Delegations

Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.portalhq.io/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

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Overview

Portal’s Delegations feature allows you to manage token approvals and delegated transfers across EVM and Solana chains. With delegations, you can:

• Approve other addresses to spend tokens on your behalf
• Revoke existing delegations
• Check status of active delegations
• Transfer tokens as a delegate from another address

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What are Token Delegations?

Token delegations enable one address (the owner) to authorize another address (the delegate) to transfer tokens on their behalf, up to a specified amount.

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EVM Chains (ERC-20)

On EVM chains, delegations work through the ERC-20 approve function:

1. Owner approves a delegate address for a specific token amount
2. Delegate can transfer tokens using transferFrom up to the approved amount
3. Owner can revoke by setting approval to zero

Calling any delegation endpoint with a native asset (e.g. ETH on Ethereum, MON on Monad, SOL on Solana) will return an error. Common use cases:

• DEX trading (approve router to swap tokens)
• Lending protocols (approve to deposit collateral)
• NFT marketplaces (approve to list tokens)
• Gasless transactions (approve relayer to pay gas)

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Solana (SPL Token)

On Solana, delegations work through SPL Token delegate authorities:

1. Owner delegates authority to another address for specific token accounts
2. Delegate can transfer up to the delegated amount
3. Owner can revoke by removing the delegate authority

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Security Considerations

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Best Practices

1. Limit approval amounts: Only approve the exact amount needed for a transaction
2. Time-bound approvals: Revoke delegations after use
3. Monitor active delegations: Use getStatus() to track approvals
4. Validate addresses: Always verify contract addresses from official sources
5. Test on testnets: Validate flows on testnet before mainnet deployment

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Supported Networks

Delegations are available on all Portal-supported EVM and Solana chains:

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EVM Networks

• Ethereum (eip155:1)
• Ethereum Sepolia (eip155:11155111)
• Polygon (eip155:137)
• Base (eip155:8453)
• Arbitrum (eip155:42161)
• Optimism (eip155:10)
• Monad (eip155:143)
• Monad Testnet (eip155:10143)
• And all other EVM chains supported by Portal

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Solana Networks

• Solana Mainnet (solana:5eykt4UsFv8P8NJdTREpY1vzqKqZKvdp)
• Solana Devnet (solana:EtWTRABZaYq6iMfeYKouRu166VU2xqa1)

For a complete list of supported chains, see Blockchain Support.

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Key Operations

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Approve Delegation

Grant permission for another address to spend tokens on your behalf. Parameters:

• chain: CAIP-2 format chain ID (e.g., eip155:1, solana:5eykt4UsFv8P8NJdTREpY1vzqKqZKvdp)
• token: ERC-20 contract address (EVM) or SPL Token mint address (Solana). Native assets like ETH, MON, and SOL are not supported.
• delegateAddress: Address receiving approval
• amount: Approval amount in raw token units (as string)

Returns:

• Unsigned transaction(s) ready for signing
• Metadata about the approval operation

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Revoke Delegation

Remove spending permission from a previously approved address. Parameters:

• chain: CAIP-2 format chain ID
• token: Token contract address or mint address
• delegateAddress: Address to revoke approval from

Returns:

• Unsigned transaction(s) to revoke the approval
• Metadata about the revocation

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Get Delegation Status

Check current approval status and balances for a token. Parameters:

• chain: CAIP-2 format chain ID
• token: Token contract address or mint address
• delegateAddress: Address to check approval for

Returns:

• Current token balance
• List of active delegations with amounts
• Delegation details per address

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Transfer From

Transfer tokens as a delegate from another address to a destination. Parameters:

• chain: CAIP-2 format chain ID
• token: Token identifier (symbol or address)
• fromAddress: Owner’s address (where tokens are held)
• toAddress: Destination address
• amount: Amount to transfer (human-readable format)

Returns:

• Unsigned transaction(s) for the transfer
• Metadata about the transfer operation

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Transaction Flow

All delegation operations follow this flow:

1. Call delegation method (approve, revoke, transferFrom)
2. Receive unsigned transaction(s) with metadata
3. Sign transaction using Portal’s signing methods
4. Broadcast transaction to the network
5. Wait for confirmation on-chain

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Chain-Specific Details

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EVM (Ethereum, Polygon, etc.)

• Uses standard ERC-20 approve() and transferFrom() methods
• Returns transactions array with unsigned transaction objects
• Each transaction includes: from, to, data, value
• Approval amounts are in wei/smallest token unit

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Solana

• Uses SPL Token delegate instructions
• Returns encodedTransactions array with base64-encoded transactions
• Delegations are per token account, not per mint
• Must specify exact token account addresses

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Next Steps

Ready to implement delegations in your app? Choose your platform:

• Manage Delegations with the Enclave MPC API
• Manage Delegations with iOS
• Manage Delegations with Android
• Manage Delegations with React Native
• Manage Delegations with Web

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Additional Resources

• Portal API Methods - Learn about Portal’s API architecture
• Chain ID Formatting - Understanding CAIP-2 format
• Security Best Practices - Secure your Portal integration
• Error Codes - Complete error reference
• Client Delegations API - Check delegation status for an address using the Client API
• Custodian Delegations API - Check delegation status for a client using the Custodian API