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Asset swaps let you exchange one asset for another through the KaleidoSwap platform. The Desktop App uses atomic swaps — both sides of the trade execute simultaneously, so neither party can cheat.

Prerequisites

Before you can swap, make sure you have:
  1. A funded wallet — You need a balance of the asset you want to swap. See Deposits.
  2. An open channel — The channel must have sufficient capacity for the swap amount, and it must include the RGB asset you want to trade. See Opening Channels or Buy a Channel. Without a channel for the asset, the button reads Buy USDT in Channel (or the asset you chose) and takes you to buy one.
If the account has no maker URL, Market Maker, DCA and Limit Orders ask for one.

Performing an Asset Swap

1

Navigate to Trading

In the sidebar, open Trading → Market Maker.
2

Select assets

Choose the asset you have (e.g. BTC) and the asset you want to receive (e.g. USDT).
3

Enter amount

Specify the amount of the asset you wish to swap. The app will show you the estimated amount you’ll receive based on the current exchange rate.
4

Review and confirm

Check the exchange rate and any fees. Click Swap Now, review the Confirm Swap dialog, and click Confirm Swap.
5

Wait for confirmation

The swap executes atomically over the Lightning Network. The swap details show its status until it is Succeeded.

Trading Modes

The Trading section groups several ways to trade, each on its own tab:
  • Market Maker — Trade against a connected market maker’s live quotes. Swaps execute atomically at the maker’s current rate. This is the default and the flow described above.
  • Manual Swaps — Swap directly with another node: as Maker you create a swap string and execute it; as Taker you whitelist the counterparty’s swap string.
  • DCA — Automate BTC accumulation with fixed-interval buys or downside price triggers. See DCA Orders.
  • Limit Orders — Set a target price for a trading pair; when the market reaches your price, the swap executes automatically. See Limit Orders.
  • Nostr P2P (coming soon) — Peer-to-peer trading over Nostr, trading directly with other users without relying on a centralized maker.

Supported Trading Pairs

The available pairs are driven by your connected maker, so the exact list varies. At the time of writing, the default KaleidoSwap maker offers pairs such as: The Available Trading Pairs panel in the app always reflects the pairs your connected maker currently supports.

Swap History

View your past swaps in History → Swaps in the sidebar for record-keeping and reconciliation.

Troubleshooting

Ensure you have enough balance in the correct channel. On-chain balance alone is not sufficient — the asset must be allocated to a Lightning channel with the trading peer.
Check that your node is connected to a peer that supports the asset pair. You may need to open a channel with an LSP that provides market-making services.
Atomic swaps on Lightning should settle in seconds. If a swap appears stuck, check your node’s connection status in Settings. Restarting the app may help if the connection was interrupted.

Download the Desktop App

Get the latest KaleidoSwap Desktop App release for macOS, Windows, or Linux.