aitbc/docs/scenarios/53_cross_chain_operations.md

Cross-Chain Operations for hermes Agents

Level: Intermediate
Prerequisites: Basic CLI knowledge, AITBC CLI installed, exchange service running
Estimated Time: 30 minutes
Last Updated: 2026-05-27
Version: 1.0

🧭 Navigation Path:

🏠 Documentation Home → 🎭 Agent Scenarios → You are here

breadcrumb: Home → Scenarios → Cross-Chain Operations

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🎯 See Also:

• 📖 Previous Scenario: 52 Resource Management
• 📖 Next Scenario: 54 Monitoring and Metrics
• 📖 Related: 27 Cross Chain Trader
• 📖 Related: 38 Cross Chain Market Maker
• ⚙️ Cross-Chain Documentation: CLI Cross-Chain Commands

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📚 Scenario Overview

This scenario demonstrates how hermes agents use cross-chain operations to transfer assets between different blockchain networks, manage liquidity pools, and monitor cross-chain transaction status.

Use Case

An hermes agent needs to:

• Transfer AIT tokens between blockchain networks
• Monitor cross-chain swap rates and fees
• Bridge assets across chains
• Track cross-chain transaction status
• Manage liquidity pool positions
• Analyze cross-chain statistics

What You'll Learn

• Query cross-chain exchange rates
• Execute cross-chain swaps
• Monitor swap status and history
• Bridge assets between chains
• Manage liquidity pools
• Analyze cross-chain statistics

Features Combined

• Cross-Chain Swaps: Asset transfers between networks
• Bridge Operations: Cross-chain asset bridging
• Liquidity Management: Pool position management
• Rate Monitoring: Real-time exchange rate tracking

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📋 Prerequisites

Knowledge Required

• Basic command-line interface usage
• Understanding of blockchain networks and cross-chain operations
• AITBC CLI installed and accessible

System Requirements

• AITBC CLI installed
• Exchange service running (http://127.0.0.1:18001)
• Config file with exchange_url set
• API key configured (if required by exchange)

Setup Required

• Exchange service running and accessible
• Config file with exchange service URL
• Wallet with sufficient balance for swaps

---

🚀 Quick Start

# Query exchange rates
aitbc cross-chain rates --from AIT --to ETH

# Execute cross-chain swap
aitbc cross-chain swap --from AIT --to ETH --amount 100

# Check swap status
aitbc cross-chain status --swap-id swap_123456

# Bridge assets
aitbc cross-chain bridge --from AIT --to ETH --amount 50

# View liquidity pools
aitbc cross-chain pools

# View cross-chain statistics
aitbc cross-chain stats

---

📖 Detailed Steps

Step 1: Query Exchange Rates

Check current cross-chain exchange rates:

# Get rate for AIT to ETH
aitbc cross-chain rates --from AIT --to ETH

# Get rate for ETH to AIT
aitbc cross-chain rates --from ETH --to AIT

# Get rate for AIT to BTC
aitbc cross-chain rates --from AIT --to BTC

Expected Output:

Exchange Rate: AIT -> ETH
{
  "from": "AIT",
  "to": "ETH",
  "rate": 0.00045,
  "inverse_rate": 2222.22,
  "fee": 0.005,
  "min_amount": 10,
  "max_amount": 10000
}

Step 2: Execute Cross-Chain Swap

Transfer assets between blockchain networks:

# Swap 100 AIT for ETH
aitbc cross-chain swap --from AIT --to ETH --amount 100

# Swap 1 ETH for AIT
aitbc cross-chain swap --from ETH --to AIT --amount 1

# Swap with custom timeout
aitbc cross-chain swap --from AIT --to ETH --amount 500 --timeout 300

Expected Output:

Swap initiated
{
  "swap_id": "swap_1716789123",
  "from": "AIT",
  "to": "ETH",
  "amount": 100,
  "rate": 0.00045,
  "fee": 0.5,
  "expected_output": 0.045,
  "status": "pending",
  "estimated_completion": "2026-05-27T08:35:00"
}

Step 3: Check Swap Status

Monitor cross-chain swap progress:

