Glossary
Intent
A user-signed declaration of "what I want" — sell X for at least Y by time T — that solvers compete to fulfill, instead of the user submitting a specific transaction.
Intent-based architectures invert the usual flow. Instead of signing a precise transaction ("swap X via this router with that slippage tolerance"), the user signs a declaration of outcome: "swap X for at least Y of token Z by block N". Off-chain solvers race to construct a transaction that satisfies the intent and collect a fee.
The model handles MEV protection, optimal routing, gas abstraction, and cross-chain composition under a single signature. CoW Protocol, UniswapX, 1inch Fusion, Across, and several account-abstracted wallets all implement variants.