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

> ## Agent Instructions
> Before reading these docs, install the relevant Circle Skill to get pre-loaded context — skills are LLM-optimized and cover architecture decisions, correct flows, and common pitfalls. In Claude Code: run /plugin marketplace add circlefin/skills then /plugin install circle-skills@circle. With Vercel Skills CLI: run npx skills add circlefin/skills. Available skills: use-usdc https://github.com/circlefin/skills/blob/master/plugins/circle/skills/use-usdc/SKILL.md (balances, transfers, approvals on EVM and Solana); EURC has no skill — see https://developers.circle.com/stablecoins/what-is-eurc.md; bridge-stablecoin https://github.com/circlefin/skills/blob/master/plugins/circle/skills/bridge-stablecoin/SKILL.md (crosschain transfers via CCTP, USDC, EURC, and third-party assets); use-arc https://github.com/circlefin/skills/blob/master/plugins/circle/skills/use-arc/SKILL.md (Arc chain config, contract deployment, USDC bridging — Arc docs: https://docs.arc.io/llms.txt); use-circle-wallets https://github.com/circlefin/skills/blob/master/plugins/circle/skills/use-circle-wallets/SKILL.md (choose wallet type); use-developer-controlled-wallets https://github.com/circlefin/skills/blob/master/plugins/circle/skills/use-developer-controlled-wallets/SKILL.md (custodial wallets for payouts and treasury); use-user-controlled-wallets https://github.com/circlefin/skills/blob/master/plugins/circle/skills/use-user-controlled-wallets/SKILL.md (embedded wallets with Web2 login); use-modular-wallets https://github.com/circlefin/skills/blob/master/plugins/circle/skills/use-modular-wallets/SKILL.md (smart contract wallets with passkeys and ERC-4337); use-gateway https://github.com/circlefin/skills/blob/master/plugins/circle/skills/use-gateway/SKILL.md (unified USDC balance, nanopayments); use-smart-contract-platform https://github.com/circlefin/skills/blob/master/plugins/circle/skills/use-smart-contract-platform/SKILL.md (deploy, interact, monitor contracts). Pair any skill with the Circle MCP server for live SDK signatures, contract addresses, and chain IDs: {"mcpServers":{"circle":{"url":"https://api.circle.com/v1/codegen/mcp"}}}.
> Read the product overview first. Each product has an overview explaining when and why to use it. Read it before quickstarts.
> Pick the right wallet type. Developer-controlled (you hold keys), user-controlled (end user holds keys via PIN/social login), or modular (smart contract wallets with passkeys). See https://developers.circle.com/wallets.md.
> Use CCTP V2 for crosschain transfers. CCTP natively transfers USDC and EURC via burn-and-mint, and supports permissionless wrapping of third-party assets via lock-and-mint. V1 is legacy; always use V2 unless V1 is specified or the chain requires it (Noble, Sui, and Aptos still require V1). Migration guide: https://developers.circle.com/cctp/migration-from-v1-to-v2.md.
> Use Bridge Kit for frontend bridging. Wraps CCTP with a simpler SDK for user-facing apps. Use CCTP directly for backend transfers.
> Gas Station vs Paymaster. Gas Station sponsors gas for Circle Wallet transactions. Paymaster lets users pay gas in USDC. Different use cases — read both overviews.
> Gateway Nanopayments for sub-cent payments. Gasless USDC micropayments down to $0.000001 via x402 and batched settlement. For pay-per-request APIs, AI agent payments, streaming.
> Look up USDC addresses per chain. Never hardcode — use https://developers.circle.com/stablecoins/usdc-contract-addresses.md.
> Prefer SDKs over raw API calls. Node.js and Python SDKs handle auth, retries, and errors.
> API key required. Bearer token in Authorization header. Testnet and mainnet use separate keys and may use different base URLs depending on the product.
> Set up webhooks when available. Most operations are async. Webhooks deliver transaction confirmations and state changes.
