fix: count the network fee in the confirm-screen balance check (closes #154)

The Send button was enabled whenever the amount alone fit the balance, so
a max-value ETH send passed the confirmation screen and failed at
broadcast, after the user had committed to it.

The arithmetic moves into src/shared/txValidation.js as a pure function
over 18-decimal fixed point: native ETH now requires amount + fee <=
balance, and an ERC-20 transfer requires the ETH balance to cover the fee
on top of the token check, reported as its own error. Validation re-runs
when the async estimate resolves; Send stays disabled while the estimate
is pending and when it fails, so an unknown fee is never treated as zero.
The fee messages are static elements that already reserve their space, so
nothing moves when the estimate lands.

The fee reserved is the one the node will actually require. The send pins
no fee fields, so ethers broadcasts a type-2 transaction and the node
validates it against value + gasLimit * maxFeePerGas; gating on gasPrice
would under-reserve by roughly gasLimit * baseFee and let through exactly
the broadcast failure this change exists to prevent. feeReserveWei()
derives that reserve, falling back to gasPrice only where no type-2
pricing exists, and the fee shown on screen is the same figure so the
displayed number and the gate can never contradict each other.

validateTransfer() fails closed: a feeWei that is not a non-negative
bigint under FEE_KNOWN, and any unrecognised feeStatus, block exactly as
FEE_UNAVAILABLE does rather than counting as a fee of zero.

README.md

@@ -559,8 +559,11 @@ screen, including ExportPrivKey, falls back to Home.
     - To: blockie + color dot + full address + etherscan link + ENS name
     - Amount: value + symbol (USD in parentheses)
     - Your balance: value + symbol (USD in parentheses)
-    - Estimated network fee: "Estimating..." then the ETH amount (USD in
+    - Maximum network fee: "Estimating..." then the ETH amount (USD in
-      parentheses) or "Unable to estimate", fetched async
+      parentheses) or "Unable to estimate", fetched async. This is the
+      `gasLimit * maxFeePerGas` reserve the node requires, which is also what
+      the balance check gates on; the transaction typically costs less once the
+      base fee is settled
     - Warnings: inline warnings from the local checks (scam address, self-send)
       plus four reserved warning boxes made visible by the async checks —
       recipient with no transaction history, recipient is a contract, burn

TODO.md

@@ -44,6 +44,11 @@ undefined identifiers, which is how
 
 # Completed Steps
 
+- 2026-08-11: Network fee counted in the confirmation-screen balance check for
+  both ETH and ERC-20 sends, reserving what the node actually charges a type-2
+  transaction, with the arithmetic in a pure, unit-tested
+  `src/shared/txValidation.js`
+  ([#154](https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/AutistMask/issues/154)).
 - 2026-08-11: Three `README.md` claims corrected against the code — blocklist
   attribution, token-display rule, navigation model
   ([#213](https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/AutistMask/issues/213)).

docs/README.md

@@ -265,7 +265,8 @@ The confirmation screen shows:
 - **From and To addresses** with identicons and Etherscan links
 - **Amount** with USD estimate
 - **Your current balance** with USD estimate
-- **Estimated network fee** in ETH with USD estimate
+- **Maximum network fee** in ETH with USD estimate — the reserve the network
+  requires, which the balance check gates on; the transaction usually costs less
 - **Warnings** if the recipient is a contract, a burn address, one of your own
   addresses, on the bundled scam-address list, or labelled as a phisher on
   Etherscan

