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Before using DeFi on Starknet, check whether your wallet and the specific app support the STRK20 privacy action you need. If they do, shielding supported tokens can enable private transfers or supported swaps; a dapp-compatible shadow account can reduce the direct public link to your main wallet. Export and securely store the viewing key for every account that will hold shielded funds. These steps do not make all activity private: public deposits and withdrawals, their timing, some app-side activity, and a shadow account’s own calls and balances may still be visible.
That distinction matters because ordinary Starknet transactions can expose addresses, counterparties, amounts, and submitted data. Treat privacy as a set of boundaries to manage—not a switch that makes your DeFi activity anonymous.
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What should I change before using Starknet DeFi?
Start by verifying three things: your wallet supports STRK20, the particular DeFi app supports the privacy flow you want, and the token and action are supported. Then, if you intend to hold shielded funds, export a viewing-key backup for each relevant account before relying on it. Consider a shadow account if the app supports one and you want to avoid publishing a direct link between its dapp address and your main wallet.
There is no single universal privacy toggle or reliable wallet-specific menu path established by the available documentation. Support depends on the wallet, its API or version, the asset, and the app integration. Do not assume that seeing a privacy feature in a wallet means a connected lending, swapping, or staking app can use it.
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- Check wallet capability. Confirm that the wallet supports STRK20 and the needed action using the wallet’s current documentation. The STRK20 Starknet Wallet API overview describes the wallet integration layer.
- Check the app and operation. Confirm that the DeFi app supports the exact private flow—such as a supported swap—or has the additional anonymizer contract required for a broader action such as lending or staking.
- Check the asset. Verify that the token is supported by the intended privacy flow. Do not assume that every Starknet asset can be shielded or used privately.
- Back up viewing keys. For every account that will hold shielded funds, export and securely store its viewing key. Do not share that key with an app.
- Review the public edges. Before depositing or withdrawing, consider that the public transaction and its timing may remain observable even when the later in-pool action is private.
If any wallet, app, asset, or action support is unclear, treat that flow as public until the relevant current documentation confirms otherwise. Avoid sending funds on the assumption that a feature is supported merely because a wallet or protocol supports some other STRK20 action.
What is visible in ordinary Starknet transactions?
Ordinary Starknet activity should be treated as public. StarkDeFi’s privacy policy says transactions may expose public sender and receiver addresses, amounts, and other submitted data. Addresses and transactions may also be correlated with identity, so pseudonymity is not the same as anonymity.
This is the starting point for evaluating any privacy setting. A wallet can help manage which address you use or whether a supported transaction enters a privacy pool, but it cannot retroactively make a public transaction private. If you make a public deposit, that public leg remains part of the observable history even if you later shield funds.
Also avoid assuming the visible record is limited to a single amount. The policy refers to other submitted data as well. The relevant takeaway is not that every piece of information is always exposed in every transaction, but that ordinary transactions do not provide the privacy boundary documented for STRK20’s in-pool activity.
What does STRK20 shielding protect—and what does it not?
STRK20 describes shielding as a way to move supported tokens into a privacy pool, where compatible private transfers and supported swaps can take place. Within the pool, the sender, receiver, token, amount, and spent notes are protected from public observers according to the documentation. Public observers can still see encrypted notes and protocol metadata, and the public deposit or withdrawal around the pool can reveal information, including timing.
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The STRK20 documentation explains: “Every private transfer is validated by a zero-knowledge proof.” In practical terms, the proof allows a transaction to be validated without revealing the full transaction details, as the Starknet STRK20 launch post also explains. This is a protocol description, not a promise that all activity surrounding a transaction is hidden or that users cannot be identified through other information.
Think of a privacy-pool interaction as having a more private middle and observable edges. A public deposit into the pool and a public withdrawal out of it can be seen, along with their timing. App-side activity may also remain visible. A reader who can observe a deposit, a period of pool activity, and a later withdrawal may be able to draw inferences, even if the pool protects the documented in-pool fields. The documentation does not establish that every possible inference is prevented.
Use shielding only when the token and the full intended flow are supported. If an app offers only ordinary public interaction, STRK20’s privacy protections do not automatically extend to that interaction. Likewise, private transfers and supported swaps should not be generalized into a claim that lending, staking, or every other DeFi action is private.
Should I use a shadow account for a dapp?