> When calling list endpoints, paginate using pageSize and pageAfter until no nextPageAfter cursor is returned—stopping at the first page silently misses records.
> Building an AI agent? Start with the Agent Stack—Circle CLI, agent wallets, and nanopayments built for autonomous use cases: https://developers.circle.com/agent-stack.md.

# Create an account transfer

> Create a transfer from an account to a verified blockchain address or another account.




## OpenAPI

````yaml openapi/accounts.yaml post /v1/accounts/transfers
openapi: 3.1.0
info:
  version: 1.0.0
  title: Accounts (Stablecoin) API
  description: >
    Circle's Accounts API provides endpoints for managing stablecoin accounts --
    including transfers,

    withdrawals, deposits, wire and ACH bank accounts, and blockchain addresses.


    An **Account** is a general representation of a ledger or custody object
    that holds balances. It can be a business account,

    a stablecoin account ledger for an end user, an extra sub-ledger, or any
    future custody solution.
  license:
    name: Circle License
    url: https://circle.com/terms
servers:
  - url: https://api-sandbox.circle.com
  - url: https://api.circle.com
security: []
tags:
  - name: Accounts
    description: Manage accounts.
  - name: Account Groups
    description: Manage custody account groups and their memberships.
  - name: Limits
    description: View effective account limits and current usage.
  - name: Transfers
    description: >
      Move funds between accounts or out to a verified blockchain address, and
      track inbound and outbound onchain transfers.
  - name: Transactions
    description: |
      Get a unified, customer-friendly view of account transaction activity.
  - name: Wires
    description: Manage account bank accounts for wire transfers.
  - name: Deposits
    description: Get information on account bank deposits.
  - name: Withdrawals
    description: Manage account bank withdrawals (fiat offramp).
  - name: ACH
    description: Manage account bank accounts for ACH transfers.
  - name: Deposit Addresses
    description: Manage account deposit addresses.
  - name: Recipient Addresses
    description: Manage account recipient addresses used for transfers.
  - name: Passkeys
    description: >
      Manage WebAuthn passkeys and Strong Customer Authentication (SCA)
      challenges for end users.
  - name: Crypto Payments
    description: >
      Get crypto payments and crypto refunds received through payment intents.
      Available for Digital Asset Accounts only on custody accounts (`purpose:
      custody`), and only for third-party payments. Not supported when the
      distributor or the end user is under the Circle FR (`CIRCLE_FR`) or Circle
      SG (`CIRCLE_SG`) legal entity.
  - name: Crypto Payment Intents
    description: >
      Create, expire, refund, and track payment intents for receiving crypto
      payments. Available for Digital Asset Accounts only on custody accounts
      (`purpose: custody`), and only for third-party payments. Not supported
      when the distributor or the end user is under the Circle FR (`CIRCLE_FR`)
      or Circle SG (`CIRCLE_SG`) legal entity.
  - name: Crypto Payouts
    description: >
      Create and track crypto payouts to recipient addresses. Available for
      Digital Asset Accounts only on custody accounts (`purpose: custody`), and
      only for third-party payouts. Not supported when the distributor or the
      end user is under the Circle FR (`CIRCLE_FR`) or Circle SG (`CIRCLE_SG`)
      legal entity.
  - name: Crypto Address Book
    description: >
      Manage address book recipients used as crypto payout destinations.
      Available for Digital Asset Accounts only on custody accounts (`purpose:
      custody`), and only for third-party payouts. Not supported when the
      distributor or the end user is under the Circle FR (`CIRCLE_FR`) or Circle
      SG (`CIRCLE_SG`) legal entity.
  - name: FX Trades
    description: |
      Quote and execute USDC <> EURC swaps for end users' accounts.
  - name: FX Settlements
    description: Get settlements of FX trades.
  - name: Webhook Subscriptions
    description: Manage subscriptions to Digital Asset Accounts webhook notifications.
