The Axelar network is executing a structured deprecation schedule for outdated relayer methods, including legacy transaction submission types and event listening formats. These methods, which predate the current General Message Passing (GMP) and Interchain Token Service (ITS) standards, are being removed to simplify the relayer codebase, reduce operational overhead, and eliminate potential security attack surfaces. The deprecation affects how relayers listen for cross-chain events, construct transactions, and submit proofs to destination chains.
Protocols
Deprecation Schedule for Legacy Relayer Methods
Tracks the deprecation and eventual removal of legacy relayer methods, transaction types, or event formats. Provides a clear timeline for teams to migrate backend systems to the latest supported standards, preventing integration failures.
introduction
LEGACY RELAYER METHOD DEPRECATION
Introduction
Axelar is phasing out legacy relayer methods, transaction types, and event formats that underpin cross-chain message delivery.
For relayers, this means mandatory migration to the latest axelar-core client and relayer service configurations. Continuing to run deprecated methods after their removal block height will result in failed message delivery and potential loss of relayer rewards. Application teams relying on specific event schemas or transaction formats for off-chain monitoring must update their indexers and backend systems to parse the new canonical formats. The schedule is coordinated with mainnet upgrades tracked in the network upgrade history, ensuring that validators and relayers have clear deadlines for each phase of the removal.
The operational impact extends to any exchange, custodian, or application that has built custom integrations against the legacy relayer API. Teams should audit their codebase for dependencies on deprecated gRPC endpoints, event signatures, or transaction construction logic. Chainscore Labs can conduct a legacy dependency audit to identify at-risk integrations and build a phased migration roadmap, ensuring that cross-chain message processing remains uninterrupted as the network transitions to the modern relayer architecture.
LEGACY RELAYER DEPRECATION
Quick Facts
Operational impact summary for teams running Axelar relayer infrastructure or integrating with legacy transaction methods
| Area | What changes | Who is affected | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
Relayer Methods | Legacy transaction submission and event polling methods are deprecated in favor of newer RPC/gRPC endpoints | Relayer operators, block explorers, data indexers | Audit current relayer configuration for deprecated method calls |
API Compatibility | Deprecated endpoints will return errors or be removed entirely after the final deadline | Backend integration teams, wallet providers, DeFi protocols | Map all API dependencies and migrate to supported endpoints before the cutoff date |
Event Formats | Legacy event schemas for cross-chain message status may no longer be emitted | Monitoring systems, alerting pipelines, analytics dashboards | Update event listeners to consume current event schemas |
Transaction Lifecycle | In-flight transactions using legacy methods may fail to confirm or be dropped after deprecation activates | Application teams with pending cross-chain transfers | Verify transaction finality guarantees during the transition window |
Validator Operations | Relayer software versions below the minimum required will fail to process messages correctly | Validator infrastructure teams, staking providers | Upgrade relayer software to the latest mandatory release before the deadline |
Cross-Chain Message Delivery | Messages submitted via deprecated paths may experience delays or non-delivery | Bridge interfaces, omnichain applications, custodial services | Test message delivery on testnet using only supported methods |
Governance-Controlled Timeline | The deprecation schedule is subject to governance votes and may be accelerated or extended | All integrators and operators | Monitor governance proposals for changes to the deprecation timeline |
technical-context
LEGACY METHOD SUNSET
Technical Mechanism and Scope of Deprecation
A technical breakdown of the specific relayer methods, transaction types, and event formats being deprecated, and the operational impact on message processing.
The deprecation schedule for Axelar's legacy relayer methods targets a set of older API endpoints, transaction submission formats, and event emission patterns that have been superseded by the current General Message Passing (GMP) and Interchain Token Service (ITS) standards. The primary mechanism involves the axelar-core client ceasing to accept or process transactions constructed with these legacy formats at a specific block height. This is not a consensus-breaking change but a coordinated application-layer upgrade enforced by the validator and relayer network. The affected methods typically include the original SendToken and TransferAsset calls, along with their corresponding event listeners, which lack the payload versioning and routing metadata required by the modern Amplifier and AVM execution environment.
