For Participants (Bidders)
This section explains how to participate in a Gavel CCA auction: how bidding works, what “clearing price” means in practice, and what to expect at settlement.
1) What you need before bidding
A wallet connected to the auction page
The raise asset used by the auction (ETH or USDC or USDT — the auction chooses one)
Optional: if the launch uses allowlist or private bidding, you must be eligible to participate
If gasless funding via x402 is enabled for the launch, you can fund without needing native gas on the destination chain (details in the x402 section).
2) How to place a bid
A bid has two inputs:
Spend amount How much you want to commit (in the raise asset)
Max price The highest price you’re willing to pay
Your bid will only fill when the auction’s clearing price is ≤ your max price.
Practical example
You set Spend: 1,000 USDC
You set Max price: 0.020 USDC/token
If the clearing price is 0.018, you can fill.
If the clearing price moves to 0.021, you stop filling (you’re out of range).
3) When should you bid?
You do not have to bid from the first block.
You can bid any time while the auction is live.
Earlier bids may fill earlier if prices are in range.
Later bids can still participate — your fill depends on whether your max price is competitive relative to demand.
4) What happens each block
At the end of every block, Gavel computes one clearing price for that block.
Bids with higher max prices fill first
Bids at the clearing price fill next
If demand at the clearing price is larger than the remaining supply for that block, fills happen pro-rata
Everyone who fills in that block pays the same price
5) Bid status: in range vs out of range
You’ll commonly see these statuses:
In range: clearing price ≤ your max price → your bid is eligible to fill
Out of range / Outbid: clearing price > your max price → your bid stops filling
Partially filled: some of your spend has been used, some remains
Filled: your entire spend has been used (within the auction rules)
Your bid can move between “in range” and “out of range” as the clearing price changes.
6) Can you cancel or change a bid?
This depends on the auction configuration, but the default behavior is:
While your bid is in range, your funds are committed and cannot be withdrawn mid-fill.
If your bid becomes out of range, the protocol may allow you to withdraw or adjust (launch-dependent).
Your UI will show whether your bid is withdrawable.
7) What happens when the auction ends
When the auction completes:
Final allocations are settled
You can claim your tokens
If you have unspent funds (or the auction supports refunds), you can claim refunds
After settlement, proceeds seed liquidity on Uniswap v4 at the discovered price (via Gavel or Clanker routing depending on the launch).
8) Common mistakes (avoid these)
Setting max price too low → you may never fill if demand is strong
Confusing “clearing price” with spot price → clearing is the auction price per block, not a DEX quote
Thinking you must bid early → you can join anytime; your max price is what matters
Ignoring allowlist/private rules → curated launches may restrict who can bid
9) Risks (plain English)
You can lose money if the token trades below your average fill price after launch
Clearing prices can rise as demand increases
Always verify token details, supply, and launch parameters before bidding
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