---
title: "gen_unsubscribe"
description: "Cancels a subscription previously opened with gensubscribe. The node stops sending notifications for that subscription and releases the resources backing it."
source: https://docs.genlayer.com/api-references/genlayer-node/gen/gen_unsubscribe
last_updated: 2026-10-19
---

# gen_unsubscribe

### gen_unsubscribe

Cancels a subscription previously opened with `gen_subscribe`. The node stops sending notifications for that subscription and releases the resources backing it.

**Method:** `gen_unsubscribe`

**Transport:** WebSocket only, on the same connection that opened the subscription.

**Parameters:**

- `subscriptionId` (string, required): The id returned by `gen_subscribe`

**Returns:** Boolean — `true` when a matching subscription was cancelled, `false` when the id is unknown on this connection

**Example Request:**

```json
{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "gen_unsubscribe",
  "params": [
    "b3f1c2de-9a44-4c1e-8f77-2b0a5d6e1c33"
  ],
  "id": 2
}
```

**Example Response:**

```json
{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "result": true,
  "id": 2
}
```

**Notes:**

- An unknown subscription id is not an error: the response is `result: false`, matching the `eth_unsubscribe` convention
- Subscriptions are scoped to the connection that created them. One connection cannot cancel another's subscription, and an id from a closed connection always returns `false`
- Explicit unsubscription is optional for cleanup: closing the WebSocket cancels every subscription on that connection automatically
- A notification already in flight when the cancellation is processed may still arrive; treat the `true` response as "no further events will be produced", not as a barrier
- A missing or non-string parameter returns error code `-32602`

**wscat Example:**

```bash
wscat -c ws://localhost:9151/ws
> {"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"gen_unsubscribe","params":["b3f1c2de-9a44-4c1e-8f77-2b0a5d6e1c33"],"id":2}
< {"jsonrpc":"2.0","result":true,"id":2}
```