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Private Swaps use the Houdini exchange network to route your swap through a series of intermediary addresses before delivering funds to the recipient. Because Houdini operates through CEX liquidity partners with no on-chain link between deposit and payout, observers cannot connect the sending address to the receiving address. When you enable Monero (XMR) routing, Houdini adds an extra anonymity hop: your funds pass through the Monero network before being converted and delivered. Monero’s ring signatures and stealth addresses make chain-analysis of that intermediate step computationally infeasible. This extends total swap time but significantly strengthens privacy.

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How it works

1

Choose your tokens and chains

Select a source chain and token (e.g., ETH on Ethereum) and a destination chain and token (e.g., USDC on Arbitrum). Enter the amount you want to send and the recipient address on the destination chain.
Both the source and destination tokens must have CEX (private route) support. If a token shows “DEX only”, it cannot be used for a private swap.
2

Enable or disable Monero routing (optional)

If Monero routing is available on your deployment, a toggle appears between the token selectors. When set to On, Houdini routes your swap through XMR as an intermediate privacy hop. When set to Off, the swap still uses Houdini’s private CEX routing without the Monero leg.
XMR routing adds extra time due to Monero’s confirmation requirements. Expect the full swap to take 15–45 minutes or longer when Monero routing is enabled.
3

Get a quote

Click Get quote. HideMyTx queries Houdini for the best available rate across its liquidity providers. A loading spinner appears while the route is calculated.If the quote fails because your amount is below the minimum, the minimum required amount is shown inline. Adjust the amount and try again.
4

Review and confirm

The confirmation screen shows:
  • The exact amount you are sending
  • The estimated amount the recipient will receive
  • Whether Monero routing is enabled
  • A truncated preview of the recipient address
Click Confirm swap to proceed. If Houdini’s rate limiter is active, a countdown timer shows how long to wait; the button re-enables automatically.
5

Send to the deposit address

After confirmation, HideMyTx displays a unique one-time deposit address generated by Houdini for your order. Send exactly the specified amount of the source token to this address.The deposit screen shows:
  • The deposit address (click to copy)
  • The exact token symbol and amount to send
  • A memo or destination tag if required by the chain (e.g., for XRP or Stellar)
  • A QR code encoding the address and amount
  • A quote expiry countdown timer
  • The current order status and individual leg statuses
Send only the exact token and amount shown. Sending a different token, a different amount, or reusing an address from a previous order will cause the swap to fail or be refunded. Never send to a deposit address that belongs to a different order.
6

Wait for completion

Once your deposit is detected, Houdini processes the swap automatically. Status is polled every 10 seconds. You do not need to keep the page open, but leaving it open lets you watch live status updates.When the swap finishes, the status changes to FINISHED and a success screen appears.

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Order status states

StatusMeaning
NEWOrder created; waiting for your deposit to arrive
WAITINGDeposit received; waiting for sufficient confirmations
CONFIRMINGBlock confirmations in progress
EXCHANGINGHoudini is converting your funds
ANONYMIZINGMonero routing hop in progress (only when XMR routing is enabled)
FINISHEDSwap complete; funds delivered to the recipient
FAILEDSwap could not be completed
EXPIREDThe deposit window elapsed before funds arrived
REFUNDEDFunds were returned via Houdini’s refund process
DELETEDOrder was cancelled or cleaned up by the provider
The status display also surfaces separate Input and Output leg labels so you can track inbound and outbound legs independently.

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Session

Make sure to save your order ID.

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Swap limits

When you request a quote, Houdini returns minimum and maximum amounts for the selected trading pair. These are shown below the amount input. If you enter an amount below the minimum, the Get quote button is disabled and the required minimum is displayed.

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Frequently asked questions

No. Houdini operates through CEX liquidity without requiring identity verification from you. You send to a one-time deposit address and receive at the address you specify — there is no account or login.
Houdini will typically refund deposits that fall outside the quoted window, or process them at a revised rate. To avoid this, always send exactly the amount shown on the deposit screen.
Yes. You can tap Refresh status at any time to manually poll the latest order state.
With XMR routing enabled, expect 15–45 minutes under normal conditions. Monero’s block time and confirmation requirements add variability. Swaps without XMR routing are typically faster, though timing still depends on liquidity and network conditions.