a smart wallet is the upgrade that finally makes perp trading on base feel like a real app instead of a chemistry experiment. no seed phrase to write on a napkin, no gas top-ups, no eight-step onboarding before you can do anything. this is how to set up a smart wallet for perp trading, done in under two minutes.
we will explain what a smart wallet actually is, why you want one for high-leverage perps, and the exact steps to be live on uponly.win — which uses privy under the hood and sponsors gas via pimlico. you will end this guide with a working account.
what a smart wallet is and why it matters
a smart wallet is a wallet that lives in a smart contract instead of a raw private key. that sounds like trivia but it changes the user experience completely. smart wallets can do things eoas (regular wallets) cannot — like sponsor your gas, batch transactions, and let you sign in with email or a passkey.
- no seed phrase to memorize — sign in with email, social, or a passkey
- gasless transactions when the app sponsors gas (uponly.win does)
- batched approvals so a single tap can do what used to be three
- recoverable through your sign-in method, not a hand-written phrase
- on-chain by default — your funds are still in your wallet, not on the platform
how privy and pimlico fit together on uponly.win
two pieces of infrastructure power the smart wallet experience on uponly.win — privy and pimlico. you do not need to know how either works to use uponly, but a one-line summary helps you understand what is happening when you tap a button.
privy — the wallet itself
privy creates and manages the smart wallet that holds your usdc on base. when you sign in to uponly with email or a wallet you already have, privy provisions a smart-contract wallet tied to that identity. no seed phrase. recovery flows through the same sign-in method you started with.
pimlico — the gas sponsor
pimlico is the paymaster service that sponsors gas for your transactions. when you tap rip on uponly, pimlico pays the base network gas on your behalf. you only need usdc on base — no eth required for gas. that is what people mean by "gasless".
- privy — handles wallet creation, sign-in, and recovery
- pimlico — sponsors the base gas so trades are gasless for you
- avantis — the on-chain perp venue where trades actually settle
- uponly — the arcade ui layered on top of all three
the step-by-step setup on uponly.win
here is the literal flow from "i have nothing" to "i have a working smart wallet on base ready to trade perps". it really is this short.
- open uponly.win in a browser or mobile browser — no app store install needed
- tap sign in and choose email, social, or "connect existing wallet"
- if you chose email, enter the code that lands in your inbox
- privy provisions a smart wallet on base linked to your sign-in method
- copy your wallet address from the deposit screen
- send usdc to that address on base from your cex or existing wallet
- wait for the deposit to confirm — usually under two minutes
- you are done. tap rip whenever you are ready
no seed phrase. no gas top-up. no network-switching modal. the smart wallet does the boring infrastructure work so the next tap can be the rip itself.
why a smart wallet is specifically good for perp trading
perp trading is friction-sensitive. every extra confirmation popup is a chance to miss the move you were trying to catch. a smart wallet collapses what used to be three transactions into one signed action.
what gets faster with a smart wallet
- opening a position — no separate approve step on each new pair
- closing a position — no gas balance to check first
- rapid-fire rips — batched actions mean you can tap multiple times without waiting for individual confirmations
- recovery if you lose access — sign-in based, not seed-phrase based
how uponly's structure works with your smart wallet
uponly.win runs no house — every trade you open from your smart wallet settles directly on avantis, the on-chain perp venue on base. the platform never sits between your wallet and the market. when you lose, the platform earns zero. there is zero open fee, zero close fee, and zero fee on losing trades.
practically, your smart wallet on uponly is your trading account. funds stay yours. gas is sponsored. the only platform fee is a small variable cut on net winnings. that is the entire economic relationship between you and us.
security and recovery for smart wallets
a smart wallet is only as secure as its sign-in method. if you use email, treat that email like the keys to a bank account. enable 2fa. do not reuse the password. if you use a passkey, biometric is generally the strongest path.
- lock down the email or social account you signed in with
- enable hardware-key 2fa where possible
- never share your sign-in link or any code received via email
- remember that funds live in your smart wallet — withdrawing back to a cex is always available
next steps after the wallet is live
with the smart wallet provisioned and usdc on base in it, you are ready to trade. start with how to onboard to on-chain perps in 60 seconds if you want the speed-run, or how to open your first 100x leverage trade if you want the deliberate version.
or just try uponly — sign in, deposit, rip. the whole point of the smart wallet was to make that loop friction-free.