Terminal Addresses
A terminal address is a node where the trace stopped following the flow of funds. Every trace produces at least one terminal address — the point where the algorithm reached the edge of what it can follow.
Terminals are not errors. They are the natural endpoints of a trace, and what type of address a terminal is tells you where the funds went.
Why a Node Becomes Terminal
A node is marked as terminal when one of the following conditions is true:
- The trace reached its configured hop depth at that address
- The address was identified as a known exchange, bridge, or privacy protocol — the trace stops at these by design
- The address had no further relevant outgoing transactions within the trace scope
- The address was already encountered earlier in the trace — following it again would create a loop
- A processing issue prevented the trace from continuing past this address
Each terminal carries a reason code identifying which condition applied. See Terminal Reasons Explained for the full reference.
Node Types That Commonly Appear as Terminals
| Type | Why It Often Terminates |
|---|---|
| Exchange | Deposits commingle funds with other users — the individual trail ends here |
| Bridge | Funds leave the Ethereum network — the trace cannot follow across chains |
| Mixer | Privacy protocols break the on-chain link between sender and receiver |
| Unknown / Contract | No further matching outgoing activity, or depth limit reached |
Inspecting a Terminal Address
Click any terminal node on the Bubble Map to open the inspector panel. For terminal nodes, the panel shows:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Address | Full address with copy button |
| Type | What kind of address this is |
| Depth | How many hops from the starting address |
| Inflow | Total value received at this address within the trace |
| Outflow | Total value sent from this address within the trace |
| Transaction count | Number of transactions involving this address in the trace |
| Terminal reason | Why the trace stopped here |
Depth Badge
The D badge shows how many hops a terminal address is from your starting address. D0 is the starting address itself, D1 is one hop out, D3 is three hops out, and so on.
Depth does not indicate significance. A high-value exchange destination at D1 can be just as important as an address deeper in the graph.