When a verification code expires, you might still log in successfully but fail to sign. The problem usually isn't the code itself, but that the login session and the signing session haven't synced up. A verification code is just a one‑time credential to log into your wallet or DApp. Signing, on the other hand, needs a separate on‑chain or session‑level authorization.
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Case A: Using Coinbase Smart Wallet or a similar email login
Coinbase Smart Wallet supports logging in with a one‑time passcode (OTP) sent by email. The code is valid for 10 minutes. After login, the session stays alive for 30 days by default. But if the session expires, you must request a new OTP before you can sign a transaction. In other words, if you logged in a while ago and didn't do anything, the login session may have already expired by the time you want to sign — even though the interface still shows you as online.
What to do: Log out of the wallet interface and log in again to get a fresh OTP.
How to know it's fixed: After logging in again, when you start a signing action, the wallet asks for an OTP or a biometric check.
High risk: If the OTP expires but your login state isn't cleared, you may mistakenly think "I'm logged in so I can sign". When multi‑factor authentication (TOTP) is turned on, you'll be asked for both the email OTP and a TOTP code during re‑verification. If either one expires, signing will fail.
Case B: Using a Privy embedded wallet with MFA enabled
Privy's MFA (multi‑factor authentication) is stricter: every signature or transaction requires a 6‑digit MFA code. The code is valid for 5 minutes, and you get a maximum of 4 wrong attempts. If time runs out or you enter the wrong code more than 4 times, the signing request is rejected outright — as if you had cancelled it yourself.
What to do: Enter the MFA code within 5 minutes. If it expires, request a new code.
How to know it's fixed: Once the code is entered correctly, the wallet processes the signing request. After a successful verification, the status is cached for 15 minutes — during that time you won't need to enter the MFA again.
Case C: Using WalletConnect or web3modal with social login
This is a very common trap. When you log in with an email or Google account, the chance of signing failure can be around 80%. The issue lies in how the front‑end connection state is synchronised.
Root cause: After a successful login, the
isConnectedstate becomestrue, but the back‑end WebSocket connection might not be fully set up yet. If the signing request is triggered inside auseEffectthat watchesisConnected, it can fire before the connection is ready. The request is automatically aborted, and you see errors likeRequest was abortedorInternal error: User denied account access.Extra problem: Even if you explicitly set the default account type to EOA in the configuration, the system may still connect to a smart account first. This pushes the signing flow down the EIP‑1271 verification path, while the front‑end tries to verify it as an EOA — naturally causing a failure.
What to do: Before starting a signing action, manually add a check to make sure the back‑end connection is fully established. For example, delay the signing trigger in
useEffect, or add a second check likeconnectionStatus === 'connected'.How to know it's fixed: The signature modal opens normally and stays open, instead of flashing on screen and closing by itself.
Case D: ERC‑4337 signature verification failure (a deeper issue)
If you are using an ERC‑4337 smart wallet, a signature verification failure may involve on‑chain contract logic:
Insufficient permissions: The ERC‑4337
validateUserOpfunction checks whether the signer holds a specific permission (e.g._4337_PERMISSION). If the signer lacks that permission, verification fails immediately and returnsSIG_VALIDATION_FAILED.Signature replay attack vector: Some implementations do not bind the signature to the
chainIdandnonce. This allows an attacker to replay the signature on a different chain.Incorrect return value packing: The
validateUserOpreturns auint256that packs a time range and a validation status. If a developer uses a simple 0 or 1 instead of the_packValidationDatafunction to build the return value, the EntryPoint may misinterpret "invalid signature" as "valid but expired".
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After the operation
How to verify success: Once the signature succeeds, you should see a new signing record or a transaction hash in the DApp's or wallet's history. If you are using RainbowKit with Coinbase Smart Wallet, you can replace the original ecrecover verification with the Viem client's verification method.
Next steps: If you often run into the problem of "I'm still logged in but can't sign", check the session timeout settings in your wallet or DApp. A common fix is to refresh the session state regularly (e.g. every 10 minutes) or to provide a "refresh session" button. In a Session Key scenario, once the key expires you must generate a new session key — the old key's permissions are already invalid at the contract level.
