| name | trade |
| description | Swap or trade tokens on Base or Polygon. Use when you or the user want to trade, swap, exchange, buy, sell, or convert between tokens like USDC, ETH, and POL. Covers phrases like "buy ETH", "sell ETH for USDC", "convert USDC to ETH", "get some ETH", "buy POL". |
| user-invocable | true |
| disable-model-invocation | false |
| allowed-tools | ["Bash(npx awal@2.10.0 status*)","Bash(npx awal@2.10.0 trade *)","Bash(npx awal@2.10.0 balance*)"] |
| metadata | {"category":"wallet/payments","cross-platform-safe":false,"pack":"three-ws-skills"} |
Trading Tokens
Use the npx awal@2.10.0 trade command to swap tokens on Base or Polygon via the CDP Swap API. You must be authenticated to trade.
Confirm wallet is initialized and authed
npx awal@2.10.0 status
If the wallet is not authenticated, refer to the authenticate-wallet skill.
Command Syntax
npx awal@2.10.0 trade <amount> <from> <to> [options]
The command is also available as npx awal@2.10.0 swap (alias).
Arguments
| Argument | Description |
|---|
amount | Amount to swap (see Amount Formats below) |
from | Source token: alias (usdc, eth, pol) or contract address (0x...) |
to | Destination token: alias (usdc, eth, pol) 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, pol=18), decimals are automatic. For arbitrary contract addresses, decimals are read from the token contract.
Options
| Option | Description |
|---|
-c, --chain <name> | Blockchain network: base, polygon (default: base) |
-s, --slippage <n> | Slippage tolerance in basis points (100 = 1%) |
--json | Output result as JSON |
Token Aliases
| Alias | Token | Decimals | Chain |
|---|
| usdc | USDC | 6 | base |
| eth | ETH | 18 | base |
| pol | POL | 18 | polygon |
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, pol) 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
npx awal@2.10.0 trade '$1' usdc eth
npx awal@2.10.0 trade 0.50 usdc eth
npx awal@2.10.0 trade 500000 usdc eth
npx awal@2.10.0 trade 0.01 eth usdc
npx awal@2.10.0 trade '$5' usdc eth --slippage 200
npx awal@2.10.0 trade 100 0x833589fCD6eDb6E08f4c7C32D4f71b54bdA02913 0x4200000000000000000000000000000000000006
npx awal@2.10.0 trade '$1' usdc eth --json
npx awal@2.10.0 trade '$1' usdc pol --chain polygon
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 <email> first
- "Invalid token" - Use a valid alias (usdc, eth, pol) or 0x address
- "POL only supported on polygon chain" - Use
--chain polygon when trading POL
- "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
