Trace Configuration
What this is
Trace configuration is the short form you fill in before Wallet Tracer runs. It tells Cognivo which wallet to start from, which chain that wallet is on, which way to follow the money, and how far to keep following it.
Nothing is traced until you press the button. You can change every option and start again.
When to use it
Use it when you have an address and a question like "where did the money go after this wallet", "where did this wallet get funded from", or "who is this wallet actually connected to". The settings you choose decide how much of that trail you see.
Where to find it
In the dApp, open Wallet Tracer in the left sidebar under INTELLIGENCE. The Start a Trace card is at the top of the page.
- Pick Outgoing under Trace Direction to follow money leaving the wallet, Incoming to see where it arrived from, or Both.
- Set Max hops to say how far along the trail to follow, with 2, 3 or 5 hops to choose from and 3 hops marked Recommended.
- Choose the chain the wallet is on, because the trace only covers the chain you select here.
What each option means
Wallet Address takes a 42 character address starting with 0x. Upper case and lower case both work, and the address does not need to be checksummed. A contract address is a valid starting point too. If the format is wrong, the field tells you and the trace does not start.
Trace Direction decides which way the trail runs.
| Direction | What it follows |
|---|---|
| Outgoing | Funds leaving the wallet, so where the money went |
| Incoming | Funds arriving at the wallet, so where the money came from |
| Both | Both directions together, for the widest picture |
Max hops is how many wallet to wallet transfers Cognivo will follow away from the starting address. The dApp describes them as a quick scan at 2 hops, balanced depth at 3 hops, which is the recommended setting, and a deeper, more comprehensive trace at 5 hops. More hops means more of the surrounding network and a busier map that takes longer to build.
Chain is the network the wallet lives on. You can pick Ethereum, Base, BNB Chain or Robinhood Chain. On Robinhood Chain, Cognivo follows the money using receipts and transfers, but the full step by step call tree is not available, because the public Robinhood network does not offer one. A trace only covers the chain you choose, so if you pick the wrong one the result can look almost empty even when the wallet is busy elsewhere.
What to expect back
When the trace starts you are taken to the trace page, where the map builds as results arrive. Alongside it you get the Journey, Terminals, Flow Paths and Lifespan tabs, which show the same trail in different forms. Most traces take from a few seconds to about a minute, depending on how active the wallet is.
A small or empty result is not proof that a wallet is quiet. It means Cognivo found nothing to follow within the direction, depth and chain you set. Widening the direction to Both, raising the hops, or switching to the chain the activity actually happened on will often change the answer. Where Cognivo cannot go any further along a trail, it says so on the trace page rather than guessing.
Cost and confirmation
The Start a Trace card shows a chip with the free traces you have left for the day. Every account also gets 5 free credits a day, and they reset at midnight UTC.
Direction and depth are fixed once a trace is created. To change them, start a new trace.
If Cognivo ever needs credits for a run, it quotes the number first and shows a button naming that exact amount. Nothing is charged until you press it, and nothing is charged if you cancel or if no result comes back. This matters most when you arrive from Cognivo Chat, where the configuration screen opens with the address already filled in. Your chat may have already covered the work, so Cognivo asks again rather than charging twice.