> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://countertrade.gitbook.io/docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://countertrade.gitbook.io/docs/account-and-profile/account-and-wallet.md).

# Account and wallet

The two ways to sign in, what a Google-only account can and cannot do, your trader name, and why the wallet you sign in with is the one that matters.

You get an account the first time you sign in. There are two ways in, and they do not unlock the same things — the choice matters more than it looks.

## The two sign-in methods

**Continue with Google.** Pick a Google account and you're signed in. Nothing else is required.

**Sign in with a wallet.** Two steps that are easy to confuse: you first *connect* a wallet, which only tells the browser which wallet you're using, then you select **Sign In** and approve a signature request. Only that second step signs you in. Approving costs no gas — a signature proves you hold the address, it doesn't move anything.

## What each one unlocks

|                                | Google account         | Wallet sign-in |
| ------------------------------ | ---------------------- | -------------- |
| Browse battles, spectate, chat | Yes                    | Yes            |
| Join a battle                  | After linking a wallet | Yes            |
| Trade                          | After linking a wallet | Yes            |
| Claim a prize or refund        | After linking a wallet | Yes            |

Joining and claiming are on-chain actions, so they need a wallet the platform can recognise as yours. Trading itself is off-chain paper trading — no wallet confirmation, no gas per order — but you can only trade in battles you've joined, so a wallet gates the terminal too.

## Linking a wallet to a Google account

A Google account is asked for a wallet only when an action needs one: joining a room or an Open Arena, accepting a private-room invite, creating a room, or joining a season. Until then nothing in the header asks for one.

Where the action's button would be, you see **Link a wallet to join** (or **to create a room**, **to accept this invite**, **to join the season**). One press does the whole step:

1. If no wallet is connected, the wallet window opens so you can connect one.
2. Your wallet asks you to sign a message. It costs no gas and moves nothing.
3. The wallet joins your account, and the action you pressed for carries on.

If the wallet already belongs to another CounterTrade account, you see **This wallet is already linked to another CounterTrade account.** Two accounts are never merged. Choose **Sign in with this wallet** to use the account that wallet belongs to, or **Connect a different wallet** to link another one to your Google account.

If your wallet says a request is already open, open the wallet, approve or cancel the waiting request, and press the button again.

## The wallet you sign in with

That wallet becomes your on-chain identity. It pays entry fees, and it is the only address that can claim what you win — payouts are pull-based, so the contract never sends anything anywhere on its own. A league season's vault is the exception: it sends prizes and returns to the wallet you joined the season with.

Two consequences worth taking seriously:

* **Keep access to it.** If you lose the wallet, you lose the ability to claim from it. Nobody can move a payout to a different address for you.
* **Play from the wallet you signed in with.** If a different wallet is connected in your browser when you try to join or claim, the button reads **Wallet mismatch** rather than acting on the wrong address.

Your profile shows the wallet on your account as a shortened address. Addresses are never displayed in full on screen.

## Your trader name

Your trader name is the public identity other players see. Your wallet address is never shown as your name — a player who hasn't set one appears as **Unnamed Trader**, which is a privacy feature rather than an oversight.

You're asked for a name the first time you try to create, join, trade, or chat. The **Choose your trader name** dialog takes a **Trader name** of 3–20 characters using letters, numbers, underscore, or hyphen, and the name has to be unused. Select **Save trader name**; the button reads **Saving…** while it saves.

To change it later, open your profile and select **Edit**. The same dialog opens with your current name filled in, and the same rules apply. If someone already has the name you want, you'll see **That name is taken — try another.**

The name changes everywhere at once, including in battles you've already played.

## Related

* [Quick start](/docs/start-here/quick-start.md)
* [Account security](/docs/account-and-profile/account-security.md)
* [Claims and refunds](/docs/funds-and-settlement/claims-and-refunds.md)