Delegated Transaction
Pronunciation: DEH-luh-gay-tuhd tran-ZAK-shun
Definition
A delegated transaction is a blockchain transaction in which one party authorizes another party, service, or smart contract to submit or execute an action on its behalf. The delegation can be temporary, limited to specific permissions, or tied to a spending cap, session key, or signed message.
Overview
Meaning and scope
A delegated transaction is a blockchain transaction in which one party authorizes another party, service, or smart contract to submit or execute an action on its behalf. The delegation can be temporary, limited to specific permissions, or tied to a spending cap, session key, or signed message.
Mechanism and operation
A user may sign a permission that allows a relayer, wallet service, smart account, or application to submit a transaction later. This pattern is common in sponsored-gas systems, account abstraction, delegated staking, session keys, and automated trading or payment workflows. It may use an on-chain approval, an off-chain signed message, a temporary key, a capability object, or a smart-contract policy. A safe delegation should identify the network, account, allowed actions, spending limits, destination restrictions, nonce or unique identifier, and expiration time. If the same signed authorization can be reused, an attacker may replay it.
Practical payment example
A user authorizes another account or service to submit a transaction under limited permissions. The merchant verifies actual executed effects and delegation scope, not merely the existence of an authorization signature.
Operational checks
If revocation is slow or unclear, a compromised delegate may continue acting. Applications should display exactly what the user is delegating and distinguish between permission to submit a transaction and permission to control funds. Audit logs should preserve who created the delegation, which delegate used it, and which transaction resulted.
Distinctions and limits
The delegate normally cannot exceed the permissions encoded in that authorization, but poorly designed permissions can still expose broad control. Security depends on scope, expiry, replay protection, and revocation. Delegated transactions can make blockchain applications feel more like conventional software, but they require stronger permission design because users may not review every resulting transaction individually.
Related reading
Related definitions: authorization, transaction.
Example
A user authorizes another account or service to submit a transaction under limited permissions. The merchant verifies actual executed effects and delegation scope, not merely the existence of an authorization signature.
Comparison
The delegate normally cannot exceed the permissions encoded in that authorization, but poorly designed permissions can still expose broad control. Delegated transactions can make blockchain applications feel more like conventional software, but they require stronger permission design because users may not review every resulting transaction individually.
Key Takeaway
A delegated transaction lets another party act under limited authorization, so scope, expiry, replay protection, revocation, and auditability are essential.
Sources
- Ethereum Transactions — Ethereum.org (2026-07-30)