Smart Accounts in Relay
How Relay uses ERC-4337 and EIP-7702 to enable smart wallet features like gas sponsorship, batching, and cross-chain execution
Smart accounts unlock new design space in Relayโs cross-chain infrastructure. With them, we can:
- โ Batch multiple actions into one atomic call (e.g. deposit โ call user wallet โ mint NFT)
- ๐ Delegate tx execution to the user, preserving
msg.sender
on the destination chain - โฝ Sponsor gas or use ERC-20s for fee payments
- ๐ Route logic across chains, bridging into EOAs that execute contract logic without a separate deployment
Relay supports two complementary standards for smart account execution:
๐น ERC-4337
Relay uses ERC-4337 to support complex smart account flows. Key features include:
- Sponsored transactions using paymasters
- Arbitrary smart account validation logic
- Bundled execution: approve โ swap โ send, all in one tx
This is useful when you have smart accounts like Safe or Kernel, and interact via UserOperations.
๐น EIP-7702
Relay uses EIP-7702 to enable EOAs to become smart accounts.
We support 7702 to:
- Execute logic on destination chains where the user is
msg.sender
Useful for apps where the final contract cares about the actual sender (e.g. NFT mints, purchases) - Preserve intent and gas delegation across chains
Our solver can bridge ETH or tokens to the userโs EOA, and the EOA can act as a smart wallet - Avoid smart account setup on destination: the userโs EOA behaves like a contract temporarily, powered by an
authorizationList
signature
This is live on testnets for destination-side execution. Origin-side 7702 support (for gasless flows) is coming next.
๐ง Why Smart Accounts Matter for Relay
Smart accounts let us overcome key limitations in a cross-chain solver system:
Problem | Solved By |
---|---|
msg.sender is solver, but the app needs it to be the user | โ ERC-4337 / 7702 |
Want to batch calls after bridging ETH | โ ERC-4337 / 7702 |
Want to pay gas from any chain or abstract fees entirely | โ ERC-4337 paymasters / 7702 signature logic |
Want smart account functionality for your EOA | โ EIP-7702 |
For example, when someone uses ETH on Chain A to buy an NFT on Chain B:
- Relay bridges the ETH to their EOA
- That EOA uses a signed 7702 tx to batch logic on Chain B: approve โ mint
msg.sender
= the user, not Relay
This wasnโt previously possible because we couldnโt inject logic into EOAs without deploying a contract. Now we can.
๐ Explore the Guides
- ๐ ERC-4337 Guide โ Learn how Relay uses UserOperations, paymasters, and bundlers
- ๐ EIP-7702 Guide โ See how Relay turns EOAs into smart wallets with
authorizationList
Relay supports both 4337 and 7702. Whether youโre building gasless dApps, trustless UX, or bridging into smart behavior โ smart accounts are the foundation.
Let us know what youโre building.