A shadow account can reduce a direct public on-chain link between a dapp-specific address and your main wallet. STRK20 describes these as persistent pseudonymous addresses for individual dapps. The separation can be useful when you do not want to use your main address directly with an app, but it does not hide the shadow account’s own activity.
Its balances and calls remain public. That means anyone can observe what the shadow address does on-chain, even if the public chain does not expose a direct on-chain link from that address back to the main wallet. The feature is also conditional: the wallet and the relevant integration must support it.
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Use a shadow account as address separation, not as a substitute for shielding or a guarantee of anonymity. It addresses one specific exposure—the direct public address connection between your main wallet and a dapp address. It does not make the dapp account’s transactions private, nor does it erase public activity that has already occurred.
Before using one, check that the particular dapp supports the feature and understand that the shadow address persists for that dapp as described by STRK20. If you use the main address in the same public context or otherwise expose the connection, do not assume the account separation alone prevents correlation.
Why should I export a viewing key before holding shielded funds?
A viewing key is account-specific and distinct from both the seed phrase and the account private key. STRK20’s viewing keys and backups instructions call for exporting a separate key for each account. The key helps inspect shielded account state; losing it may leave shielded funds inaccessible, while disclosing it can expose private activity without granting spending authority.
That makes the viewing key a sensitive recovery and privacy item. Back it up securely before relying on shielded funds, make sure the backup is associated with the correct account, and avoid giving it to a dapp. A key associated with one account should not be treated as a backup for every other account.
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Do not confuse the key’s purpose with the purpose of a seed phrase or private key. The viewing key is not described as granting spending authority, but it can reveal activity. The seed phrase and account private key are separate credentials; keep them secure as well, and never treat a viewing-key export as a substitute for them.
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If you plan to use more than one account to hold shielded funds, make a separate export for each one and label the backups in a way that lets you identify the account without exposing the keys. The documentation’s account-specific instruction is important: exporting one key does not cover all accounts automatically.
How do wallet and app support affect private DeFi?
Wallet support and app support are separate requirements. A wallet may expose STRK20 actions through its API, while the app still needs to integrate the relevant action. Broader DeFi operations such as lending and staking require an app-specific anonymizer contract in addition to wallet API support, according to the STRK20 materials.
Use the STRK20 overview and wallet API documentation to understand protocol and wallet-side capabilities, but also check the current documentation for the specific app. An integration that supports one operation should not be assumed to support another. In particular, a private swap flow does not establish support for private lending or staking.
Support and integrations can change. The STRK20 launch post describes the initial launch; it should not be read as proof that every wallet, token, or app has permanent or universal support. Confirm current availability close to the time you use the feature, and check that the exact asset and operation appear in the app’s supported flow.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What privacy boundary should I assume?
Use this simple rule: ordinary wallet activity is public; documented STRK20 in-pool details are protected within the pool; and the public transactions and application activity around that pool may still reveal information. A shadow account separates addresses but does not hide its own activity. A viewing key lets its holder inspect shielded activity, so it must be protected even though it does not grant spending authority.
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These protections solve different problems and are not interchangeable. Shielding targets specified transaction details inside the pool. A shadow account avoids a direct public link from a dapp address to the main wallet. A viewing-key backup supports access to shielded account state and must be kept confidential. None is a blanket promise of anonymity, and using one does not imply the others are in place.
For a cautious pre-transaction review, ask four questions: Is my intended action supported by this wallet? Does this app support the same private action, including any required anonymizer contract? Is this token supported? Have I backed up the viewing key for the account that will hold shielded funds? If any answer is no or unknown, do not assume the action will be private.
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Can a viewing key let someone move my shielded funds?
The STRK20 documentation distinguishes a viewing key from spending authority: disclosure can expose private activity, but the key itself does not grant authority to spend. Keep it confidential nonetheless, and do not share it with a dapp.
Does a hardware wallet or VPN hide Starknet transactions?
Neither is identified in the STRK20 documentation as a way to hide on-chain transaction activity. The documented privacy options relevant here are supported shielding, compatible app flows, shadow accounts, and careful handling of viewing keys.
Can I make a transaction private after I already sent it publicly?
The documented shielding flow moves supported tokens into a privacy pool; it does not erase the public transaction that came before it. Treat the public address, amount, and transaction data already submitted as part of the observable record.
Are all STRK20-enabled wallets compatible with every DeFi app?
No universal compatibility is established. Wallet API support and app integration are separate, and broader actions such as lending or staking may need an app-specific anonymizer contract.
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