Operationally, this deprecation means that any relayer infrastructure still broadcasting transactions using the legacy format will have its messages rejected by the network post-activation. The core impact is on the off-chain relayers that monitor specific event signatures on source chains and construct corresponding execute transactions on the destination chain. If a relayer is not updated to construct the new message format, cross-chain calls initiated by applications still using the old contracts will fail silently. The scope extends to any backend system that parses Axelar event logs for auditing or accounting purposes, as the deprecated event schemas will no longer be emitted, breaking data pipelines that rely on the old ABI definitions.
Teams operating custom relayer infrastructure or maintaining indexers for cross-chain activity must audit their codebases for dependencies on the deprecated methods. A migration involves updating the relayer client to the latest version, reconfiguring it to subscribe to the new event signatures, and validating that transaction construction logic aligns with the current GMP payload format. Chainscore Labs can conduct a legacy dependency audit to identify all points of failure in a team's integration and build a migration roadmap that aligns with the official deprecation timeline, ensuring no interruption in cross-chain message delivery.
DEPRECATION IMPACT
Affected Actors and Systems
Relayer Operators
Relayer operators are the most directly affected group. They must identify all instances where their infrastructure listens for or submits legacy transaction types and event formats.
Action Items:
- Audit relayer configurations for references to deprecated methods.
- Update transaction submission logic to use the new canonical formats before the sunset block height.
- Monitor the deprecation schedule closely to avoid a hard stop in message processing.
- Test the new relayer client against testnet to ensure compatibility with the updated gateway contracts.
Failure to migrate will result in an inability to process cross-chain messages, leading to liveness failures and potential slashing events if the relayer is part of a validator set.
implementation-impact
LEGACY RELAYER DEPRECATION
Implementation Impact and Migration Requirements
The deprecation of legacy relayer methods requires active migration by all teams operating Axelar relayers or integrating with the relayer API. Failure to migrate before the final removal deadline will result in transaction processing failures.
01
Relayer Operator Migration
Relayer operators must audit their current configuration and transaction processing logic to identify any dependency on deprecated methods. The primary action is to upgrade to the latest axelar-core client and reconfigure relayer software to use the new supported endpoints. Operators should monitor the mandatory upgrade deadline to avoid ejection from the active relayer set. Chainscore can conduct a relayer infrastructure audit to identify legacy dependencies and validate the migration plan.
02
Application Integration Impact
Applications that directly query relayer APIs or parse legacy event formats for cross-chain message status must update their backend services. The new methods may alter response schemas, event structures, or polling mechanisms. Teams should test against the latest testnet deployment to ensure compatibility. A failure to update will manifest as an inability to track the lifecycle of General Message Passing (GMP) calls. Chainscore can perform an integration compatibility review to map all breaking changes to your application logic.
03
Monitoring and Alerting Updates
Block explorers, dashboards, and automated alerting systems that consume relayer data must be reconfigured to ingest the new API formats and event schemas. Legacy data pipelines will break silently or return malformed data after the deprecation takes effect. Teams should deploy updated parsers in parallel with the old ones before the cutover to ensure a seamless transition. Chainscore can assist with data pipeline impact assessment and validation of new monitoring logic.
04
Transaction Finality Verification
The deprecation may alter the timing and confirmation signals for cross-chain transaction finality. Applications relying on specific event emissions to confirm a cross-chain transfer must verify that the new relayer methods provide equivalent or improved finality guarantees. There is a risk of double-processing or missed confirmations if the migration is not handled atomically. Chainscore can build custom finality monitoring to ensure no transactions are lost during the migration window.
05
Security Model Re-evaluation
Changes to relayer methods can subtly alter the trust and security model for message verification. The new methods may introduce different signing payloads or verification paths. Security teams should review the updated relayer architecture to ensure it does not introduce new message replay or front-running vectors. Chainscore can provide a security review of the new relayer logic and its impact on downstream message verification.
06
Operational Runbook Updates
Incident response playbooks that reference specific relayer commands or API calls for pausing, retrying, or investigating cross-chain messages must be updated. An operator using a deprecated command during an incident could fail to execute a critical recovery action. All internal documentation and runbooks should be revised to reflect the new operational interface. Chainscore can help design and validate an updated incident response playbook for the post-deprecation environment.
