During January 2025, work focused on refining the gateway_balances RPC handler within the XRPLF/clio repository. Using C++ and backend development expertise, the developer addressed a bug by removing the RpcInvalidHotWallet error handling, thereby aligning the handler’s behavior with rippled and eliminating unnecessary trustline validation for hot wallet addresses. This adjustment simplified the RPC logic, reduced maintenance complexity, and improved reliability for client applications interacting with gateway_balances. The change was delivered as a single, auditable commit, ensuring traceability. No new features were introduced during this period, but the targeted fix enhanced cross-service consistency and maintainability for backend systems.