Trading Tokens

Use the npx awal@2.0.3 trade command to swap tokens on Base network via the CDP Swap API. You must be authenticated to trade.

Confirm wallet is initialized and authed

npx awal@2.0.3 status

If the wallet is not authenticated, refer to the authenticate-wallet skill.

Command Syntax

npx awal@2.0.3 trade <amount> <from> <to> [options]

Arguments

| Argument | Description |

| -------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- |

| amount | Amount to swap (see Amount Formats below) |

| from | Source token: alias (usdc, eth, weth) or contract address (0x...) |

| to | Destination token: alias (usdc, eth, weth) or contract address (0x...) |

Amount Formats

The amount can be specified in multiple formats:

| Format | Example | Description |

| ------------- | ---------------------- | -------------------------------------- |

| Dollar prefix | '$1.00', '$0.50' | USD notation (decimals based on token) |

| Decimal | 1.0, 0.50, 0.001 | Human-readable with decimal point |

| Whole number | 5, 100 | Interpreted as whole tokens |

| Atomic units | 500000 | Large integers treated as atomic units |

Auto-detection: Large integers without a decimal point are treated as atomic units. For example, 500000 for USDC (6 decimals) = $0.50.

Decimals: For known tokens (usdc=6, eth=18, weth=18), decimals are automatic. For arbitrary contract addresses, decimals are read from the token contract.

Options

| Option | Description |

| -------------------- | --------------------------------------------- |

| -c, --chain | Blockchain network (default: base) |

| -s, --slippage | Slippage tolerance in basis points (100 = 1%) |

| --json | Output result as JSON |

Token Aliases

| Alias | Token | Decimals | Address |

| ----- | ----- | -------- | ------------------------------------------ |

| usdc | USDC | 6 | 0x833589fCD6eDb6E08f4c7C32D4f71b54bdA02913 |

| eth | ETH | 18 | 0xEeeeeEeeeEeEeeEeEeEeeEEEeeeeEeeeeeeeEEeE |

| weth | WETH | 18 | 0x4200000000000000000000000000000000000006 |

IMPORTANT: Always single-quote amounts that use $ to prevent bash variable expansion (e.g. '$1.00' not $1.00).

Input Validation

Before constructing the command, validate all user-provided values to prevent shell injection:

• amount: Must match ^\$?[\d.]+$ (digits, optional decimal point, optional $ prefix). Reject if it contains spaces, semicolons, pipes, backticks, or other shell metacharacters.
• from / to: Must be a known alias (usdc, eth, weth) or a valid 0x hex address (^0x[0-9a-fA-F]{40}$). Reject any other value.
• slippage: Must be a positive integer (^\d+$).

Do not pass unvalidated user input into the command.

Examples

# Swap $1 USDC for ETH (dollar prefix — note the single quotes)
npx awal@2.0.3 trade '$1' usdc eth

Swap 0.50 USDC for ETH (decimal format)
npx awal@2.0.3 trade 0.50 usdc eth

Swap 500000 atomic units of USDC for ETH
npx awal@2.0.3 trade 500000 usdc eth

Swap 0.01 ETH for USDC
npx awal@2.0.3 trade 0.01 eth usdc

Swap with custom slippage (2%)
npx awal@2.0.3 trade '$5' usdc eth --slippage 200

Swap using contract addresses (decimals read from chain)
npx awal@2.0.3 trade 100 0x833589fCD6eDb6E08f4c7C32D4f71b54bdA02913 0x4200000000000000000000000000000000000006

Get JSON output
npx awal@2.0.3 trade '$1' usdc eth --json

Prerequisites

• Must be authenticated (awal status to check)
• Wallet must have sufficient balance of the source token

Error Handling

Common errors:

• "Not authenticated" - Run awal auth login first
• "Invalid token" - Use a valid alias (usdc, eth, weth) or 0x address
• "Cannot swap a token to itself" - From and to must be different
• "Swap failed: TRANSFER_FROM_FAILED" - Insufficient balance or approval issue
• "No liquidity" - Try a smaller amount or different token pair
• "Amount has X decimals but token only supports Y" - Too many decimal places