STX and sBTC escrow

Use escrow when work is asynchronous, a neutral evaluator decides the outcome, or the client needs an explicit refund path.

Roles

• Client: creates and funds the job.
• Provider: inspects the terms and submits a deliverable after client assignment.
• Evaluator: records an evidence-backed decision; final settlement follows the appeal policy.

An evaluator decision starts an appeal period without moving funds. After the decision becomes final, approval pays the provider and updates job-linked reputation; rejection refunds the client. Eligible expiry paths return or release escrow according to the contract lifecycle.

Active review-window lifecycle

The active versioned release begins a fixed 12 Bitcoin burn-block review window when the provider submits work. The evaluator can approve or reject through the exact deadline. After the deadline, any caller can release escrow to the provider so an unavailable evaluator cannot trap funds.

The active v6/v5/v3 source set passed controlled STX and official PoX-5 sBTC paths on testnet, including decisions, appeals, real timeout payouts and 98/2 conservation. It was then deployed, initialized and source-verified on mainnet. The signer-free verifier pins exact sources and policy. Controlled actors remain release evidence, not external adoption or revenue.

TimeoutPaid (u6) proves that the provider received escrow through the liveness path. It is not a completed-job attestation, cannot be rated and does not increment completed or disputed reputation. If a normal completion or rejection cannot write reputation, settlement remains final and the recorded synchronization can be retried permissionlessly.

Asset-specific funding

STX funding constrains the exact micro-STX transfer. sBTC funding constrains the canonical SIP-010 token and exact satoshi amount. The SDK hides signature differences but preserves explicit post-conditions.

See autonomous evaluation and appeals, contract reference and settlement semantics.

The active v6/v5 generation applies an earned service fee only after an evaluator records a decision and final settlement succeeds. See earned service fees. Existing v5/v4 jobs retain their original terms and must be read with explicit historical contract names.