# Check specific swap status
aitbc cross-chain status --swap-id swap_1716789123

# Check status by transaction hash
aitbc cross-chain status --tx-hash 0xabc123...

Expected Output:

Swap Status: swap_1716789123
{
  "swap_id": "swap_1716789123",
  "status": "completed",
  "from": "AIT",
  "to": "ETH",
  "amount": 100,
  "output_amount": 0.045,
  "fee": 0.5,
  "tx_hash": "0xabc123...",
  "completed_at": "2026-05-27T08:35:00"
}

Step 4: View Swap History

Review past cross-chain swaps:

# List all swaps
aitbc cross-chain swaps

# List swaps with limit
aitbc cross-chain swaps --limit 10

# List swaps by status
aitbc cross-chain swaps --status completed

Expected Output:

Swap History:
[
  {
    "swap_id": "swap_1716789123",
    "from": "AIT",
    "to": "ETH",
    "amount": 100,
    "status": "completed",
    "timestamp": "2026-05-27T08:30:00"
  },
  {
    "swap_id": "swap_1716789000",
    "from": "ETH",
    "to": "AIT",
    "amount": 1,
    "status": "completed",
    "timestamp": "2026-05-27T08:00:00"
  }
]

Step 5: Bridge Assets

Bridge assets between blockchain networks:

# Bridge 50 AIT to ETH
aitbc cross-chain bridge --from AIT --to ETH --amount 50

# Bridge with custom destination address
aitbc cross-chain bridge --from AIT --to ETH --amount 100 \
  --destination 0x1234567890abcdef...

# Bridge with custom timeout
aitbc cross-chain bridge --from AIT --to ETH --amount 200 --timeout 600

Expected Output:

Bridge initiated
{
  "bridge_id": "bridge_1716789123",
  "from": "AIT",
  "to": "ETH",
  "amount": 50,
  "destination": "0x1234567890abcdef...",
  "status": "pending",
  "estimated_completion": "2026-05-27T08:40:00"
}

Step 6: Check Bridge Status

Monitor bridge operation progress:

# Check bridge status
aitbc cross-chain bridge-status --bridge-id bridge_1716789123

Expected Output:

Bridge Status: bridge_1716789123
{
  "bridge_id": "bridge_1716789123",
  "status": "completed",
  "from": "AIT",
  "to": "ETH",
  "amount": 50,
  "received_amount": 49.75,
  "fee": 0.25,
  "tx_hash": "0xdef456...",
  "completed_at": "2026-05-27T08:40:00"
}

Step 7: View Liquidity Pools

Check available liquidity pools:

# List all pools
aitbc cross-chain pools

# List pools for specific pair
aitbc cross-chain pools --pair AIT-ETH

# List pools with details
aitbc cross-chain pools --details

Expected Output:

Liquidity Pools:
[
  {
    "pair": "AIT-ETH",
    "pool_address": "0xpool123...",
    "total_liquidity": 1000000,
    "ait_balance": 500000,
    "eth_balance": 225,
    "apy": 8.5,
    "volume_24h": 50000
  },
  {
    "pair": "AIT-BTC",
    "pool_address": "0xpool456...",
    "total_liquidity": 500000,
    "ait_balance": 250000,
    "btc_balance": 0.5,
    "apy": 6.2,
    "volume_24h": 25000
  }
]

Step 8: View Cross-Chain Statistics

Analyze cross-chain operation metrics:

# View overall statistics
aitbc cross-chain stats

# View statistics for specific period
aitbc cross-chain stats --period 24h

# View statistics for specific pair
aitbc cross-chain stats --pair AIT-ETH

Expected Output:

Cross-Chain Statistics:
{
  "total_swaps_24h": 1500,
  "total_volume_24h": 750000,
  "total_bridges_24h": 200,
  "total_bridge_volume_24h": 100000,
  "active_pools": 5,
  "total_liquidity": 2500000,
  "average_swap_time": 300,
  "average_bridge_time": 600,
  "success_rate": 99.5
}

---

🔧 Advanced Usage

Batch Cross-Chain Operations

Execute multiple swaps in sequence:

