Verify API

Verify API is a security-focused feature that allows wallets to notify end-users when they may be connecting to a suspicious or malicious domain, helping to prevent phishing attacks across the industry. Once a wallet knows whether an end-user is on uniswap.com or eviluniswap.com, it can help them to detect potentially harmful connections through Verify's combined offering of WalletConnect's domain registry.

When a user initiates a connection with an application, Verify API enables wallets to present their users with four key states that can help them determine whether the domain they’re about to connect to might be malicious.

These are:

DisclaimerCopy Anchor Link

Verify API helps wallets detect suspicious or malicious domains, but it may not catch every threat. Use it as one more layer of protection alongside your wallet's other security measures.

Domain risk detectionCopy Anchor Link

The Verify security system will discriminate session proposals & session requests with distinct validations that can be either VALID, INVALID or UNKNOWN.

• Domain match: The domain linked to this request has been verified as this application's domain.
  • This interface appears when the domain a user is attempting to connect to has been ‘verified’ in our domain registry as the registered domain of the application the user is trying to connect to, and the domain has not returned as suspicious from either of the security tools we work with. The verifyContext included in the request will have a validation of VALID.
• Unverified: The domain sending the request cannot be verified.
  • This interface appears when the domain a user is attempting to connect to has not been verified in our domain registry, but the domain has not returned as suspicious from either of the security tools we work with. The verifyContext included in the request will have a validation of UNKNOWN.
• Mismatch: The application's domain doesn't match the sender of this request.
  • This interface appears when the domain a user is attempting to connect to has been flagged as a different domain to the one this application has verified in our domain registry, but the domain has not returned as suspicious from either of the security tools we work with. The verifyContext included in the request will have a validation of INVALID
• Threat: This domain is flagged as malicious and potentially harmful.
  • This interface appears when the domain a user is attempting to connect to has been flagged as malicious on one or more of the security tools we work with. The verifyContext included in the request will contain parameter isScam with value true.

Reading verifyContext by connection typeCopy Anchor Link

How your wallet should read verifyContext depends on how the dApp connects:

• Web dApp over QR code or deep link (relay): This is the full Verify API, including scam checks. Show all four states: VALID as Domain match, UNKNOWN as Cannot verify, INVALID as Mismatch, and isScam as Security risk (ideally blocking or requiring the user to confirm).
• Native dApp over relay: Native apps can't create a Verify attestation, so UNKNOWN is expected here. We suggest a neutral "Cannot verify" label rather than an alarming warning.
• Link Mode (native to native): The domain check above applies, with no scam check. INVALID means the dApp's universal link domain doesn't match its metadata.url. The wallet's own Link Mode setup also needs to be complete, or the result falls back to INVALID.

ImplementationCopy Anchor Link

Every session_proposal, session_authenticate and session_request event includes a verifyContext. Map it to one of the four states once, then use that state in each handler.

function getVerifyState(verifyContext) {
  const { validation, isScam } = verifyContext.verified

  // Threat: only set over relay, since Link Mode has no scam check
  if (isScam) return "THREAT"

  switch (validation) {
    case "VALID":
      return "DOMAIN_MATCH"
    case "INVALID":
      return "MISMATCH"
    default:
      // UNKNOWN: expected for native dApps over relay. Link Mode never returns UNKNOWN
      return "UNVERIFIED"
  }
}

// Session proposals always arrive over relay, from a web or native dApp
walletKit.on("session_proposal", async (proposal) => {
  const state = getVerifyState(proposal.verifyContext)
  // show the state on the approval screen
})

// One-click auth requests can arrive over relay or Link Mode
walletKit.on("session_authenticate", async (payload) => {
  const state = getVerifyState(payload.verifyContext)
  const isLinkMode = payload.transportType === "link_mode"
  // in Link Mode, MISMATCH means the universal link domain doesn't match metadata.url
})

// Session requests: read the transport from the session they belong to
walletKit.on("session_request", async (request) => {
  const state = getVerifyState(request.verifyContext)
  const { transportType } = walletKit.getActiveSessions()[request.topic]
  // show the state on the signing screen
})

Present each state like this:

• THREAT: Block the request, or require the user to explicitly accept the risk. Check before anything else, so the user doesn't also see a Mismatch warning.
• MISMATCH: Show a warning and proceed only if the user accepts the risk.
• UNVERIFIED: Show a neutral "Cannot verify" label. Don't block the request, since native dApps over relay always land here.
• DOMAIN_MATCH: Show a verified badge and proceed as normal.

For live demo examples of the intended Verify API flows, check out our demo apps:

• Demo Web Wallet
• Demo React Native Wallet
• Demo App - you can toggle between the verify states by clicking on the gear & selecting the decided Validation before connecting to the wallet
• Demo Malicious App - this app is flagged as malicious and will have the isScam parameter set to true in the verifyContext of the request