When "Intent" Becomes the Standard: How OIF Ends Cross-Chain Fragmentation and Brings Web3 Back to User Intuition

Written by: imToken

In the previous article, “Ethereum Interop Roadmap,” we mentioned that the Ethereum Foundation (EF) has devised a three-step interoperability strategy—Initialization, Acceleration, and Finality—to improve user experience (Improve UX). (Further reading: “Ethereum Interop Roadmap: How to Unlock the ‘Last Mile’ to Mass Adoption.”)

If the future of Ethereum is like a vast highway network, then “Acceleration” and “Finality” address issues of road smoothness and speed limits. But before that, we face a more fundamental pain point: different vehicles (DApps/wallets) and various toll booths (L2s/bridges) speak completely different languages.

This is precisely the core issue to be solved during the “Initialization” phase, and the “Open Intents Framework (OIF)” is the most important “universal language” of this stage.

At Devconnect in Argentina, although EIL (Ethereum Interoperability Layer) dominated much of the discussion, the importance of OIF—as the key glue between the application and protocol layers—was just as significant and is a prerequisite for realizing the EIL vision. Today, let’s break down this somewhat obscure but crucial OIF for user experience.

1. What exactly is OIF? A Paradigm Shift from “Instructions” to “Intents”

To understand OIF, you first need to grasp the fundamental transformation happening in Web3 interaction logic: from “Instructions” (Transaction) to “Intents.”

Let’s start with a real pain point for regular users. Suppose you want to swap USDC on Arbitrum for ETH on Base. In today’s Ethereum ecosystem, this usually means an “operation marathon”:

You first have to manually switch your wallet to Arbitrum, approve a bridge contract, sign a cross-chain transaction, then open another aggregator, and finally swap the bridged USDC on Base for ETH. Throughout the process, you not only have to calculate gas fees and slippage yourself, but also stay alert for cross-chain delays and contract risks. It’s a series of “technical detail” steps rather than a simple, clear path to your goal.

This is the traditional “Instruction” model mapped onto Web3—like telling a taxi driver every turn and road to take to the airport: “Turn left, go straight for 500 meters, get on the overpass, take the ramp off…” On-chain, you must manually operate step by step, e.g., bridge first, then approve, then swap. If any step goes wrong, you not only waste gas but could also lose funds.

The emerging “Intent” model completely skips these tedious steps. You just tell the driver, “I want to go to the airport, I’m willing to pay 50 yuan.” The route and navigation are not your concern as long as the outcome is achieved. On-chain, it means you only need to sign an intent like “I want to swap USDC on Chain A for ETH on Chain B,” and the rest is handled by a professional solver.

If intents are so great, why do we need the Open Intents Framework (OIF)?

Put simply, today’s intent market is a fragmented “Wild West”: UniswapX has its own intent standard, CowSwap has another, Across has yet another. Solvers need to adapt to dozens of protocols; wallets need to integrate dozens of SDKs—highly inefficient.

OIF aims to end this chaos by establishing a standardized “intent framework” for the entire Ethereum ecosystem, offering a universal protocol stack for wallets, bridges, rollups, and market makers/solvers. Jointly promoted by the Ethereum Foundation and leading projects like Across, Arbitrum, and Hyperlane, it’s not a single protocol but a set of universal interface standards.

It specifies what an “intent” should look like, how to verify it, and how to settle it, so that any wallet, DApp, or solver can communicate on the same channel. It supports multiple intent trading modes, and developers can use OIF to extend new trading models, such as cross-chain Dutch auctions, order book matching, automated arbitrage, and more.

2. The Core Value of OIF: More Than Just Another Cross-Chain Aggregator

You might ask, how is OIF different from today’s cross-chain aggregators?

The fundamental difference is standardization. Basically, most current cross-chain aggregators build their own closed-loop systems: defining their own intent formats, selecting their own bridges, managing routing, risk control, and monitoring. Any wallet or DApp that wants to integrate must connect to each aggregator’s API and adopt its security assumptions.

OIF, on the other hand, is more like a neutral, open-source standard library. It’s designed from the start as a “public utility” built by multiple parties, not a private standard of any one project. The intent data format, signature methods, auction/bidding logic—all use common settlement and verification modules. A wallet or DApp only needs to integrate OIF once to connect with multiple backends, bridges, and solvers.