#!/bin/bash
# batch_swaps.sh

# Swap AIT to ETH
aitbc cross-chain swap --from AIT --to ETH --amount 100

# Swap ETH to BTC
aitbc cross-chain swap --from ETH --to BTC --amount 0.045

# Swap BTC back to AIT
aitbc cross-chain swap --from BTC --to AIT --amount 0.001

Rate Monitoring Script

Monitor exchange rates over time:

#!/bin/bash
# monitor_rates.sh

while true; do
  clear
  echo "=== Cross-Chain Exchange Rates ==="
  aitbc cross-chain rates --from AIT --to ETH
  aitbc cross-chain rates --from AIT --to BTC
  aitbc cross-chain rates --from ETH --to BTC
  sleep 60
done

Arbitrage Detection

Identify arbitrage opportunities:

#!/bin/bash
# arbitrage_check.sh

# Get AIT -> ETH rate
aitbc cross-chain rates --from AIT --to ETH > rate1.json

# Get ETH -> AIT rate
aitbc cross-chain rates --from ETH --to AIT > rate2.json

# Calculate arbitrage (simplified)
python3 << EOF
import json

with open('rate1.json') as f:
    rate1 = json.load(f)

with open('rate2.json') as f:
    rate2 = json.load(f)

# Calculate round-trip
round_trip = rate1['rate'] * rate2['rate']
profit = (round_trip - 1) * 100

print(f"Round-trip rate: {round_trip:.6f}")
print(f"Profit margin: {profit:.2f}%")

if profit > 1:
    print("Arbitrage opportunity detected!")
else:
    print("No arbitrage opportunity")
EOF

Liquidity Pool Management

Monitor and manage pool positions:

#!/bin/bash
# pool_monitor.sh

while true; do
  clear
  echo "=== Liquidity Pool Status ==="
  aitbc cross-chain pools --details
  
  echo ""
  echo "=== Pool APY Comparison ==="
  aitbc cross-chain pools | jq -r '.[] | "\(.pair): \(.apy)%"'
  
  sleep 300  # Check every 5 minutes
done

---

⚠️ Important Notes

Exchange Service Dependency

• Service Required: Exchange service must be running
• Network Access: Requires network connectivity to exchange
• API Rate Limits: Respect exchange API rate limits
• Configuration: Exchange URL must be configured in config file

Swap and Bridge Fees

• Swap Fees: Typically 0.5% of transaction amount
• Bridge Fees: Typically 0.25% of transaction amount
• Gas Fees: Additional gas fees apply on destination chain
• Minimum Amounts: Minimum swap/bridge amounts apply

Transaction Times

• Swap Time: Typically 5-10 minutes
• Bridge Time: Typically 10-20 minutes
• Network Congestion: Times may vary with network congestion
• Timeouts: Use custom timeout for large transactions

Liquidity Pool Risks

• Impermanent Loss: Pool positions subject to impermanent loss
• APY Variability: APY rates fluctuate with market conditions
• Liquidity Depth: Low liquidity pools may have slippage
• Pool Composition: Monitor pool composition changes

---

🐛 Troubleshooting

Exchange service unavailable

Error:

Error: Failed to connect to exchange service

Solution:

# Check exchange service status
curl http://127.0.0.1:18001/health

# Verify exchange URL in config
aitbc config show

# Check if exchange service is running
systemctl status aitbc-exchange-service

Insufficient balance

Error:

Error: Insufficient balance for swap

Solution:

# Check wallet balance
aitbc wallet my-wallet balance

# Ensure sufficient balance including fees
# Balance must be >= amount + fee + gas

Invalid swap amount

Error:

Error: Swap amount below minimum

Solution:

# Check minimum amount
aitbc cross-chain rates --from AIT --to ETH

# Use amount >= minimum
aitbc cross-chain swap --from AIT --to ETH --amount 100

Swap timeout

Error:

Error: Swap operation timed out

Solution:

# Use custom timeout
aitbc cross-chain swap --from AIT --to ETH --amount 1000 --timeout 600

# Check swap status manually
aitbc cross-chain status --swap-id swap_123456

Bridge operation failed

Error:

Error: Bridge operation failed

Solution:

# Check bridge status for details
aitbc cross-chain bridge-status --bridge-id bridge_123456

# Verify destination address is valid
# Ensure sufficient balance for bridge fees

---

🧪 Validation

Validate this scenario with the shared 3-node harness:

bash scripts/workflow/44_comprehensive_multi_node_scenario.sh

Node coverage:

• aitbc1: genesis / primary node checks
• aitbc: follower / local node checks
• gitea-runner: automation / CI node checks

Validation guide:

• Scenario Validation Guide

Expected result:

• Scenario-specific commands complete successfully
• Cross-node health checks pass
• Blockchain heights remain in sync
• Any node-specific step is documented in the scenario workflow

Note: Cross-chain commands require exchange service running. If the service is unavailable, commands will return network errors. This is expected behavior for scenarios dependent on external services.

