A new OpenClaw skill from CoinFello addresses a key security issue with AI agents using crypto.
The team behind AI agent CoinFello today announced the release of an open-source skill that lets AI agents securely connect to MetaMask and execute on-chain transactions, without ever handling a user’s private keys.
The skill lets OpenClaw-based personal AI agents, known as MoltBots, transact with designated amounts of crypto from an existing MetaMask wallet, without the wallet’s owner giving up custody of their private keys, per a press release shared with The Defiant.
The agent skill is built via the MetaMask Smart Accounts Kit, using ERC-4337 smart accounts and ERC-7710 delegations. CoinFello’s founder and CEO, known as Jacob C, was previously lead of operations at MetaMask.
The release addresses a core vulnerability in how most AI agent wallets currently operate: agents are typically given direct access to private keys or API credentials, which are then vulnerable to prompt injection attacks, per the release.
CoinFello says its approach allows users to grant agents only the narrowly scoped permissions needed for a specific task.
“If we want agents to participate meaningfully in the onchain economy, we need a security model that is better than handing an autonomous system a private key,” said Brett Cleary, CTO at CoinFello.
MetaMask didn’t publicly comment on CoinFello’s skill release today, but ahead of the skill’s debut at ETHDenver in February, MetaMask’s product team signaled support for the approach.
“We’re pleased to collaborate with the CoinFello team as they bring agent-driven experiences to users through the MetaMask Smart Accounts Kit,” Ryan McPeck, product lead at Consensys for the MetaMask Smart Accounts Kit, was quoted as saying at the time, adding:
Supported capabilities include ERC-20 token swaps, bridging across Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) chains, NFT interactions, staking, lending, and multi-step trading strategies — all triggered via natural-language prompts. The skill is released under the MIT license, per the release.
The launch lands as the OpenClaw and MoltBot ecosystem has surged in recent months. As The Defiant reported, the viral growth of AI-only social platform Moltbook — mostly populated by OpenClaw agents — drove record token activity on Base-based launchpad Clanker earlier this year.
Yesterday, Axios reported that Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, has acquired Moltbook, bringing its two founders into Meta’s AI division.
This article was written with the assistance of AI workflows. All our stories are curated, edited and fact-checked by a human.
Source: https://thedefiant.io/news/nfts-and-web3/coinfello-launches-ai-agent-skill-for-secure-on-chain-transactions
