Introduction to Intent

Intent, in the context of blockchain transactions, refers to the desired outcomes that users want to achieve, rather than specifying the exact steps needed to reach those outcomes. For instance, instead of detailing every interaction with smart contracts, nonce management, and gas payments, users can express their desired result in a straightforward manner, leaving the intricate execution details to sophisticated third parties. This approach not only simplifies user interactions but also enhances efficiency by leveraging the expertise of third-party executors.

Intents can range from basic needs to broader, more complex requirements. As long as users are willing to pay a certain cost and expect a specific result, intents can cover a wide variety of demands. For example:

1. Buying BTC with 1000 USDT.

2. Receiving a specified amount of USD in a certain bank account.

3. Spending a certain amount of USDT or USD to receive the latest iPhone.

In conclusion, a common definition of intents is "I want X and I’m willing to pay up to C." Intents can be considered as signed messages that allow for a set of state transitions from a given starting state. Unlike traditional transactions that specify a unique computational path, intents allow for any path that satisfies certain constraints. This flexibility enables the matching of overlapping intents, increasing gas and economic efficiency.