src/popup/index.html

@@ -583,7 +583,7 @@
                 </div>
                 <div id="confirm-fee" class="mb-3" style="visibility: hidden">
                     <div class="text-xs text-muted mb-1">
-                        Estimated network fee
+                        Maximum network fee
                     </div>
                     <div id="confirm-fee-amount" class="text-xs"></div>
                 </div>
@@ -647,6 +647,31 @@
                     class="mb-2 border border-border border-dashed p-2"
                     style="visibility: hidden; min-height: 1.25rem"
                 ></div>
+                <div
+                    id="confirm-amount-fee-error"
+                    class="mb-2 border border-border border-dashed p-2 text-xs"
+                    style="visibility: hidden"
+                >
+                    Your balance does not cover this amount plus the network
+                    fee. Please go back and send a smaller amount.
+                </div>
+                <div
+                    id="confirm-gas-error"
+                    class="mb-2 border border-border border-dashed p-2 text-xs"
+                    style="visibility: hidden"
+                >
+                    You do not have enough ETH to pay the network fee for this
+                    transfer. Please add ETH to this address and try again.
+                </div>
+                <div
+                    id="confirm-fee-unknown-error"
+                    class="mb-2 border border-border border-dashed p-2 text-xs"
+                    style="visibility: hidden"
+                >
+                    The network fee could not be estimated, so this transaction
+                    cannot be checked against your balance. Please go back and
+                    try again.
+                </div>
                 <div class="mb-2">
                     <label class="block mb-1 text-xs">Password</label>
                     <input

src/popup/views/confirmTx.js

@@ -32,11 +32,23 @@ const {
     getFullWarnings,
 } = require("../../shared/addressWarnings");
 const { ERC20_ABI, isBurnAddress } = require("../../shared/constants");
+const {
+    CODES,
+    FEE_PENDING,
+    FEE_KNOWN,
+    FEE_UNAVAILABLE,
+    feeReserveWei,
+    validateTransfer,
+} = require("../../shared/txValidation");
 const { log } = require("../../shared/log");
 const makeBlockie = require("ethereum-blockies-base64");
 const txStatus = require("./txStatus");
 
 let pendingTx = null;
+// Network fee for the transaction currently on screen. Reset by show() and
+// filled in by estimateGas() when the estimate resolves or fails.
+let feeStatus = FEE_PENDING;
+let feeWei = null;
 
 function restore() {
     const d = state.viewData;
@@ -67,6 +79,8 @@ function valueWithUsd(text, usdAmount) {
 
 function show(txInfo) {
     pendingTx = txInfo;
+    feeStatus = FEE_PENDING;
+    feeWei = null;
 
     const isErc20 = txInfo.token !== "ETH";
     const symbol = isErc20 ? txInfo.tokenSymbol || "?" : "ETH";
@@ -153,50 +167,14 @@ function show(txInfo) {
         warningsEl.style.visibility = "hidden";
     }
 
-    // Check for errors
+    // The two fee messages are mutually exclusive per transaction type, and
-    const errors = [];
+    // the type is known here, before the first paint. Drop the one that can
-    if (isErc20) {
+    // never apply and reserve the space of the one that can, so the async
-        const tokenBal = parseFloat(txInfo.tokenBalance || "0");
+    // estimate landing later never moves anything.
-        if (parseFloat(txInfo.amount) > tokenBal) {
+    $("confirm-amount-fee-error").classList.toggle("hidden", isErc20);
-            errors.push(
+    $("confirm-gas-error").classList.toggle("hidden", !isErc20);
-                "Insufficient " +
-                    symbol +
-                    " balance. You have " +
-                    txInfo.tokenBalance +
-                    " " +
-                    symbol +
-                    " but are trying to send " +
-                    txInfo.amount +
-                    " " +
-                    symbol +
-                    ".",
-            );
-        }
-    } else if (parseFloat(txInfo.amount) > parseFloat(txInfo.balance)) {
-        errors.push(
-            "Insufficient balance. You have " +
-                txInfo.balance +
-                " ETH but are trying to send " +
-                txInfo.amount +
-                " ETH.",
-        );
-    }
 
-    const errorsEl = $("confirm-errors");
+    renderValidation(txInfo);
-    const sendBtn = $("btn-confirm-send");
-    if (errors.length > 0) {
-        errorsEl.innerHTML = errors
-            .map((e) => `<div class="text-xs">${e}</div>`)
-            .join("");
-        errorsEl.style.visibility = "visible";
-        sendBtn.disabled = true;
-        sendBtn.classList.add("text-muted");
-    } else {
-        errorsEl.innerHTML = "";
-        errorsEl.style.visibility = "hidden";
-        sendBtn.disabled = false;
-        sendBtn.classList.remove("text-muted");
-    }
 
