Liquidity Actions Deep Dive

Liquidity actions are not the same claim as ordinary swap availability. A pool can keep quoting swaps while LP adds, pool-specific deposits, asymmetric withdrawals, or RUNEPool flows are paused. This guide explains which evidence belongs to which LP claim.

Use this as a source map and evidence checklist, not as wallet instructions.

What To Check First

Start with the action, then choose the source:

1. Can LP actions happen at all? Check /network#network-diagnostics for PAUSELP, chain-scoped LP pauses, pool-deposit pauses, asymmetric-withdrawal pauses, and source warnings.
2. Is the pool listed and economically relevant? Check /stats#stats-look-here-first and Midgard pool data for current pool, depth, APY, and earnings context.
3. What transaction shape is being discussed? Check official memo docs for add and withdraw memo formats, dust thresholds, paired-address behavior, affiliate fields, and basis-point withdrawal parameters.
4. Is this a historical yield or safety claim? Separate CLP mechanics, incentive-pendulum reward framing, and current Midgard evidence before claiming APY, profitability, or risk reduction.

If any source is stale, degraded, warning-backed, or missing the relevant field, say that the LP claim needs review instead of rendering zero or healthy.

Official LP overview pages describe permissionless deposits and withdrawals as the product model. They do not override live PAUSELP, chain/pool controls, LiquidityLockUpBlocks, pending-liquidity rules, outbound signing state, or interface-specific transaction requirements. Likewise, the CLP page's impermanent-loss-protection section is historical: the same page explicitly says IL protection was removed.

LP Actions Versus Swaps

The most common display bug is treating every pause as a swap pause. THORChain docs distinguish liquidity-provider pauses from trading halts:

• PAUSELP applies network-wide to adding and removing liquidity.
• PAUSELP<CHAIN> applies to LP actions scoped to a chain.
• PAUSELPDEPOSIT-<ASSET> applies to adding liquidity into a specific pool.
• PAUSEASYMWITHDRAWAL-<CHAIN> affects asymmetric withdrawal choices without necessarily blocking every withdrawal path.

Those controls can be active while ordinary swaps continue. A good UI should therefore say "LP actions paused" or "Pool deposits paused" instead of "THORChain paused" unless a trading, signing, or chain halt supports the swap claim too.

Deposit Modes And Pool Scope

LP deposits can be symmetric or asymmetric:

• Symmetric deposit: the LP contributes both sides of the pool, RUNE and the external asset, in balanced value.
• Asymmetric deposit: the LP contributes one side or unequal value. The pool accounting and slip mechanics can leave the position with less of the original asset than a naive input-value reading suggests.
• Pending or paired adds: memo fields can link a paired address. If the pair is not matched, liquidity can be pending until the counterpart arrives or the pending-liquidity cleanup rules apply.

Pool scope matters. A pool-specific deposit pause is different from a chain LP pause, and both are different from a pool being absent or unavailable in Midgard. Use pool absence wording for pool-list data, not halt wording.

Withdrawals And Asymmetric Limits

Withdrawals need their own evidence because they are not just "the reverse of a deposit" in UI terms.

The memo docs describe withdrawal basis points from 0 to 10000, where 10000 represents a full withdrawal. They also allow an optional asset field for single-sided withdrawal. That does not mean every single-sided or asymmetric path is currently available:

• A network-wide LP pause can suspend add and remove liquidity.
• A chain LP pause can block LP actions for one chain.
• An asymmetric-withdrawal pause can force dual-address LPs back toward symmetric withdrawal behavior.
• Outbound signing, chain halts, dust thresholds, and source-state changes can still matter for the resulting transaction.

For a concrete user issue, use transaction evidence: inbound hash, memo, pool, addresses, amount, observed THORChain event, outbound/refund hash, and the checked live status at the time if available.

Metrics, Yield, And Earnings

Stats data is useful, but it answers a different question from "can I press add liquidity right now?"

• Pooled RUNE and pool depth help frame depth and liquidity capacity.
• LP APY and earnings intervals help frame recent reward and fee distribution shape.
• Midgard health and source warnings decide whether those numbers are usable.
• THORNode Mimir and inbound-address state decide whether a live LP action appears paused or limited.

Do not treat a loaded APY, a deep pool, or a valid earnings chart as proof that deposits or withdrawals are open. Likewise, do not treat an LP pause as proof that swap quotes are blocked unless swap-specific evidence also exists.

Evidence Ladder

Name the LP intent first, then match its evidence: Network diagnostics and the exact control scope for availability; labeled Midgard data for depth, APY, and earnings; official memo/interface fields for transaction shape; and inbound/outbound transaction evidence for troubleshooting. A skipped source makes the claim partial.

A listed pool is not proof that every LP action is open. Missing keys do not make a wallet flow safe, historical metrics do not guarantee future yield, and current controls cannot explain a past transaction without transaction-level evidence.

Common Misreadings

• "LP actions are always available" — Mimir controls can pause deposits, withdrawals, and pool-specific actions independently. A pool can keep quoting swaps while LP actions are paused.
• "Asymmetric deposit means same asset on both sides" — Asymmetric deposits add only one asset. The protocol internally swaps half to RUNE to complete the pool position.