Cross-Chain Session Management: Keeping User State Consistent Under Intents

Summary: Intents let users express goals once and have solvers execute them across chains—but only if sessions, permissions, and settlement stay in sync. This guide shows how to design cross-chain session management in 2025 using EIP-7702, ERC-7715, ERC-7679, ERC-7739, ERC-6492, ERC-5792, ERC-7683, and modern messaging rails (LayerZero v2 DVNs, Chainlink CCIP v1.5, Wormhole Gateway), with concrete implementation patterns and guardrails.

Why this matters now

In 2025, Ethereum’s Pectra upgrade shipped EIP-7702 to mainnet (May 7, 2025), letting EOAs temporarily delegate execution to smart logic via a new type-4 transaction. That unlocks “programmable EOAs” without migrating users to new accounts—perfect for intent-driven UX and session keys. But cross-chain intents multiply failure modes: different finality rules, bridge semantics, and solver coordination can desynchronize user state. Getting sessions right is the difference between magical UX and expensive edge-case blowups. (ethereum.org)

The new baseline: sessions after Pectra (EIP-7702) + modular AA

What 7702 actually adds
- A type-4 transaction with an authorization_list, where each tuple is signed by the EOA and can restrict the delegation by chain_id and the account’s nonce. Users can revoke by delegating to the null address. In practice this enables “ephemeral programmability” for EOAs—batching, gas sponsorship, and session-like behavior—without permanent account migration. (ethereum.org)
Why this matters for sessions
- Chain- and nonce-scoped authorizations mean you can bind a session to specific networks and transaction windows, reducing cross-chain replay risks. For truly global sessions, set chain_id = 0 and enforce per-chain policy at the wallet layer (see ERC-5792 capabilities and ERC-7715 permissions below). (ethereum.org)
Modularity stack you should target
- ERC-5792 Wallet Call API for batched calls, status, and capability discovery (atomicity, paymastering, auxiliary funds). This is the lingua franca between dapps and wallets in 2025. (eips.ethereum.org)
- ERC-7679 UserOperation Builder to avoid vendor lock-in when building 4337 UserOps across different smart-account implementations. Put encoding rules on-chain and let solvers/bundlers build generically. (eips.ethereum.org)
- ERC-7739 Readable typed signatures to stop ERC-1271 replay across smart accounts while keeping EIP-712 prompts human-readable. Use it on any contract-signed session payloads. (eips.ethereum.org)
- ERC-7710 Delegation and ERC-7715 Permissions for wallet-side session granting and revocation via JSON-RPC (wallet_grantPermissions). These are the standard hooks for session keys and AI/agent delegation. (eips.ethereum.org)
- ERC-6492 for counterfactual signature validation (pre-deploy smart accounts). Crucial if a session begins on one chain and the contract is only deployed when first used elsewhere. (eips.ethereum.org)
- ERC-7579 modules for interoperable smart-account plugins; SmartSession modules by Rhinestone/Biconomy widely used for chain-abstracted sessions. (docs.rhinestone.dev)

Intents go mainstream: ERC-7683 and the Open Intents Framework

Standardize how you express cross-chain actions
- ERC-7683 (Uniswap Labs + Across) defines a common CrossChainOrder + settlement interface so different intent systems can share the same filler/solver network. Multiple L2s and projects have adopted or aligned around it, and Vitalik publicly supported the direction. (blog.uniswap.org)
The Open Intents Framework (OIF)
- Launched in Feb 2025 with EF contributors and ~25+ projects, OIF coordinates shared infrastructure for intent execution at scale—expect it to be a backbone for cross-chain intent settlement. (coindesk.com)
Practical benefit
- If your session is bound to an ERC-7683 order, any compliant solver can compete to fulfill it cross-chain; your “session state” then maps 1:1 to the order lifecycle and its settlement proof. That keeps application state consistent even if the solver set rotates.
Performance note
- Across’s intents-powered flow routinely targets sub-3-second L2↔L2 fills for <$10k orders—handy for time-bounded sessions. Use this for UX, not for final accounting; your canonical state still lands via settlement proofs. (outposts.io)

Messaging and settlement rails you can trust (and configure)