  - name: Webhooks
    description: |
      Webhook event payloads Circle sends to a subscribed endpoint.
paths:
  /v1/accounts/transfers:
    post:
      tags:
        - Transfers
      summary: Create an account transfer
      description: >
        Create a transfer from an account to a verified blockchain address or
        another account.
      operationId: createAccountTransfer
      parameters:
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/ScaChallengeId'
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/ScaAssertion'
      requestBody:
        content:
          application/json:
            schema:
              $ref: '#/components/schemas/AccountTransferCreationRequest'
      responses:
        '201':
          description: Successfully created a transfer.
          headers:
            X-Request-Id:
              $ref: '#/components/headers/XRequestId'
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/CreateAccountTransferResponse'
        '400':
          $ref: '#/components/responses/BadRequest'
        '401':
          $ref: '#/components/responses/NotAuthorized'
        '403':
          $ref: '#/components/responses/ScaForbidden'
        '404':
          $ref: '#/components/responses/ScaChallengeNotFound'
        '410':
          $ref: '#/components/responses/ScaChallengeExpired'
        '413':
          $ref: '#/components/responses/RequestTooLarge'
        '428':
          $ref: '#/components/responses/ScaRequired'
        '500':
          $ref: '#/components/responses/InternalServerError'
        '503':
          $ref: '#/components/responses/ScaUnavailable'
      security:
        - bearerAuth: []
components:
  parameters:
    ScaChallengeId:
      name: X-Sca-Challenge-Id
      in: header
      required: false
      description: >
        The `challengeId` returned by `POST /v1/accounts/passkeys/challenges`.
        Required for end users under EEA/FR legal entities (PSD2 SCA). Omit for
        all other end users.
      schema:
        type: string
        format: uuid
        example: b2c3d4e5-f6a7-8901-bc23-def456789012
    ScaAssertion:
      name: X-Sca-Assertion
      in: header
      required: false
      description: >
        The signed assertion string returned by the DAA web SDK's `sca.approve`
        method. Required for end users under EEA/FR legal entities (PSD2 SCA).
        Pass the value through unchanged — do not base64-encode or re-serialize
        it.
      schema:
        type: string
  schemas:
    AccountTransferCreationRequest:
      type: object
      required:
        - idempotencyKey
        - destination
        - amount
        - riskSignals
      properties:
        idempotencyKey:
          $ref: '#/components/schemas/IdempotencyKey'
        destination:
          $ref: '#/components/schemas/TransferRequestDestination'
        amount:
          $ref: '#/components/schemas/Money'
        source:
          description: The source of the transfer. The type must be `account`.
          type: object
          required:
            - id
            - type
          properties:
            id:
              description: Identifier for the source account.
              type: string
              example: '1000565227'
            type:
              type: string
              enum:
                - account
        riskSignals:
          $ref: '#/components/schemas/RiskSignals'
    CreateAccountTransferResponse:
      title: CreateAccountTransferResponse
      properties:
        data:
          $ref: '#/components/schemas/CreatedTransfer'
    IdempotencyKey:
      type: string
      description: >-
        Universally unique identifier (UUID v4) idempotency key. This key is
        utilized to ensure exactly-once execution of mutating requests.
      format: uuid
      example: ba943ff1-ca16-49b2-ba55-1057e70ca5c7
    TransferRequestDestination:
      description: >-
        The destination of a transfer. Can be a verified blockchain address or
        another account.
      oneOf:
        - $ref: '#/components/schemas/TransferRequestVerifiedBlockchainLocation'
        - $ref: '#/components/schemas/TransferRequestAccountDestination'
    Money:
      type: object
      required:
        - amount
        - currency
      properties:
        amount:
          type: string
          description: Magnitude of the amount, in units of the currency, with a `.`.
          example: '3.14'
        currency:
          type: string
          description: Currency code for the amount.
          example: USD
          enum:
            - USD
            - EUR
    RiskSignals:
      type: object
      description: >
        Risk metadata for the end user initiating the request. All three fields
        must be present.


