Ethereum launches Clear Signing; Ledger, MetaMask onboard

On May 13, 2026, the Ethereum community announced Clear Signing, a security feature that shows readable transaction details before a user approves a signature. Ledger, MetaMask, Trezor, WalletConnect, Fireblocks, Keycard, Argot, Sourcify, Zama and ZKnox are among the earliest adopters and contributors.

The effort was introduced through the Ethereum Foundation’s Trillion Dollar Security Initiative and initiated by Ledger using the open-source ERC-7730 token standard. Clear Signing is designed to replace raw hexadecimal payloads with plain-language descriptions of transaction intent and to make those descriptions verifiable.

ERC-7730 defines the descriptor format and how wallets should fetch and display readable transaction intent. A neutral, mirrorable descriptor registry is part of the design so multiple parties can host identical records, reducing the risk of a single point of censorship or tampering. An attestation framework lets independent auditors certify that a descriptor matches a contract’s real behavior.

The Ethereum Foundation described blind signing as a “structural flaw” in wallet signing flows and said approving a transaction is meant to be a final line of defense. The foundation noted blind signing has been linked to billions of dollars in losses, and cited the $1.4 billion Bybit breach last year as an example of how compromised transaction signatures can be exploited.

Tomáš Sušánka, Trezor chief technology officer, called Clear Signing a “critical security advancement for our entire industry” and set a target to implement the standard before June 30. He said users have been asked to approve malicious transactions that appear as unreadable data and then lose funds, and described Clear Signing as a way to present transaction information in plain language before approval. He added that Trezor is implementing the standard for its users.

Wallet builders and custody providers that contributed code or support say they will integrate Clear Signing into approval flows. The open-source standard is built for interoperability so multiple wallets and services can adopt it without locking users into a single provider. Developers and auditors are expected to populate descriptor registries and provide attestations, while wallet interfaces will present the descriptions to end users.

Adoption by major hardware and software wallets is intended to make readable signing a standard part of self-custody workflows. Users should begin to see clearer transaction descriptions in wallet approval screens in the coming weeks and months as implementations roll out.