Gasless Swaps on Base
Here's the thing nobody tells you about swapping on L2s: gas is cheap, but it's still a friction point. You need ETH. You need to bridge ETH if you don't have it. You pay gas on every transaction. Orkid eliminates all of that. Let me show you exactly how it works.
Why gasless matters
On Base, a typical swap costs $0.01-0.05 in gas. Not much, right? But here's what adds up: you need ETH to pay that gas. If you bridged USDC to Base and don't have ETH, you're stuck. You can't swap. You can't do anything. You have to bridge ETH first, pay bridge fees, wait for confirmation, then swap.
Orkid removes that entire problem. You swap with zero ETH in your wallet. The solver pays gas. You pay 9 bps on the output. Done.
Step-by-step
- 01
Open Orkid on Base
Go to orkidlabs.xyz. Base is the default network. You do NOT need ETH in your wallet — you only need the token you want to swap.
- 02
Connect your wallet
Connect with Coinbase Wallet, MetaMask, or WalletConnect. Your wallet will ask to approve the connection. That's it — no network switching needed if you're already on Base.
- 03
Pick your tokens and amount
Select what you're selling and what you're buying. Enter the amount. Orkid quotes the output instantly. The quote includes the 9 bps fee — the number you see is the number you get.
- 04
Sign the Permit2 approval (first time only)
If you've never swapped this token on Orkid before, you'll sign a Permit2 approval. This is a GASLESS SIGNATURE — not an on-chain transaction. Your wallet will show a message to sign, not a transaction to confirm. Cost: 0 gas.
- 05
Sign the swap intent
Click Swap. Your wallet asks you to sign the swap intent. Again — this is a gasless signature. You're not paying gas. You're authorizing the solver to execute the swap on your behalf.
- 06
The solver does the work
Orkid's solver receives your signed intent, finds the best route across all 11 venues (Uniswap V2/V3/V4, PancakeSwap, Aerodrome, SushiSwap, Curve, Balancer, LunarBase, plus RFQ from Bebop, Wintermute, Liquorice), pays the gas, and submits the transaction to Base. This takes ~2 seconds.
- 07
Check your wallet
Your output tokens arrive. The 9 bps fee was already deducted from the output. No surprise charges, no gas reimbursement, nothing else to pay.
The mechanics
Gasless swaps work through a simple split: you sign, the solver pays. Here's the exact flow:
- 01
You sign a Permit2 approval
Permit2 (Uniswap's universal approval system) lets you authorize token spending with a gasless signature. No on-chain transaction. Cost: 0.
- 02
You sign the swap intent
The intent says: "I want to swap X USDC for at least Y WETH." This is also a gasless signature — EIP-712 typed data that your wallet shows as a message to sign.
- 03
The solver executes
Orkid's solver receives your intent, finds the best route, pays gas, and submits the transaction. The solver takes 9 bps from the output as payment for gas + infrastructure.
FAQ
Do I really not need ETH for gas?
Correct. The solver pays gas and takes 9 bps from the output. On a $100 swap, that's $0.09. Base gas for a swap would cost you $0.01-0.05 in ETH. The solver pays that — you don't.
What if the swap fails?
If the swap reverts (price moved beyond slippage tolerance), you lose nothing. Your tokens stay in your wallet. The solver eats the failed gas cost. You can try again.
Is gasless available on Ethereum mainnet?
Yes, but Ethereum gas is much more expensive ($5-30 per swap). The 9 bps fee may not cover mainnet gas on small swaps, so the solver may require a minimum swap size. Base is recommended for gasless.
What's the catch?
No catch. The 9 bps fee is the cost. Compare: MetaMask charges 87.5 bps AND you pay gas. Orkid charges 9 bps and you pay nothing else. The math is simple.