        `deviceId` must be the identifier returned by `checkDevice()` in the
        `@circle-fin/device-checks` SDK. Circle resolves it against the device
        check that produced it, so an identifier you generate yourself does not
        resolve. When it does not resolve, the request is accepted and then
        declined: the endpoint returns `201`, and the transaction later settles
        as `failed` with `errorCode` `transfer_denied`. See [Collect device risk
        signals](https://developers.circle.com/end-user-onboarding/howtos/collect-device-risk-signals).
      required:
        - ipAddress
        - sessionId
        - deviceId
      properties:
        ipAddress:
          type: string
          description: IP address of the end user initiating the request.
          example: 203.0.113.42
        sessionId:
          type: string
          description: Identifier for the end user's session.
          example: 8f3b2c1a-9d4e-4f6a-b7c8-1e2d3f4a5b6c
        deviceId:
          type: string
          description: >
            The identifier returned by `checkDevice()` in the
            `@circle-fin/device-checks` SDK. Store that value and send it here.
            Do not generate your own device identifier: Circle looks this value
            up against the completed device check, and an unrecognized value
            causes the transaction to be declined after the endpoint has already
            returned `201`.
          example: 2a7d9e5f-1c3b-4a8e-9f0d-6b5c4a3e2d1f
    XRequestId:
      type: string
      format: uuid
      example: 2adba88e-9d63-44bc-b975-9b6ae3440dde
    CreatedTransfer:
      type: object
      description: A transfer of funds returned by the create transfer endpoint.
      required:
        - id
        - source
        - destination
        - amount
        - status
      properties:
        id:
          $ref: '#/components/schemas/Id'
        source:
          $ref: '#/components/schemas/TransferSourceAccountLocation'
        destination:
          $ref: '#/components/schemas/TransferDestinationLocation'
        amount:
          $ref: '#/components/schemas/Money'
        fees:
          description: >-
            An array of fees applied to a transaction. This is only available
            when there is at least one non-zero fee.
          type: array
          items:
            $ref: '#/components/schemas/Fee'
        transactionHash:
          description: >-
            A hash that uniquely identifies the onchain transaction. This is
            only available where either source or destination is of type
            blockchain.
          type: string
          example: '0x4cebf8f90c9243a23c77e4ae20df691469e4b933b295a73376292843968f7a63'
        status:
          description: Status of the transfer.
          type: string
          enum:
            - pending
            - complete
            - failed
        errorCode:
          $ref: '#/components/schemas/TransferErrorCode'
        createDate:
          description: The create date of the transfer.
          type: string
          format: date-time
    Error:
      type: object
      required:
        - code
        - message
      properties:
        code:
          type: integer
          description: >
            Circle internal status code from the platform `CoreStatusCode` enum
            (and its domain-specific extensions). **This is not the HTTP status
            code** — `-1` is the catch-all unknown error, `1`/`2` indicate API
            parameter problems, `3` is forbidden, `4` is unauthorized, and
            larger values identify domain-specific failures. Consumers should
            rely on the HTTP status line for transport-level error class and on
            this field for the specific Circle error case.
          example: 2
        message:
          type: string
          description: >-
            Internal error message; suitable for logging but not for end-user
            display.
          example: API parameter invalid.
        externalMessage:
          type: string
          description: >
            End-user-displayable error message. Present when the server has
            generated a customer-facing variant for this error; omitted
            otherwise.
          example: The provided amount exceeds the maximum allowed.
        errors:
          type: array
          description: Additional request-field validation errors, when available.
