Emergency exits

When a major trigger hits, Shift executes an emergency exit — a pre-planned response designed to pull funds out of harm’s way immediately. It’s like a fire drill: everything is prepared in advance so that action is fast, automatic, and effective when the worst happens.

What happens when a major trigger fires

A major trigger signals that something has gone seriously wrong. As soon as it activates, the strategy linked to that trigger is flagged for immediate exit. The system shifts into emergency mode, where capital preservation becomes the only priority.

Immediate removal of risk

The goal is simple: eliminate exposure instantly.

That might mean pulling liquidity from a protocol, swapping out of a crashing token, or moving funds to a secure wallet — whatever removes the specific risk fastest. Exit transactions are executed automatically and without delay, usually within a few blocks of detection.

By acting early, Shift can exit before liquidity vanishes or losses deepen. In volatile situations, seconds matter, and this rapid response is often the difference between a small hit and a major loss.

Pre-defined exit routes

Every strategy includes a detailed emergency exit plan before it’s ever deployed. These plans outline the exact steps needed to unwind the position under stress.

For example:

• In a DEX pool: remove liquidity, swap volatile tokens to stablecoins, and send to a secure wallet.

• In a lending protocol: repay any borrow, withdraw collateral, convert if necessary.

The routes are optimized to reduce slippage, avoid failed transactions, and ensure execution even in chaotic conditions. If a new DEX or bridge becomes better suited, the route is updated. Nothing is improvised – when the moment comes, the system knows exactly what to do and how.

Private mempool execution

In emergencies, transparency can work against you.

If Shift broadcasts a large withdrawal or token sale through the public mempool, bots might front-run it, sandwich it, or cause unfavorable price moves.

To prevent that, Shift uses private mempool infrastructure (like Flashbots or similar relayers) to send transactions directly to validators, bypassing the public queue. This keeps exits hidden until confirmed on-chain, shielding them from malicious actors and MEV attacks.

It also ensures priority processing. Transactions are bundled with competitive fees to maximize the chance of being included in the next block.

This “quiet exit” approach helps Shift preserve value and stay ahead of the crowd during market stress.

Real-time execution

The entire system is built to minimize delay. When a major trigger fires, execution is automatic, so no approvals, no delays. The only wait is blockchain time (a few seconds or a minute or two, depending on the chain).

In practice, Shift has exited high-risk positions in under a minute from the first signal – often beating the market and avoiding the fallout that follows.

Emergency exits are the last line of defense, and they work because Shift has already planned every step, optimized every route, and designed every response for speed.

They’re the reason a single failure doesn’t take the portfolio down with it.