Hardware wallets work with Marinade. They introduce two problems that software wallets do not: outdated firmware, and slow confirmation. Almost every hardware wallet failure comes down to one of these.
1. Update Everything First
This is the most common cause by a wide margin, and it is worth doing all four before you troubleshoot anything else. An out of date piece anywhere in the chain produces the same vague errors.
Device firmware, to the latest version.
The Solana app on the device, to the latest version.
Your browser extension (Phantom, Solflare, Backpack, or whichever you use). Extensions usually auto-update, but a browser that has not been restarted in a while can still be running an old version. Restart the browser after updating.
Your mobile wallet app, if you connect from a phone. App updates are often waiting in the App Store or Play Store rather than installed.
Older versions reject transaction types that Marinade uses, and the failure usually shows up as a generic error rather than a version warning. This applies to software wallets too, not only hardware ones.
2. Sending Tokens Successfully Does Not Prove Your Wallet Is Fine
This trips up almost everyone, so it is worth being precise about.
Sending SOL or a token to another wallet is a simple transfer. It does not interact with any on-chain program. Your device barely has to do anything to sign it.
Staking, unstaking, and claiming are program interactions. They are larger, touch multiple accounts, and require your device and wallet to handle a transaction type that a plain transfer never involves. A device that signs transfers happily can still fail on these, usually because of the firmware, app version, or blind signing settings above.
So "I just sent tokens without any problem" does not rule out a wallet or device issue. The two are not the same kind of transaction.
A Quick Test to Find Where the Problem Is
Try a small swap on a DEX such as Jupiter or Titan. A swap is a program interaction, exactly like unstaking, but has nothing to do with Marinade.
If the swap also fails: the problem is on your side, in your wallet, device, firmware, or connection. Go back to section 1 and work through it. Marinade is not involved in that transaction, so it is not the cause of yours.
If the swap works but Marinade still does not: that is genuinely useful information. Tell us, and include what you tried, so we can look at it properly.
3. Enable Blind Signing (Ledger)
Staking and unstaking transactions are more complex than a plain transfer, and Ledger's Solana app will refuse them unless blind signing is allowed. On the device, open the Solana app settings and enable Blind signing, then retry.
Without it, the transaction is usually rejected on the device with no clear reason given in the browser.
4. Confirm Quickly
Solana transactions stay valid only for a short window, roughly a minute. If you take longer than that to unlock the device, open the app, and approve, the transaction expires before it is signed and you see transaction expired before signing.
To avoid it:
Unlock the device and open the Solana app before clicking stake or unstake in Marinade.
Keep the device ready and its screen awake.
Approve as soon as the prompt appears, then retry if it expired. Nothing is lost when a transaction expires; it simply never happened.
5. Check the Connection Path (USB Devices)
Close other apps or tabs holding the device, including the manufacturer's desktop app. Only one thing can talk to the device at a time.
Try a different USB cable or port, and avoid hubs.
Confirm the wallet is showing the correct derived account, so you are signing from the address that actually holds the position.
Devices That Work Well
Keystone is supported by Solflare and Backpack and works smoothly with Marinade. It signs by QR code rather than USB, so the cable and connection problems in section 5 do not apply, and it does not need firmware updates as often as other devices.
Ledger works too, but needs the most maintenance: firmware, the on-device Solana app, and the blind signing setting all have to be current before staking transactions will go through.
FAQ
Q: Is my stake safe if a transaction fails?
A: Yes. A failed or expired transaction does not execute. Your funds stay where they were.
Q: Does a hardware wallet change my rewards?
A: No. Rewards depend on the stake, not the wallet type.
Q: My device is not in this article.
A: Compatibility is set by your device manufacturer and the wallet you connect through, not by Marinade. If a device signs standard Solana staking transactions, it works with Marinade. If it does not, that is a limitation of the device or its wallet integration.
Q: It still fails after all of this.
A: Start a conversation and tell us the device and model, the firmware and Solana app versions, the wallet software you connect through, what you were trying to do, and the exact error text.