> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.gauntlet.xyz/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Aera V3 Cross-Chain

> How Aera V3 enables multichain deposits and cross-chain yield deployment

Gauntlet vaults support two distinct cross-chain capabilities:

* **Multichain deposit** -- depositors enter from any supported chain, and capital pools into a single vault. Depositors on every chain receive the same yield regardless of where they deposited.
* **Cross-chain yield deployment** -- the guardian bridges pooled capital to destination chains to access yield opportunities wherever they exist.

These capabilities can be used independently or together. A vault like gtUSDa uses both: depositors enter from multiple chains, and the guardian deploys that pooled capital across chains to optimize yield.

## Multichain Deposit

Some vaults accept deposits on multiple chains simultaneously. Each supported chain has its own `Provisioner` contract that handles local deposits and share accounting. Capital from all chains pools into a single vault, and all depositors -- regardless of which chain they deposited on -- share the same yield.

This is how products like gtUSDa work: a depositor on Arbitrum and a depositor on Ethereum both hold shares in the same vault and earn the same returns. The Provisioner on each chain handles the local deposit experience natively -- depositors interact with contracts on their own chain and pay gas in their chain's native token.

The guardian coordinates capital flows between chains to ensure the vault's total assets are accurately accounted for across all Provisioner instances. Share pricing reflects the aggregate value of all assets held across all chains.

## Cross-Chain Yield Deployment

Independently of where deposits originate, the guardian can bridge vault capital to destination chains to execute DeFi strategies. Rather than requiring separate vaults on each chain, the Aera V3 protocol uses a provisioner model that coordinates capital movement between a vault's home chain and destination chains. This enables a single vault to hold assets on Ethereum while executing strategies on Arbitrum, Base, Optimism, or other supported networks -- all managed by the same guardian and governed by the same on-chain constraints.

Cross-chain operations add complexity to vault management, but the Aera V3 architecture abstracts most of this complexity into the provisioner and bridging layer, keeping the core vault contracts and guardian model consistent across single-chain and multi-chain deployments.

## Provisioner Model

The `Provisioner` contract is the entry point for depositors in multi-depositor vaults and the coordinator for cross-chain capital flows. It sits between depositors and the underlying vault, managing share accounting, deposit/redeem requests, and cross-chain entry and exit flows.

Provisioners support two interaction models:

**Synchronous deposits.** Depositors call `deposit` or `mint` directly on the Provisioner to receive vault units immediately. The Provisioner calculates the exchange rate using the `OracleRegistry` and mints units to the depositor.

**Asynchronous requests.** Depositors call `requestDeposit` or `requestRedeem` to place an order. A solver (typically operated by the guardian) fulfills these requests in a later transaction, delivering vault units or underlying assets directly to the depositor's wallet. This async model is essential for cross-chain operations where bridging introduces latency.

For multi-depositor vaults, the Provisioner manages the full lifecycle of vault units -- minting on deposit, burning on redemption, and tracking the total unit supply for fee and pricing calculations.

## CCTP Integration

Cross-chain asset transfers in Gauntlet vaults use Circle's Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol (CCTP) for bridging USDC and other supported stablecoins between chains. CCTP provides native burn-and-mint bridging, meaning assets are burned on the source chain and natively minted on the destination chain -- there are no wrapped or synthetic tokens involved.

CCTP integration fits into the guardian operation model naturally: the guardian submits a bridge operation as part of a normal operation batch, the operation hooks validate the bridge parameters against the Merkle tree, and the CCTP bridge executes the cross-chain transfer. The guardian then submits operations on the destination chain to deploy the bridged capital into DeFi strategies.

## Entry and Exit Flows

Cross-chain vault operations follow structured entry and exit flows that coordinate between the home chain (where the vault and provisioner live) and destination chains (where DeFi strategies execute).

**Entry flow (deposit and deploy):**

1. A depositor deposits assets into the Provisioner on the home chain
2. The Provisioner mints vault units and makes assets available to the vault
3. The guardian submits a bridge operation to transfer assets to the destination chain via CCTP
4. On the destination chain, the guardian submits strategy operations to deploy capital into DeFi protocols

**Exit flow (withdraw and bridge back):**

1. The guardian submits operations on the destination chain to withdraw capital from DeFi protocols
2. The guardian bridges assets back to the home chain via CCTP
3. On the home chain, the vault holds the returned assets
4. Depositors redeem vault units through the Provisioner to receive underlying assets

For asynchronous redemptions, the depositor submits a `requestRedeem` and the solver fulfills the request after the guardian has completed the exit flow and assets are available on the home chain.

## Supported Chains

Gauntlet vaults operate across multiple EVM-compatible chains. The Aera V3 contracts are deployed on Ethereum, Arbitrum, Base, Optimism, Polygon, and Avalanche, with the same contract architecture and guardian model on each chain. A vault's home chain is where the primary vault and provisioner contracts live, and the guardian can bridge capital to any supported destination chain.

Gauntlet also operates vaults on Solana through [GLAM](https://glam.systems/) (Gateway to Liquidity Asset Management), which provides SVM-native vault infrastructure. Solana strategies -- [Kamino](/guides/concepts/supported-protocols/kamino) lending and liquidity -- are managed under the same Gauntlet curation framework. Cross-chain provisioning enables EVM-based vaults to allocate capital to Solana strategies without requiring depositors to interact with Solana directly.

The `BaseVault` contract can also be deployed as a sub-vault on a destination chain when a direct deposit/withdraw interface is not needed. In this configuration, the sub-vault on the destination chain handles local DeFi interactions while the home chain vault and provisioner manage the depositor-facing interface and cross-chain coordination.

## Related Pages

* [Aera V3 Overview](/guides/concepts/supported-protocols/aera-v3/overview) -- Protocol architecture and contract overview
* [Vault Types](/guides/concepts/vault-types) -- How cross-chain works with single and multi-depositor vaults
* [Curation](/guides/concepts/curation) -- How Gauntlet manages cross-chain vault strategies
* [Security](/guides/concepts/security) -- Trust assumptions for cross-chain operations