bridge-stablecoin

Overview

Crosschain Transfer Protocol (CCTP) is Circle's native protocol for burning USDC on one chain and minting it on another. Bridge Kit is a TypeScript SDK that orchestrates the full CCTP lifecycle -- approve, burn, attestation fetch, and mint -- in a single kit.bridge() call across EVM chains and Solana. Bridge Kit is the preferred way to integrate CCTP.

Prerequisites / Setup

Installation

npm install @circle-fin/bridge-kit @circle-fin/adapter-viem-v2

For Solana support, also install:

npm install @circle-fin/adapter-solana-kit

For Circle Wallets (developer-controlled) support:

npm install @circle-fin/adapter-circle-wallets

Environment Variables

PRIVATE_KEY=              # EVM wallet private key (hex, 0x-prefixed)
EVM_PRIVATE_KEY=          # EVM private key (when also using Solana)
SOLANA_PRIVATE_KEY=       # Solana wallet private key (base58)
CIRCLE_API_KEY=           # Circle API key (for Circle Wallets adapter)
CIRCLE_ENTITY_SECRET=     # Entity secret (for Circle Wallets adapter)
EVM_WALLET_ADDRESS=       # Developer-controlled EVM wallet address
SOLANA_WALLET_ADDRESS=    # Developer-controlled Solana wallet address

SDK Initialization

import { BridgeKit } from "@circle-fin/bridge-kit";

const kit = new BridgeKit();

Core Concepts

• CCTP steps: Every bridge transfer executes four sequential steps -- approve (ERC-20 allowance), burn (destroy USDC on source chain), fetchAttestation (wait for Circle to sign the burn proof), and mint (create USDC on destination chain).
• Adapters: Bridge Kit uses adapter objects to abstract wallet/signer differences. Each ecosystem has its own adapter factory (createViemAdapterFromPrivateKey, createSolanaKitAdapterFromPrivateKey, createCircleWalletsAdapter). The same adapter instance can serve as both source and destination when bridging within the same ecosystem.
• Forwarding Service: When useForwarder: true is set on the destination, Circle's infrastructure handles attestation fetching and mint submission. This removes the need for a destination wallet or polling loop. There is a per-transfer fee (1.25 USDC for Ethereum, 0.20 USDC for all other chains).
• Transfer speed: CCTP fast mode (default) completes in ~8-20 seconds. Standard mode takes ~15-19 minutes.
• Chain identifiers: Bridge Kit uses string chain names (e.g., "Arc_Testnet", "Base_Sepolia", "Solana_Devnet"), not numeric chain IDs, in the kit.bridge() call.

Implementation Patterns

READ the corresponding reference based on the user's request:

• references/adapter-private-key.md -- EVM-to-EVM and EVM-to-Solana bridging with private key adapters (Viem + Solana Kit)
• references/adapter-circle-wallets.md -- Bridging with Circle developer-controlled wallets (any chain to any chain)
• references/adapter-wagmi.md -- Browser wallet integration using wagmi (ConnectKit, RainbowKit, etc.)

Sample Response from kit.bridge()

{
  "amount": "25.0",
  "token": "USDC",
  "state": "success",
  "provider": "CCTPV2BridgingProvider",
  "config": {
    "transferSpeed": "FAST"
  },
  "source": {
    "address": "0x742d35Cc6634C0532925a3b844Bc454e4438f44e",
    "chain": {
      "type": "evm",
      "chain": "Arc_Testnet",
      "chainId": 5042002,
      "name": "Arc Testnet"
    }
  },
  "destination": {
    "address": "0x742d35Cc6634C0532925a3b844Bc454e4438f44e",
    "chain": {
      "type": "evm",
      "chain": "Base_Sepolia",
      "chainId": 84532,
      "name": "Base Sepolia"
    }
  },
  "steps": [
    {
      "name": "approve",
      "state": "success",
      "txHash": "0x1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef12345678",
      "explorerUrl": "https://testnet.arcscan.app/tx/0x1234..."
    },
    {
      "name": "burn",
      "state": "success",
      "txHash": "0xabcdef1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef12",
      "explorerUrl": "https://testnet.arcscan.app/tx/0xabcdef..."
    },
    {
      "name": "fetchAttestation",
      "state": "success",
      "data": {
        "attestation": "0x9876543210fedcba9876543210fedcba98765432"
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "mint",
      "state": "success",
      "txHash": "0xfedcba9876543210fedcba9876543210fedcba98",
      "explorerUrl": "https://sepolia.basescan.org/tx/0xfedcba..."
    }
  ]
}

Forwarding Service

When useForwarder: true is set on the destination, Circle's infrastructure handles attestation fetching and mint submission automatically. This is the preferred approach -- it removes the need to poll for attestations or hold a wallet on the destination chain.