     // Reset password field and error
     $("confirm-tx-password").value = "";
@@ -224,11 +202,93 @@ function show(txInfo) {
     checkRecipientHistory(txInfo);
 }
 
+// Render the balance check for the transaction on screen. Called once during
+// show() and again when the fee estimate resolves or fails. Every element it
+// touches already occupies its space, so re-running it never moves anything.
+function renderValidation(txInfo) {
+    const isErc20 = txInfo.token !== "ETH";
+    const symbol = isErc20 ? txInfo.tokenSymbol || "?" : "ETH";
+
+    const { canSend, codes } = validateTransfer({
+        isErc20,
+        amount: txInfo.amount,
+        ethBalance: txInfo.balance,
+        tokenBalance: txInfo.tokenBalance,
+        feeStatus,
+        feeWei,
+    });
+
+    // Messages carrying the user's own numbers are built here; the fixed
+    // sentences live in the reserved elements in index.html.
+    const messages = [];
+    if (codes.includes(CODES.AMOUNT_INVALID)) {
+        messages.push("Please enter a valid amount to send.");
+    }
+    if (codes.includes(CODES.INSUFFICIENT_TOKEN)) {
+        messages.push(
+            "Insufficient " +
+                symbol +
+                " balance. You have " +
+                txInfo.tokenBalance +
+                " " +
+                symbol +
+                " but are trying to send " +
+                txInfo.amount +
+                " " +
+                symbol +
+                ".",
+        );
+    }
+    if (codes.includes(CODES.INSUFFICIENT_ETH)) {
+        messages.push(
+            "Insufficient balance. You have " +
+                txInfo.balance +
+                " ETH but are trying to send " +
+                txInfo.amount +
+                " ETH.",
+        );
+    }
+
+    const errorsEl = $("confirm-errors");
+    if (messages.length > 0) {
+        errorsEl.innerHTML = messages
+            .map((m) => `<div class="text-xs">${escapeHtml(m)}</div>`)
+            .join("");
+        errorsEl.style.visibility = "visible";
+    } else {
+        errorsEl.innerHTML = "";
+        errorsEl.style.visibility = "hidden";
+    }
+
+    setVisible(
+        "confirm-amount-fee-error",
+        codes.includes(CODES.INSUFFICIENT_ETH_WITH_FEE),
+    );
+    setVisible(
+        "confirm-gas-error",
+        codes.includes(CODES.INSUFFICIENT_ETH_FOR_FEE),
+    );
+    setVisible(
+        "confirm-fee-unknown-error",
+        codes.includes(CODES.FEE_UNAVAILABLE),
+    );
+
+    // While the estimate is in flight there is no error to show — the fee
+    // line already reads "Estimating..." — but sending stays blocked so a
+    // transaction the fee would break cannot be signed in the meantime.
+    const sendBtn = $("btn-confirm-send");
+    sendBtn.disabled = !canSend;
+    sendBtn.classList.toggle("text-muted", !canSend);
+}
+
+function setVisible(id, visible) {
+    $(id).style.visibility = visible ? "visible" : "hidden";
+}
+
 async function estimateGas(txInfo) {
     try {
         const provider = getProvider(state.rpcUrl);
         const feeData = await provider.getFeeData();
-        const gasPrice = feeData.gasPrice;
         let gasLimit;
 
         if (txInfo.token === "ETH") {
@@ -246,7 +306,17 @@ async function estimateGas(txInfo) {
             });
         }
 
