Bittensor EVM

How to move TAO to Bittensor EVM

Quick answer

TAO reaches Bittensor EVM through the official bridge: connect a Bittensor (Substrate) wallet and your EVM wallet, choose an amount, and it arrives at your 0x address.

Minting on Elevate is paid in TAO on the Bittensor EVM side of the network. TAO bought on an exchange usually lands on the Substrate side first, so it has to be bridged across once before you can mint.

Who this is for

Collectors whose TAO is on an exchange or in a Bittensor wallet and who need it on the EVM side to mint.

Step 1 — Buy and hold TAO

Buy TAO on a major exchange. Withdraw it to a Bittensor (Substrate) wallet you control — Talisman is a common choice and supports Bittensor out of the box. The withdrawal address will be an SS58 address beginning with 5.

Step 2 — Bridge to your EVM address

Open the official Bittensor bridge, connect your Substrate wallet on one side and your EVM wallet (MetaMask, for example) on the other, and move the amount you want to spend to your 0x address. Bridge a little more than the mint price to cover gas.

  1. Exchange → Substrate wallet (SS58)
  2. Bridge: Substrate side → EVM side
  3. TAO arrives at your 0x address
  4. Mint on Elevate

Step 3 — Check your balance

Balance not showing?

Some wallets do not display the Bittensor EVM balance immediately. While your wallet is connected, the bridge shows the balance on the EVM side, and Elevate reads your balance from the chain before every mint.

You need TAO on the EVM side for every interaction on Elevate — minting, buying and selling — because each is an on-chain transaction that pays gas in TAO.

Safety notes

  • Use only the official bridge at https://bridge.bittensor.com/. Bookmark it.
  • Double-check the destination 0x address is one you control in a wallet whose seed phrase you hold.
  • Start with a small test amount the first time.

In short: Move TAO to Bittensor EVM

  1. 01Buy TAO. Buy TAO on an exchange and withdraw it to a Bittensor wallet such as Talisman (SS58 address).
  2. 02Bridge to your EVM address. Open https://bridge.bittensor.com/, connect your Bittensor wallet and your EVM wallet, and bridge TAO to your 0x address.
  3. 03Confirm the balance. Check the EVM balance on the bridge or on the Taostats EVM explorer. You can now mint on Elevate.

Frequently asked questions

Can I withdraw from an exchange directly to my 0x address?
Only if the exchange explicitly supports Bittensor EVM withdrawals. Most support the Substrate side only, so the safe default is to withdraw to a Bittensor wallet and bridge.
Does bridging cost anything?
A network fee on each side. Bridge slightly more than you plan to spend.
My wallet shows 0 TAO after bridging.
Confirm the wallet is on Bittensor EVM (chain ID 964) and give it a minute. The bridge and the explorer both show the EVM-side balance while your wallet is connected.

Sources

Written and maintained by the Elevate team. Last updated . Corrections: reach the team on the official Discord.

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