Docs

eth_getFilterChanges - World Chain RPC Method

Poll a filter for new results since the last poll on World Chain. Essential for event streaming, real-time monitoring, and efficient log indexing for human-verified DeFi, identity-gated applications, bot-resistant services.

Polls a filter on World Chain 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 World Chain? Build on the human-first Ethereum L2 powered by World ID with World ID integration for free gas and priority blockspace.

When to Use This Method

eth_getFilterChanges is essential for World Chain developers building sybil-resistant applications:

  • Event Streaming — Incrementally consume new contract events without re-fetching the entire log history on World Chain
  • Real-Time Monitoring — Track contract activity, token transfers, or governance votes for human-verified DeFi, identity-gated applications, bot-resistant services
  • 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

Code Examples

Common Use Cases

1. Real-Time Token Transfer Monitor

Stream ERC-20 transfer events on World Chain:

JavaScript
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 CodeDescriptionSolution
-32000Filter not foundFilter expired or was uninstalled — recreate with eth_newFilter
-32600Invalid requestVerify the filter ID is correctly formatted as a hex string
-32603Internal errorNode may be overloaded — retry with exponential backoff
-32005Rate limit exceededReduce 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));
  }
}