-        const gasCostWei = gasLimit * gasPrice;
+        // What the node will require to be reserved, which is what both the
+        // gate and the displayed figure must be: the send pins no fee fields,
+        // so it is broadcast as a type-2 transaction priced at maxFeePerGas.
+        const gasCostWei = feeReserveWei(gasLimit, feeData);
+        if (gasCostWei === null) {
+            throw new Error("no usable gas price from the provider");
+        }
+        // The user may have left this transaction while the estimate was in
+        // flight; a stale fee must not reach the screen or the balance check.
+        if (pendingTx !== txInfo) return;
+
         const gasCostEth = formatEther(gasCostWei);
         // Format to 6 significant decimal places
         const parts = gasCostEth.split(".");
@@ -258,9 +328,16 @@ async function estimateGas(txInfo) {
         const ethPrice = getPrice("ETH");
         const feeUsd = ethPrice ? parseFloat(gasCostEth) * ethPrice : null;
         $("confirm-fee-amount").textContent = valueWithUsd(feeStr, feeUsd);
+        feeStatus = FEE_KNOWN;
+        feeWei = gasCostWei;
+        renderValidation(txInfo);
     } catch (e) {
         log.errorf("gas estimation failed:", e.message);
+        if (pendingTx !== txInfo) return;
         $("confirm-fee-amount").textContent = "Unable to estimate";
+        feeStatus = FEE_UNAVAILABLE;
+        feeWei = null;
+        renderValidation(txInfo);
     }
 }
 

