Why does my safe wallet require more confirmations than the threshold I set?

25 October 2026

The short answer: your Safe wallet is probably using a fallback handler or module that enforces its own confirmation logic, or you are looking at the total number of signers versus the threshold incorrectly. The threshold you set is the minimum number of confirmations needed to execute a transaction, but the Safe contract itself, plus any modules you have added, can require additional confirmations before a transaction can proceed.

How Threshold Enforcement Works in a Safe Wallet

A standard Safe wallet enforces an M-of-N multisig threshold at the contract level. When you create a transaction, it must receive at least M confirmations from the N owner addresses before it can be executed. The Safe contract checks this directly: it counts the number of unique owner signatures submitted with the transaction and compares that count to the stored threshold. If the count is below the threshold, the transaction reverts.

This is straightforward. If your threshold is 2 and you have 3 owners, two confirmations should be enough. If you are seeing a requirement for more than that, the issue is almost always one of the following.

Common reasons for extra confirmations

1. A Module or Fallback Handler Is Interfering

Safe wallets support modules and fallback handlers that extend their functionality. A common module is the "Delay" module, which enforces a time delay before a transaction can execute. Some modules, like the "Roles" module, can require additional approvals from specific addresses beyond the owner set.

If you have added a module that implements its own confirmation logic, the Safe contract will first check the threshold, but the module may then require its own separate confirmation process. For example, a "Spending Limit" module might allow a single owner to spend up to a certain amount, but any transaction above that limit could require a separate approval from another module address.

Check your Safe's modules in the Safe interface or on-chain. Navigate to the "Modules" section of your Safe settings. If any are enabled, review their documentation to understand their confirmation requirements. Disabling them temporarily can test whether they are the cause.

2. You Are Confusing the Number of Signers with the Threshold

A common misunderstanding: the Safe interface shows the total number of owners (N) and the threshold (M). If you have 3 owners and a threshold of 2, you need exactly 2 confirmations. But the interface may display a confirmation counter that includes pending confirmations from all owners, not just the minimum needed. If you see "3 confirmations required," it might be a display bug or a misinterpretation of the interface's progress bar.

To verify, check the transaction on a block explorer. The Safe contract's execTransaction function requires an array of signatures. The number of signatures in that array must equal the threshold. If the block explorer shows more signatures than the threshold, you may have accidentally included duplicate signatures or signatures from non-owner addresses.

3. A Hardware Signer or Multisig Setup Adds an Extra Step

If you are using a hardware wallet (like a Ledger or Trezor) as one of your owners, the hardware wallet itself may require a confirmation before it signs. This is not an extra on-chain confirmation, but it can feel like one in the UI. The hardware wallet's confirmation is a local step, not an on-chain requirement. The Safe contract still only counts the number of valid owner signatures.

If you are using a multisig setup where one of the owners is itself a smart contract wallet (nested multisig), that nested wallet may require its own internal threshold before it can sign. This can make the total number of required confirmations appear higher than the top-level threshold. For example, if your Safe has a threshold of 2, but one owner is another Safe with a threshold of 2, you may need 3 total signatures: two from the nested Safe's owners, plus one from the remaining top-level owner.

4. The Transaction Was Submitted with a Different Threshold

Safe wallets allow you to change the threshold after deployment. If you recently changed the threshold from 3 to 2, but a transaction was created before the change, that transaction retains the old threshold. The Safe contract checks the threshold at the time the transaction was proposed, not at the time of execution. Cancel the old transaction and create a new one to use the updated threshold.

How to Diagnose the Issue

1. Check the Safe's current threshold. In the Safe interface, go to "Settings" > "Owners." The threshold is displayed there. Confirm it matches what you expect.
2. List all enabled modules. In the same settings section, check "Modules." Note any module addresses and look up their behavior on Etherscan or the module's documentation.
3. Inspect a failed transaction. Use a block explorer to view the transaction's execTransaction call. Look at the signatures parameter. Count the number of unique owner addresses in the signatures. If it matches the threshold, the failure is likely from a module. If it does not, you have a signature issue.
4. Test with a simple transaction. Create a transaction that sends 0 ETH to a non-contract address with only the threshold number of confirmations. If it succeeds, the problem is specific to the target contract or the data in the original transaction.

When to contact support

If you have verified the threshold, disabled all modules, and confirmed the signature count matches the threshold, but the transaction still requires more confirmations, you may have a corrupted Safe state or a bug in the interface. In that case, contact the Safe team via their official support channels, providing the Safe address and the transaction hash. Do not share your private keys or seed phrase.

Back to smart wallets