The tunable friction behavior of Chitosan (CS)-Ag hydrogel enabled by altering metal ions is evaluated. Friction control could be achieved under boundary lubrication. When adding Ag+ into a CS solution, the formed gel provided lower friction. The difference in friction coefficient between the two phases can be reversibly switched by adding Cl- or excessive Ag+ ions. It also can be found that the gel phased lubricant has a better anti-wear ability under boundary lubrication conditions. Both solution and gel typed lubricants could achieve superlubricity under elastohydrodynamic lubrication. The switchable and tunable frictional hydrogels can extend the application in the design of smart control equipment.