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How-to Guide

This guide provides practical instructions for using the GMP (General Message Passing) module to send cross-chain messages via IBC transfers.

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Basic Usage

The GMP module processes messages embedded in IBC transfer memo fields. To use GMP, you embed a structured JSON message in the memo field of a standard IBC transfer.

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Sending a General Message

To send a general message with an IBC transfer:

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Step 1: Prepare Your Payload

First, prepare the actual message content you want to send: 
{
  "action": "execute_contract",
  "contract_address": "neutron1...",
  "msg": {
    "swap": {
      "amount": "1000"
    }
  }
}

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Step 2: Encode the Payload

Convert your payload to bytes (base64 encoding is recommended): 
const payload = JSON.stringify({
  "action": "execute_contract",
  "contract_address": "neutron1...",
  "msg": {
    "swap": {
      "amount": "1000"
    }
  }
});

const encodedPayload = Buffer.from(payload).toString('base64');

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Step 3: Create GMP Message

Embed your payload in a GMP message structure: 
{
  "source_chain": "osmosis-1",
  "source_address": "osmo1...",
  "payload": "base64-encoded-payload-here",
  "type": 1
}

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Step 4: Send IBC Transfer

Use the GMP message as the memo field in your IBC transfer: 
# Using CLI
neutrond tx ibc-transfer transfer \
  transfer \
  channel-0 \
  neutron1recipient... \
  1000uosmo \
  --memo '{"source_chain":"osmosis-1","source_address":"osmo1...","payload":"base64-payload","type":1}' \
  --from sender

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Sending a General Message with Token

For messages that specifically coordinate with token transfers, use type 2: 
{
  "source_chain": "osmosis-1", 
  "source_address": "osmo1...",
  "payload": "base64-encoded-payload",
  "type": 2
}
This indicates that the receiving application should process the message in conjunction with the token transfer.

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Programming Examples

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JavaScript/TypeScript

interface GMPMessage {
  source_chain: string;
  source_address: string;
  payload: string; // base64 encoded
  type: number;
}

function createGMPMessage(
  sourceChain: string,
  sourceAddress: string,
  payload: object,
  messageType: number = 1
): string {
  const encodedPayload = Buffer.from(JSON.stringify(payload)).toString('base64');
  
  const gmpMessage: GMPMessage = {
    source_chain: sourceChain,
    source_address: sourceAddress,
    payload: encodedPayload,
    type: messageType
  };
  
  return JSON.stringify(gmpMessage);
}

// Usage
const payload = {
  action: "swap",
  amount: "1000",
  denom: "uatom"
};

const memo = createGMPMessage(
  "cosmoshub-4",
  "cosmos1sender...",
  payload,
  1
);

// Use memo in IBC transfer

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Python

import json
import base64

def create_gmp_message(source_chain, source_address, payload, message_type=1):
    """Create a GMP message for IBC transfer memo field"""
    
    # Encode payload as base64
    payload_json = json.dumps(payload)
    encoded_payload = base64.b64encode(payload_json.encode()).decode()
    
    gmp_message = {
        "source_chain": source_chain,
        "source_address": source_address, 
        "payload": encoded_payload,
        "type": message_type
    }
    
    return json.dumps(gmp_message)

# Usage
payload = {
    "action": "execute_contract",
    "contract": "neutron1...",
    "msg": {"swap": {"amount": "1000"}}
}

memo = create_gmp_message(
    source_chain="osmosis-1",
    source_address="osmo1...",
    payload=payload,
    message_type=1
)

​
Go

package main

import (
    "encoding/base64"
    "encoding/json"
)

type GMPMessage struct {
    SourceChain   string `json:"source_chain"`
    SourceAddress string `json:"source_address"`
    Payload       string `json:"payload"`
    Type          int64  `json:"type"`
}

func CreateGMPMessage(sourceChain, sourceAddress string, payload interface{}, msgType int64) (string, error) {
    // Marshal payload to JSON
    payloadBytes, err := json.Marshal(payload)
    if err != nil {
        return "", err
    }
    
    // Base64 encode the payload
    encodedPayload := base64.StdEncoding.EncodeToString(payloadBytes)
    
    // Create GMP message
    gmpMsg := GMPMessage{
        SourceChain:   sourceChain,
        SourceAddress: sourceAddress,
        Payload:       encodedPayload,
        Type:          msgType,
    }
    
    // Marshal to JSON
    memoBytes, err := json.Marshal(gmpMsg)
    if err != nil {
        return "", err
    }
    
    return string(memoBytes), nil
}

// Usage
payload := map[string]interface{}{
    "action": "swap",
    "amount": "1000",
}

memo, err := CreateGMPMessage("osmosis-1", "osmo1...", payload, 1)

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Receiving GMP Messages

Applications receiving GMP-processed transfers will see the extracted payload in the memo field, not the original GMP message structure.