Currently, major Ethereum players such as Arbitrum, Optimism, Polygon, ZKsync, and Across (L2s, bridges, aggregators) are already on board.

Ethereum’s liquidity fragmentation problem is more complex than ever—L2s are flourishing, liquidity is fragmented, and users are forced to constantly switch networks, bridge assets, and approve contracts. From this perspective, OIF’s arrival isn’t just about cleaner code—it carries profound commercial and experiential value for mass Web3 adoption.

First, for users, under the OIF framework, you no longer need to care what chain you’re on. You can initiate a transaction on Optimism with the intent to buy an NFT on Arbitrum. Previously, you’d have to bridge assets, wait for confirmation, switch networks, and then buy the NFT.

With OIF integrated, a wallet like imToken can directly recognize your intent, generate a standard order, have a solver front the funds, and complete the purchase on the target chain—all with a single user signature. This is the so-called “chain abstraction” experience, and OIF is the underlying “language” that enables it.

At the same time, OIF can break liquidity silos and enable global sharing. Currently, L2 liquidity is fragmented: for example, Uniswap liquidity on Base cannot directly serve Arbitrum users. But with the OIF standard (especially ERC-7683), all intent orders can be aggregated into a global shared order book.

A professional market maker (solver) can monitor demand across all chains and provide liquidity wherever needed, greatly improving liquidity efficiency and giving users better quotes.

Finally, for developers and wallets, it means “integrate once, use everywhere.” For wallet or DApp developers like imToken, OIF significantly reduces workload. Developers no longer need to write custom adapters for every bridge or intent protocol.

As long as you integrate the OIF standard, you immediately gain access to the entire Ethereum ecosystem’s intent network and support all compliant solvers.

3. Where is OIF Now?

As mentioned, according to public statements from the Ethereum Foundation, OIF is led by the EF Protocol team, in collaboration with Across, Arbitrum, Hyperlane, LI.FI, OpenZeppelin, Taiko, and more. In 2025, more infrastructure and wallets will join discussions and testing.

Although much of the spotlight at the recent Devconnect was on new concepts, the pieces of OIF are being implemented, mainly in standard-setting and ecosystem alliance building. On Devconnect’s Interop main stage, discussions almost entirely revolved around “intent, interoperability, account abstraction,” with OIF repeatedly mentioned in related sessions and presentations, clearly positioned as a key component of future multi-chain UX.

While there are not yet large-scale applications for regular users, the frequency of meetings and involvement across the community shows a consensus: In the coming years, “good wallets + good apps” are highly likely to build cross-chain capabilities on public frameworks like OIF.

This includes the much-discussed ERC-7683, one of OIF’s most concrete deliverables, jointly proposed by Uniswap Labs and Across Protocol to establish a universal structure for cross-chain intents.

During Devconnect, discussions around ERC-7683 deepened further, with more developers, solvers, and market makers supporting the standard—marking the shift of cross-chain intent trading from private protocols to public infrastructure.

Another thread is the Interop series’ main storyline: the Ethereum Interoperability Layer (EIL). OIF provides “intent and UX” at the upper layer, while EIL offers “trust-minimized cross-L2 messaging” at the base layer. Together, they form the foundation of Ethereum’s future interoperability stack.

The Ethereum Foundation acts as a coordinator rather than a controller. Through Protocol Update documents, the EF has clarified OIF as the initialization phase of the interoperability roadmap, giving the market great confidence—“intent” is not just a fleeting narrative, but an officially recognized long-term direction for Ethereum’s evolution.

For the entire Ethereum ecosystem, OIF is turning “interoperability” from a whitepaper concept into an engineering reality that can be audited, replicated, and widely integrated. In the future, as you use wallets, you might notice a change: you just say “what you want to do” without worrying about “which chain or which bridge”—that’s the quiet work of infrastructure like OIF.

At this point, the “Initialization” puzzle piece of interoperability is taking shape.

But in the EF roadmap, just understanding intents isn’t enough; you also need to go fast and steady. In the next article of the Interop series, we’ll dive into the core topic of Devconnect—EIL (Ethereum Interoperability Layer)—to see how Ethereum, through the “Acceleration” phase, is building a permissionless, censorship-resistant cross-L2 trust channel, moving toward the ultimate vision where all rollups “look like one chain.”

Stay tuned.