Broadcaster Selection
Anon supports three modes for submitting private transactions to the blockchain. Available methods and the selected default depend on the transaction and network. Review the selected method and fee estimate before signing.
Broadcast Modes Compared
| Mode | Who submits the tx | Gas paid by | Privacy | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waku | Random broadcaster from P2P network | Broadcaster (fee deducted from shielded balance) | Delegates the on-chain sender; network metadata can remain visible | Dependent on network availability |
| Paymaster | Anon's paymaster service | Paymaster service | High (encrypted submission through an independent OHTTP relay) | Depends on paymaster and relay availability |
| Self-broadcast | You, directly | Your public ETH | Lowest (links your IP and address) | Depends on RPC availability and public gas balance |
Waku Mode
In Waku mode, Anon:
- Publishes the signed, proven transaction to the Waku P2P network
- Waits for a broadcaster node to pick it up and submit to the blockchain
- Monitors the Waku channel for a success/failure response
Automatic selection: Anon ranks available broadcasters by fee, response time, and reliability history, and selects the best one automatically.
Manual selection: If you want to pick a specific broadcaster (e.g., for testing or because automatic selection isn't working), you can:
- Go to Settings → Advanced → Broadcaster
- Enable Manual Broadcaster Selection
- Choose from the list of discovered broadcaster nodes
Each broadcaster node is identified by its public key. Anon shows current fee estimates for each.
When Waku Mode Fails
Broadcasters are independent nodes — they can be offline or congested. If Anon can't find a broadcaster within ~30 seconds, it shows an error and lets you retry or switch modes.
Paymaster Mode
The paymaster is a managed service that verifies the transaction, pays gas,
and submits it to the blockchain. The client seals the request and sends it
through https://relay.anon.inc, so the relay cannot read the payload and the
paymaster does not receive a direct browser connection. The paymaster fee is
deducted from the selected fee token.
Advantages:
- Managed submission when the service is available
- Supports gas payment in multiple fee tokens (not just ETH)
- Confirmation still depends on the chain and gas conditions
Trade-offs:
- Managed service — the paymaster still learns the decrypted request and its submission time, while the independent relay provides network-layer separation
See Paymaster & Gas Sponsorship for configuration details.
Self-Broadcast Mode
In self-broadcast mode, your browser submits the transaction directly to an RPC endpoint. This:
- Reveals your IP address to the RPC provider
- Links the "from" address (the gas payer) to the Railgun interaction
Use this mode only if both other modes are unavailable or if privacy is not a concern for the specific transaction.
Switching Modes
Review the delivery method in the transaction flow. Available methods vary by operation and network; verify the selected sender, gas payment, and fees before confirming.