Can You Add Gnosis Chain to MetaMask?
Yes. Gnosis Chain is a fully EVM-compatible Layer 1 running Ethereum's own consensus and execution clients, so MetaMask accepts it as a standard custom network with no Snap or extension required. Live since 2018 under its original xDai name, it is one of the oldest networks in the ecosystem.
Understand the gas token before you connect. Fees are paid in xDAI, a bridged version of the DAI stablecoin, so transactions cost fractions of a cent and the dollar peg tells you exactly what each transfer costs in real money. Our general MetaMask network guide covers the mechanics if you have never added a custom chain before.
How to Add Gnosis Chain to MetaMask
ChainList pulls its parameters from the community-maintained ethereum-lists registry, which makes it the safest one-click option. Cross-check the values it fills in against the official documentation anyway, because a bad endpoint or Chain ID undermines everything built on top of it:
- Open ChainList: Head to the Gnosis page on ChainList and confirm the address bar shows chainlist.org before clicking 'Connect Wallet'.
- Check the entry: The listing should read Chain ID 100 with XDAI as the currency; the Chiado testnet (10200) sits in the same search results, so pick mainnet.
- Add to MetaMask: Click 'Add to MetaMask', then check the pop-up against the Gnosis docs before you approve.
- Switch over: Select Gnosis from the network menu, then fund it with xDAI using one of the methods below.
Treat network parameters shared in group chats or social posts with suspicion. A hostile RPC endpoint can display fabricated balances and misleading transaction data, and pasting one is far easier than recovering from it.
Gnosis Chain RPC and Chain ID
Prefer a manual setup? Open "Add a custom network" in MetaMask's settings and enter the configuration below, which matches the official network documentation:
- Network Name: Gnosis
- RPC URL: https://rpc.gnosischain.com
- Chain ID: 100
- Currency Symbol: XDAI
- Block Explorer URL: https://gnosisscan.io
The official endpoint carries no uptime guarantee, so keep https://gnosis-rpc.publicnode.com or https://rpc.ankr.com/gnosis as a fallback. Older tutorials list Blockscout as the explorer, and it still works, but GnosisScan has been the primary Etherscan-style explorer for years.
Chiado Testnet RPC and Chain ID
Chiado is the long-lived Gnosis testnet, and developers can add it with these settings:
- Network Name: Chiado
- RPC URL: https://rpc.chiadochain.net
- Chain ID: 10200
- Currency Symbol: XDAI
- Block Explorer URL: https://gnosis-chiado.blockscout.com
Both networks display the XDAI symbol, so check the Chain ID to confirm which environment you are signing on. Test xDAI has no value and is dispensed through community faucets.
How to Get xDAI for Gas on Gnosis Chain
Nothing moves on Gnosis without a little xDAI in the wallet, and three options cover almost every situation:
- The official faucet: GnosisFaucet drips 0.01 xDAI to new addresses, which sounds trivial but funds hundreds of transactions at Gnosis fee levels.
- The native bridge: Gnosis Bridge converts DAI on Ethereum into xDAI 1:1, arriving in around five minutes. The return trip is slower and needs ETH for the final claim on mainnet.
- Third-party bridges: Jumper, Bungee, and similar aggregators move assets in from dozens of chains and usually settle faster for small amounts. Our best crypto bridges guide compares the leading options on cost and security.
About Gnosis Chain
Gnosis Chain launched in 2018 as xDai, merged with the Gnosis Beacon Chain in late 2021, and now runs a proof-of-stake network secured by more than 140,000 validators, a validator set second only to Ethereum itself. Because GNO staking requires just 1 GNO versus Ethereum's 32 ETH, the network sustains unusually broad participation, and validators activated the Fusaka hard fork in April 2026 to stay in lockstep with Ethereum's upgrade path.
The ecosystem has leaned hard into payments. Gnosis Pay's self-custodial Visa card settles from Safe smart accounts on the chain, and a suite of non-USD stablecoins including EURe and GBPe positions Gnosis as settlement rails for everyday spending. Sub-cent, dollar-denominated fees make that pitch credible in a way ETH-gas networks struggle to match.
The bigger story is structural. At EthCC in March, Gnosis co-founder Friederike Ernst and Zisk's Jordi Baylina unveiled the Ethereum Economic Zone, a rollup framework co-funded by the Ethereum Foundation that targets synchronous composability across Layer 2s, and GnosisDAO has been debating whether the chain itself should convert into a natively integrated Ethereum L2. If that transition proceeds, Gnosis would move from independent sidechain into the Layer 2 landscape proper, though Chain ID 100 and your MetaMask entry are expected to carry through unchanged.
Users should also know about the Balancer episode. After the November 2025 exploit touched funds on the network, Gnosis validators executed a hard fork in December 2025 to pull the stolen assets out of the attacker's control, a rare intervention that split opinion on neutrality grounds.
Final Thoughts
Gnosis Chain arrives in MetaMask within a minute or two, via ChainList or a manual entry with Chain ID 100 and the official RPC. Verify every field against the Gnosis documentation, since stale explorer URLs and fake endpoints are the mistakes that surface most often.
Once a small xDAI balance lands, the network's economics do the rest. Gas measured in fractions of a cent, priced in a stablecoin, removes the fee anxiety that shapes behaviour on most chains. Keep an eye on Ethereum Economic Zone progress, because the network you just added may soon plug into Ethereum more deeply than any sidechain has before.
