# FAQ

> Short answers to the questions integrators ask first.

Source: https://getchord.xyz/docs/resources/faq/

**Do I need a key?**
No, to read. Anonymous calls get 60 requests a minute per IP (300 on the token and portfolio reads). A key raises that to your plan and is required for the Ask agent API.

**Is Chord custodial?**
No. `/swap` returns an unsigned transaction; your wallet signs and broadcasts. Chord never holds funds or keys, on any plan.

**Where do prices come from?**
From Chord's own index of every swap on the chain, priced at index time against the chain's anchors. No third-party price API on the request path. `priceUsd` on a token row is the last trade on the token's dominant venue.

**Why does `/quote` return an empty route?**
No venue fills that size honestly. `noRouteReason` says `INSUFFICIENT_LIQUIDITY` (try a smaller amount) or `NO_POOLS` (no pool against an anchor, or only on an unverified hook). The engine never fabricates a price.

**Why is my Arc transaction's `value` 0 when I sell "native" USDC?**
Because on Arc the native unit and the USDC predeploy are one balance, and the router pulls the predeploy by `transferFrom`. Approve the router on `0x3600…0000` like any ERC-20. See [Chains, addresses and amounts](/docs/concepts/chains-and-amounts/).

**How fresh is the data?**
Read `coverage` on rollup answers and `/v1/arc/status`, `/v1/rh/status`, `/v1/lp/status` for the lanes. Prices over WebSocket are per print. See [Data freshness](/docs/concepts/data-freshness/).

**What is a 503 `NOT_READY`?**
A lane that has not run on this deployment yet, or a token the holder ledger just started tracking. Retry later; do not show it as "no data".

**Why are some tokens missing from `/v1/tokens`?**
`/v1/tokens` is the curated list. `/v1/arc/tokens?includeUnlisted=1` is every token that traded in 24 hours, listed or not, with the on-chain symbol.

**How are bots removed from the top-wallets board?**
By cadence (hundreds of transactions a day from the first trade), nonce rate and deny lists, and behaviour (bursts, sub-minute round trips, sniping dozens of launches). `botsRemoved` counts each pass.

**Can I stream Arc prices?**
Yes — subscribe to the `prices` channel on `/v1/ws/live` with `chain: 5042`. One subscription covers the whole board.

**Can I get the whole API in one file?**
[openapi.json](/docs/openapi.json). And this documentation as text at [llms.txt](/docs/llms.txt).

**Where do fees go?**
The protocol fee on the output token (5 bps by default on every chain, 0 on USDC / EURC / USDG / stocks) goes to the fee collector; a referrer passed as `feeAccount` earns 50 % of it on that swap. Quotes and API usage are free.