How the executor contract works

The Executor is an isolated contract that executes intent calls on the destination chain. It provides security isolation by separating arbitrary call execution from the Portal’s storage and balance.

Purpose

The Executor serves as a security boundary for intent execution: Without Executor:

Portal (with storage) → executes arbitrary calls
❌ Risk: Malicious calls can manipulate Portal state

With Executor:

Portal (with storage) → Executor (stateless) → executes arbitrary calls
✅ Portal state protected from execution context

Architecture

Portal (Inbox)
    ↓ calls
Executor (single instance)
    ↓ executes
User-specified calls (swaps, transfers, etc.)

Key Properties:

One executor per Portal deployment
Stateless (no storage between transactions)
Only Portal can trigger execution
Receives tokens from solver before execution
Returns unused tokens/ETH to solver after execution

Access Control

modifier onlyPortal()

The executor can only be called by the Portal that deployed it. This prevents:

Direct execution of arbitrary calls
Bypassing intent validation
Unauthorized token access

Execution Flow

Call Execution

function execute(Call[] calldata calls) 
    external payable onlyPortal returns (bytes[] memory)

Process:

Portal validates intent and transfers tokens to executor
Portal calls executor with intent’s call array
Executor validates and executes each call sequentially
Executor returns results to Portal
Portal refunds unused ETH to solver

Single Call

function execute(Call calldata call) internal returns (bytes memory)

Each call is executed with:

Target: Contract address to call
Value: Native token amount to send
Data: Encoded function call data

Validation:

Checks if call targets EOA with calldata (security check)
Uses low-level call() for execution
Reverts entire transaction if any call fails

Security Features

EOA Protection

function _isCallToEoa(Call calldata call) internal view returns (bool)

Prevents calls to externally owned accounts (EOAs) when calldata is present:

if (target.code.length == 0 && calldata.length > 0) {
    revert CallToEOA(target);
}

Why this matters:

EOAs cannot execute code, so calldata is meaningless
Calldata to EOA might indicate misconfiguration
Prevents potential phishing where calldata appears to be a function call

Allowed:

Native token transfers to EOAs (zero calldata)
Calls to contracts (non-zero code length)

Blocked:

Calls to EOAs with calldata (suspicious pattern)

Storage Isolation

The Executor has no state variables except immutable portal:

Cannot be manipulated through reentrancy
No persistent state to corrupt
Fresh execution context for each intent

Atomic Execution

All calls execute atomically:

If any call fails, entire transaction reverts
No partial execution of intent
Solver either succeeds completely or loses only gas

Token Handling

Token Flow

Solver (approves tokens) 
    ↓
Portal (validates and transfers)
    ↓
Executor (receives tokens)
    ↓
Executor (executes calls using tokens)
    ↓
Destination contracts (swaps, transfers, etc.)

Native Tokens

The Executor accepts ETH via:

receive() external payable {}

Portal transfers route.nativeAmount to Executor before execution:

executor.execute{value: route.nativeAmount}(route.calls);

ERC20 Tokens

Portal transfers ERC20s to Executor before execution:

for (TokenAmount memory token : route.tokens) {
    IERC20(token.token).safeTransferFrom(
        solver,
        address(executor),
        token.amount
    );
}

Executor then uses these tokens during call execution.

Call Structure

struct Call {
    address target;   // Contract to call
    uint256 value;    // Native tokens to send
    bytes data;       // Encoded function call
}

Example Calls

Token Swap:

Call({
    target: uniswapRouter,
    value: 0,
    data: abi.encodeWithSelector(
        IUniswapRouter.swapExactTokensForTokens.selector,
        amountIn,
        amountOutMin,
        path,
        recipient,
        deadline
    )
})

Native Token Transfer:

Call({
    target: recipientAddress,
    value: 1 ether,
    data: ""  // Empty for simple transfer
})

Contract Interaction:

Call({
    target: dappContract,
    value: 0.1 ether,
    data: abi.encodeWithSelector(
        IDapp.deposit.selector,
        amount,
        params
    )
})

Error Handling

CallToEOA

error CallToEOA(address target)

Thrown when attempting to call an EOA with calldata. Resolution:

Remove calldata for simple transfers
Use correct contract address if calling contract
Verify target address is not an EOA

CallFailed

error CallFailed(Call call, bytes result)

Thrown when any call execution fails. Contains:

Full call data (target, value, data)
Revert reason from failed call

Common Causes:

Insufficient token balance in executor
Reverted function on target contract
Out of gas
Invalid function selector

NonPortalCaller

error NonPortalCaller(address caller)

Thrown when non-Portal address attempts execution. Resolution:

Only Portal can call executor
Use Portal’s fulfill methods instead of direct executor calls

Execution Patterns

Simple Transfer

Intent that sends tokens to recipient:

Call[] memory calls = new Call[](1);
calls[0] = Call({
    target: recipientAddress,
    value: 0,
    data: ""
});

Executor transfers tokens that were sent to it by Portal.