LayerZero v2: configurable verification with DVNs
- V2 splits verification (DVNs) from execution (Executors). You can require X-of-Y-of-N DVNs to attest to the payload hash before delivery, mixing trust models (committee, ZK light client, native bridge adaptors, middlechains) and even institutional DVNs like Deutsche Telekom MMS. Tune per path and per message. (docs.layerzero.network)
- Example receive config: confirmations, requiredDVNCount=2, optionalDVNCount=4, optionalDVNThreshold=2, with Polyhedra ZK as required plus two of four optional DVNs. This “security stack” belongs to your app, not the bridge. (docs.layerzero.network)
Chainlink CCIP v1.5 + CCT
- CCIP 1.5 (mainnet) introduced the Cross-Chain Token (CCT) standard with the CCIP Token Manager (self-serve onboarding) and optional Token Developer Attestations for mint/unlock verification—useful for compliant asset flows under enterprise constraints. CCIP scaled to ~50 chains by Q1 2025 and is used as canonical infra by several networks. (blog.chain.link)
Wormhole Gateway for IBC and security posture changes
- Gateway is a Cosmos appchain that adds a sovereign verification layer to Wormhole messages and routes via IBC/ICS-20 with zero extra bridging fees; note 2025 deprecations of multiple networks by the Guardian set—monitor supported chains dynamically. (theblock.co)

What this means: for each intent you settle, record which verification stack validated the path (e.g., “DVN config v3” or “CCIP CCT with dev attestation”). Do not treat “cross-chain” as one trust model; treat it as a versioned, attestable choice you can audit later.

Finality, reorgs, and confirmation rules you must encode

Ethereum mainnet finality is ~15 minutes today; SSF research aims to push that towards seconds, but plan around 12–15 minutes for canonical finality in 2025. Tie session expiry and compensation timeouts to that reality. (ethereum.org)
L2s have multiple “views” of finality: soft (sequencer acceptance), L1 data-availability posting, and bridge finality (withdrawal windows for optimistic rollups). UX can be instant, but canonical settlement depends on which confirmation rule your contract enforces. Use liquidity networks for fast experience; settle conservatively. (galaxy.com)

Emerging research also points to “fast roots” and zk-settlement to accelerate bridge-level assurances—track OIF integrations for the safest places to enforce intent settlement in 2025–2026. (blog.ethereum.org)

Design pattern: a cross-chain “Session of Record”

Anchor every session to a single, verifiable source of truth with three layers:

Identity and scope

Use CAIP-10/2 to scope accounts to chains; for on-chain binary use, CAIP-350 interoperable addresses unify (address, chain) across namespaces. (chainagnostic.org)
For EOAs, use an EIP-7702 authorization to delegate to your “SessionExecutor” contract. Lock by chain_id where possible; use “0” only if you manage per-chain permissions via the wallet capability layer. (ethereum.org)

Session issuance and permissions

Wallet negotiation: discover capabilities with ERC-5792 wallet_getCapabilities and request scoped permissions with ERC-7715 wallet_grantPermissions. Include:
- signerTypes (key, wallet, account)
- permissionTypes (token transfer caps, target allowlists, method allowlists)
- expiry and per-chain scopes (via CAIP-25 sessionProperties/scopedProperties). (eips.ethereum.org)
Smart-account layer: install an ERC-7579-compatible SmartSession module (Rhinestone/Biconomy) to mint scoped session keys once, reusing across chains. This is production-proven and designed for cross-chain, chain-abstracted sessions. (github.com)

Attest and audit

Write an EAS attestation as the “session of record”: who (subject DID/account), what (permissions, DVN/CCIP policy, solver allowlist), where (CAIP chain set), when (expiry/nonce window), why (business purpose). Keep a revocation list and emit fulfillment attestations when an intent settles. EAS is widely deployed across mainnet and L2s with scanners and SDKs. (attest.org)

Implementation detail: sign session payloads with EIP-712, validated via ERC-1271, wrapped with ERC-7739 to prevent cross-account replay. If the account isn’t deployed yet on some destination chain, verify signatures with ERC-6492. (eips.ethereum.org)

Execution under intents: keeping session state consistent

A robust intent execution pipeline for cross-chain sessions should:

