🔍 Surf FAQs

General Understanding

1.1 What is Surf?

Surf is a non-custodial savings and yield automation system for stablecoins. You deposit into a vault contract that you own. Surf then allocates and manages that deposit across approved on-chain venues under strict rules, so you do not have to monitor rates, move positions, or manage rebalances manually. You can withdraw anytime.

1.2 Is Surf a wallet or a protocol?

Surf is neither. It does not hold keys like a wallet, and it does not pool deposits into a shared contract like many protocols. Surf operates through your user-owned vault. The vault is where your funds live and where execution happens.

1.3 What problem does Surf solve?

Most DeFi yield is fragmented and operationally heavy. You have to choose venues, track rates, manage risk, and react when conditions change. Surf reduces that workload by automating allocation and monitoring, and by executing only inside pre-defined constraints. The goal is simple: turn DeFi yield into a deposit-and-withdraw experience without giving up control.

1.4 Is Surf DeFi or CeFi?

Surf is DeFi. Funds stay on-chain in user-owned vaults. Execution is constrained by deterministic rules and scoped authorisation. There is no off-chain custody layer where Surf “holds” user funds.

1.5 Who is Surf for?

Surf is for users who want stablecoin yield with less day-to-day effort and fewer operational mistakes. It is especially useful if you want a simple savings-style experience, you want withdrawals any time, and you want automation that is constrained by clear rules instead of discretionary behaviour.

Custody, Safety, and Control

2.1 Does Surf ever take custody of my funds?

No. Your funds stay in your vault contract. Surf cannot move funds out of your vault to an external wallet. Only the vault owner can withdraw externally.

2.2 Can Surf move my funds arbitrarily?

No. Surf can only execute actions that are permitted by the vault configuration and the Guardian controls. That means execution targets, assets, limits, and routes are constrained. If an action falls outside policy, it does not execute.

2.3 What is the Guardian Layer?

Guardian is Surf’s rules engine. It sits between automation decisions and execution and enforces hard constraints on every action. Examples include approved venue allowlists, exposure and sizing limits, slippage and liquidity bounds, and circuit breakers that halt execution when conditions are abnormal. The agent can propose actions, but Guardian decides what is allowed.

2.4 Can Surf override the Guardian rules?

No. Guardian checks are enforced at execution. If a proposed action fails any rule, the action is rejected and nothing proceeds.

2.5 What happens if something goes wrong?

Surf is designed to fail closed. If conditions breach policy or if the system detects abnormal behaviour, execution halts and risk is contained. The priority is preserving user withdrawal rights and preventing repeated or cascading actions during uncertainty.

AI and Automation

3.1 Is Surf fully autonomous?

Surf can run autonomously inside strict constraints. It can monitor conditions, propose actions, and execute, but it cannot step outside allowlists, limits, checks, and circuit breakers. Autonomy exists inside rules, not outside them.

3.2 Does Surf “learn” using my funds?

No. Surf does not use user funds for experimentation or trial-and-error decisions. Execution is gated by pre-defined checks and constraints. Any research and iteration happens separately from user vault execution.

3.3 Can Surf make risky decisions during volatility?

Surf becomes more conservative when conditions are unstable. Guardian limits and circuit breakers are designed to stop execution when liquidity drops, pricing confidence reduces, or risk thresholds are breached. If conditions are outside policy, Surf does not execute.

3.4 Is the AI a black box?

The decision process can be complex, but execution is auditable and constrained. You can verify what actions occurred, where they executed, and which policies they were required to satisfy. The important point is not “why the AI thought something”, it is that the system cannot act outside declared boundaries.

3.5 Can I turn automation off?

Yes. You can stop using Surf by withdrawing at any time. Surf does not lock you in. If optional pause controls are available in-product, they will be surfaced clearly, but the primary control is that you can exit whenever you want.

Yield, Fees, and Performance

4.1 How does Surf generate yield?

Surf generates yield by deploying stablecoins into approved on-chain lending venues and optimising allocation over time. It monitors rates, liquidity, and risk conditions and rotates only when it improves outcomes after costs, while staying inside policy.

