What Is CypherGoat Shield?

Instant swaps are trust-minimized, but they are not risk-free.

CypherGoat routes swaps through independent third-party exchanges. While CypherGoat never takes custody of user funds, successful execution still depends on external infrastructure and in extremely rare cases, that infrastructure fails or behaves unfairly.

CypherGoat Shield exists to address that reality directly.

What CypherGoat Shield Is

CypherGoat Shield is an execution-risk protection program.

It is not insurance, not custody, and not a price or rate guarantee.

Shield allows CypherGoat to compensate users when a swap fails due to exchange-side issues that are outside the user’s control, including:

• Exchange infrastructure or backend failures
• Execution errors after funds are received
• Exchanges holding funds due to KYC or verification issues without a valid justification

If Shield applies, the user does not need to negotiate with the exchange.
CypherGoat intervenes directly.

Which Swaps Are Covered

Only exchanges that participate in the Shield program are covered.

Every exchange listed with a Shield icon has provided CypherGoat with a financial guarantee. This guarantee:

• Is paid by the exchange
• Is held by CypherGoat
• Exists solely to cover eligible Shield claims

If an exchange has not provided a guarantee, swaps routed through that exchange are not eligible for Shield coverage.

Shield eligibility — and the maximum covered amount — is always shown next to the Shield icon before the user starts a swap.
The displayed amount is locked in at transaction creation.

What Shield Actually Covers

Shield may apply when all of the following conditions are met:

• The user followed all on-screen instructions
• Funds were sent to the correct address
• The correct network, asset, and memo (if required) were used
• The exchange received the funds
• The exchange failed to complete the transaction or withheld funds without a valid reason

If an exchange cannot justify withholding funds due to:

• High AML risk
• A legal or law-enforcement order

CypherGoat may reimburse the user up to the covered limit shown at trade start.

What Shield Does Not Cover

Shield does not apply to:

• High AML-risk transactions
• Funds originating from mixers, tumblers, or sanctioned addresses
• Funds frozen due to police requests, court orders, or legal obligations
• Incorrect destination addresses
• Wrong networks or chains
• Missing, incorrect, or malformed memos
• Market volatility or slippage
• Blockchain congestion outside execution guarantees
• Funds stolen from a user’s wallet
• Claims reported more than four (4) weeks after transaction creation

Shield is about unfair or failed execution, not trading risk or user error.

How Shield Claims Work

If a problem occurs:

1. Contact CypherGoat support within four (4) weeks of creating the transaction and provide your transaction ID.
2. CypherGoat will mediate with the exchange first to attempt resolution or completion.
3. If the exchange fails to resolve the issue and cannot provide a valid justification, CypherGoat will reimburse the user up to the covered amount.

The process may take several days or longer depending on complexity.

How Shield Is Funded

Shield is not funded by users.

It is funded through exchange guarantees paid to CypherGoat

User funds are:

• Never pooled
• Never rehypothecated
• Never touched

When Shield is triggered, CypherGoat absorbs the cost using exchange guarantees.

Why Shield Exists

Most aggregators forward users to exchanges and disengage when something breaks.

CypherGoat takes a different approach:

• Risks are acknowledged
• Trade-offs are explicit
• Failures cost CypherGoat, not users

Shield does not pretend instant swaps are riskless.
It exists to align incentives, reduce downside, and enforce accountability across the execution stack.

For full terms and conditions, see:
https://cyphergoat.com/cyphergoat-shield