488522d9650173b9eb3db3f8ae36).

## What you need to know

**The account model is standard EVM.** A Lumia address is an externally-owned account (EOA): the same key pair, the same address format, and the same signing scheme as Ethereum. Any EVM-compatible wallet can hold a Lumia account; nothing about the address itself is Lumia-specific. If you already have an Ethereum wallet, you already have a Lumia-compatible account. You just need to point that wallet at Lumia's network values.

**Supported wallets.** This section documents [MetaMask](broken://pages/fd523d6c003855481e39c921d3b79174846df1cf) and [FoxWallet](broken://pages/9d0a2c67eaeb488522d9650173b9eb3db3f8ae36) step by step. Any wallet that supports adding a custom EVM network (`wallet_addEthereumChain` or an equivalent manual-add flow) works the same way in principle. You're adding the same network fields regardless of which wallet's menus you're clicking through.

**Testnet vs. mainnet accounts are the same account, different network.** Your address doesn't change between Lumia mainnet and Beam testnet. Only which network your wallet is currently pointed at, and which funds are visible, changes. This is exactly why it matters to check which chain ID your wallet shows before you sign or send anything: the same private key controls a mainnet balance and a Beam testnet balance that have nothing to do with each other.

{% hint style="warning" %}
**Never reuse a mainnet key for testnet work, or vice versa.** Not because the chains are technically linked, but because keeping them separate means a testnet mistake (a leaked key in a public repo, a compromised dev machine) never touches real funds.
{% endhint %}

## Steps

{% stepper %}
{% step %}

#### 1. Decide which network you need first

Most development starts on Beam testnet. See [Networks & RPC setup](file:///5838283/environment/Networks-and-RPC-setup.md) if you're not sure which one applies to you.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

#### 2. Pick a wallet from the supported list above

{% endstep %}

{% step %}

#### 3. Follow that wallet's setup guide

Add the network and confirm the chain ID it shows against [`/reference/networks`](file:///reference/Networks-and-endpoints.md).
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

#### 4. Fund the account

[Testnet tokens from the faucet](file:///5838283/environment/Get-testnet-tokens-faucet.md) for Beam, or your own funds for mainnet.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

## Verify it worked

Your wallet shows a nonzero balance on the network you intended, and the chain ID displayed matches the value in [`/reference/networks`](file:///reference/Networks-and-endpoints.md), not the retired `1952959480` network (see [`/reference/retired-testnet`](file:///reference/Retired-testnet-1952959480.md)).

## Troubleshooting

<details>

<summary>Balance shows zero after funding</summary>

Your wallet is still pointed at a different network than the one you funded. Re-check the active network name/chain ID.

</details>

<details>

<summary>Not sure which network to use</summary>

Default to Beam testnet for anything you're still building; move to mainnet only once you're intentionally deploying for real use.

</details>