A fixed-pool Tornado Cash deposit can be recovered only with its original note, if the deposit confirmed and has not already been spent. A wallet address, transaction hash, or seed phrase cannot recreate it. Tornadocash recovery depends on the protocol’s cryptographic proof and irreversible on-chain state.
Why the note is essential
For Tornado Cash Classic pools, the note contains the secret material needed to prove entitlement to a deposit without revealing which deposit it was. The contract can verify a valid proof, but it cannot reveal or regenerate a lost secret. A block explorer can show that a deposit occurred, but cannot provide the credential needed to withdraw.
This follows from the nature of Ethereum contracts: Ethereum’s smart-contract documentation explains that interactions are irreversible. There is no reset, cancellation, or administrator recovery path.
The note is separate from the sending wallet’s private key, recovery phrase, or browser profile. A withdrawal uses a zero-knowledge proof, a Merkle-tree membership check, and a nullifier that prevents double spending. You may still control the depositing wallet yet be unable to withdraw without the note. Never share a note in a chat, form, recovery service, or wallet-connect prompt.
What to check before attempting recovery
A note is necessary but not always sufficient. Confirm the original transaction, network, asset, denomination, and selected pool. If a note is already spent, its nullifier was used and another attempt cannot reverse that state. For proof or submission errors, read the exact wallet message and verify the network before signing anything.
Preserve the original note exactly, along with the transaction hash, sending address, asset, denomination, network, and relevant screenshots. These records cannot replace the note, but can help identify a mismatch.
A useful Tornadocash reference page should distinguish a missing credential from a wrong pool or spent nullifier. It should never request a seed phrase, private key, or full note.
Do not make a test deposit: it creates a separate claim and does not repair the old one. Do not trust anyone claiming they can unlock funds from a transaction hash alone. Technical ability also does not override applicable sanctions, tax, exchange-control, or other legal obligations.