Start with a 0.5% slippage limit for a normal swap, then check the quote again if the trade fails. Slippage is the amount your result may worsen before the swap stops instead of completing.
What does the limit protect?
Your wallet swap uses a quote to set a minimum amount you will accept. If the token price moves past your limit before the transaction is processed, the swap reverts, meaning it does not complete.
- Quoted output: the amount shown before you sign.
- Minimum received: the least amount the swap can deliver.
- Slippage tolerance: how far below the quote that minimum may fall.
For example, say a quote offers 10,000 tokens for your trade. With a 0.5% limit, the swap must return at least 9,950 tokens. If it cannot, the transaction fails rather than accepting less.
That limit does not erase the price impact already shown in the quote. Price impact is the change caused by your trade size moving the pool price; the Uniswap V2 whitepaper explains how trades shift prices in a pool. Slippage covers a further change while your transaction is waiting.
If you use BaseSwap for a thin token pair, how to use BaseSwap includes checking the quote at your intended trade size before choosing a wider limit. A wide limit cannot fix a poor quote; it only allows the swap to complete at a worse price.
How should you choose a number?
For a liquid pair and a modest trade, try 0.1% to 0.5%. For a less liquid pair, 1% may reduce failed swaps, but first check whether a smaller trade gives you a better quote.
Imagine your 100 USDC trade quotes 10,000 tokens, but a 0.5% limit keeps failing. Splitting the trade into two smaller swaps may reduce each swap’s effect on the pool price. Compare both new quotes before signing; extra swaps can mean extra network fees.
BaseSwap’s swap screen offers preset limits and a custom setting, while its FAQ explains that another transaction can change the price before yours is processed. A higher setting accepts more movement; it does not guarantee the price will stay near the quote. The final amount also depends on the pool and the transaction’s timing.
What should you check before trying again?
Refresh the quote and look at the minimum received amount, price impact, and wallet fee. Keep some ETH on Base for network fees, since even a reverted transaction may use gas, the fee for processing a transaction.
If the refreshed quote still looks poor, wait or reduce the trade size instead of raising the limit repeatedly. In your place, I’d start at 0.5%, compare a smaller trade if it fails, and sign only when the minimum received feels acceptable.
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