How to Track a Wallet-to-Wallet Crypto Swap

A wallet-to-wallet crypto swap moves one asset from your wallet and sends another to a wallet you chose. The wait depends mostly on how quickly the source blockchain confirms your deposit. A service such as Chainflip coordinates the swap across chains, so checking both chains helps you see where it stands.

• A transaction marked “pending” by your wallet may not yet be confirmed by its blockchain.
• A confirmed deposit can still be waiting for the swap or the destination transfer.
• Check the original transaction before considering any retry.

Start with the source-chain transaction

First check whether your deposit transaction is visible and confirmed on the blockchain it left. A transaction hash, also called a transaction ID, is the unique reference you can search in that chain’s block explorer, a public website that shows transaction records.

For example, if you send ETH to swap for BTC, search the hash on an Ethereum explorer. If no transaction appears, check the sending wallet’s activity and network selection. If it appears as pending, it has been broadcast but is still waiting to be included in a block.

Allow time for the deposit to be recognized

A source-chain confirmation does not always mean the swap can start immediately. The protocol may wait for more blocks before treating a deposit as safe to process. A confirmation is a block added after the one containing your transaction; more confirmations make a reversal less likely.

For a Chainflip swap, Validators—network operators that check transactions and help run the protocol—watch for the deposit. Once it meets the required confirmation window, they record it on the State Chain, Chainflip’s own blockchain for processing swaps. The required wait varies by source network. Chainflip’s protocol documentation gives Bitcoin deposits as an example: three blocks, or roughly 30 minutes, before processing. Treat that as an example, since block times can vary.

Check for the outgoing transaction on the destination chain

After the deposit is recognized, the protocol processes the swap and sends the new asset to your destination address. These are separate stages: the swap can be complete inside the protocol while the outgoing transaction is still being prepared or broadcast to the destination network.

For the ETH-to-BTC example, search for the outgoing Bitcoin transaction using the destination address or the transaction reference provided for the swap. An outgoing transaction that has been broadcast may still need Bitcoin blocks before it appears confirmed in your wallet. Ethereum.org describes the same general pattern for Ethereum: a transaction is broadcast, included in a block, then gains confidence as the chain advances.

Follow the evidence before taking another action

Use these steps in order; each one narrows down where the wait is happening.

1. Find the source transaction. Copy its hash from your sending wallet and search it on the correct source-chain explorer. Check that the asset and amount match your deposit.
2. Read its status and confirmations. If it is pending or has too few confirmations, the wait is still on the source chain. Avoid sending a second deposit just because the first has not finished.
3. Check that the protocol recorded the deposit. Once the source transaction has enough confirmations, look for the swap’s recorded progress using the transaction details available from the service you used. A delay here can reflect the protocol’s confirmation window or processing.
4. Look for the destination transaction. When one is available, search its hash on the destination-chain explorer. If it is pending there, the destination network still needs to include or confirm it.
5. Compare the destination address exactly. Check the address you chose against the address shown in the swap details. If the outgoing transaction is confirmed to that address, the transfer has reached the chain; check that wallet is viewing the right network and asset.

If the source deposit is confirmed but no later progress appears, keep the source hash and swap details together before seeking help through the service you used. Do not resend the same funds to a deposit address: on protocols such as Chainflip, a deposit channel is a temporary address associated with the swap details, and a later or duplicate transfer may not follow the original swap.