In this guide
What this covers
The first onchain action is the hardest, because it requires a gas token the user does not have and cannot easily get. Gas sponsorship removes that step. This guide covers how it works and what it costs.
1. Just make the request
Send 25 USDC to alice.base.eth — I have no ETH for gas yet.Maren detects the missing gas balance and routes the transfer as a sponsored account-abstraction operation.
2. Understand who pays
Sponsorship is not free — it is deferred and disclosed. The confirmation states the settlement currency and amount, taken from the asset you are already moving. No hidden spread, no surprise later.
| Field | Shown before signing |
|---|---|
| Fee status | Sponsored |
| Settlement currency | USDC |
| Settlement amount | Exact figure |
| Remaining allowance | Ops left under your policy cap |
3. Know the cap
Every account carries a sponsorship cap. Maren shows the remaining allowance so the mechanism does not quietly stop working mid-onboarding. Past the cap, hold a small gas balance or top up.
Sponsored transactions are ordinary ERC-4337 operations. They settle onchain and audit exactly like anything else — there is no off-ledger shortcut here.
4. Graduate off it
Sponsorship is an onboarding aid, not a permanent operating mode. Once there is a working balance, fund gas normally — it is cheaper.
Tips
- Bridging in? Ask for a destination gas top-up instead, and you will not need sponsorship at all.
- Building onboarding on the API? The sponsorship policy is configurable per account.
- Sponsorship covers the fee, never the transfer. You still need the asset you are sending.
Troubleshooting
Sponsorship declined. Cap reached, or the operation is outside policy. The response states which.
Settlement amount higher than expected. Network fees moved between quote and execution. The disclosed figure is the ceiling you approved.
The controls behind this workflow
- Sponsorship is bounded per account by a policy cap you can see.
- Settlement currency and amount are disclosed before signing.
- Sponsored operations are ordinary account-abstraction transactions — fully auditable onchain.
Guides describe how to operate Maren. They are not financial advice, and figures shown are illustrative. You approve every transaction before it is signed.