set up a wallet
kiosk-402 uses your crypto wallet as a login and a way to pay 50¢ at a time. You don't need an account; you don't need to give us your email. Pick a wallet, install it, switch it to Base Sepolia, and you're in.
1 — pick a wallet
On desktop: MetaMask (recommended)
If you're reading this on a laptop or desktop, install MetaMask as a browser extension. It works in Brave, Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and any other Chromium-based browser. Free.
- Download: metamask.io/download
- Once installed, the kiosk's connect wallet button will offer browser extension — that's MetaMask. Click, approve, sign in.
- Brave users: MetaMask works alongside Brave's built-in wallet, but most flows assume MetaMask. If Brave Wallet hijacks the connect, open brave://settings/wallet and set Default Ethereum wallet to Extensions (no fallback).
Other good desktop extensions: Rabby (cleaner transaction review than MetaMask), Coinbase Wallet extension.
On mobile: Base Wallet (recommended)
If you're on a phone, or want to scan a QR from desktop to authorize from your phone, Base Wallet is the most kiosk-aligned choice. Made by Coinbase, designed around Base — the network kiosk-402 runs on. iOS + Android. Free.
- Download: coinbase.com/wallet
- On the kiosk site, click connect wallet → mobile wallet → scan the QR with Base Wallet's built-in scanner.
Other good mobile wallets: Rainbow, Trust Wallet, MetaMask Mobile, Phantom (EVM mode). All use the same QR flow.
Any wallet that speaks WalletConnect v2 works. The two flows kiosk supports are browser extension (desktop wallet installed in your browser) and mobile wallet via QR (anything else).
2 — switch to Base Sepolia
kiosk-402 currently runs on Base Sepolia, the test network. No real money — but the entire flow is real. To pay, your wallet has to be set to this network.
In Base Wallet / Coinbase Wallet
- Tap your account icon → Networks (or Settings → Networks).
- Enable testnet networks if asked.
- Pick Base Sepolia.
In MetaMask / Rabby (manual add)
If the network isn't pre-loaded, add it manually with these settings:
| Network name | Base Sepolia |
|---|---|
| RPC URL | https://sepolia.base.org |
| Chain ID | 84532 |
| Currency symbol | ETH |
| Block explorer | https://sepolia.basescan.org |
3 — fund it (testnet, free)
Two things you'll want on Base Sepolia:
- Sepolia ETH for any direct on-chain calls. The buyer flow is gasless on your side (the platform pays gas), so you can skip this. But it's nice to have a few cents of ETH.
Faucets: Coinbase faucet, Alchemy faucet. - Sepolia USDC to actually buy things on kiosk. The protocol settles every payment in USDC.
Faucet: Circle USDC faucet — pick Base Sepolia, paste your address, drip some USDC.
4 — connect and pay
- Back on kiosk-402, click connect wallet.
- Choose browser extension or mobile wallet depending on what you installed.
- Your wallet asks you to sign a quick message — that's Sign-In-With-Ethereum. No gas, no spend, just proves you control the address.
- Click any article tile → unlock for $0.50 USDC → sign the EIP-712 authorization → done. The transaction hash appears as your receipt.
What kiosk does and doesn't see
- Sees: your wallet address (public), and which resources you've unlocked.
- Never sees: your password / private key / seed phrase. Those stay in your wallet app.
- Never asks for: an email or any personal info. The address is your account.
Once you're connected, your re-access to anything you've paid for stays alive for the resource's window (24h for articles and videos) — no re-paying within that period.