This guide explains how to work with sub accounts in Swig, which allow authorities to create and manage dedicated sub account addresses with specific permissions. Sub accounts are perfect for use cases like portfolio management where you want to delegate complex operations without giving control over all assets. You can find complete working examples in the Swig repository:

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What are Sub Accounts?

Sub accounts in Swig allow an authority to create and manage a single sub account address and perform any actions on behalf of that sub account. This is a super high level of permission so use with care. It works for use cases like portfolio management, where you want to allow an unlimited complexity of actions on behalf of a single address, but you don’t want to give the authority control over all the assets of the swig. The root authority can always pull funds (SOL and tokens) from the sub account back to the main Swig wallet. A great example of this is Breeze, Anagram’s onchain yield optimizer. Breeze can optimize the yield of a user’s portfolio without giving them control over their whole swig.

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How Sub Accounts Work

To work with sub accounts, there are several key steps:
  1. Sub Account Permission: The authority must have the sub account permission to create the sub account. This permission is set when creating or modifying a role.
  2. Create Sub Account: Once the authority has the permission, they can create a sub account using the getCreateSubAccountInstructions.
  3. Sub Account Sign: Once created, sub accounts can perform on-chain actions using the getSignInstructions with the isSubAccount parameter set to true.

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Creating a Sub Account Authority

First, you need to add an authority with sub account permissions: 
import {
  Keypair,
  LAMPORTS_PER_SOL,
} from '@solana/web3.js';
import {
  Actions,
  createEd25519AuthorityInfo,
  findSwigPda,
  getAddAuthorityInstructions,
  getCreateSwigInstruction,
  fetchSwig,
} from '@swig-wallet/classic';

// Create authorities
const rootAuthority = Keypair.generate();
const subAccountAuthority = Keypair.generate();

// Create Swig with root authority
const id = Uint8Array.from(Array(32).fill(2));
const swigAddress = findSwigPda(id);

const createSwigIx = await getCreateSwigInstruction({
  payer: rootAuthority.publicKey,
  actions: Actions.set().all().get(),
  authorityInfo: createEd25519AuthorityInfo(rootAuthority.publicKey),
  id,
});

// Add sub account authority with sub account permissions
const swig = await fetchSwig(connection, swigAddress);
const rootRole = swig.roles[0];

const addAuthorityIx = await getAddAuthorityInstructions(
  swig,
  rootRole.id,
  createEd25519AuthorityInfo(subAccountAuthority.publicKey),
  Actions.set().subAccount().get(),
);

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Creating a Sub Account

Once you have an authority with sub account permissions, you can create the sub account: 
import {
  findSwigSubAccountPda,
  getCreateSubAccountInstructions,
} from '@swig-wallet/classic';

// Refetch swig to get updated roles
await swig.refetch();
const subAccountAuthRole = swig.roles[1];

// Create sub account
const createSubAccountIx = await getCreateSubAccountInstructions(
  swig,
  subAccountAuthRole.id,
);

await sendTransaction(connection, createSubAccountIx, subAccountAuthority);

// Get the sub account address
const subAccountAddress = findSwigSubAccountPda(
  subAccountAuthRole.swigId,
  subAccountAuthRole.id,
);

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Using Sub Accounts

Once created, you can use the sub account to perform transactions: 
import {
  SystemProgram,
  LAMPORTS_PER_SOL,
} from '@solana/web3.js';
import {
  getSignInstructions,
} from '@swig-wallet/classic';

// Fund the sub account
await connection.requestAirdrop(subAccountAddress, LAMPORTS_PER_SOL);

// Create a transfer from the sub account
const recipient = Keypair.generate().publicKey;

const transfer = SystemProgram.transfer({
  fromPubkey: subAccountAddress,
  toPubkey: recipient,
  lamports: 0.1 * LAMPORTS_PER_SOL,
});

// Sign with sub account (note: isSubAccount = true)
const signIx = await getSignInstructions(
  swig,
  subAccountAuthRole.id,
  [transfer],
  true, // isSubAccount flag
);

await sendTransaction(connection, signIx, subAccountAuthority);

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Key Features of Sub Accounts

Sub accounts in Swig have several important characteristics:
  • Dedicated Address: Each sub account has its own unique address derived from the Swig ID and role ID
  • Isolated Operations: Sub accounts can perform complex operations without affecting the main Swig balance
  • Root Authority Control: The root authority can always reclaim funds from sub accounts
  • Permission-Based: Only authorities with sub account permissions can create and manage sub accounts
  • Unlimited Actions: Sub accounts can perform any on-chain action within their permission scope

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Testing Environment Options

These examples can be run in different environments:
  • Local Validator: Use the examples above
    • Requires running a local Solana validator with bun start-validator
    • Real blockchain environment
    • Good for final testing
  • LiteSVM: For rapid development and testing
    • No validator required
    • Instant transaction confirmation
    • Perfect for rapid development
    • Simulates the Solana runtime
  • Devnet: All examples work with devnet
    • Change connection URL to https://api.devnet.solana.com
    • Real network environment
    • Free to use with airdropped SOL
// Local validator
const connection = new Connection('http://localhost:8899', 'confirmed');

// Devnet
const connection = new Connection('https://api.devnet.solana.com', 'confirmed');

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Use Cases

Sub accounts are perfect for:
  • Portfolio Management: Allow complex DeFi operations without full wallet access
  • Yield Optimization: Automated strategies with isolated risk
  • Multi-Strategy Trading: Separate accounts for different trading strategies
  • Delegation: Give specific permissions for particular use cases

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Additional Resources

You can find more working examples in our repositories: