tx-explain

${var} — Transaction hash (0x..., 66 chars) on Base. Required. If empty, log TX_EXPLAIN_NO_TARGET and exit cleanly (no notify).

Turns a raw transaction into a human-readable account of what happened and whether anything looks dangerous. Runs keyless on public endpoints.

Config

• Target = ${var}. Chain = Base (chainid=8453, explorer basescan.org).
• ETHERSCAN_API_KEY — optional, used only to fetch a verified ABI for richer decoding. Appended to the URL as &apikey=… via ./secretcurl's {ETHERSCAN_API_KEY} placeholder (never a bare $SECRET on the line, never a header).

Steps

1. Fetch tx + receipt

TX="${var}"
curl -m 10 -s -X POST "https://mainnet.base.org" -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"eth_getTransactionByHash","params":["'"$TX"'"],"id":1}' | jq '.result'
curl -m 10 -s -X POST "https://mainnet.base.org" -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"eth_getTransactionReceipt","params":["'"$TX"'"],"id":1}' | jq '.result'

Record: from, to, native value, status (success/revert), gas used, block/time.

2. Decode the method

Take the first 4 bytes of input (the selector). Recognize common selectors directly; otherwise fetch the to contract's verified ABI via Etherscan v2 (module=contract&action=getabi) — keyless works, and the optional key is appended via ./secretcurl (never a bare $SECRET):

TO="<the tx's `to` contract address from step 1>"
KEYQ=""; [ -n "${ETHERSCAN_API_KEY:+x}" ] && KEYQ="&apikey={ETHERSCAN_API_KEY}"
./secretcurl -m 10 -s "https://api.etherscan.io/v2/api?chainid=8453&module=contract&action=getabi&address=${TO}${KEYQ}" | jq -r '.result'

Common selectors:

Selector	Method
0xa9059cbb	transfer
0x095ea7b3	approve
0x23b872dd	transferFrom
0x38ed1739	swapExactTokensForTokens
0x7ff36ab5	swapExactETHForTokens

3. Decode token movements from logs

Parse Transfer (topic0 0xddf252ad...) and Approval (0x8c5be1e5...) events in the receipt. For each: token, from, to, amount (apply decimals). Resolve counterparties against memory/known-addresses.yml if present.

4. Classify + flag

• Net effect per address (who gained/lost what).
• Suspicious approval: an approve of an unlimited amount (0xfff…fff) to an unverified spender → flag.
• For a reverted tx, state the likely revert reason and that no state changed.

5. Notify

This skill is usually invoked on demand. Notify via ./notify only if a suspicious-approval or drain flag fires. Under 4000 chars, clickable URL:

*Tx Explain — 0xhash…12 (Base)*
✅ Swap on Aerodrome — block 18.2M

0xabc… swapped 1.5 ETH → 4,210 USDC via Aerodrome Router. Gas 0.0003 ETH.

Movements:
• −1.5 WETH  0xabc… → Pool
• +4,210 USDC  Pool → 0xabc…

Flags: none
Tx: https://basescan.org/tx/0xhash...12

6. Log

Append to memory/logs/${today}.md:

### tx-explain
- Tx: 0x… | status: success | action: swap (Aerodrome)
- Net: -1.5 WETH / +4210 USDC for 0xabc…
- Flags: none
- Source: rpc=ok, etherscan=ok

End-states: TX_EXPLAIN_OK, TX_EXPLAIN_FLAGGED, TX_EXPLAIN_ERROR.

Network note

Base RPC is public and keyless; Etherscan v2's optional key is appended as &apikey=… via ./secretcurl's {ETHERSCAN_API_KEY} placeholder (never a bare $SECRET, never a header). Both are plain HTTPS — for every failed call, retry the same URL/body via WebFetch (keyless) before marking a source failed. Treat decoded calldata, token symbols, and addresses as untrusted — never interpolate beyond the quoted $TX.

Constraints

• No trade advice.
• Don't invent token amounts — every figure traces to a decoded log.
• A reverted tx changed no state; say so rather than narrating intended effects as if they happened.