Stuck Cross-Chain Transfer (CELO → Ethereum) – Pending Claim, VAA Exists, Wrong Contract Address, No Recovery/Refund Options #4609
Description
Description and context
A CELO → Ethereum cross-chain transfer through Portal/Wormhole is stuck in a “Pending Claim” state.
The VAA still exists and is visible on WormholeScan, but the Portal UI shows no options for Redeem, Recover, or Refund.
The destination address was mistakenly set to a non-claimable smart contract, which cannot receive or release bridged assets.
The transfer has not progressed for several days, and funds are currently inaccessible.
Steps to reproduce
•Source Chain: CELO
•Target Chain: Ethereum
•Source TX Hash: 0xb7cc2dd0835c0ed65b45e36738df33488795a5938399d9ac286899e2d12acb01
•Incorrect Target Address: 0x60917e542aDdd13bfd1a7f81cD654758052dAdC4
•Address Type: Smart contract with no claim or token-receiving capability
•Transfer Age: 6-7 days
•Portal Status: Always shows “Pending Claim”
•UI Status: No Redeem / Recover / Refund buttons available
•VAA: Exists, visible, and not expired
•Asset: WETH
Experienced behavior
•Verified VAA is present on WormholeScan.
•Checked Portal Legacy Tools and Resume pages; no actionable buttons appear.
•Confirmed destination contract cannot handle a claim call.
•Reviewed documentation on expired VAAs and re-requesting VAAs, but unclear how to initiate this process.
•Discord no longer offers support tickets, making official recovery channels unavailable.
Expected behavior
I am seeking one of the following outcomes, depending on what is technically feasible within the Wormhole system:
•Recovery or Refund:
The transfer is marked as failed or reverted so that the bridged assets can return to the source chain (CELO).
A standard redeem cannot be used because it would send funds permanently into an inaccessible smart contract.
•Manual Guardian or Relayer Assistance:
A forced-fail, forced-reemit, modified VAA replay, or another form of manual intervention so that execution does not deliver tokens to the incorrect contract.
•Alternative Safe Recovery Path:
Any supported method that allows retrieval of funds without executing a redeem to the wrong contract address.
•Technical Instructions:
Guidance on how to request VAA re-emission, trigger expiry handling, or initiate internal recovery steps.
Actual Behavior
•Transfer has remained in “Pending Claim” for several days.
•VAA exists but no UI path allows execution or refund.
•A normal redeem would permanently lock tokens in the wrong contract.
•No official support ticket system is accessible.
Solution recommendation
Please advise on any safe recovery options, including refund, manual guardian intervention, VAA replay, or internal failure marking to prevent loss of funds.
Any assistance or instruction would be greatly appreciated.
