Choose the smallest slippage limit that still allows normal price movement, provided the minimum amount you could receive is acceptable. The right limit depends on how quickly the price moves and how much liquidity the pool has.
What does a slippage limit protect?
A slippage limit sets the least amount of tokens you will accept when the swap executes. The exchange checks this minimum on the blockchain; if the trade would return less, it cancels instead.
The quote can change while your transaction waits to be processed. Think of it like a shop holding a price while you walk to the counter: the limit says how much of a change you will accept before you leave.
Do not confuse slippage with price impact. Price impact is the price change your own trade causes in the pool; slippage is the further change between the quote and execution. The Avalanche Builder Hub lists Blackhole as an Avalanche exchange with token-swapping routes, and a 2023 research paper, Don’t Let MEV Slip, examines how the expected and executed swap prices can differ.
How do you choose a limit?
Check the quoted output and the minimum output before you confirm. For example, if a quote offers 100 tokens and you set 1% slippage, you may receive as few as 99 tokens; below that, the swap should fail.
On Blackhole Swap, enter the token pair and amount, then review the quote, price impact, and minimum received. If the minimum is too low for you, reduce the amount or wait for a steadier price. A smaller trade can have less price impact when the pool has limited liquidity.
There is no single safe percentage for every pair. A thin pool or fast-moving token may need more room for the price to move, but raising the limit also means accepting fewer tokens. The quoted price already reflects the trade’s estimated effect on the pool; slippage tolerance does not undo that effect or remove swap fees.
What if the swap still fails?
Refresh the quote before changing the limit. If the new minimum is still acceptable, you can try again; if it is not, wait or lower the trade amount. A very high price impact is a reason to reconsider the trade, not simply raise the limit.
Keep AVAX in your wallet for the network fee, which is separate from the exchange’s swap fee. A failed transaction can still use some AVAX for processing. A slippage limit controls the price you accept; how Blackhole Swap retries failed trades covers the separate question of what to do after execution fails. Use these checks each time:
- Review the quote and price impact.
- Set a limit that leaves an acceptable minimum.
- Refresh the quote if the swap fails.
- Keep AVAX available for the network fee.