Intent

An intent is a signed message expressing what a user wants to achieve without specifying exactly how to achieve it, shifting complexity from users to specialized solvers who compete to fulfill requests optimally. Traditional blockchain transactions require users to specify exact actions: 'swap exactly 1 ETH for USDC on Uniswap v3 pool 0x...' Intent-based transactions express outcomes: 'trade my 1 ETH for at least 2,000 USDC within the next 30 seconds.' This abstraction is powerful. Solvers can find the best execution path across multiple DEXs, split orders for better pricing, use private order flow to avoid MEV extraction, and handle complex routing that users couldn't specify manually. The intent model separates concerns: users express what they want; solvers figure out how to deliver it; on-chain verification ensures solvers actually delivered the promised outcome. CoW Protocol pioneered intents in DeFi, batch-matching orders to find coincidences of wants (if you're selling ETH and someone else is buying, match directly without DEX fees). UniswapX and 1inch Fusion use intent models for trade execution. Beyond trading, intents extend to bridging, lending, and arbitrary cross-chain operations. The vision is a DeFi where users express high-level goals and infrastructure handles the complexity, much like how web browsers abstract away HTTP and TCP/IP.