> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.layerswap.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Swap lifecycle

> Understand the different statuses a swap goes through from creation to completion or refund.

<div style={{backgroundColor: '#1a1a2e', padding: '24px', borderRadius: '12px'}}>
  ```mermaid theme={null}
  %%{init: {'theme': 'base', 'themeVariables': {'background': '#1a1a2e', 'lineColor': '#94a3b8', 'fontSize': '14px', 'edgeLabelBackground': 'transparent', 'tertiaryTextColor': '#ffffff'}}}%%
  graph TD
      l1([Swap created]) --> B([user_transfer_pending])
      B --> l2([Deposit confirmed]) --> D([ls_transfer_pending])
      B --> l3([No deposit in 6h]) --> C([expired])
      D --> l4([Success]) --> E([completed])
      D --> l5([Below minimum]) --> F([failed])
      D --> l6([Execution failed]) --> R{refund_address?}
      R --> |Yes| G([refund_pending])
      R -.-> |No| M([Retries])
      G --> l7([Confirmed]) --> H([refunded])

      classDef label fill:none,color:#cbd5e1,stroke:#334155,stroke-width:1px

      class l1,l2,l3,l4,l5,l6,l7 label

      style R fill:#475569,color:#fff,stroke:#475569
      style M fill:#6b7280,color:#fff,stroke:#6b7280

      style B fill:#0891b2,color:#fff,stroke:#0891b2
      style D fill:#ca8a04,color:#fff,stroke:#ca8a04
      style E fill:#16a34a,color:#fff,stroke:#16a34a
      style C fill:#6b7280,color:#fff,stroke:#6b7280
      style F fill:#dc2626,color:#fff,stroke:#dc2626
      style G fill:#9333ea,color:#fff,stroke:#9333ea
      style H fill:#9333ea,color:#fff,stroke:#9333ea
  ```
</div>

## Flow

### 1. `user_transfer_pending`

Swap is created. Layerswap is waiting for the user to complete the transaction in the source network.

* If no deposit arrives within **6 hours** → `expired`
* Once the deposit is confirmed with enough confirmations → `ls_transfer_pending`

### 2. `ls_transfer_pending`

Layerswap is processing the swap. If something goes wrong during execution:

* If deposited amount is **below the minimum** → `failed`
* If the swap cannot be completed for any other reason (e.g. price moved beyond slippage tolerance) → Layerswap **retries automatically**.
  * **With `refund_address`** → if retries are exhausted, moves to `refund_pending`
  * **Without `refund_address`** → Layerswap keeps retrying. The swap remains in `ls_transfer_pending` until resolved.
* If execution succeeds → `completed`

### 3. `completed`

Funds are delivered to the destination address.

### 4. `refund_pending` → `refunded`

Refund is sent to `refund_address` on the source chain in the source token, **minus gas fees**. If the refund amount is less than the gas fee, no refund is issued. See the [Refunds](/api-reference/refunds) page for details.

## What can go wrong

| Scenario                                         | With refund\_address   | Without refund\_address |
| ------------------------------------------------ | ---------------------- | ----------------------- |
| Deposited less than minimum                      | failed                 | failed                  |
| No liquidity or route available across providers | Retries, then refunded | Retries                 |
| Slippage tolerance cannot be met                 | Retries, then refunded | Retries                 |
| Blockchain issue across multiple RPCs            | Retries, then refunded | Retries                 |
| DEX or DEX aggregator issue                      | Retries, then refunded | Retries                 |