4.2 Are returns guaranteed?

No. DeFi returns are not guaranteed and change with market conditions and venue conditions. Surf is designed to target consistent, risk-adjusted yield rather than short-lived spikes.

4.3 Does Surf chase the highest APY?

No. Surf optimises for net outcomes after risk and costs. It prioritises capital preservation, liquidity, and reliability over headline APY.

4.4 How are fees charged?

Surf charges a performance fee on realised yield. If there is no profit realised, there is no performance fee on that period.

4.5 Are there management fees?

No. Surf does not charge a flat management fee. Fees are performance-based.

Vaults and Capital Flow

5.1 What is a Surf vault?

A Surf vault is a dedicated smart contract that you own. It holds your funds and executes strategy actions only within enforced rules. It is not pooled with other users.

5.2 Can I withdraw anytime?

Yes. Withdrawals are available anytime. Only the vault owner can withdraw to an external wallet address.

5.3 Is there a lock-up?

By default, no. If any vault or venue introduces a lock period or cooldown, it will be made explicit before you deposit.

5.4 Where can I deposit from?

Surf supports deposits on the chains where it is live. As new chains are activated, Surf will support deposits on those chains as well.

5.5 Are vaults isolated from each other?

Yes. Each user vault is isolated. Positions and accounting are per vault, which reduces risk spillover and keeps monitoring and reporting clean.

Transparency and Monitoring

6.1 How do I monitor what Surf is doing with my funds?

You can monitor in two ways:

1. In the Surf dashboard, where you can see vault balances, what is deployed, and recent activity.

2. On-chain, where every deposit, withdrawal, and execution has a transaction you can verify.

6.2 Do you have dashboards for vault and protocol performance?

Yes. Surf shows performance and activity for your vault, and Surf also maintains network-level analytics for overall usage. Public dashboards are provided where it is safe and useful. Some views are user-specific by nature.

6.3 Can I track APY and historical performance?

Yes. You can view your vault’s performance over time. Surf focuses on realised outcomes and observable execution rather than a single headline APY number.

6.4 Are strategy executions logged and auditable?

Yes. Every execution has an on-chain transaction reference. In-product you can see an activity log that includes what happened, when it happened, and the transaction hash.

6.5 Can I export data?

Export and data access will improve over time. Near-term, Surf prioritises a clean, reliable dashboard. Next, we add CSV exports and vault history exports, and then optional API access for funds and integrators.

Governance and Control

7.1 Who decides which vaults, venues, and policies are used?

Surf curates the available vaults and approved venues. The Guardian control layer enforces what is permitted at execution time. That means Surf can make something available, but execution still cannot step outside allowlists, limits, and circuit breakers.

7.2 Is Surf governed by a DAO?

Not yet. Today, governance decisions are operated by the core team. Governance can decentralise over time, but only when it does not weaken safety, accountability, or execution quality.

7.3 Can parameters change without notice?

Material changes that affect user risk or outcomes will be communicated in advance wherever possible. For urgent security issues, changes may be applied quickly to protect users, and we will communicate what changed and why.

7.4 What control do users have over automation?

You control deposits and withdrawals at all times. Surf cannot withdraw funds to an external wallet. Automation is constrained by Guardian rules and scoped authorisation. Your primary control is that you can exit whenever you want.

7.5 Can Surf be paused?

Yes. Under abnormal conditions or security events, Surf can pause execution paths or disable specific venues and actions to prevent risk compounding, while preserving user withdrawal rights.

7.6 What happens if Surf shuts down?

Your vault remains on-chain and user-owned. In the worst case, automation stops and you can still withdraw directly from your vault.

Support

Where do I get help?

• Help Centre: https://www.surfliquid.com/helpcenter

• Telegram: https://t.me/surf_liquid

I found a bug. What do I do?

Report it in the Telegram help group or through the Help Centre. If it affects user funds, the team will escalate immediately.