This letter reports a simple and scalable method to create mechanical joints and electrical contacts of conducting polymer nanowires to electrodes by selective maskless metal electrodeposition on electrodes. This is an attractive route for contacting nanowires as it bypasses harsh processing conditions of conventional methods. The electrodeposition conditions and initial resistance of the nanowires were found to have a significant impact on the selective maskless deposition. Different dopants were also investigated to understand the polymer reduction during cathodic deposition of metal. A single dodecyl sulfate doped polypyrrole nanowire with maskless electrodeposited nickel contacts was shown to have improved sensitivity toward ammonia gas. © 2008 American Institute of Physics.