Introducing mera, a new library for seamless crypto onboarding with passkeys

Studies show that 1-second delay can kill 10% of user conversions. Getting a new user to download a browser extension and back up private keys is a minutes-long detour. Even logging into an app with an existing wallet requires multiple clicks.

In short, current onboarding flows have significant leaks. Most potential users will never actually try your app because it simply takes too long to get started.

Today, Category Labs is releasing mera, a free library that solves this problem by letting any app onboard users in seconds with a passkey. Crypto apps are now accessible with Face ID or a fingerprint, the same authentication people already use to unlock their phone. Modern login experiences are finally a reality for crypto apps.

Check out the full docs and demo here or check out the source code here.

Why it matters

• Onboarding that converts. The account is created and ready in seconds, on the very first visit.
• Developers retain control of the experience. Most "easy onboarding" tools mean handing your entire account layer to a wallet provider. mera doesn't. Account creation, funding, and signing all stay inside the product and live within the app's UX. The library simply handles the passkey-to-key plumbing.
• One account, everywhere. The passkey unlocks the same account across web and native iOS/Android. Users don't start over when they switch devices.
• No prompt fatigue. With signing sessions, your app can pre-authorize actions so users aren't hit with a biometric prompt on every click.
• Any chain, any platform. mera is a client-side library, so there's nothing to deploy on-chain and nothing chain-specific to integrate.

Who this is for

mera shines wherever the account is part of the product. Order-book trading is a clear example: a trader onboards, funds an account, and returns to manage orders and positions without re-connecting a wallet or approving every action. But the same is true for any app that accumulates state on behalf of a user over time.

Try it

The demo on mera.category.xyz walks through the full experience end to end. To build with it:

npm install @category-labs/mera

Category Labs is actively looking for teams to try mera and provide feedback. If onboarding friction is costing you users, or you're an early-stage team still deciding how to handle accounts, your feedback is appreciated.