Transfer Tokens and Data

Transfer tokens along with arbitrary data (programmable token transfers) using a four-step workflow: verify token support, estimate fees, send the transfer, and track execution.

Workflow

Step	Command	Purpose
1. Verify	getSupportedTokens	Check token support on the lane
2. Estimate	send --only-get-fee	Get fee quote
3. Send	send --transfer-tokens --data	Execute transfer
4. Track	show	Monitor execution

Use Cases

Programmable token transfers enable:

• DeFi operations: Deposit tokens to a protocol with instructions
• NFT purchases: Send payment with metadata
• Cross-chain swaps: Transfer tokens with swap parameters
• Governance: Send tokens with voting instructions

Prerequisites

Configure RPC endpoints and wallet:

Bash

.env

RPC_SEPOLIA=https://ethereum-sepolia-rpc.publicnode.com
RPC_ARB_SEPOLIA=https://arbitrum-sepolia-rpc.publicnode.com
USER_KEY=0xYourPrivateKeyHere

Required balances on source chain:

• Tokens to transfer
• Gas for source transaction
• CCIP fee (native token or LINK)

Step 1: Verify Token Support

Check that your token is supported on the lane:

Bash

ccip-cli getSupportedTokens \
  -n ethereum-testnet-sepolia \
  -a 0x0BF3dE8c5D3e8A2B34D2BEeB17ABfCeBaf363A59 \
  -t 0xFd57b4ddBf88a4e07fF4e34C487b99af2Fe82a05

Verify:

Field	Requirement
Destination	Target chain is listed
Rate Limit	Transfer amount is within limit
Available	Capacity exists for transfer

Step 2: Estimate Fee

Get the fee quote including both tokens and data:

Bash

ccip-cli send \
  -s ethereum-testnet-sepolia \
  -r 0x0BF3dE8c5D3e8A2B34D2BEeB17ABfCeBaf363A59 \
  -d ethereum-testnet-sepolia-arbitrum-1 \
  --receiver 0xYourReceiverContract \
  --transfer-tokens 0xFd57b4ddBf88a4e07fF4e34C487b99af2Fe82a05=1.0 \
  --data "deposit:pool-123" \
  --only-get-fee

Output:

Fee: 0.001345678901234567 ETH (native)

Fee Calculation

The fee includes costs for both token transfer and data delivery. Larger data payloads increase the fee.

Step 3: Send Transfer with Data

Basic transfer with data

Bash

ccip-cli send \
  -s ethereum-testnet-sepolia \
  -r 0x0BF3dE8c5D3e8A2B34D2BEeB17ABfCeBaf363A59 \
  -d ethereum-testnet-sepolia-arbitrum-1 \
  --receiver 0xYourReceiverContract \
  --transfer-tokens 0xFd57b4ddBf88a4e07fF4e34C487b99af2Fe82a05=1.0 \
  --data "deposit:pool-123" \
  --wallet ledger

Multiple tokens with data

Bash

ccip-cli send \
  -s ethereum-testnet-sepolia \
  -r 0x0BF3dE8c5D3e8A2B34D2BEeB17ABfCeBaf363A59 \
  -d ethereum-testnet-sepolia-arbitrum-1 \
  --receiver 0xYourReceiverContract \
  --transfer-tokens 0xToken1=1.0 \
  --transfer-tokens 0xToken2=100.5 \
  --data "swap:token1-to-token2" \
  --wallet ledger

With hex-encoded data

For ABI-encoded function calls or structured data:

Bash

ccip-cli send \
  -s ethereum-testnet-sepolia \
  -r 0x0BF3dE8c5D3e8A2B34D2BEeB17ABfCeBaf363A59 \
  -d ethereum-testnet-sepolia-arbitrum-1 \
  --receiver 0xYourReceiverContract \
  --transfer-tokens 0xFd57b4ddBf88a4e07fF4e34C487b99af2Fe82a05=1.0 \
  --data 0x095ea7b3000000000000000000000000abcdef... \
  --wallet ledger

Pay fee in LINK

Bash

ccip-cli send \
  -s ethereum-testnet-sepolia \
  -r 0x0BF3dE8c5D3e8A2B34D2BEeB17ABfCeBaf363A59 \
  -d ethereum-testnet-sepolia-arbitrum-1 \
  --receiver 0xYourReceiverContract \
  --transfer-tokens 0xFd57b4ddBf88a4e07fF4e34C487b99af2Fe82a05=1.0 \
  --data "deposit:pool-123" \
  --fee-token LINK \
  --wallet ledger

With custom gas limit

Programmable transfers often need higher gas limits for complex receiver logic:

Bash

ccip-cli send \
  -s ethereum-testnet-sepolia \
  -r 0x0BF3dE8c5D3e8A2B34D2BEeB17ABfCeBaf363A59 \
  -d ethereum-testnet-sepolia-arbitrum-1 \
  --receiver 0xYourReceiverContract \
  --transfer-tokens 0xFd57b4ddBf88a4e07fF4e34C487b99af2Fe82a05=1.0 \
  --data "deposit:pool-123" \
  --gas-limit 500000 \
  --wallet ledger

With estimated gas limit

Let the CLI estimate the required gas:

