What Is Ledger Wallet™ direct access?

Interacting with dApps has usually meant relying on a third-party wallet, often a browser extension, that sits online between you and your signer and can misrepresent what you are approving. Ledger Wallet™ direct access removes intermediate software risks, letting you connect your hardware signer directly to supported decentralized applications (dApps).

It lets you connect your Ledger signer straight to a supported decentralized app (dApp), without going through a separate software wallet. So your keys stay in the certified Secure Element chip, Transaction Check screens each transaction, and Clear Signing shows you, in plain language, what you are about to sign.

Currently, direct access to Ledger Wallet supports 1inch and Velora for swapping. Morpho now joins them, extending the same protection to borrowing and lending.

What Does direct access to Ledger Wallet Mean?

Ledger Wallet direct access is a connectivity feature that lets you connect your Ledger signer directly to a supported third-party dApp, with no third-party software wallet in between. It brings four parts of Ledger’s security model into a single flow:

• Self-custody: your private keys stay inside the certified Secure Element chip and do not leave the device.
• Direct connectivity: the signer receives the transaction request straight from the dApp, without passing through a third-party software wallet or browser extension.
• Transaction Check: before you sign, a pre-broadcast simulation checks the transaction against known threat patterns.
• Clear Signing: the request appears as human-readable detail on the Secure Screen, so you can confirm what you are actually authorizing.

Once connected, your accounts appear in the dApp through Ledger Sync, so you do not enter addresses by hand. You review each transaction on the Secure Screen, confirm it physically on the device, and it executes.

Each approval, deposit, or borrow request is displayed on the Secure Screen and is signed only once you confirm it on your device.

How Does direct access to Ledger Wallet Work?

When you use a supported dApp, you select Ledger Wallet as your connection option instead of a browser extension. The dApp connects directly to your Ledger signer, with no third-party software wallet in between. 

For EVM (Ethereum Virtual Machine) transactions, Transaction Check can simulate the transaction before you sign, drawing on data such as the current blockchain state and mempool, and flag known threats, for example, a malicious or questionable contract or a transfer to a flagged address. Clear Signing then shows the transaction in human-readable form on the Secure Screen, such as the asset, the amount, and the contract you are authorizing.

The Secure Screen displays the transaction details from within the device, where a connected computer or website cannot alter them. What you confirm on that screen is what gets signed. You approve by pressing physically on the device

How Does direct access to Ledger Wallet Help Address Blind Signing?

Blind signing is what happens when you are asked to approve a transaction without fully understanding its details, similar to signing a “blank check”. Rather than seeing human-readable details, the wallet or dApp presents you with a hexadecimal string or a partially decoded summary, asking you to confirm it without seeing the actual parameters, like which contract is requesting approval, the amount, permissions, or recipient address.

The software layer runs online, and a malicious site can make it display a transaction that does not match what will actually be signed. Approving a transaction you cannot fully verify is called blind signing, and it is one of the most common ways users lose funds in DeFi.

The direct access removes the intermediary. With the dApp connected straight to your signer, the transaction is screened by Transaction Check and shown in full on the Secure Screen before you approve it.

Direct access to Ledger Wallet vs. Third-Party Software Wallet

Which DApps Connect Directly to Ledger Wallet?

The Ledger Wallet direct access integration program launched at Ledger Op3n 2025 with 1inch and expanded to Velora, both for swapping. Morpho now joins them, extending the feature to borrowing and lending.

1inch: The Launch Partner for Secure Swapping

1inch was the first dApp to implement direct access. Through its intent-based swap model, you can specify the outcome you want, and competing resolvers fill the order. On eligible swaps, the resolver covers the gas, so you do not need to hold the network’s native token to execute the trade. The mechanism also helps reduce front-running risks from your swaps.

Through direct access, every 1inch swap lands on the Secure Screen as human-readable detail before you confirm. You confirm the final approval physically on your signer. Simply put, the entire flow from quote to confirmation stays within the security boundary of the signer.

Velora: Cross-Chain Signing Across Multiple Networks

Velora, formerly ParaSwap, is a DeFi trading interface that aggregates liquidity across decentralized exchanges (DEXs) and supports trading on Ethereum, Arbitrum, Polygon, and Base.

Similar to 1inch direct connectivity, connecting through direct access brings Clear Signing to Velora transactions before you confirm. Your private keys remain on the device’s Secure Element chip throughout.

Morpho: The Onchain Credit  Expansion

Morpho is the first onchain credit network to join direct access. Where 1inch and Velora brought Clear Signing to swaps, Morpho extends it to vault deposits and borrows. 

Lending introduces a step that swapping does not: the token approval. A token approval is a transaction that grants a smart contract permission to move a specific token from your address. Approvals are routine, but they carry weight, because that permission can stay active until you revoke it. 

Depositing into a Morpho vault involves two signatures: the ERC-20 (Ethereum Request for Comment 20) approval that lets the vault move your asset, and the deposit itself.

With a software-only setup, approving a vault can mean signing data you cannot fully read, so you may not see the exact contract, the permission scope, or how long it lasts. Through Ledger Wallet direct access, each request appears in plain language on the Secure Screen and is screened by Transaction Check before you sign. The integration covers Morpho Blue markets and Morpho Vaults V1 and V2 deposits, withdrawals, and borrows across Ethereum, Base, and supported Layer 2 networks.**

How Do You Connect Your Ledger Signer to a dApp?

The connection flow is the same across all supported dApps. Before you begin, make sure Ledger Wallet is updated to the latest version, your signer is running the latest Ledger OS™, and Ledger Sync is enabled in Ledger Wallet.

Refer to the Ledger Support Centre article on direct access for a more comprehensive guide.

What Are the Requirements and Current Limits?

Some of the requirements for direct connectivity include:

• Device compatibility: all Ledger signers are supported except Ledger Nano S^TM.
• Platform: desktop only via Chrome, Brave, and other Chromium-based browsers. The 1inch integration also supports the 1inch mobile app. 
• Chains: EVM-compatible chains, including Ethereum, Base, and other supported Layer 2 networks. 
• Prerequisites: Ledger Wallet must be installed and updated. Ledger Sync must be active. The relevant network app (for example, the Ethereum app) must be installed on your signer. 
• Current dApp support: 1inch, Velora, and Morpho are confirmed and live. 

Conclusion

Self-custody is about more than holding your own keys. It also means being able to see and verify every transaction you authorize. A key you control offers limited protection if you are approving transactions you cannot read on an online screen.

Ledger Wallet direct access closes that gap. By connecting your signer directly to supported dApps and pairing Clear Signing with Transaction Check, it makes each transaction human-readable and threat-screened before you approve it. Whether you are swapping on 1inch or Velora, or lending/borrowing on Morpho, the principle is the same: you see what you sign, and nothing is authorized without you.

Disclaimers:

Crypto transaction services are provided by third-party service providers. Ledger provides no advice or recommendations to use any of these third-party services.

** Lending, borrowing, and vault services are provided by third parties through Morpho Blue Markets and curated Morpho Vaults. Ledger provides no financial advice or recommendations on use of Morpho Blue and Morpho Vaults. Lending and borrowing involve risk, including loss of principal.