          items:
            $ref: '#/components/schemas/ErrorDetail'
    TransferRequestVerifiedBlockchainLocation:
      type: object
      required:
        - type
        - addressId
      properties:
        type:
          type: string
          enum:
            - verified_blockchain
        addressId:
          type: string
          description: >
            The ID of a recipient address created via [POST
            /v1/addresses/recipient](#operation/createRecipientAddress).
          example: f1f36b85-cafe-484e-a46b-02340bfdb927
          format: uuid
    TransferRequestAccountDestination:
      description: A destination account for an account-to-account transfer.
      type: object
      required:
        - type
        - id
      properties:
        type:
          type: string
          enum:
            - account
        id:
          type: string
          description: The identifier of the destination account.
          example: '1000565227'
    Id:
      type: string
      description: Unique system-generated identifier for the entity.
      format: uuid
      example: b8627ae8-732b-4d25-b947-1df8f4007a29
    TransferSourceAccountLocation:
      description: A source account location.
      type: object
      required:
        - type
        - id
      properties:
        type:
          type: string
          enum:
            - account
        id:
          type: string
          description: The identifier of the source account.
          example: '1000662322'
    TransferDestinationLocation:
      description: A destination of funds.
      oneOf:
        - $ref: '#/components/schemas/TransferDestinationBlockchainLocation'
        - $ref: '#/components/schemas/TransferDestinationAccountLocation'
    Fee:
      type: object
      required:
        - amount
        - currency
        - type
      properties:
        amount:
          type: string
          description: Magnitude of the fee amount, in units of the currency, with a `.`.
          example: '10.00'
        currency:
          type: string
          description: Currency code for the amount.
          enum:
            - USD
        type:
          type: string
          description: Category of the fee.
          enum:
            - network
    TransferErrorCode:
      type:
        - string
        - 'null'
      description: >-
        Indicates the failure reason of a transfer. Only present for transfers
        in a `failed` state.
      enum:
        - transfer_failed
        - transfer_denied
        - blockchain_error
        - insufficient_funds
        - invalid_crypto_address
    ErrorDetail:
      type: object
      required:
        - error
        - message
      properties:
        error:
          type: string
          description: Machine-readable error identifier.
          example: invalid_value
        location:
          type: string
          description: Query parameter or request field that caused the error.
          example: assetType
        message:
          type: string
          description: Human-readable description of the specific error.
          example: The operation and assetType combination is invalid.
    TransferDestinationBlockchainLocation:
      description: A destination blockchain address.
      type: object
      required:
        - type
        - chain
        - address
      properties:
        type:
          type: string
          enum:
            - blockchain
        address:
          $ref: '#/components/schemas/Address'
        addressTag:
          $ref: '#/components/schemas/AddressTag'
        chain:
          $ref: '#/components/schemas/Chain'
    TransferDestinationAccountLocation:
      description: A destination account location.
      type: object
      required:
        - type
        - id
      properties:
        type:
          type: string
          enum:
            - account
        id:
          type: string
          description: The identifier of the destination account.
          example: '1000662322'
        address:
          type: string
          description: >
            The blockchain address associated with the destination account.
            Present when the transfer originates from a blockchain source (e.g.
            a crypto deposit).
          example: '0xecf270635e22f87b9d9ed501eca86e74caf59623'
        addressTag:
          $ref: '#/components/schemas/AddressTag'
    Address:
      type: string
      description: >
        An alphanumeric string representing a blockchain address. Formatting
        varies by blockchain.

        Be sure to preserve the exact formatting and capitalization of the
        address.
      example: '0x8381470ED67C3802402dbbFa0058E8871F017A6F'
    AddressTag:
      type:
        - string
        - 'null'
      description: >-
        The secondary identifier for a blockchain address. An example of this is
        the memo field on the Stellar network, which can be text, ID, or hash
        format.
      example: '123456789'
    Chain:
      type: string
      description: A blockchain that a given currency is available on.
