How-to
How to Mint Cycles to the Cycles Ledger
Top-up sends cycles straight into a canister. Minting deposits cycles onto the cycles ledger under your principal — like a prepaid balance you can later withdraw into any canister ID.
September 5, 2026 · 8 min read
Mint vs top-up
- Top up — ICP → CMC → cycles in a target canister (
notify_top_up). - Mint — ICP → CMC → cycles on the cycles ledger for you (
notify_mint_cycles).
Use mint when you want a reusable cycles balance; use top up when one canister needs fuel now.
Step-by-step on ICPay
- Open icpay.app/canister/cycles and sign in.
- On Mint, enter ICP. ICPay covers shortfall from your wallet, transfers with the MINT memo, then notifies the CMC.
- Check the preview for your cycles ledger balance.
- On Withdraw, pick a canister (or Mine) and an amount in T cycles to deposit.
Fees and rate
Conversion follows the CMC ICP→XDR rate (same family as top-up). Ledger ICP transfer fees apply; ICPay shows a live estimate before you mint. Details in ICP cycles explained.
