Mnemonic Backup for Keyless Accounts
Overview
Petra now supports adding a private key backup (mnemonic seed phrase) for Keyless accounts. This feature allows users to rotate a Keyless account into a MultiKey account, combining the original Keyless signer with a private key backup for additional security and account recovery.
This page documents how users can use Private Key Backups in Petra.
Key Concepts
- Keyless Account: An account created with a social login (Google, Apple, etc.).
- Private Key Backup: A mnemonic seed phrase generated for a Keyless account.
- MultiKey account: An account with multiple signers; in this case, one Keyless signer and one private key signer.
Important Notes:
- Each Private Key Backup is generated once and is not stored by Petra.
- Users can generate a new private key if the old one is lost; old keys will no longer work. This can be done as many times as a user wants, but only the latest key will work.
Adding a Private Key Backup to your Petra Web account
- Navigate to Account Backup.
- In the Recovery Phrase section, click Reveal to generate a backup if one does not already exist.
- Copy and securely store the generated mnemonic.
- Confirm the action to submit the on-chain transaction that rotates the Keyless account into a MultiKey account.
Important: Adding a private key backup requires an on-chain transaction.
Your account must hold a minimum balance of APT to cover the network fee.
There is currently no gas station or fee-payer mechanism for this flow.
If your balance is insufficient, the transaction will fail until the account is funded.
Importing Private Key Backup to Petra Mobile / Extension
Adding a Private Key Backup to a wallet already containing a Keyless account will not remove the Keyless login. You will need to remove the Keyless account from the wallet first.
To access your Keyless account using your Private Key Backup:
- Open Petra Mobile or the Petra Extension.
- Begin the standard onboarding flow and select Import Wallet.
- Choose Import using recovery phrase (mnemonic).
- Paste the securely stored mnemonic generated from the "Add a Private Key Backup to your Petra Web account" section.
- Complete the remaining onboarding steps.
After onboarding is complete:
- Confirm that the account address displayed in the top left matches the account address shown in Petra Web.
- If the address matches, the Private Key Backup has been successfully imported and is now active.
FAQ – Mnemonic Backup for Keyless Accounts
Q1: Can a user generate multiple private key backups for the same account?
Yes. Multiple rotations are supported. Only one active key per device is stored locally at a time.
Q2: What happens if my Keyless account is already in the wallet?
The wallet will detect the overlap and will prevent the import of the Private Key Backup. You will need to remove the Keyless account from the wallet first.
Q3: Can the Private Key Backup be regenerated across devices?
It can be regenerated across Petra Web but not Petra Mobile or Extension at this time.
Q4: Do I need the account address to import a Private Key Backup?
No. The wallet automatically resolves the account via the indexer.
Q5: What if the account has no APT?
There is currently no gas station or fee-payer mechanism available for this flow. If the account does not have sufficient APT, the key rotation will fail until the account is funded.
Q6: Does importing a Private Key Backup remove Keyless login?
No, importing a Private Key Backup does not remove the Keyless login. You will need to remove the Keyless account from the wallet first.
Q7: Are high-value accounts prompted to add a Private Key Backup?
Yes. Accounts above $5,000 balance will see a security banner encouraging backup creation in Petra Web.
Developer Guide
Are you a developer looking to integrate Keyless private key backups and account rotation into your own wallet or app? Check out our Developer Guide for SDK integration details and code snippets.