Relay: cross-chain swaps, quote costs, refunds and wallet controls

Relay provides a public interface for exchanging tokens on one blockchain or across different chains. Users specify the asset they will spend and the asset they want to receive. For a cross-chain order, a solver advances its own destination-chain liquidity; the user does not need to arrange each intermediate conversion. Same-chain swaps execute on the source network. The application, hosted APIs and settlement protocol are distinct parts of the service, and not every route uses the same settlement mechanism.[4]

The swap interface returns the expected output and charges before the wallet confirmation. The published walkthrough says a submitted transaction continues after the user leaves the page. A browser tab therefore is not an order-cancellation control. Wallet prompts and transaction-signing steps can differ between wallet providers.[29]

Relay separates execution cost, swap cost, platform fees and any integrator-added charge. Execution cost includes USD 0.02 and destination gas; ordinary origin gas is paid separately. Swap cost can include DEX charges, price impact and solver rebalancing.[5]

An integration can add its own fee, measured in basis points on input value. Several app-fee recipients can appear in one quote. For example, an assumed 25-basis-point app fee on USD 1,000 adds USD 2.50 before other components. That is an illustration of an integrator setting, not a published universal Relay charge.[16]

Gasless execution changes who submits and initially pays for the transaction. The costs can still be recovered through the input asset. Same-chain gasless swaps require sponsorship, and the permit flow has token and route restrictions. A token approval may still be needed. Separately, an integrating application can fund a sponsorship balance to subsidise customer charges; the customer should rely on the displayed quote rather than interpret gasless or sponsored as an unconditional free-trading promise.[34][30]

Origin-side execution can produce more or less than the quoted intermediate asset. Relay describes a rate check before proceeding; a surplus can increase the destination amount and a shortage can reduce it. Compare the minimum receivable amount with the expected amount, particularly when an origin swap precedes the cross-chain leg.[31]

Open deposit addresses can be reused for the same route, with a fresh quote for each incoming deposit. Strict addresses are tied to one order and should be treated as single-use payment instructions. Automatic refund settings matter: omitting refundTo on an open address disables automatic refunds. Strict deposit addresses require it. Unsupported tokens and wrong-network payments are not covered by a universal recovery promise.[8]

Relay does not require the user to hand over the connected wallet’s private keys. A swap nevertheless commits assets to an execution path and can involve a depository contract. Describing this as wallet-based trading does not remove the separate risks of contracts, signing authority, intermediating tokens or an unavailable destination network.[11][35]

Relay says destination transactions use MEV-protection tools on major supported networks. That claim concerns transaction submission and does not establish protection from every price movement or attack. The token-approval guide separately describes approvals limited to the swap amount, with network costs for the approval transaction. Read the actual wallet permission before signing.[33][24]

A wallet connection is not evidence that a particular person, jurisdiction or transfer is eligible. Screening can apply to the addresses involved in a request, including after the quote stage. The unsupported-exchange list should be checked before sending an exchange withdrawal directly to a Relay deposit address.[10]

For a missing transfer, Relay directs users to the transaction page first and says not to send the transfer again. Search by the sending address or deposit hash. A successful fill shows the destination network, recipient and delivered quantity; a wallet display can still require the correct chain or token to be selected. For a prolonged processing state, send support the transaction link or full deposit hash.[20]

The withdrawal guide distinguishes a free wallet signature from the final on-chain submission, which needs gas. Preparation can take several minutes, and the guide allows leaving the page and returning. It also says a balance may take up to 30 minutes to appear. These are operational instructions, not a promise that unsupported or blocked assets will be recoverable.[21]

The operator’s Delaware incorporation identifies a company; it does not establish a financial-services permission. No exchange licence or statutory customer-compensation entitlement is established by the primary material used for this profile. The hosted interface also applies screening and access restrictions despite the availability of open-source protocol software.[2]

The terms limit ordinary contractual liability to the greater of USD 100 or relevant Relay fees paid, subject to their stated exceptions and applicable law. This is a contractual liability clause, not an insurance limit or a protected account balance.[2]

The hosted platform, developer toolkit and protocol have different roles. The current execution documentation expressly warns that API version numbers do not identify the settlement-protocol version used by an order. This matters when reading older integration guides or comparing a website swap with a transaction initiated inside another wallet.[4]

Operator

Uneven Labs, Inc.

Exchange model

Hybrid

Service scope

Public token-swap application and developer integrations using on-chain execution and solver liquidity; route-specific settlement.

Client types

Retail clients; Professional clients; Institutional clients

Pricing publication

Public and quoted pricing

Other names

Relay Protocol; Relay.link

Pricing scope

Published platform-fee categories plus variable execution, swap and integration costs; the transaction quote determines the total.

Funding scope

Wallet transactions, supported deposit addresses and a documented MoonPay fiat-purchase route; network and provider restrictions apply.

Custody and asset handling

Users control wallet keys; execution can commit funds to depository contracts with separate authorisation and governance assumptions.

Client eligibility

Legal-majority users subject to sanctions, address screening and route restrictions; a complete positive country matrix is not established.

Support

Official site live chat and help centre; transaction and recovery instructions are publicly documented.

Authorisation and registration scope

Company incorporation is documented; no financial licence or statutory compensation scheme is established in this profile.

Exchange metadata checked 21 Oct 2026Source 2Source 4Source 5Source 9Source 11Source 35Source 25Source 13

For supported protocol-aware integrations, validation can check the recipient, input, currencies, expiry and minimum output before a transaction is sent. The guide distinguishes minimum output from the estimated amount and excludes deposit-address flows from this particular validation method. A developer needs both the correct technical path and an appropriate signing policy; merely obtaining an API quote does not supply a customer’s wallet authorisation.[19]

Quotes can fail because of expiry, insufficient solver capacity, unavailable liquidity or slippage. The documented time-to-live error means an old quote should not be treated as a standing limit order. Keep the request identifier, original transaction hash and resulting fill or refund record when reconciling a transfer.[12]

A wallet compromise requires a separate response from a delayed swap. Relay’s guidance calls for stopping further use of the affected wallet, securing the device and using a newly generated wallet. Disconnecting a website does not repair an exposed private key or cancel a transaction already submitted to a blockchain.[27]