tbh nothing worse than watching a quote refresh 15 times while your tx just sits there rotting.
Seeing way too many 'Swap Failed' and 'Blockhash not found' posts lately. most people just spam retry until their SOL buffer is gone. if youve been on Solana for a while you know the chain isnt broken, its just an auction for blockspace and you are losing that auction.
Here is the no BS checklist i use to get swaps through when the chain is screaming.
- The Rent Trap (0.02 SOL rule)
If you are swapping into a new coin and your SOL balance is basically zero you are dead on arrival. You dont just pay for the transaction; you pay to create the token account.
The Fix: Always keep at least 0.05 SOL as a buffer. dont max out your swaps. - Stop staring at the screen
Solana blockhashes expire fast. Like 60 seconds fast. If you get a quote on Jupiter then get distracted by a discord notif and hit approve… it fails.
The Fix: Refresh the quote and sign IMMEDIATELY. if you wait longer than 10 seconds you are building your house on shifting sand. - Priority Fees
'Auto' in most wallets is a gamble. during peak congestion the default fee isnt enough to bribe the leader to include your tx.
The Fix: If its high stakes switch to Turbo or manual. Remember Fee = Compute Unit Limit x Price. dont just increase the price. make sure your CU limit is actually high enough for complex routes. - The RPC Bottleneck
If your wallet keeps saying 'Blockhash not found' your RPC node is likely lagging. You are seeing a version of the chain that doesnt even exist anymore.
The Fix: If you trade heavy stop using the public RPC. switch to a private endpoint or try a different dApp frontend. - The Emergency Exit
Lets be real. Sometimes RPCs are totally nuked and no amount of fees will save you. If im in a heavy position and need to hedge NOW but the chain is stuck i dont just sit there and pray.
I keep a backup tab open on BYDFi as a Plan B. Since its a CEX the matching engine doesn't care about onchain congestion. Its no KYC and has deep liquidity so you can hedge or exit SOL memecoins on MoonX while everyone else is failing txs.
Bottom line
Check your buffer. Sign the second the quote hits. Dont be loyal to a clogged DEX when you can use a CEX rail to protect your money.
Stay safe out there. Whats the weirdest error message you guys seen this week? drop the tx sig and lets debug.
