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Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.perpetradex.com/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

When your margin ratio falls below the maintenance margin ratio, your position gets liquidated. Here’s the mechanics.

When Liquidation Happens

Condition: Margin Ratio < Maintenance Margin Ratio Your margin ratio = Total Collateral / Total Position Notional. If it drops below the required maintenance level, the system liquidates you to protect the protocol and other users.
Leverage magnifies risk. A small adverse move can trigger liquidation. Monitor your liquidation price and use stop-losses.

How It Works

Perpetra uses decentralized liquidations. Unlike CEXes that market-sell into the book (causing cascades), positions are transferred to liquidators at a discount.
  1. Your position becomes undercollateralized
  2. Liquidators can claim your position at a discount
  3. You lose remaining margin; liquidators earn a fee
  4. Your position is closed
Anyone with an account can act as a liquidator—no whitelist. The protocol is permissionless.

Liquidation Tiers

Low tier (BTC, ETH): Liquidators take a ratio across multiple symbols. Can’t claim just one. High tier (others): Liquidators can claim a single symbol. Useful for targeted liquidations on alt positions.

Fees

MarketUser PaysLiquidator Gets
BTC, ETH, SOL0.60%0.30%
Others1.20%0.60%
The fee is taken from your remaining margin. If margin can’t cover the fee, the Insurance Fund steps in.

Insurance Fund & ADL

If liquidators don’t take positions (e.g. extreme volatility), the Insurance Fund absorbs them. The fund is funded by liquidation fees and protocol reserves. $PETRA holders can also stake into the Insurance Fund Pool to earn a share of liquidation fees—see Insurance Fund Staking for details. In rare cases, Auto-Deleveraging (ADL) may run: profitable positions are offset against Insurance Fund positions to restore solvency. ADL is a last resort.

Avoiding Liquidation

  1. Monitor liquidation price — It’s shown in the UI. Know it before you open.
  2. Use stop-losses — Automate exits before you hit liquidation.
  3. Lower leverage — Less leverage = more buffer.
  4. Add margin — Deposit more USDC to improve your ratio.
  5. Reduce size — Close or reduce positions to lower notional.
Mark price (not last price) triggers liquidations. That reduces manipulation from wicks—flash crashes are less likely to liquidate you unfairly.