      example: ETH
      enum:
        - ALGO
        - APTOS
        - ARB
        - ARC
        - AVAX
        - BASE
        - BTC
        - CELO
        - CODEX
        - ETH
        - HBAR
        - HYPEREVM
        - INK
        - LINEA
        - NEAR
        - NOBLE
        - OP
        - PLUME
        - PAH
        - POLY
        - SEI
        - SOL
        - SONIC
        - SUI
        - UNI
        - WORLDCHAIN
        - XDC
        - XLM
        - XRP
        - ZKS
  headers:
    XRequestId:
      description: >
        Circle-generated universally unique identifier (UUID v4). Useful for
        identifying a specific request when communicating with Circle Support.
      schema:
        $ref: '#/components/schemas/XRequestId'
  responses:
    BadRequest:
      description: The request cannot be processed due to a client error.
      headers:
        X-Request-Id:
          $ref: '#/components/headers/XRequestId'
      content:
        application/json:
          schema:
            $ref: '#/components/schemas/Error'
          example:
            code: 2
            message: API parameter invalid.
    NotAuthorized:
      description: >-
        The request has not been applied because it lacks valid authentication
        credentials.
      headers:
        X-Request-Id:
          $ref: '#/components/headers/XRequestId'
      content:
        application/json:
          schema:
            $ref: '#/components/schemas/Error'
          example:
            code: 4
            message: Unauthorized.
    ScaForbidden:
      description: |
        The SCA assertion failed. Possible error codes:

        | Code   | Meaning                                             |
        |--------|-----------------------------------------------------|
        | 420046 | Assertion signature invalid                         |
        | 420047 | Intent does not match the operation request body    |
        | 420063 | Challenge was issued for a different clientEntityId |
        | 420064 | Application origin is not registered for SCA        |
      content:
        application/json:
          schema:
            $ref: '#/components/schemas/Error'
    ScaChallengeNotFound:
      description: >
        SCA challenge not found (error code 420061). The `challengeId` in

        `X-Sca-Challenge-Id` does not exist or belongs to a different
        distributor.

        Open a new challenge and retry.
      content:
        application/json:
          schema:
            $ref: '#/components/schemas/Error'
    ScaChallengeExpired:
      description: |
        SCA challenge expired or already consumed. Possible error codes:

        | Code   | Meaning                                        |
        |--------|------------------------------------------------|
        | 420054 | Challenge expired (5-minute TTL)               |
        | 420055 | Challenge already consumed                     |

        Open a new challenge and retry.
      content:
        application/json:
          schema:
            $ref: '#/components/schemas/Error'
    RequestTooLarge:
      description: |
        The request body or the `X-Sca-Assertion` or `X-Sca-Challenge-Id` header
        is too large to process (error code 420067). A request built from valid
        field values is always within the limit, so check the body and headers
        for an oversized or unexpected value. Retrying the same request returns
        the same error.
      content:
        application/json:
          schema:
            $ref: '#/components/schemas/Error'
    ScaRequired:
      description: |
        The `X-Sca-Challenge-Id` or `X-Sca-Assertion` header is missing (error
        code 420058). Include both headers and retry.
      content:
        application/json:
          schema:
            $ref: '#/components/schemas/Error'
    InternalServerError:
      description: >-
        The server encountered an unexpected condition that prevented it from
        fulfilling the request.
      headers:
        X-Request-Id:
          $ref: '#/components/headers/XRequestId'
      content:
        application/json:
          schema:
            $ref: '#/components/schemas/Error'
          example:
            code: -1
            message: 'Something went wrong. errId: 1f0b0c455e40f753f07b4f0ae6abd4b4'
    ScaUnavailable:
      description: |
        SCA scope could not be resolved (error code 420059). The legal-entity
        lookup service (CDS) is unavailable and no prior resolution exists for
        this entity. Retry after a short delay.
      content:
        application/json:
          schema:
            $ref: '#/components/schemas/Error'
  securitySchemes:
    bearerAuth:
      type: http
      scheme: bearer

````