Note: The ENS App and ENS Explorer are both currently on Sepolia testnet. Behaviour and available features may change before mainnet.
What are Smart Sessions?
Smart Sessions are how the App signs things for you in the background. When you connect a wallet to app.ens.dev, two things happen quietly in the background. The App creates a Smart Account paired with your wallet. Then it sets up Smart Sessions that let that Smart Account sign ENS actions for you — without a wallet popup each time you do something. Buttons like BUY NAME or Save Changes, are then single clicks without individual wallet confirmation needed.
Smart Sessions sign ENS actions for you without a wallet popup. Smart Accounts are the paired accounts that do the signing.
How to connect and setup each time
The prompt to enable Smart Sessions appears each time you connect wallet. Keep a little ETH in your wallet — enabling is a transaction, not just a signature.
1. Connect your wallet
Go to app.ens.dev.
Click Connect in the top right.
Pick your wallet and approve the connection.
Sign the message your wallet shows — this is a Sign-In with Ethereum request. It's free and proves you own the wallet.
2. Enable Smart Sessions
As soon as your wallet connects, the app prompts you to enable Smart Sessions. Once enabled, the app handles transactions in the background. You'll see progress banners at the top of the screen instead of wallet pop-ups.
Review the Smart Sessions prompt and click Enable Sessions.
Confirm the transaction in your wallet. This sets up the session key and funds the session account with a small amount of ETH for gas.
Note: The address shown in your account dropdown after enabling Smart Sessions is the session account address, not your wallet address. This is expected.
Common questions
Does enabling Smart Sessions cost anything?
Yes, a small amount. Enabling is a transaction rather than a free signature — it sets up the session key and funds the session account with a little ETH for gas. Keep a small ETH balance in your wallet before you start.
Can I skip Smart Sessions?
The ENS app requires Smart Sessions for various transactions and name management. You can use the ENS app without it, however you'll have a limited view.
How do I turn Smart Sessions off, or back on?
Disconnecting your wallet resets any approval you've given. Reconnect and the prompt appears again as part of the connect flow — so disconnect and reconnect is how you do both.
Why does my wallet still ask me to sign?
For two things:
Enable Sessions — once on a fresh connection. This is the transaction described above, so it costs gas.
SIWE sign-in — once per session, optional and free. Needed for notifications and favourites.
Once those are done, ENS actions like registering, renewing, and editing records run with no wallet popup. The Smart Account signs them for you.