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CosmWasm Contract Integration

use cosmwasm_std::{IbcPacketReceiveMsg, IbcReceiveResponse};
use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};

#[derive(Serialize, Deserialize)]
struct SwapMessage {
    action: String,
    amount: String,
    denom: String,
}

pub fn ibc_packet_receive(
    deps: DepsMut,
    env: Env,
    msg: IbcPacketReceiveMsg,
) -> Result<IbcReceiveResponse, ContractError> {
    // Parse the transfer data
    let transfer_data: FungibleTokenPacketData = 
        from_json(&msg.packet.data)?;
    
    // The memo field now contains the extracted payload
    if !transfer_data.memo.is_empty() {
        let swap_msg: SwapMessage = from_json(&transfer_data.memo)?;
        
        // Process the message along with the received tokens
        handle_swap(deps, env, swap_msg, &transfer_data)?;
    }
    
    Ok(IbcReceiveResponse::default())
}

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Message Type Guidelines

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When to Use Type 1 (GeneralMessage)

Use TypeGeneralMessage (1) for:
  • Informational messages
  • Messages that don’t require specific token coordination
  • General cross-chain communication
Example: 
{
  "source_chain": "osmosis-1",
  "source_address": "osmo1...",
  "payload": "base64-encoded-notification",
  "type": 1
}

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When to Use Type 2 (GeneralMessageWithToken)

Use TypeGeneralMessageWithToken (2) for:
  • Messages that must be processed atomically with token transfers
  • Swap instructions
  • Contract execution that depends on received tokens
Example: 
{
  "source_chain": "osmosis-1", 
  "source_address": "osmo1...",
  "payload": "base64-encoded-swap-instruction",
  "type": 2
}

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Best Practices

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Payload Design

  1. Keep payloads small: IBC packets have size limits
  2. Use efficient encoding: JSON is human-readable but not space-efficient
  3. Include version information: For future compatibility
  4. Validate on both sides: Don’t trust cross-chain data

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Error Handling

  1. Handle parsing failures: Invalid GMP messages will cause packet failures
  2. Validate message types: Only use supported types (1 and 2)
  3. Test thoroughly: Cross-chain debugging is difficult

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Security Considerations

  1. Don’t trust source fields: source_chain and source_address are informational only
  2. Validate all payload content: Treat cross-chain data as untrusted
  3. Implement proper authentication: Use IBC’s cryptographic guarantees

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Common Patterns

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Cross-chain Swap

{
  "source_chain": "osmosis-1",
  "source_address": "osmo1...",
  "payload": "eyJhY3Rpb24iOiJzd2FwIiwidG9rZW5fb3V0IjoidWF0b20ifQ==",
  "type": 2
}
Where the decoded payload is: 
{
  "action": "swap",
  "token_out": "uatom"
}

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Cross-chain Governance Vote

{
  "source_chain": "cosmoshub-4",
  "source_address": "cosmos1...", 
  "payload": "eyJhY3Rpb24iOiJ2b3RlIiwicHJvcG9zYWxfaWQiOjEsIm9wdGlvbiI6InllcyJ9",
  "type": 1
}
Where the decoded payload is: 
{
  "action": "vote",
  "proposal_id": 1,
  "option": "yes"
}

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Multi-step Transaction

{
  "source_chain": "juno-1",
  "source_address": "juno1...",
  "payload": "eyJzdGVwcyI6W3siYWN0aW9uIjoic3dhcCJ9LHsiYWN0aW9uIjoic3Rha2UifV19",
  "type": 2
}
Where the decoded payload is: 
{
  "steps": [
    {"action": "swap"},
    {"action": "stake"}
  ]
}

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Troubleshooting

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Common Issues

  1. Invalid JSON: Ensure your GMP message is valid JSON
  2. Empty payload: Payloads cannot be empty or the message will be ignored
  3. Unsupported type: Only types 1 and 2 are supported
  4. Size limits: Large payloads may exceed IBC packet size limits

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Debugging

  1. Check IBC events: Failed GMP processing will generate error acknowledgements
  2. Validate JSON: Use JSON validators before sending
  3. Test locally: Use local testnets for development
  4. Monitor relayers: Ensure relayers are processing your packets

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Error Messages

  • "cannot unmarshal ICS-20 transfer packet data": Malformed IBC transfer packet
  • "unrecognized message type: X": Invalid message type (not 1 or 2)
  • "cannot marshal ICS-20 post-processed transfer packet data": Internal processing error
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