src/shared/txValidation.js

@@ -0,0 +1,150 @@
+// Balance arithmetic for the transaction confirmation screen.
+//
+// Pure: no DOM, no network, no state. Everything is exact integer math on
+// 18-decimal fixed point (wei for ETH), so it can be unit tested directly
+// instead of through the confirmation view. The caller maps the returned
+// codes to the reserved message elements on the screen.
+//
+// Human decimal strings ("1.25") are scaled to 18 decimals for comparison.
+// That scale is independent of a token's own decimals: both the amount and
+// the token balance arrive as human decimal strings, so comparing them at a
+// common scale is exact.
+
+const { parseUnits } = require("ethers");
+
+const SCALE_DECIMALS = 18;
+
+// Whether the asynchronous fee estimate has arrived yet.
+const FEE_PENDING = "pending";
+const FEE_KNOWN = "known";
+const FEE_UNAVAILABLE = "unavailable";
+
+const CODES = {
+    // The amount is not a number we can do exact arithmetic on.
+    AMOUNT_INVALID: "amount-invalid",
+    // ERC-20: the token amount exceeds the token balance.
+    INSUFFICIENT_TOKEN: "insufficient-token",
+    // ETH: the amount alone already exceeds the ETH balance.
+    INSUFFICIENT_ETH: "insufficient-eth",
+    // ETH: the amount fits, the amount plus the network fee does not.
+    INSUFFICIENT_ETH_WITH_FEE: "insufficient-eth-with-fee",
+    // ERC-20: the token balance covers the transfer, the ETH balance does
+    // not cover the network fee it costs.
+    INSUFFICIENT_ETH_FOR_FEE: "insufficient-eth-for-fee",
+    // The fee estimate has not arrived yet.
+    FEE_PENDING: "fee-pending",
+    // The fee estimate failed. Unknown is never treated as zero.
+    FEE_UNAVAILABLE: "fee-unavailable",
+};
+
+// The fee that must be reserved for a transaction, in wei: the amount the
+// node will require, not the amount the transaction is expected to cost.
+//
+// A send that pins no fee fields is populated by ethers as a type-2
+// (EIP-1559) transaction, and a node validates that against
+// `value + gasLimit * maxFeePerGas`. ethers derives maxFeePerGas as
+// `baseFeePerGas * 2 + maxPriorityFeePerGas`, so reserving `gasPrice`
+// (roughly `baseFee + tip`) under-reserves by about `gasLimit * baseFee` and
+// lets through a transaction the node then rejects with "insufficient funds
+// for gas * price + value". gasPrice is the fallback only for a network that
+// offers no type-2 pricing at all.
+//
+// Returns null when no usable price is available, which the caller must treat
+// as a failed estimate rather than as a free transaction.
+function feeReserveWei(gasLimit, feeData) {
+    if (typeof gasLimit !== "bigint" || gasLimit < 0n) return null;
+    const price = feeData?.maxFeePerGas ?? feeData?.gasPrice;
+    if (typeof price !== "bigint" || price < 0n) return null;
+    return gasLimit * price;
+}
+
+// Scale a human decimal string to 18-decimal fixed point. Returns null when
+// the value is not a decimal number or carries more precision than the scale
+// can hold, which the caller must treat as unusable rather than as zero.
+function toFixedPoint(value) {
+    if (typeof value !== "string" && typeof value !== "number") return null;
+    const text = String(value).trim();
+    if (text === "") return null;
+    try {
+        return parseUnits(text, SCALE_DECIMALS);
+    } catch (e) {
+        return null;
+    }
+}
+
+// Validate a pending transfer against the balances that must cover it.
+//
+//   isErc20      — token transfer rather than a native ETH transfer
+//   amount       — human decimal string being sent
+//   ethBalance   — human decimal string, the sender's ETH balance
+//   tokenBalance — human decimal string, the sender's token balance
+//   feeStatus    — FEE_PENDING, FEE_KNOWN or FEE_UNAVAILABLE. Anything else
+//                  is treated as FEE_UNAVAILABLE.
+//   feeWei       — the fee reserve in wei from feeReserveWei(), as a
+//                  non-negative bigint, when FEE_KNOWN. Any other value makes
+//                  the fee unavailable rather than zero.
+//
+// Returns { canSend, codes }. Every code blocks sending: canSend is true
+// only when nothing was found.
+function validateTransfer({
+    isErc20 = false,
+    amount,
+    ethBalance,
+    tokenBalance,
+    feeStatus = FEE_PENDING,
+    feeWei = null,
+} = {}) {
+    const codes = [];
+
+    const amountFp = toFixedPoint(amount);
+    const ethFp = toFixedPoint(ethBalance) ?? 0n;
+
+    if (amountFp === null) {
+        codes.push(CODES.AMOUNT_INVALID);
+        return { canSend: false, codes };
+    }
+
+    // Fail closed. Anything that is not a usable fee under a recognised
+    // status — a malformed feeWei, or a status this module does not know —
+    // is an unavailable estimate, never a fee of zero. Every such input errs
+    // in the direction that lets money out, so none of them is trusted.
+    const known =
+        feeStatus === FEE_KNOWN && typeof feeWei === "bigint" && feeWei >= 0n;
+    let status = feeStatus;
+    if (feeStatus === FEE_KNOWN && !known) status = FEE_UNAVAILABLE;
+    if (status !== FEE_KNOWN && status !== FEE_PENDING) {
+        status = FEE_UNAVAILABLE;
+    }
+
+    const feeFp = known ? feeWei : null;
+
+    if (isErc20) {
+        const tokenFp = toFixedPoint(tokenBalance) ?? 0n;
+        if (amountFp > tokenFp) codes.push(CODES.INSUFFICIENT_TOKEN);
+        if (feeFp !== null && feeFp > ethFp) {
+            codes.push(CODES.INSUFFICIENT_ETH_FOR_FEE);
+        }
+    } else if (amountFp > ethFp) {
+        codes.push(CODES.INSUFFICIENT_ETH);
+    } else if (feeFp !== null && amountFp + feeFp > ethFp) {
+        codes.push(CODES.INSUFFICIENT_ETH_WITH_FEE);
+    }
+
+    // An unknown fee is never assumed to be zero: sending stays blocked
+    // until the estimate arrives, and stays blocked if it never does.
+    if (status === FEE_PENDING) codes.push(CODES.FEE_PENDING);
+    if (status === FEE_UNAVAILABLE) codes.push(CODES.FEE_UNAVAILABLE);
+
+    return { canSend: codes.length === 0, codes };
+}
+
+module.exports = {
+    CODES,
+    FEE_PENDING,
+    FEE_KNOWN,
+    FEE_UNAVAILABLE,
+    SCALE_DECIMALS,
+    feeReserveWei,
+    toFixedPoint,
+    validateTransfer,
+};