Express the action as an ERC-7683 CrossChainOrder; escrow user funds at the settlement contract and publish the order to shared filler networks. (blog.uniswap.org)
Authorize a session key (via ERC-7715) or a 7702 delegation to your SessionExecutor. Bind limits (assets, spend caps, call targets, time). (eips.ethereum.org)
Choose the messaging rail per route:
- For EVM↔EVM: LayerZero v2 with an explicit DVN stack (e.g., required ZK + 2-of-4 optional DVNs) and a preferred Executor, or CCIP 1.5 with CCT and Token Developer Attestations for assets. Record the rail and config in the fulfillment attestation. (docs.layerzero.network)
- For EVM↔Cosmos: Wormhole Gateway path with IBC translation. Watch Guardian network deprecations; block new sessions to unsupported chains. (theblock.co)
Enforce confirmation rules:
- Wait for L1-final DA posting (rollup “hard finality”) or for your bridge verification event (e.g., CCIP delivery, LZ SecurityStack quorum) before marking the session step “committed.” (docs.layerzero.network)
Publish a fulfillment EAS attestation containing:
- Order ID, solver ID, route, DVN/rail config version, source/destination tx hashes, and Merkle proofs when applicable.
- If partial failure occurs, publish a compensating attestation and trigger the Saga compensations (e.g., reverse transfer, fee refund).

Example: 24-hour cross-chain trading session with solver competition

Scenario: A fintech app wants users to authorize “auto-DCA 1,000 USDC from Base to ETH on Arbitrum every 6 hours for 1 day,” settled via a competitive solver network.

Session issuance
- App requests wallet_grantPermissions with ERC-7715 for:
  - signerType: key (session key) + wallet fallback
  - permissionTypes: erc20-transfer (USDC), call target allowlist (Across/CCIP adaptors, Uniswap/CoW settlement), per-call spend cap 250 USDC, expiry T+24h, chains: eip155:8453 (Base), eip155:42161 (Arbitrum). Wallet advertises atomic, paymaster, and auxiliaryFunds if supported. (eips.ethereum.org)
- User signs a 7702 type-4 tx authorizing SessionExecutor on chain_id=0 (global), nonce-bound. The wallet will enforce chain-specific constraints from the permission context. (ethereum.org)
- App writes an EAS “SessionOfRecord” attestation with limits, DVN policy, and solver allowlist.
Intent expression and routing
- For each DCA slice, the app posts an ERC-7683 order. Solvers compete; winning solver chooses:
  - L2 transfer via Across (fast fill) and settlement via ERC-7683 escrow; or
  - A CCIP CCT route for native tokenized USDC lanes (where available).
- On EVM↔EVM routes requiring programmable messaging, the app uses LayerZero v2 with DVN config: required ZK light client + 2-of-4 DVNs including a middlechain and a native bridge adaptor. (blog.uniswap.org)
Delivery, confirmation, and closeout
- The SessionExecutor calls Uniswap/CoW settlement on Arbitrum once the message is verified; CoW’s solver model ensures batch-optimal price. Publish fulfillment attestation with txids and DVN quorum metadata. (docs.cow.fi)
- If the route becomes unsupported (e.g., a chain is deprecated by Wormhole Guardians) the session manager blocks new orders to that chain and marks the session “degraded,” prompting the wallet to request updated permissions or a new route. (wormhole.com)
- At expiry or on revoke, submit a 7702 “reset to null address” to revoke delegation and mark the EAS session as revoked. (ethereum.org)

Operational guardrails (what teams actually enforce in prod)

Version your trust model
- Record the exact DVN quorum or CCIP/CCT policy used per message. Changes to any verifier, threshold, or chain parameter must bump the policy version appended to session attestations for forensics. (docs.layerzero.network)
Simulate like a bundler
- Enforce ERC-7562-compliant off-chain simulation for session-driven 4337 UserOps to avoid griefing. Reject sessions that can’t be deterministically simulated. (docs.erc4337.io)
Use nonces correctly
- For 7702 authorizations, the “nonce” field in the authorization tuple locks the delegation to a specific EOA nonce—this is your basic replay fence. For native AA (RIP-7560) roadmaps, track multi-dimensional nonces (RIP-7712) for parallelized agent flows. (ethereum.org)
Counterfactual wallets across chains
- Verify pre-deploy signatures with ERC-6492 so users can start sessions before their smart account is deployed on every destination chain. (eips.ethereum.org)
Attest or it didn’t happen
- Every session creation, fulfillment, and revocation should emit EAS attestations. This enables downstream compliance (e.g., CCIP Token Developer Attestations) and gives CS teams an immediate ledger to investigate disputes. (attest.org)
Watch the rails
- Monitor LayerZero Scan and CCIP Explorer (or provider APIs) to detect stuck messages, DVN unavailability, or chain deprecations (notably on Wormhole). Auto-pause sessions that route through affected paths. (docs.layerzero.network)
Keep solvers honest
- Bonded solver networks like CoW reduce griefing. Maintain allowlists aligned with ERC-7683 and OIF, and revoke on slippage violations or repeated timeouts. (docs.cow.fi)

