> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.kumbaya.xyz/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.kumbaya.xyz/trading/slippage-and-gas.md).

# Slippage and gas explained

When you trade on Kumbaya, two things shape what you actually receive: **slippage** (how much the price can move during your trade) and **gas** (what you pay the network to process it). Both are normal AMM concepts; both are tunable.

## Slippage

The **slippage tolerance** is the maximum difference you'll accept between the price quoted in the UI and the price your trade fills at. If the difference would exceed your tolerance, the transaction reverts and your funds stay where they are.

### Why slippage happens

* **Other trades.** Between you clicking and your transaction landing, other people's trades may have moved the pool's price.
* **Your own trade.** Even your trade, by itself, moves price along the pool's curve. Bigger trades = bigger move.

The UI shows you the "minimum received" line — that's what you're guaranteed assuming your tolerance holds.

### Setting slippage

Click the gear icon ⚙️ on the swap card to set tolerance.

| Token type                          | Reasonable starting point |
| ----------------------------------- | ------------------------- |
| Major / blue-chip (ETH, USDC, USDT) | **0.5%**                  |
| Mid-cap, established                | **1%**                    |
| Pre-graduation launchpad tokens     | **1–3%**                  |
| Thin liquidity / very new           | **3–5%**                  |

Higher tolerance = more likely to fill, but with more downside risk on price.

### Failed with "Slippage exceeded"?

Either bump tolerance or reduce trade size. If you're trading on a thin pool, splitting one big trade into several smaller ones often helps because each trade moves price less than one combined.

## Price impact

**Price impact** is the *minimum* price movement caused by your trade alone, regardless of slippage. Slippage tolerance protects you from total movement (yours + others); price impact is just yours.

The UI shows price impact as a percentage. Under 1% is normal. Over 5% means the pool is quite thin for your trade size — consider trading a smaller amount.

## Gas

Every transaction on MegaETH costs ETH paid to the network. MegaETH is fast and cheap (10ms blocks, designed for real-time apps), so gas is typically a small fraction of a cent per swap. You shouldn't really need to think about it — but you do need a small ETH balance for it to come out of.

If you bridge in just enough ETH to swap with, you might end up with no gas. Always keep a small buffer. The UI warns you when you're cutting it close.

### Common gas-related errors

* **"Insufficient gas for transaction"** — you don't have enough ETH. Bridge or buy more.
* **Transaction stuck pending** — rare on MegaETH given block speed. If it happens, it usually clears quickly; otherwise check your wallet for a pending tx.

## Where to next

* [**Swapping tokens →**](/trading/swap.md)
* [**Adding liquidity →**](/liquidity/add-liquidity.md) — same slippage logic applies


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