tests/txValidation.test.js

@@ -0,0 +1,296 @@
+const { parseEther } = require("ethers");
+const {
+    CODES,
+    FEE_PENDING,
+    FEE_KNOWN,
+    FEE_UNAVAILABLE,
+    feeReserveWei,
+    toFixedPoint,
+    validateTransfer,
+} = require("../src/shared/txValidation");
+
+// A plausible mainnet fee: 21000 gas at 20 gwei.
+const FEE = 21000n * 20000000000n; // 0.00042 ETH
+
+const GWEI = 1000000000n;
+const GAS_LIMIT = 21000n;
+
+describe("toFixedPoint", () => {
+    test("scales human decimals to 18 places", () => {
+        expect(toFixedPoint("1.5")).toBe(parseEther("1.5"));
+        expect(toFixedPoint("0")).toBe(0n);
+    });
+
+    test("rejects values it cannot represent exactly", () => {
+        expect(toFixedPoint("not a number")).toBe(null);
+        expect(toFixedPoint("")).toBe(null);
+        expect(toFixedPoint(null)).toBe(null);
+        // More precision than 18 decimals can hold.
+        expect(toFixedPoint("0.0000000000000000001")).toBe(null);
+    });
+});
+
+describe("validateTransfer, native ETH", () => {
+    const eth = (over) => ({
+        isErc20: false,
+        amount: "0.5",
+        ethBalance: "1.0",
+        feeStatus: FEE_KNOWN,
+        feeWei: FEE,
+        ...over,
+    });
+
+    test("allows a send comfortably within balance", () => {
+        const r = validateTransfer(eth());
+        expect(r).toEqual({ canSend: true, codes: [] });
+    });
+
+    test("blocks a send whose amount plus fee exceeds the balance", () => {
+        // The whole balance: passes an amount-only check, fails once the fee
+        // is counted. This is the bug this module exists to prevent.
+        const r = validateTransfer(eth({ amount: "1.0", ethBalance: "1.0" }));
+        expect(r.canSend).toBe(false);
+        expect(r.codes).toEqual([CODES.INSUFFICIENT_ETH_WITH_FEE]);
+    });
+
+    test("blocks a send left short by less than one fee", () => {
+        const balance = "1.0";
+        // One wei less headroom than the fee needs.
+        const amount = "0.99958000000000001"; // 1.0 - 0.00042 + 1e-17
+        const r = validateTransfer(eth({ amount, ethBalance: balance }));
+        expect(r.codes).toEqual([CODES.INSUFFICIENT_ETH_WITH_FEE]);
+    });
+
+    test("allows a send that leaves exactly the fee behind", () => {
+        const r = validateTransfer(
+            eth({ amount: "0.99958", ethBalance: "1.0" }),
+        );
+        expect(r).toEqual({ canSend: true, codes: [] });
+    });
+
+    test("reports plain insufficient balance when the amount alone is too big", () => {
+        const r = validateTransfer(eth({ amount: "2.0", ethBalance: "1.0" }));
+        expect(r.codes).toEqual([CODES.INSUFFICIENT_ETH]);
+    });
+
+    test("blocks while the fee estimate is still pending", () => {
+        const r = validateTransfer(
+            eth({ feeStatus: FEE_PENDING, feeWei: null }),
+        );
+        expect(r.canSend).toBe(false);
+        expect(r.codes).toEqual([CODES.FEE_PENDING]);
+    });
+
+    test("blocks when the fee estimate failed, without assuming zero", () => {
+        const r = validateTransfer(
+            eth({
+                amount: "1.0",
+                ethBalance: "1.0",
+                feeStatus: FEE_UNAVAILABLE,
+                feeWei: null,
+            }),
+        );
+        expect(r.canSend).toBe(false);
+        expect(r.codes).toEqual([CODES.FEE_UNAVAILABLE]);
+        // A zero fee would have let this exact transfer through.
+        expect(
+            validateTransfer(
+                eth({ amount: "1.0", ethBalance: "1.0", feeWei: 0n }),
+            ).canSend,
+        ).toBe(true);
+    });
+
+    test("still reports an over-balance amount before the estimate lands", () => {
