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What are split, merge, and convert?

Polymarket positions are ERC-1155 tokens representing outcomes. Three on-chain operations let you manage them directly: Split — Turn USDC into YES + NO tokens for a market. You put in 100andget100YESshares+100NOshares.Onesidewillbeworth100 and get 100 YES shares + 100 NO shares. One side will be worth 1 at resolution, the other $0. Merge — The reverse. Put YES + NO tokens back together and get USDC. 100 YES + 100 NO = $100 USDC returned. Convert — Rebalance positions across outcomes in a multi-outcome market (neg-risk only). If you hold NO tokens on certain outcomes, convert them into USDC plus YES tokens on the remaining outcomes.

When to use each

TypeScript (gasless)

The TypeScript SDK executes these operations gaslessly through the Polymarket relayer. No MATIC/POL needed.

Split

Merge

Convert

Convert is only available on neg-risk multi-outcome markets (e.g. “Republican Presidential Nominee” with 36 outcomes).
What happens:
  • Your NO tokens on outcomes 0 and 1 are burned
  • You receive (number of outcomes - 1) x amount in USDC (here: $100)
  • You receive YES tokens on all other outcomes (here: outcomes 2 through 35)
The outcomeIndices correspond to the position of each outcome in the market. Index 0 is the first outcome, index 1 is the second, etc. You can find these by looking at the questionID field in market data — the last byte of each questionID is the outcome index.

Rust (transaction builder)

The Rust SDK builds transactions that you submit via your own provider or the Polymarket relayer.

Python (transaction builder)

Finding market IDs

To use these operations, you need the right identifiers from market data:

Neg-risk vs standard markets

The TypeScript SDK auto-detects the market type and routes to the correct contract. Rust and Python default to neg-risk (most multi-outcome markets). Pass neg_risk=False for standard binary markets.
Convert operations are gasless in the TypeScript SDK. Rust and Python SDKs return pre-built transactions — submit them via the Polymarket relayer or your own provider.