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eth_newFilter - Gnosis RPC Method

Create an event log filter on Gnosis. Essential for event monitoring, contract activity tracking, and DeFi event streaming for prediction markets (largest by market cap), Safe wallet infrastructure, CoW Protocol DEX, and Gnosis Pay card integration.

Creates a filter object on Gnosis based on the given filter options, to notify when the state changes (new logs). The filter monitors for log entries that match the specified criteria — contract addresses, topics, and block ranges. Use eth_getFilterChanges to poll for new matching logs or eth_getFilterLogs to retrieve all matching logs at once.

Why Gnosis? Build on the prediction market pioneer with $260M+ TVL and xDAI stablecoin-based gas fees with stablecoin gas fees for predictable costs, Shutter MEV protection, 150K+ Safe wallets, and Circles decentralized UBI protocol.

When to Use This Method

eth_newFilter is essential for prediction market builders, DAO tooling developers, and teams building MEV-protected applications:

  • Event Monitoring — Subscribe to specific contract events on Gnosis such as token transfers, approvals, or governance votes
  • Contract Activity Tracking — Watch one or multiple contracts for any emitted events relevant to prediction markets (largest by market cap), Safe wallet infrastructure, CoW Protocol DEX, and Gnosis Pay card integration
  • DeFi Event Streaming — Monitor swap events, liquidity changes, or oracle price updates in real time
  • Incremental Indexing — Build event indexes by creating a filter and polling with eth_getFilterChanges for only new logs

Code Examples

Common Use Cases

1. ERC-20 Token Transfer Monitor

Watch for all transfers of a specific token on Gnosis:

JavaScript
async function monitorTokenTransfers(provider, tokenAddress) {
  // keccak256('Transfer(address,address,uint256)')
  const transferTopic = '0xddf252ad1be2c89b69c2b068fc378daa952ba7f163c4a11628f55a4df523b3ef';

  const filterId = await provider.send('eth_newFilter', [{
    fromBlock: 'latest',
    address: tokenAddress,
    topics: [transferTopic]
  }]);

  console.log(`Monitoring ${tokenAddress} transfers...`);

  setInterval(async () => {
    try {
      const logs = await provider.send('eth_getFilterChanges', [filterId]);

      for (const log of logs) {
        const from = '0x' + log.topics[1].slice(26);
        const to = '0x' + log.topics[2].slice(26);
        const value = BigInt(log.data);

        console.log(`Transfer: ${from} -> ${to} (${value})`);
      }
    } catch (error) {
      if (error.message.includes('filter not found')) {
        console.log('Filter expired — application should recreate');
      }
    }
  }, 3000);

  return filterId;
}

2. Multi-Event DeFi Monitor

Track multiple event types across DEX contracts:

JavaScript
async function monitorDeFiEvents(provider, dexRouterAddress) {
  // Watch for Swap and LiquidityAdded events
  const swapTopic = '0xd78ad95fa46c994b6551d0da85fc275fe613ce37657fb8d5e3d130840159d822';
  const syncTopic = '0x1c411e9a96e071241c2f21f7726b17ae89e3cab4c78be50e062b03a9fffbbad1';

  const filterId = await provider.send('eth_newFilter', [{
    fromBlock: 'latest',
    address: dexRouterAddress,
    topics: [[swapTopic, syncTopic]]  // OR matching — either event type
  }]);

  setInterval(async () => {
    const logs = await provider.send('eth_getFilterChanges', [filterId]);

    for (const log of logs) {
      const eventType = log.topics[0] === swapTopic ? 'SWAP' : 'SYNC';
      console.log(`${eventType} at block ${parseInt(log.blockNumber, 16)}`);
    }
  }, 2000);

  return filterId;
}

3. Filter Lifecycle Manager

Manage filter creation, polling, and cleanup with automatic renewal:

JavaScript
class FilterManager {
  constructor(provider) {
    this.provider = provider;
    this.filters = new Map();
  }

  async createFilter(name, filterParams, callback) {
    const filterId = await this.provider.send('eth_newFilter', [filterParams]);

    const filter = {
      id: filterId,
      params: filterParams,
      callback,
      interval: setInterval(() => this.poll(name), 3000),
      lastPoll: Date.now()
    };

    this.filters.set(name, filter);
    console.log(`Filter "${name}" created: ${filterId}`);
    return filterId;
  }

  async poll(name) {
    const filter = this.filters.get(name);
    if (!filter) return;

    try {
      const logs = await this.provider.send('eth_getFilterChanges', [filter.id]);
      filter.lastPoll = Date.now();

      if (logs.length > 0) {
        await filter.callback(logs);
      }
    } catch (error) {
      if (error.message.includes('filter not found')) {
        console.log(`Filter "${name}" expired — recreating...`);
        const newId = await this.provider.send('eth_newFilter', [filter.params]);
        filter.id = newId;
      }
    }
  }

  async removeFilter(name) {
    const filter = this.filters.get(name);
    if (!filter) return;

    clearInterval(filter.interval);
    await this.provider.send('eth_uninstallFilter', [filter.id]);
    this.filters.delete(name);
    console.log(`Filter "${name}" removed`);
  }

  async removeAll() {
    for (const name of this.filters.keys()) {
      await this.removeFilter(name);
    }
  }
}

// Usage
const manager = new FilterManager(provider);

await manager.createFilter('transfers', {
  fromBlock: 'latest',
  address: '0xe91D153E0b41518A2Ce8Dd3D7944Fa863463a97d',
  topics: ['0xddf252ad1be2c89b69c2b068fc378daa952ba7f163c4a11628f55a4df523b3ef']
}, (logs) => {
  console.log(`${logs.length} new transfer events`);
});

Error Handling

Common errors and solutions:

Error CodeDescriptionSolution
-32000Filter block range too largeReduce the range between fromBlock and toBlock
-32000Too many topicsLimit topics array to 4 entries maximum
-32602Invalid paramsVerify address format (0x-prefixed, 20 bytes) and topic format (0x-prefixed, 32 bytes)
-32603Internal errorNode may be overloaded — retry with exponential backoff
-32005Rate limit exceededReduce filter creation frequency
JavaScript
async function createFilterSafely(provider, params, maxRetries = 3) {
  for (let i = 0; i < maxRetries; i++) {
    try {
      const filterId = await provider.send('eth_newFilter', [params]);
      return filterId;
    } catch (error) {
      if (error.message.includes('block range too large')) {
        // Narrow the range — split in half
        const from = parseInt(params.fromBlock, 16);
        const to = parseInt(params.toBlock, 16);
        const mid = Math.floor((from + to) / 2);
        console.warn(`Block range too large — splitting at ${mid}`);
        throw new Error(`Split needed: ${from}-${mid} and ${mid + 1}-${to}`);
      }
      if (error.code === -32005 && i < maxRetries - 1) {
        const delay = Math.pow(2, i) * 1000;
        await new Promise(r => setTimeout(r, delay));
      } else {
        throw error;
      }
    }
  }
}