+        const r = validateTransfer(
+            eth({
+                amount: "2.0",
+                ethBalance: "1.0",
+                feeStatus: FEE_PENDING,
+                feeWei: null,
+            }),
+        );
+        expect(r.codes).toEqual([CODES.INSUFFICIENT_ETH, CODES.FEE_PENDING]);
+    });
+
+    test("rejects an amount it cannot do exact arithmetic on", () => {
+        const r = validateTransfer(eth({ amount: "abc" }));
+        expect(r.canSend).toBe(false);
+        expect(r.codes).toEqual([CODES.AMOUNT_INVALID]);
+    });
+
+    test("treats a missing balance as zero, not as unlimited", () => {
+        const r = validateTransfer(eth({ ethBalance: undefined }));
+        expect(r.codes).toEqual([CODES.INSUFFICIENT_ETH]);
+    });
+});
+
+describe("validateTransfer, ERC-20", () => {
+    const erc20 = (over) => ({
+        isErc20: true,
+        amount: "100.0",
+        tokenBalance: "250.0",
+        ethBalance: "1.0",
+        feeStatus: FEE_KNOWN,
+        feeWei: FEE,
+        ...over,
+    });
+
+    test("allows a transfer with tokens to spend and ETH for the fee", () => {
+        expect(validateTransfer(erc20())).toEqual({ canSend: true, codes: [] });
+    });
+
+    test("checks the token amount against the token balance", () => {
+        const r = validateTransfer(erc20({ amount: "250.000001" }));
+        expect(r.codes).toEqual([CODES.INSUFFICIENT_TOKEN]);
+    });
+
+    test("does not charge the fee against the token balance", () => {
+        // The full token balance is sendable: the fee is paid in ETH.
+        expect(validateTransfer(erc20({ amount: "250.0" })).canSend).toBe(true);
+    });
+
+    test("blocks when the ETH balance does not cover the fee", () => {
+        const r = validateTransfer(erc20({ ethBalance: "0.0001" }));
+        expect(r.canSend).toBe(false);
+        expect(r.codes).toEqual([CODES.INSUFFICIENT_ETH_FOR_FEE]);
+    });
+
+    test("allows a fee exactly equal to the ETH balance", () => {
+        const r = validateTransfer(erc20({ ethBalance: "0.00042" }));
+        expect(r).toEqual({ canSend: true, codes: [] });
+    });
+
+    test("reports both shortfalls when tokens and ETH are both short", () => {
+        const r = validateTransfer(
+            erc20({ amount: "300.0", ethBalance: "0.0" }),
+        );
+        expect(r.codes).toEqual([
+            CODES.INSUFFICIENT_TOKEN,
+            CODES.INSUFFICIENT_ETH_FOR_FEE,
+        ]);
+    });
+
+    test("blocks while the fee estimate is pending or failed", () => {
+        expect(
+            validateTransfer(erc20({ feeStatus: FEE_PENDING, feeWei: null }))
+                .codes,
+        ).toEqual([CODES.FEE_PENDING]);
+        expect(
+            validateTransfer(
+                erc20({ feeStatus: FEE_UNAVAILABLE, feeWei: null }),
+            ).codes,
+        ).toEqual([CODES.FEE_UNAVAILABLE]);
+    });
+
+    test("treats a missing token balance as zero", () => {
+        const r = validateTransfer(erc20({ tokenBalance: undefined }));
+        expect(r.codes).toEqual([CODES.INSUFFICIENT_TOKEN]);
+    });
+});
+
+// The reserve a node requires, not the fee the transaction is expected to
+// actually cost. An unpinned send goes out as type-2, and the node checks it
+// against maxFeePerGas; reserving gasPrice lets a transaction the node will
+// reject pass the gate.
+describe("feeReserveWei", () => {
+    // baseFee 20 gwei, tip 1 gwei: eth_gasPrice reports ~21 gwei, while
+    // ethers populates maxFeePerGas as baseFee * 2 + tip = 41 gwei.
+    const type2 = {
+        gasPrice: 21n * GWEI,
+        maxFeePerGas: 41n * GWEI,
+        maxPriorityFeePerGas: 1n * GWEI,
+    };
+
