Lead-free copper-based perovskite Cs 3 Cu 2 X 5 nanocrystals (NCs) have attracted a great deal of attention as novel active materials in optoelectronic devices because of their high emission stability, unique self-trap exciton emission, and high quantum yield, as well as their relatively low toxicity and earthabundant constituents. On the contrary, despite the widespread interest in Cs 3 Cu 2 X 5 bulk or thin-film structures, the synthesis of highly crystalline and uniform Cs 3 Cu 2 X 5 NCs in high yield has rarely been reported on the basis of the conventional growth kinetics because of our insufficient understanding of their formation mechanism. We report a strategy for increasing the yield and controlling the size of Cs 3 Cu 2 X 5 NCs by utilizing the metal halide additive to adjust the thermodynamic equilibrium and chemical potential. Monodisperse Cs 3 Cu 2 I 5 nanocubes with a photoluminescence quantum yield of 72.4% could be obtained because of the unique properties of MnI 2 , which can form multiple ionic salts and promote the reaction of CuI with a ligand to form Cu oleate-rich conditions for the assembly of NCs. Therefore, the metal halide additive plays a critical role in increasing the synthesis yield and controlling the size of copper-based Cs 3 Cu 2 I 5 NCs based on precise mechanistic studies.