Withdrawing

Withdrawals move funds from your shielded balance to any Ethereum address on the base chain.

Steps

1. Navigate to the Unshield tab on the Shield screen

2. Select the token

3. Enter the amount

4. Enter the destination address (or click "Use My Wallet" for your own address)

5. Confirm the transaction in your wallet

What Happens

1. The wallet signs a transfer to the destination address

2. The proxy detects the recipient has no registered receiving key → withdrawal

3. A ZK proof is generated

4. The relayer submits the proof to the contract

5. The contract verifies the proof and sends funds directly to the destination address

Key Differences from Sending

Aspect	Send	Withdraw
Recipient	Must be registered on Nullmask	Any Ethereum address
Funds remain in pool	Yes (as encrypted notes)	No (transferred to address)
Recipient address on-chain	Hidden	Visible
Transfer amount on-chain	Hidden	Visible

Privacy Considerations

• The withdrawal recipient address and amount are public on-chain

• Use a fresh, unlinkable address for withdrawals to maximize privacy

• You cannot withdraw to addresses that are registered on Nullmask (this is by design — use Send instead)

Output Notes

A withdrawal creates 2 notes (for your change):

Note	Contains
Change note	Leftover action-asset balance
Fee change note	Leftover fee-asset balance

Plus a direct transfer of the withdrawal amount to the destination address.

ETH vs ERC-20 Withdrawals

• ETH: Sent via low-level call{value: amount}("")

• ERC-20: Sent via safeTransfer from the contract's token balance