Release a Stuck Transaction
Network congestion or low transaction fees may prevent a transaction sent to the node from being included in a block. If a transaction remains unprocessed for a certain period after submission (10 minutes on EVM chain, 60 minutes on Bitcoin), Fordefi marks it as STUCK. Fordefi provides two ways to resolve a stuck transaction:
- Accelerate: Resend the original transaction with a higher fee.
- Cancel: Replace the original transaction with a higher-fee transaction that sends funds back to yourself, effectively nullifying the original.
These methods, collectively referred to as releasing the transaction, are available on EVM chains and on Bitcoin. The underlying mechanics are similar across the two chain types:
- On EVM chains, the replacement transaction uses the same nonce as the original and a higher gas price.
- On Bitcoin, the replacement transaction uses the same UTXOs, a higher sequence number, and an increased fee per byte. To cancel a transaction on Bitcoin, the replacement transaction spends the same UTXOs but sends the funds back to your own address, effectively nullifying the original.
In both cases, the higher fee incentivizes miners to include the replacement transaction in a block, making it more likely to be mined than the original. Once the replacement is mined, the original becomes ineligible to be mined and is dropped by nodes.
Release a transaction
First, accelerate or cancel the transaction from the Fordefi web console and then sign it in the Fordefi mobile app.
- Open the Fordefi web console.
- In the side menu, click Transactions.
The Transactions screen opens at the default All tab and displays a list of all transactions. - Navigate to a transaction in Stuck status, and click either ⋮ > Accelerate transaction or ⋮ > Cancel transaction.
- In the confirmation dialog, choose how to set the fee:
- Automatic fee: Fordefi automatically sets the fee to the higher of (a) a certain increase over the original transaction’s fee, or (b) the amount needed to match current network conditions.
- Custom fee: You can manually specify the fee amount.
A notification is sent to the mobile device of the transaction initiator, that is, the person who initiated the transaction. Sign the transaction in your mobile app.
Releasing a transaction does not require any policy approvals.
- For cancellation, the replacement transaction is a zero-amount transfer, which is harmless.
- For acceleration, the replacement is identical to the original, which was already approved. Since only one of the two can be mined, there is no risk of a double spend.
Possible outcomes
Releasing the transaction will have one of the following outcomes:
- Success: The replacement transaction is mined. It will be marked as MINED, then COMPLETED, and the original will be marked as DROPPED.
- Original Mined First: If network conditions improve just as the release begins, the original transaction may be mined. In this case, the replacement is marked as ABORTED.
- Still Stuck: If the replacement fee is still too low, it may also become STUCK. You can then release it again with a higher fee.
Queued EVM Transactions
On EVM chains, transactions are processed in nonce order. If a transaction is STUCK, all subsequent transactions from the same vault on the same chain will be marked as QUEUED — they cannot be processed until the STUCK transaction is resolved.
Once the STUCK transaction is successfully released, QUEUED transactions become eligible for processing. If their fees are high enough, they may be mined automatically; otherwise, they may also need to be released.
For a full explanation of all transaction statuses, see Transaction Lifecycle.