+    test("reserves gasLimit * maxFeePerGas, not gasLimit * gasPrice", () => {
+        expect(feeReserveWei(GAS_LIMIT, type2)).toBe(GAS_LIMIT * 41n * GWEI);
+        expect(feeReserveWei(GAS_LIMIT, type2)).toBe(861000000000000n);
+        // The number the node would not have accepted.
+        expect(feeReserveWei(GAS_LIMIT, type2)).not.toBe(441000000000000n);
+    });
+
+    test("gates out a send the type-2 reserve cannot fund", () => {
+        // Exactly fundable against a gasPrice reserve (0.999559 + 0.000441 is
+        // the whole balance to the wei), and short against the reserve the
+        // node will actually require.
+        const send = {
+            isErc20: false,
+            amount: "0.999559",
+            ethBalance: "1.0",
+            feeStatus: FEE_KNOWN,
+        };
+        expect(
+            validateTransfer({
+                ...send,
+                feeWei: GAS_LIMIT * type2.gasPrice,
+            }).canSend,
+        ).toBe(true);
+        const r = validateTransfer({
+            ...send,
+            feeWei: feeReserveWei(GAS_LIMIT, type2),
+        });
+        expect(r.canSend).toBe(false);
+        expect(r.codes).toEqual([CODES.INSUFFICIENT_ETH_WITH_FEE]);
+    });
+
+    test("falls back to gasPrice on a network with no type-2 pricing", () => {
+        const legacy = { gasPrice: 21n * GWEI, maxFeePerGas: null };
+        expect(feeReserveWei(GAS_LIMIT, legacy)).toBe(GAS_LIMIT * 21n * GWEI);
+    });
+
+    test("returns null when no usable price or gas limit is available", () => {
+        expect(feeReserveWei(GAS_LIMIT, { gasPrice: null })).toBe(null);
+        expect(feeReserveWei(GAS_LIMIT, {})).toBe(null);
+        expect(feeReserveWei(GAS_LIMIT, null)).toBe(null);
+        expect(feeReserveWei(21000, type2)).toBe(null);
+    });
+});
+
+// Everything that is not a usable fee blocks exactly as FEE_UNAVAILABLE does.
+// Each of these previously returned { canSend: true, codes: [] } — counting no
+// fee at all, on a full-balance send, in the direction that lets money out.
+describe("validateTransfer, unusable fee input fails closed", () => {
+    const fullBalanceSend = (over) => ({
+        isErc20: false,
+        amount: "1.0",
+        ethBalance: "1.0",
+        ...over,
+    });
+
+    test("blocks a null fee claiming to be known", () => {
+        const r = validateTransfer(
+            fullBalanceSend({ feeStatus: FEE_KNOWN, feeWei: null }),
+        );
+        expect(r).toEqual({ canSend: false, codes: [CODES.FEE_UNAVAILABLE] });
+    });
+
+    test("blocks a known fee that is a number rather than a bigint", () => {
+        const r = validateTransfer(
+            fullBalanceSend({ feeStatus: FEE_KNOWN, feeWei: 420000000000000 }),
+        );
+        expect(r).toEqual({ canSend: false, codes: [CODES.FEE_UNAVAILABLE] });
+    });
+
+    test("blocks an unrecognised fee status", () => {
+        const r = validateTransfer(fullBalanceSend({ feeStatus: "bogus" }));
+        expect(r).toEqual({ canSend: false, codes: [CODES.FEE_UNAVAILABLE] });
+    });
+
+    test("blocks a negative fee", () => {
+        const r = validateTransfer(
+            fullBalanceSend({ feeStatus: FEE_KNOWN, feeWei: -1n }),
+        );
+        expect(r).toEqual({ canSend: false, codes: [CODES.FEE_UNAVAILABLE] });
+    });
+
+    test("blocks an ERC-20 transfer on an unusable fee too", () => {
+        const r = validateTransfer({
+            isErc20: true,
+            amount: "100.0",
+            tokenBalance: "250.0",
+            ethBalance: "1.0",
+            feeStatus: FEE_KNOWN,
+            feeWei: null,
+        });
+        expect(r).toEqual({ canSend: false, codes: [CODES.FEE_UNAVAILABLE] });
+    });
+});