Make your first swap
Open the app, connect a wallet, read the quote, sign once, and check what arrived.
This is the whole path. It takes one signature.
Open the app
Go to zerochord.com.
The header shows the product name and the Cardano network this deployment reads. Check that network now. A wallet on a different network cannot sign here, and Zerochord blocks signing rather than letting you find out at the end.
Connect your wallet
The Wallet panel lists every CIP-30 wallet extension your browser exposes. Press Connect next to the one you want.
Once connected, the panel shows your change address, the network your wallet reports, and whether the wallet holds collateral. Every Zerochord route runs a Plutus script, so collateral is required. If your wallet reports none, set some aside in the wallet and the panel updates.
Choose the pair and the amount
In Pair and amount, pick what you pay under You pay and what you want under You receive. Each option shows the asset symbol and how many decimal places it has.
Type the amount in whole units of the asset you are paying. If you type more decimal places than the asset holds, Zerochord tells you and does not round. Rounding your input without saying so would change the amount you are about to sign for.
Set your slippage allowance
Slippage allowance, basis points starts at 50, which is 0.50 percent. It must be a whole number below 10 000.
This number decides the minimum output written into the transaction. A larger allowance accepts a worse fill. A smaller one is stricter, and the swap fails rather than filling below it.
Read the quote
The quote appears on the right as soon as Zerochord has one. While it is working, the panel says Reading pools and solving the route.
Read at least these three lines before you go on:
- The banner at the top, which says how the route settles.
- Minimum output enforced on chain, which is the number the transaction is held to.
- Against the direct route, which says whether routing beat the best single pool.
Sign and submit
Press Sign and submit. Your wallet opens and asks you to approve one transaction.
The button stays disabled until a quote with a minimum output exists, so the numbers you are signing for are always on screen first. If the button is disabled, every reason is listed under it.
Approve promptly. The venue caps how long a signed swap stays valid. If the window closes while the wallet dialog is open, Zerochord tells you exactly that, sends nothing, and fetches a fresh quote for you.
Check what arrived
After submission you land on the receipt for that transaction. Press Read the received amount from the chain to have Zerochord read the result back off the chain and put it next to the minimum you were quoted.
If the route places an order instead
Some routes settle inside the transaction you sign. Others place an order that a batcher fills afterwards. The banner on the quote panel always says which, and it never calls an order immediate.
When your route places an order, it appears under Pending orders until it fills. You can cancel it from there and get your funds back.