{
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  "schemaVersion": "1.0.0",
  "id": "single-sided-pool-deposits",
  "canonical": "https://degreesofsatoshi.com/encyclopedia/single-sided-pool-deposits/",
  "collection": "defi",
  "title": "Single-sided liquidity deposits: why adding one token can have a cost",
  "description": "Explain why adding only one pool asset differs from a proportional deposit, even when the interface uses a single action.",
  "aliases": [
    "single sided liquidity deposit price impact",
    "add one token to a liquidity pool"
  ],
  "dates": {
    "published": "2026-10-02",
    "modified": "2026-10-02",
    "verified": "2026-10-02T19:18:00.092Z",
    "dataAsOf": "2026-10-02"
  },
  "authorship": {
    "publisher": "Degrees of Satoshi editorial project",
    "process": "AI-assisted research and drafting with a separate automated source-verification pass; no external expert or named human review is implied."
  },
  "quickAnswer": {
    "text": "A single-sided deposit supplies one asset to a pool that represents exposure to several assets. Unlike a proportional join, it changes the pool’s balance proportions and can incur swap-like costs or fees. Supported behavior depends on the pool; receiving an LP token is different from merely storing the supplied token.",
    "claimId": "single-sided-pool-deposits-quick-answer",
    "sourceIds": [
      "x425-defi-balancer-joins",
      "x425-defi-balancer-weighted"
    ]
  },
  "keyFacts": [
    {
      "label": "Proportional join",
      "value": "Deposits follow the pool’s existing asset proportions.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "x425-defi-balancer-joins"
      ],
      "id": "proportional-join",
      "claimId": "single-sided-pool-deposits-fact-proportional-join"
    },
    {
      "label": "Single-token join",
      "value": "Balancer documents a join using one token for an exact BPT output.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "x425-defi-balancer-joins"
      ],
      "id": "single-token-join",
      "claimId": "single-sided-pool-deposits-fact-single-token-join"
    },
    {
      "label": "Donation",
      "value": "A donation join explicitly receives no BPT and is a different operation.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "x425-defi-balancer-joins"
      ],
      "id": "donation",
      "claimId": "single-sided-pool-deposits-fact-donation"
    }
  ],
  "prerequisites": [
    "weighted-liquidity-pools"
  ],
  "sections": [
    {
      "id": "example",
      "heading": "Compare identical starting value",
      "sourceIds": [
        "x425-defi-balancer-joins",
        "x425-defi-balancer-weighted"
      ],
      "paragraphs": [
        "Suppose an equal-value two-asset pool is balanced. Adding 50 valuation units of A and 50 of B preserves that proportion. Adding 100 of A changes it. A single-action interface can handle the second case, but the resulting LP claim is priced by the pool’s rules rather than by treating both deposits as identical.",
        "An exact LP-token-output instruction can require a variable input amount, while an exact input instruction can produce variable LP output. The labels on the quote matter."
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cost",
      "heading": "Read the minimum share output",
      "sourceIds": [
        "x425-defi-balancer-joins"
      ],
      "paragraphs": [
        "Inspect how many pool tokens will be minted and which fees are included. A one-token exit has the reverse distinction: receiving only one asset can differ economically from receiving the proportional basket and retaining it.",
        "Do not assume an integration called single-sided always uses Balancer’s mechanism. A wrapper may perform an external swap before joining."
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "exposure",
      "heading": "The receipt determines subsequent exposure",
      "sourceIds": [
        "x425-defi-balancer-weighted",
        "x425-defi-balancer-joins"
      ],
      "paragraphs": [
        "After the join, the holder owns a pool claim whose composition changes with trading. Starting with only A does not mean the claim will forever be redeemable for the original number of A tokens. A donation action is more different still: it adds value without minting an ownership receipt."
