Ledger Live Integrations - Ledger Developer Portal

A practical guide for teams and developers integrating blockchains, Live Apps and services into Ledger Live.

Overview: This article walks through the three main integration pillars for Ledger Live — Accounts / Blockchain integration, Discover / Live Apps, and Device App / Firmware considerations — and provides practical code snippets, UI/UX notes, and a checklist to ship integrations that are secure, user-centred, and compliant with Ledger's developer requirements.

Why integrate with Ledger Live?

Ledger Live is the official companion app for Ledger hardware wallets and provides an audience of millions who manage crypto securely with a trusted UX. Integrations into Ledger Live take several forms — full blockchain support so users can hold accounts, Live Apps in the Discover section, and integrations with Ledger services such as swap/exchange or sell providers. Aligning with Ledger Live increases trust, user reach, and security guarantees for your protocol or dApp.

Official resources you should bookmark

High-level integration paths (which to choose?)

1 — Accounts / Blockchain integration

If your goal is to have Ledger Live display native accounts for a chain (balances, send/receive, staking where appropriate) you must follow Ledger's blockchain integration process, implement a CoinModule/CoinConfig, provide discovery & RPC bridging layers and coordinate with the Ledger team (there's an intake form and formal agreement step). This is the most involved path but offers the deepest user experience inside Ledger Live. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}

2 — Discover / Live App (Wallet API)

Live Apps are web apps surfaced inside Ledger Live's Discover tab: think dApps, swaps, and utility apps that can interact with the user's Ledger device through Ledger Live and the Wallet API. Implement your app with the Wallet API and Ledger Services Kit client so the app can call secure flows and request device signatures without exposing private keys. This path is ideal for web-native experiences. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}

3 — Device application (on-device apps)

For certain blockchains or deep hardware interactions you might need a device application (C or Rust) that runs on Ledger devices. The Developer Portal has build/test guides and submission workflows — use these when low-level transaction parsing or custom cryptography must run on-device. :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}

Practical integration checklist

  1. Read the docs: Start with Ledger Developer Portal (official). Bookmark the integration introduction and the Wallet API guide. :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}
  2. Decide your path: Accounts vs Discover vs Device App.
  3. Security first: design flows that never expose seed material; use Ledger’s signing model.
  4. Developer Mode: enable Developer mode in Ledger Live for local testing (Settings → About → click version 10x). :contentReference[oaicite:5]{index=5}
  5. Testing: run both unit tests and end-to-end tests with real devices; follow Ledger CI guidelines.
  6. Submission docs: prepare the deliverables: docs, install instructions, manifest, privacy statements. :contentReference[oaicite:6]{index=6}
  7. Coordination: contact the Ledger integrations team (form in the docs) if you aim for a full accounts integration.

Developer experience (DX) tips

Keep the transaction UX simple: show clear amounts, fees, and destination metadata. Use the Wallet API hooks and the SDK utilities to request approvals elegantly. During on-device signature flows display human-friendly instruction text (don’t put raw hex). Test on both mobile and desktop Ledger Live clients.

Quick code snippets

Importing a local Live App manifest (developer mode)
/* Example: import a local manifest for a Live App (developer mode required) */
/* In Ledger Live: Settings -> About -> click version 10 times to enable Developer mode */
{
  "manifest_version": "1.0",
  "name": "Example Live App",
  "start_url": "https://your-liveapp.example.com/",
  "permissions": ["ledger"],
  "icons": ["/icon-192.png"]
}
Minimal Wallet-API server example (illustrative)
// Node.js pseudo-code showing a tiny Wallet API server endpoint
import express from "express";
const app = express();

app.post("/wallet-api/request-sign", async (req, res) => {
  // validate request origin, manifest & user session
  const { txPayload } = req.body;
  // sanitize & forward to Ledger Live -> device signing flow
  // respond with a status that Live recognizes
  res.json({ status: "ok", message: "Request forwarded" });
});

app.listen(3000, () => console.log("Wallet API server running on :3000"));

UI & Branding guidance for Discover / Live Apps

Ledger Live surfaces third-party apps inside a curated Discover tab. Keep your branding clean, use the Ledger-approved asset icons and brief descriptions in the manifest, and ensure your app gracefully degrades if the user is not connected to a device. Present exactly one primary call-to-action per screen to avoid confusion during signing flows.

Common pitfalls & how to avoid them

Over-requesting scopes

Only ask for what you need. Excessive permission prompts reduce conversion and raise security concerns.

Assuming testnet == mainnet parity

Testnet flows may behave differently — ensure your discovery, gas-estimates and plugin parsing match mainnet behaviour before submitting.

Poor error handling

Surface clear, actionable errors (e.g. "Please open the Ethereum app on your Ledger device") not raw stack traces.

Publishing & submission

When you’re ready to publish: prepare the deliverables (documentation, install instructions, CI configurations) and follow the submission guidelines. For Live Apps, include a manifest, privacy policy, and clear support/contact information. For blockchain integrations you will typically fill the intake form and coordinate signing an agreement before starting public deployment. :contentReference[oaicite:7]{index=7}

Monitoring and support

Post-launch, monitor for failed transactions, telemetry edge cases, and user feedback. Maintain a small rollback plan (e.g. feature flags server-side) and an incident contact at Ledger if the integration affects account integrity.

Useful links (official)