eth_getFilterChanges | Unichain RPC Docs

Poll a filter for new results since the last poll on Unichain. Essential for event streaming, real-time monitoring, and efficient log indexing for decentralized exchanges, liquidity protocols, and MEV-protected DeFi applications.

Polls a filter on Unichain and returns an array of changes (logs, block hashes, or transaction hashes) that have occurred since the last poll. The return type depends on the filter that was created — log filters return log objects, block filters return block hashes, and pending transaction filters return transaction hashes.

Why Unichain? Build on Uniswap's DeFi-optimized Superchain L2 with 250ms sub-blocks and 95% lower costs than Ethereum with 250ms sub-blocks (fastest L2), TEE-secured block building, native Superchain interoperability, and 65% revenue to validators.

When to Use This Method

eth_getFilterChanges is essential for DeFi developers, liquidity protocol builders, and teams building on the Optimism Superchain:

Event Streaming — Incrementally consume new contract events without re-fetching the entire log history on Unichain
Real-Time Monitoring — Track contract activity, token transfers, or governance votes for decentralized exchanges, liquidity protocols, and MEV-protected DeFi applications
Efficient Log Indexing — Process only new events since your last poll, minimizing bandwidth and compute overhead
Block & Transaction Tracking — When used with block or pending-transaction filters, detect new blocks or mempool activity in real time

async function monitorTransfers(provider, tokenAddress) {
  // Transfer event topic: keccak256('Transfer(address,address,uint256)')
  const transferTopic = '0xddf252ad1be2c89b69c2b068fc378daa952ba7f163c4a11628f55a4df523b3ef';

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

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

  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 — recreating...');
        // Filters expire after ~5 minutes of inactivity on most nodes
      }
    }
  }, 3000);
}

2. Multi-Contract Event Aggregator

Monitor events across multiple contracts simultaneously:

JavaScript

async function aggregateEvents(provider, contracts) {
  const filterId = await provider.send('eth_newFilter', [{
    fromBlock: 'latest',
    address: contracts  // Array of contract addresses
  }]);

  const eventBuffer = [];
  let pollCount = 0;

  const interval = setInterval(async () => {
    const changes = await provider.send('eth_getFilterChanges', [filterId]);
    pollCount++;

    if (changes.length > 0) {
      eventBuffer.push(...changes);
      console.log(`Poll #${pollCount}: ${changes.length} new events (total: ${eventBuffer.length})`);

      // Process in batches
      if (eventBuffer.length >= 50) {
        await processBatch(eventBuffer.splice(0, 50));
      }
    }
  }, 2000);

  return { filterId, stop: () => clearInterval(interval) };
}

3. Block-Aware Event Processor with Reorg Handling

Detect chain reorganizations by checking the removed flag:

JavaScript

async function safeEventProcessor(provider, filterParams) {
  const filterId = await provider.send('eth_newFilter', [filterParams]);
  const processedEvents = new Map();

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

    for (const log of changes) {
      const eventKey = `${log.transactionHash}-${log.logIndex}`;

      if (log.removed) {
        // Chain reorganization — undo previously processed event
        console.warn(`Reorg detected: removing event ${eventKey}`);
        processedEvents.delete(eventKey);
        await rollbackEvent(log);
      } else {
        processedEvents.set(eventKey, log);
        await processEvent(log);
      }
    }
  }, 2000);
}

Error Handling

Common errors and solutions:

Error Code	Description	Solution
-32000	Filter not found	Filter expired or was uninstalled — recreate with `eth_newFilter`
-32600	Invalid request	Verify the filter ID is correctly formatted as a hex string
-32603	Internal error	Node may be overloaded — retry with exponential backoff
-32005	Rate limit exceeded	Reduce polling frequency or implement client-side rate limiting

JavaScript

async function resilientPoll(provider, filterId, createFilter, interval = 2000) {
  let currentFilterId = filterId;
  let retries = 0;

  while (true) {
    try {
      const changes = await provider.send('eth_getFilterChanges', [currentFilterId]);
      retries = 0;

      if (changes.length > 0) {
        return changes;
      }
    } catch (error) {
      if (error.message.includes('filter not found')) {
        console.log('Filter expired — recreating...');
        currentFilterId = await createFilter();
      } else if (error.code === -32005) {
        const delay = Math.pow(2, retries) * 1000;
        retries++;
        await new Promise(r => setTimeout(r, delay));
      } else {
        throw error;
      }
    }
    await new Promise(r => setTimeout(r, interval));
  }
}

eth_newFilter — Create a log/event filter to poll with this method
eth_newBlockFilter — Create a block filter for new block notifications
eth_getFilterLogs — Get all logs matching a filter (full history, not incremental)
eth_uninstallFilter — Remove a filter when no longer needed
eth_getLogs — Query logs directly without creating a filter

eth_getFilterChanges - Unichain RPC Method

When to Use This Method

Code Examples

Common Use Cases

1. Real-Time Token Transfer Monitor

2. Multi-Contract Event Aggregator

3. Block-Aware Event Processor with Reorg Handling

Error Handling

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