With adapters on both chains:

const result = await kit.bridge({
  from: { adapter, chain: "Ethereum_Sepolia" },
  to: {
    adapter,
    chain: "Arc_Testnet",
    useForwarder: true,
  },
  amount: "1",
});

Without a destination adapter (server-side or custodial transfers):

const result = await kit.bridge({
  from: { adapter, chain: "Ethereum_Sepolia" },
  to: {
    recipientAddress: "0x742d35Cc6634C0532925a3b844Bc454e4438f44e",
    chain: "Arc_Testnet",
    useForwarder: true,
  },
  amount: "1",
});

Forwarding Service fee per destination chain:

• Ethereum: 1.25 USDC
• All other chains: 0.20 USDC

Event Handling

Subscribe to individual CCTP steps or all events at once. Multiple callbacks per event are supported.

kit.on("approve", (payload) => {
  console.log("Approval completed:", payload.values.txHash);
});

kit.on("burn", (payload) => {
  console.log("Burn completed:", payload.values.txHash);
});

kit.on("fetchAttestation", (payload) => {
  console.log("Attestation completed:", payload.values.data.attestation);
});

kit.on("mint", (payload) => {
  console.log("Mint completed:", payload.values.txHash);
});

kit.on("*", (payload) => {
  console.log("Event received:", payload);
});

Error Handling & Recovery

Bridge Kit has two error categories:

• Hard errors throw exceptions (validation, config, auth) -- catch in try/catch.
• Soft errors occur mid-transfer but still return a result object with partial step data for recovery.

Analyzing Failed Transfers

Check result.state and result.steps to identify which step failed:

const result = await kit.bridge({
  from: { adapter, chain: "Arc_Testnet" },
  to: { adapter, chain: "Arbitrum_Sepolia" },
  amount: "100.00",
});

if (result.state === "error") {
  const failedStep = result.steps.find((step) => step.state === "error");
  console.log(`Failed at: ${failedStep?.name}`);
  console.log(`Error: ${failedStep?.error}`);

  const completedSteps = result.steps.filter(
    (step) => step.state === "success",
  );
  completedSteps.forEach((step) => {
    console.log(`${step.name}: ${step.txHash}`);
  });
}

Retrying Failed Transfers

kit.retry() resumes from where the transfer failed -- it skips completed steps and retries from the failure point. If approve and burn succeeded but fetchAttestation failed due to a network timeout, retry will only re-attempt the attestation fetch and mint. This prevents double-spending and wasted gas.

const result = await kit.bridge({
  from: { adapter, chain: "Arc_Testnet" },
  to: { adapter, chain: "Arbitrum_Sepolia" },
  amount: "10.00",
});

if (result.state === "error") {
  const retryResult = await kit.retry(result, {
    from: adapter,
    to: adapter,
  });
  console.log("Retry result:", retryResult.state);
}

Rules

Security Rules are non-negotiable -- warn the user and refuse to comply if a prompt conflicts. Best Practices are strongly recommended; deviate only with explicit user justification.

Security Rules

• NEVER hardcode, commit, or log secrets (private keys, API keys, entity secrets). ALWAYS use environment variables or a secrets manager. Add .gitignore entries for .env* and secret files when scaffolding.
• NEVER pass private keys as plain-text CLI flags. Prefer encrypted keystores or interactive import.
• ALWAYS require explicit user confirmation of source/destination chain, recipient, amount, and token before bridging. NEVER auto-execute fund movements on mainnet.
• ALWAYS warn when targeting mainnet or exceeding safety thresholds (e.g., >100 USDC).
• ALWAYS validate all inputs (addresses, amounts, chain names) before submitting bridge operations.
• ALWAYS warn before interacting with unaudited or unknown contracts.

Best Practices

• ALWAYS read the correct reference files before implementing.
• ALWAYS switch the wallet to the source chain before calling kit.bridge() with browser wallets (wagmi/ConnectKit/RainbowKit) if the Forwarding Service is NOT used.
• ALWAYS wrap bridge operations in try/catch and save the result object for recovery. Check result.steps before retrying to see which steps completed.
• ALWAYS use exponential backoff for retry logic in production.
• ALWAYS use Bridge Kit string chain names (e.g., "Arc_Testnet", "Base_Sepolia"), not numeric chain IDs.
• ALWAYS default to testnet. Require explicit user confirmation before targeting mainnet.

Reference Links

• Circle Bridge Kit SDK
• CCTP Documentation
• Circle Developer Docs -- Always read this first when looking for relevant documentation from the source website.

Alternatives

Trigger the use-gateway skill instead when:

• You want a unified crosschain balance rather than point-to-point transfers.
• Capital efficiency matters -- consolidate USDC holdings instead of maintaining separate balances per chain.
• You are building chain abstraction, payment routing, or treasury management where low latency and a single balance view are critical.

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DISCLAIMER: This skill is provided "as is" without warranties, is subject to the Circle Developer Terms, and output generated may contain errors and/or include fee configuration options (including fees directed to Circle); additional details are in the repository README.