Start Here

What you can do on Kairos, and which page to start with

Kairos lets you do three key things with DeFi interest rates: take a position on where they go, lock in a fixed rate on borrowing you already have, or earn yield by supplying liquidity to the markets other people trade against.

Each guide below walks one job end to end. None of them assume you have traded rates before.

Pick your starting point

If you want to…	Go to	Guide
Take a position on rates rising or falling	Predict	Buy a Swap
Replace the variable rate on a loan you already have	Fixed Rates	Fix Your Rate
Earn yield by supplying liquidity	Earn	Earn
Close out a position that has reached the end of its term	Portfolio	Settle at Maturity
Get out of a position before its term ends	Portfolio	Early Exit

Before your first transaction

A few checks run before any button on Kairos will do anything. They are quick, but knowing about them saves confusion.

1. An early access code. The Predict and market pages ask for one in a KAIROS-XXXX-XXXX format while Kairos is in early access. Join our TG group for a code if you don't already have one: https://t.me/+Gc6oUYeQq4RmNTdh.

2. Your wallet and the Terms. Connecting asks you to accept the Terms of Service and sign an attestation. This signature is free — it is not a transaction, it costs no gas, and it creates no public record.

3. The right network. If your wallet is on a different chain, the header shows Wrong network with a switch option.

The five numbers to know

Every trading screen shows some combination of these. You do not need the maths — just the meaning.

• Notional — the size the interest is calculated on. It is not what you pay. A $100,000 notional with $1,000 of collateral means rate movements are measured against $100,000.

• Collateral — what you actually put up to back the position. Returned at settlement, plus your gains or minus your losses.

• Liquidation bounty — a small refundable amount held alongside your collateral. You get it back when you settle normally or exit early. You forfeit it only if your position is liquidated.

• Protocol fee — a one-off fee taken when you open. Not refundable.

• Pool fee — what you pay the liquidity providers taking the other side. It is already built into the rate you are quoted.

The figure labelled Total Required on the order screen is the sum of the first four, and it is the most you can lose on the position.

Going deeper

These guides cover the how. For the why and the mechanics underneath, see Core Concepts, Swaps and Liquidity provision.

If something goes wrong mid-transaction, the app surfaces a short error code. Those are listed in Error Codes.