Bash

ccip-cli send \
  -s ethereum-testnet-sepolia \
  -r 0x0BF3dE8c5D3e8A2B34D2BEeB17ABfCeBaf363A59 \
  -d ethereum-testnet-sepolia-arbitrum-1 \
  --receiver 0xYourReceiverContract \
  --transfer-tokens 0xFd57b4ddBf88a4e07fF4e34C487b99af2Fe82a05=1.0 \
  --data "deposit:pool-123" \
  --estimate-gas-limit 15 \
  --wallet ledger

Step 4: Track Transfer

Check message status:

Bash

ccip-cli show 0xYourTransactionHash

Wait for execution to complete:

Bash

ccip-cli show 0xYourTransactionHash --wait

Or include --wait in the send command:

Bash

ccip-cli send \
  -s ethereum-testnet-sepolia \
  -r 0x0BF3dE8c5D3e8A2B34D2BEeB17ABfCeBaf363A59 \
  -d ethereum-testnet-sepolia-arbitrum-1 \
  --receiver 0xYourReceiverContract \
  --transfer-tokens 0xFd57b4ddBf88a4e07fF4e34C487b99af2Fe82a05=1.0 \
  --data "deposit:pool-123" \
  --wallet ledger \
  --wait

Example

Bash

# Verify token support
ccip-cli getSupportedTokens \
  -n ethereum-testnet-sepolia \
  -a 0x0BF3dE8c5D3e8A2B34D2BEeB17ABfCeBaf363A59 \
  -t 0xFd57b4ddBf88a4e07fF4e34C487b99af2Fe82a05

# Estimate fee
ccip-cli send \
  -s ethereum-testnet-sepolia \
  -r 0x0BF3dE8c5D3e8A2B34D2BEeB17ABfCeBaf363A59 \
  -d ethereum-testnet-sepolia-arbitrum-1 \
  --receiver 0xAB4f961939BFE6A93567cC57C59eEd7084CE2131 \
  --transfer-tokens 0xFd57b4ddBf88a4e07fF4e34C487b99af2Fe82a05=1.0 \
  --data "deposit:pool-123" \
  --fee-token LINK \
  --only-get-fee

# Send transfer with data
ccip-cli send \
  -s ethereum-testnet-sepolia \
  -r 0x0BF3dE8c5D3e8A2B34D2BEeB17ABfCeBaf363A59 \
  -d ethereum-testnet-sepolia-arbitrum-1 \
  --receiver 0xAB4f961939BFE6A93567cC57C59eEd7084CE2131 \
  --transfer-tokens 0xFd57b4ddBf88a4e07fF4e34C487b99af2Fe82a05=1.0 \
  --data "deposit:pool-123" \
  --fee-token LINK \
  --gas-limit 400000 \
  --wallet ledger

# Track execution
ccip-cli show 0xabc123... --wait

Chain-Specific Behavior

EVM to EVM

The receiver contract must implement the IAny2EVMMessageReceiver interface to handle both tokens and data:

Solidity

function ccipReceive(Client.Any2EVMMessage calldata message) external {
    // message.data contains your arbitrary data
    // message.destTokenAmounts contains transferred tokens
}

Token approvals:

The CLI handles approvals automatically. Use --approve-max for unlimited allowance:

Bash

--approve-max

EVM to Solana

Receiver is a Solana program address. Token receiver may differ from program receiver.

Bash

ccip-cli send \
  -s ethereum-testnet-sepolia \
  -r 0x0BF3dE8c5D3e8A2B34D2BEeB17ABfCeBaf363A59 \
  -d solana-devnet \
  --receiver <SOLANA_PROGRAM_ADDRESS> \
  --token-receiver <SOLANA_TOKEN_ACCOUNT> \
  --transfer-tokens 0xToken=1.0 \
  --data "instruction-data" \
  --account <ACCOUNT_1> \
  --wallet ledger

Solana to EVM

Source addresses use Solana format. Token amounts use SPL token decimals.

Bash

ccip-cli send \
  -s solana-devnet \
  -r <SOLANA_ROUTER> \
  -d ethereum-testnet-sepolia \
  --receiver 0xEvmContract \
  --transfer-tokens <SPL_TOKEN_MINT>=1.0 \
  --data "instruction-data" \
  --wallet ledger

Failures

For failed transfers, see Debugging Failed Messages.

Issue	Cause	Solution
Transfer stuck	Rate limiter depleted	Wait for refill or reduce amount
Execution failed	Insufficient gas	Retry with manualExec --gas-limit
Receiver reverts	Contract logic error	Fix receiver contract
Token not supported	Token not registered	Use a supported token
Insufficient allowance	Approval failed	Run send again or approve manually

Gas Limit Considerations

Programmable token transfers typically require more gas than simple transfers:

Receiver Logic	Recommended Gas Limit
Simple storage	200,000 - 300,000
DeFi interaction	400,000 - 600,000
Complex operations	600,000 - 1,000,000

Use --estimate-gas-limit to automatically calculate the required gas with a buffer.

Related

• Token Transfer - Transfer tokens only
• Transfer Data - Transfer data only
• getSupportedTokens - Command reference
• send - Command reference
• show - Command reference
• Configuration - RPC and wallet setup