      ]
    }
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "question": "Is single-sided liquidity the same as lending one asset?",
      "answer": "No. A pool share follows AMM inventory and redemption rules. A lending claim follows a different accounting and risk arrangement.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "x425-defi-balancer-joins",
        "x425-defi-balancer-weighted"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "claims": [
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      "statement": "A single-sided deposit supplies one asset to a pool that represents exposure to several assets. Unlike a proportional join, it changes the pool’s balance proportions and can incur swap-like costs or fees. Supported behavior depends on the pool; receiving an LP token is different from merely storing the supplied token.",
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      "sourceLocators": [
        {
          "sourceId": "source-b02e5a0b18885844",
          "locator": "Unbalanced; Single token exact out; Proportional"
        },
        {
          "sourceId": "source-44508aa15cf95cd2",
          "locator": "Invariant; Spot price; Swap equations"
        }
      ],
      "scope": {
        "collection": "defi",
        "dataAsOf": "2026-10-02",
        "blockHeight": null
      },
      "qualification": "",
      "evidenceStatus": "documented",
      "verification": {
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        "method": "independent automated source review",
        "checkedAt": "2026-10-02T19:18:00.092Z",
        "reviewer": "Independent automated verification — Codex root, separate from the DeFi drafting agent",
        "notes": [
          "Checked Balancer current add-liquidity kinds, exact-BPT-out single-token path and donation with no BPT. Pool permissions and other designs remain qualified."
        ]
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "single-sided-pool-deposits-fact-proportional-join",
      "articleSlug": "single-sided-pool-deposits",
      "statement": "Proportional join: Deposits follow the pool’s existing asset proportions.",
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        "source-b02e5a0b18885844"
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      "sourceLocators": [
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          "sourceId": "source-b02e5a0b18885844",
          "locator": "Unbalanced; Single token exact out; Proportional"
        }
      ],
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        "notes": [
          "Checked Balancer current add-liquidity kinds, exact-BPT-out single-token path and donation with no BPT. Pool permissions and other designs remain qualified."
        ]
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "single-sided-pool-deposits-fact-single-token-join",
      "articleSlug": "single-sided-pool-deposits",
      "statement": "Single-token join: Balancer documents a join using one token for an exact BPT output.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "source-b02e5a0b18885844"
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          "sourceId": "source-b02e5a0b18885844",
          "locator": "Unbalanced; Single token exact out; Proportional"
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        "reviewer": "Independent automated verification — Codex root, separate from the DeFi drafting agent",
        "notes": [
          "Checked Balancer current add-liquidity kinds, exact-BPT-out single-token path and donation with no BPT. Pool permissions and other designs remain qualified."
        ]
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "single-sided-pool-deposits-fact-donation",
      "articleSlug": "single-sided-pool-deposits",
      "statement": "Donation: A donation join explicitly receives no BPT and is a different operation.",
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        "source-b02e5a0b18885844"
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      "sourceLocators": [
        {
          "sourceId": "source-b02e5a0b18885844",
          "locator": "Unbalanced; Single token exact out; Proportional"
        }
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        "notes": [
          "Checked Balancer current add-liquidity kinds, exact-BPT-out single-token path and donation with no BPT. Pool permissions and other designs remain qualified."
        ]
      }
    }
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "id": "x425-defi-balancer-joins",
      "label": "Add/Remove Liquidity Types",
      "publisher": "Balancer",
      "url": "https://docs.balancer.fi/concepts/vault/add-remove-liquidity-types.html",
      "locator": "Unbalanced; Single token exact out; Proportional",
      "note": "Economics of proportional and non-proportional joins/exits.",
      "version": "Documentation retrieved for the 2026-10-02 editorial scope; content hash recorded",
      "checkedAt": "2026-10-02T18:53:19.923Z",
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    {
      "id": "x425-defi-balancer-weighted",
      "label": "Weighted Math",
      "publisher": "Balancer",
      "url": "https://docs.balancer.fi/concepts/explore-available-balancer-pools/weighted-pool/weighted-math.html",
      "locator": "Invariant; Spot price; Swap equations",
      "note": "Unequal-weight AMM invariant and spot price.",
      "version": "Documentation retrieved for the 2026-10-02 editorial scope; content hash recorded",
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  "related": {
    "articles": [
      "remove-liquidity-vs-sell",
      "liquidity-provider-positions",
      "defi-lending-pools",
      "stableswap-pools"
    ],
    "dossiers": [],
    "wallets": []
  },
  "revisionHistory": [
    {
      "date": "2026-10-02",
      "kind": "published",
      "summary": "First publication after primary-source research and separate automated verification."
    }
  ],
  "citation": "Degrees of Satoshi editorial project. “Single-sided liquidity deposits: why adding one token can have a cost.” Published 2026-10-02; updated 2026-10-02. https://degreesofsatoshi.com/encyclopedia/single-sided-pool-deposits/"
}