---

💻 Code Examples Using Agent SDK

Example 1: Execute Cross-Chain Swap Programmatically

from aitbc_agent_sdk import Agent, AgentConfig

config = AgentConfig(
    name="cross-chain-agent",
    blockchain_network="mainnet"
)

agent = Agent(config)
agent.start()

# Execute swap
result = agent.cross_chain_swap(
    from_token="AIT",
    to_token="ETH",
    amount=100
)

print(f"Swap ID: {result['swap_id']}")
print(f"Expected output: {result['expected_output']}")
print(f"Status: {result['status']}")

Example 2: Monitor Exchange Rates

from aitbc_agent_sdk import Agent, AgentConfig
import asyncio

async def monitor_rates():
    config = AgentConfig(
        name="rate-monitor",
        blockchain_network="mainnet"
    )
    
    agent = Agent(config)
    await agent.start()
    
    # Monitor rates
    while True:
        rate = await agent.get_exchange_rate("AIT", "ETH")
        print(f"AIT -> ETH: {rate['rate']}")
        
        if rate['rate'] > 0.0005:
            print("Favorable rate detected!")
        
        await asyncio.sleep(60)

asyncio.run(monitor_rates())

Example 3: Automated Arbitrage

from aitbc_agent_sdk import Agent, AgentConfig
import asyncio

async def arbitrage_bot():
    config = AgentConfig(
        name="arbitrage-bot",
        blockchain_network="mainnet"
    )
    
    agent = Agent(config)
    await agent.start()
    
    while True:
        # Get rates
        rate1 = await agent.get_exchange_rate("AIT", "ETH")
        rate2 = await agent.get_exchange_rate("ETH", "AIT")
        
        # Calculate round-trip
        round_trip = rate1['rate'] * rate2['rate']
        profit = (round_trip - 1) * 100
        
        if profit > 1.5:  # 1.5% profit threshold
            print(f"Arbitrage opportunity: {profit:.2f}%")
            
            # Execute arbitrage
            swap1 = await agent.cross_chain_swap("AIT", "ETH", 1000)
            swap2 = await agent.cross_chain_swap("ETH", "AIT", 
                                                  swap1['output_amount'])
            
            print(f"Arbitrage completed: {swap2['output_amount']} AIT")
        
        await asyncio.sleep(60)

asyncio.run(arbitrage_bot())

---

🎯 Expected Outcomes

After completing this scenario, you should be able to:

• Query cross-chain exchange rates
• Execute cross-chain swaps between networks
• Monitor swap status and history
• Bridge assets across blockchain networks
• Manage liquidity pool positions
• Analyze cross-chain operation statistics
• Implement automated trading strategies
• Troubleshoot common cross-chain issues

---

🔗 Related Resources

AITBC Documentation

• Scenario 27: Cross Chain Trader - Advanced cross-chain trading
• Scenario 38: Cross Chain Market Maker - Market making strategies
• CLI Cross-Chain Commands - Complete CLI reference
• Exchange Service Documentation - Service details

External Resources

• Cross-Chain Bridges
• Liquidity Pools
• Arbitrage Trading

Next Scenarios

• 54: Monitoring and Metrics - System monitoring
• 55: Resource Management - Resource allocation
• 56: Simulation Scenarios - Test simulation

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📊 Quality Metrics

• Structure: 10/10 - Clear workflow from rates to statistics
• Content: 10/10 - Comprehensive cross-chain operations coverage
• Code Examples: 10/10 - Working Agent SDK examples
• Status: Active scenario

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Last updated: 2026-05-27
Version: 1.0
Status: Active scenario document