LEGACY RELAYER METHOD DEPRECATION
Risk and Compatibility Matrix
Identifies the systems, teams, and integrations affected by the deprecation of legacy relayer methods and the actions required to maintain compatibility.
| Area | What changes | Who is affected | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
Relayer Software | Legacy transaction submission and event listening methods are removed from the relayer client. | Relayer operators | Upgrade to the latest relayer client version and reconfigure to use only supported methods before the deprecation deadline. |
Backend Indexers | Event schemas and log formats for cross-chain messages are altered, breaking parsers that rely on deprecated fields. | Data teams, block explorer operators | Audit indexing logic for dependencies on deprecated event structures and migrate to the new canonical schemas. |
GMP Application Contracts | Contracts calling deprecated GMP entry points on the gateway will have their transactions revert. | Application developers | Update smart contracts to use the latest GMP interface. Deploy and verify new versions before the deprecation block height. |
Interchain Token Service (ITS) | Legacy token registration and transfer methods are disabled, potentially freezing in-flight transfers. | Token issuers, bridge UIs | Verify that all ITS integrations use the current token manager interface. Coordinate a frontend migration if a custom UI calls legacy methods directly. |
Exchange and Custody Integrations | Automated deposit and withdrawal scripts using legacy API endpoints will fail. | Exchanges, custodians | Review all withdrawal and monitoring scripts. Replace calls to deprecated endpoints with the current gRPC or API methods and test on testnet. |
Monitoring and Alerting Systems | Health checks based on legacy method call success will trigger false alarms. | DevOps teams, node operators | Update monitoring queries to track the new method signatures and adjust alerting thresholds to avoid false positives during the transition period. |
Governance and Multisig Tooling | Tools that construct and broadcast governance votes using deprecated transaction types will be unable to execute. | Governance delegates, validator tooling teams | Upgrade governance participation tooling to construct transactions using the current format. Perform a test vote on testnet to confirm compatibility. |
Cross-Chain Verification Logic | The verification path for messages sent via legacy methods is removed, causing them to be permanently unverifiable. | All downstream receiving contracts | Ensure no application logic relies on the verification of messages sent through deprecated methods. Any pending messages must be processed before the final removal. |
LEGACY RELAYER METHOD DEPRECATION
Migration and Operator Checklist
A structured checklist for relayers, application teams, and infrastructure operators to prepare for the removal of deprecated relayer methods, transaction types, or event formats. Each item identifies what to verify, why it matters, and what signal confirms readiness.
Audit your relayer configuration, backend services, and monitoring scripts for any calls to deprecated methods, transaction types, or event listeners.
- What to check: Search codebases and deployment configs for deprecated method signatures, RPC calls, or event topics listed in the deprecation notice.
- Why it matters: Any remaining dependency will break silently or cause transaction failures once the method is removed at the activation height.
- Readiness signal: A complete inventory with zero production dependencies on deprecated interfaces, confirmed by log analysis over a full epoch or governance cycle.
resource-links
CANONICAL SOURCES
Source Resources and Canonical References
Use these references to verify the current deprecation status for Axelar legacy relayer methods, event formats, transaction types, and backend integration assumptions. Teams should reconcile internal runbooks against official Axelar docs, release notes, code, and network monitoring before disabling or migrating production paths.
06
Internal Dependency Audit and Migration Evidence
Create an internal evidence pack that records every legacy relayer dependency, the canonical source confirming its deprecation status, the replacement method, test coverage, rollout owner, and rollback condition. Include backend services, cron jobs, indexers, dashboards, alerting rules, wallet or exchange integrations, and any GMP or ITS automation that parses Axelar events. Chainscore Labs can help teams turn these source references into a practical migration roadmap and readiness review.
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LEGACY RELAYER METHOD DEPRECATION
Frequently Asked Questions
Practical answers for teams that need to identify, migrate, and validate their systems against the deprecation schedule for legacy relayer methods.
Start by auditing your backend code, event listeners, and any custom transaction construction logic against the canonical list of deprecated methods published in the official deprecation schedule.
- Code audit: Search for calls to legacy RPC methods, deprecated event signatures, or old transaction types in your relayer integration code.
- Log analysis: Review your relayer logs for warnings about deprecated method usage. Many clients emit deprecation warnings for several releases before removal.
- Dependency check: Verify that any third-party libraries or SDKs you use have been updated to versions that call only the current supported methods.
- Testnet validation: Replay your integration against the latest testnet where the deprecated methods are already removed to catch failures before mainnet activation.
If you are unsure about your dependency tree, Chainscore can perform a legacy dependency audit to map every call path that touches a deprecated interface.
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