Security pitfalls unique to cross-chain sessions (and how to fix them)

Cross-chain replay
- Even with 7702, global delegations (chain_id=0) can be replayed if your wallet-side policy is lax. Always bind sessions to explicit CAIP-2 chain lists and enforce wallet-side checks per chain; wrap signatures with ERC-7739. (ethereum.org)
Partial settlement and state skew
- Use a Saga pattern: if step N fails after step N−1 was delivered, post a compensating action on the source chain (refund/undo) and publish a compensating attestation. Avoid “ghost success” by only marking session complete after your target confirmation rule (e.g., DVN quorum verified event) fires. (docs.layerzero.network)
Liquidity vs. finality
- Fast paths (liquidity networks) improve UX but can desync accounting if the canonical settlement later differs. Separate “UX funds” from “principal funds” in your ledger, and reconcile on proof-based settlement. Across/UniswapX models with ERC-7683 help here. (blog.uniswap.org)
Decommissioned networks
- The Wormhole Guardian set deprecated multiple chains in 2025; your session router must pull supported-chain lists at runtime and block new sessions to affected networks. (wormhole.com)

Brief, in-depth: agentic execution and private orderflow

SUAVE testnets (Flashbots) introduced TEE-backed “Kettles” and EIP-712 transaction signing for offchain/private compute and MEV-aware routing—relevant if you want agents transacting under session keys with privacy. Expect rollup support and cross-chain features to expand; design your session model to allow a SUAVE runner as a permissioned delegate. (collective.flashbots.net)

Build checklist (copy/paste for teams)

Account and wallet
- Adopt ERC-5792; advertise atomic, paymaster, auxiliaryFunds; implement wallet_grantPermissions (ERC-7715).
- Support EIP-7702 type-4 transactions, with UI to revoke delegation instantly. (eips.ethereum.org)
Smart-account modules
- Install ERC-7579 SmartSession with policy engine; enable 7739 verification and 6492 for counterfactual accounts. (github.com)
Intent layer
- Express cross-chain actions via ERC-7683; join OIF-compatible filler networks; implement strict slippage/timeouts. (blog.uniswap.org)
Messaging rails
- For LZ v2, define DVN required + optional sets per path; for CCIP 1.5, use CCT and (if needed) Token Developer Attestations; for Cosmos routes, Gateway + IBC. (docs.layerzero.network)
Attestations and observability
- EAS schema: SessionOfRecord, Fulfillment, Revocation; integrate explorers (LayerZero Scan, CCIP Explorer) and alarms for stuck or reorged messages. (attest.org)
Policies and recovery
- Encode confirmation rules (L1 finality vs. bridge finality), define sagas/compensations, and keep a runtime allowlist for solvers and supported chains. (ethereum.org)

What “good” looks like in 2025 (emerging best practices)

Use 7702 for session bootstrapping from EOAs, switch to ERC-7579 SmartSessions for richer policies, and keep everything wallet-discoverable via 5792.
Publish every session lifecycle action as an EAS attestation; rely on audit trails, not screenshots.
Treat cross-chain verification like TLS ciphersuites: explicit, versioned, and testable. Record the DVN/bridge policy that validated each intent.
Standardize on ERC-7683 orders so you can tap into shared filler networks; OIF will keep reducing integration overhead from here. (coindesk.com)
Assume Ethereum finality remains ~15 minutes for the near term and code your compensation windows accordingly; don’t bank product P&L on hypothetical SSF timelines. (ethereum.org)

A closing note for decision‑makers

Cross-chain intents are finally enterprise-ready—provided your session model is explicit about identity, permissions, and settlement. If you anchor sessions with EAS, negotiate capabilities with 5792/7715, execute via ERC-7683 on configurable rails (LZ v2 DVNs, CCIP 1.5/CCT, or IBC via Gateway), and codify confirmation rules and compensations, you’ll deliver Web2-grade UX with verifiable Web3 guarantees.

If you want a reference architecture and threat model tailored to your stack, 7Block Labs can help you stand up a production-ready pilot in 4–6 weeks, including wallet UX, solver policy, attestation schemas, and rail configuration.