Protocol fees, gas costs, and slippage are computed in isolation — the true all-in cost is never shown together.
Pillar: Agency
The problem
A user executing a DeFi action faces at least three distinct cost layers: protocol fees, gas, and slippage. These are surfaced across different UI surfaces, often independently, and rarely aggregated into a single cost estimate before the transaction is signed.
In multi-hop strategies, the compounding of fees across steps is almost never disclosed.
Why it matters
- Agency: I cannot make an informed decision about whether an action is worth taking.
- Autonomy: Automated strategies optimize for yield without accounting for total cost drag.
What exists today
Some DEX aggregators show estimated total cost. This is not a cross-protocol standard.
The gap
No universal fee disclosure standard showing all-in cost at the point of execution.
Open questions
- What’s the right abstraction for ‘total cost’ across different action types?
- How do you handle gas cost uncertainty at signing time?