Swap and Transfer

Intent that swaps tokens and sends result:

Call[] memory calls = new Call[](2);

// 1. Swap on DEX
calls[0] = Call({
    target: dexRouter,
    value: 0,
    data: abi.encodeWithSelector(
        IRouter.swap.selector,
        tokenIn,
        tokenOut,
        amountIn,
        address(executor)  // Swap result to executor
    )
});

// 2. Transfer swapped tokens
calls[1] = Call({
    target: tokenOut,
    value: 0,
    data: abi.encodeWithSelector(
        IERC20.transfer.selector,
        finalRecipient,
        amountOut
    )
});

Multi-Step DeFi

Intent executing complex DeFi operations:

Call[] memory calls = new Call[](4);

// 1. Approve DEX
calls[0] = Call({
    target: token,
    value: 0,
    data: abi.encodeWithSelector(
        IERC20.approve.selector,
        dexRouter,
        amount
    )
});

// 2. Swap
calls[1] = Call({
    target: dexRouter,
    value: 0,
    data: /* swap calldata */
});

// 3. Add liquidity
calls[2] = Call({
    target: liquidityPool,
    value: 0,
    data: /* addLiquidity calldata */
});

// 4. Transfer LP tokens
calls[3] = Call({
    target: lpToken,
    value: 0,
    data: /* transfer calldata */
});

Gas Considerations

Per-Call Overhead

Each call incurs:

Call validation: ~2,000 gas (EOA check)
Low-level call: ~2,600 gas base + execution
Result handling: ~1,000 gas

Batch Optimization

Multiple calls in one intent are more efficient than separate intents:

Shared validation costs
Single token transfer from solver
Atomic execution reduces failure risk

Failed Call Costs

When a call fails:

Gas consumed up to failure point
Full transaction reverts (no state changes)
Solver pays gas but receives no reward

Integration Patterns

For Intent Creators

Encoding Calls:

// Create calls for route
Call[] memory calls = new Call[](2);

calls[0] = Call({
    target: tokenAddress,
    value: 0,
    data: abi.encodeWithSelector(
        IERC20.transfer.selector,
        recipient,
        amount
    )
});

// Include in intent
Intent memory intent = Intent({
    // ...
    route: Route({
        // ...
        calls: calls
    })
});

Testing Calls:

// Test call execution off-chain
(bool success, bytes memory result) = target.call{value: value}(data);
require(success, "Call would fail");

For Solvers

Pre-Execution Validation:

// Before fulfilling, validate calls won't fail
for (Call memory call : route.calls) {
    // Simulate each call
    (bool success, ) = call.target.call{value: call.value}(call.data);
    require(success, "Call simulation failed");
}

// Now fulfill intent
portal.fulfill(intentHash, route, rewardHash, claimant);

Token Preparation:

// Approve tokens for Portal before fulfillment
for (TokenAmount memory token : route.tokens) {
    IERC20(token.token).approve(
        address(portal),
        token.amount
    );
}

Security Best Practices

For Intent Creators

Test Thoroughly: Simulate all calls before publishing intent
Minimal Privileges: Only include necessary calls in route
Verify Targets: Ensure all target addresses are correct contracts
Amount Validation: Verify all token amounts and values are correct
Deadline Safety: Set appropriate route deadline for execution window

For Solvers

Validate Before Fulfilling: Simulate execution to avoid wasted gas
Check Token Balances: Ensure sufficient tokens to provide route amounts
Gas Estimation: Estimate execution costs accurately
Slippage Protection: Account for price changes in DEX calls
Revert Analysis: Understand why calls might fail before executing

For Protocol Integrators

Immutable Executor: Executor address never changes per Portal
No Direct Calls: Never call executor directly, always through Portal
Result Handling: Process execution results appropriately
Error Recovery: Handle call failures gracefully in UI/SDK

Limitations

No Persistent State

Executor cannot:

Store data between transactions
Accumulate tokens across intents
Maintain allowances or permissions

Each execution starts fresh.

No Token Retention

After execution:

All tokens should be transferred to final destinations
Executor should have zero balance
Any remaining tokens are stuck until next execution

Best Practice: Include cleanup call to sweep any dust.

Sequential Execution

Calls execute in order:

Cannot parallelize
Later calls depend on earlier ones
Any failure reverts all

Design Consideration: Order calls carefully for dependencies.

Comparison to Alternatives

Direct Portal Execution

❌ Portal executes calls directly
Risk: Malicious calls access Portal storage

Executor Pattern (Current)

✅ Executor executes calls in isolation
Benefit: Portal storage protected

External Executor

❌ Separate executor deployed per intent
Cost: Higher gas for deployment
Complexity: Address management

The single stateless executor provides optimal balance of security, gas efficiency, and simplicity.

Introduction

Capabilities

Solutions for

Technical reference

Resources

Documentation Index

​Purpose

​Architecture

​Access Control

​Execution Flow

​Call Execution

​Single Call

​Security Features

​EOA Protection

​Storage Isolation

​Atomic Execution

​Token Handling

​Token Flow

​Native Tokens

​ERC20 Tokens

​Call Structure

​Example Calls

​Error Handling

​CallToEOA

​CallFailed

​NonPortalCaller

​Execution Patterns

​Simple Transfer

​Swap and Transfer

​Multi-Step DeFi

​Gas Considerations

​Per-Call Overhead

​Batch Optimization

​Failed Call Costs

​Integration Patterns

​For Intent Creators

​For Solvers

​Security Best Practices

​For Intent Creators

​For Solvers

​For Protocol Integrators

​Limitations

​No Persistent State

​No Token Retention

​Sequential Execution

​Comparison to Alternatives

​Direct Portal Execution

​Executor Pattern (Current)

​External Executor

Purpose

Architecture

Access Control

Execution Flow

Call Execution

Single Call

Security Features

EOA Protection

Storage Isolation

Atomic Execution

Token Handling

Token Flow

Native Tokens

ERC20 Tokens

Call Structure

Example Calls

Error Handling

CallToEOA

CallFailed

NonPortalCaller

Execution Patterns

Simple Transfer

Swap and Transfer

Multi-Step DeFi

Gas Considerations

Per-Call Overhead

Batch Optimization

Failed Call Costs

Integration Patterns

For Intent Creators

For Solvers

Security Best Practices

For Intent Creators

For Solvers

For Protocol Integrators

Limitations

No Persistent State

No Token Retention

Sequential Execution

Comparison to Alternatives

Direct Portal Execution

Executor Pattern (Current)

External Executor