Mental model
Protocol model
Sinetti adds a time-and-evidence layer when a payment cannot safely be atomic with delivery.
When to use it
| Transaction shape | Appropriate route | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Resource and payment exchange atomically | Direct payment | No future performance remains to verify. |
| Delivery arrives later | Sinetti | Funds can remain locked until evidence and a verdict exist. |
| Acceptance can be disputed | Sinetti | Signed criteria, a challenge window and a named arbitrator define recourse. |
| No objective criteria or credible arbitrator | Do not open the deal | The contract cannot repair ambiguous commercial terms. |
Roles and authority
| Role | Chooses or accepts | Can do | Cannot do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buyer | Assembles terms; seller signature accepts them | Fund, accept Pass, challenge Pass, submit evidence, mutually cancel | Change signed terms after opening |
| Seller | Signs every material term | Post bond, commit delivery, challenge Fail/Inconclusive, submit evidence | Withdraw buyer principal before settlement |
| Verifier | Chosen per deal | Record Pass, Fail or Inconclusive | Redirect funds or resolve a challenge |
| Arbitrator | Chosen per deal; must be a contract | Return Release or Refund through the escrow callback | Rewrite the agreement or withdraw credits |
Trust model
The contract supports open enrollment or participant and arbitrator allowlists. No deployment of the current source is yet supported publicly. In either configuration, selection is not trust: parties must evaluate role operators, conflicts, runtime, availability, rules and key custody before signing. A Sinetti-operated reference provider, if offered later, would be one choice rather than protocol authority.
What the contract guarantees
- Seller acceptance covers the encoded deal terms through EIP-712.
- Only the named role addresses can take role-authorized actions.
- Clock transitions and terminal allocations follow the selected contract code.
- Credits are withdrawn separately, so one failing receiver does not block every settlement.
- Events expose the path and explicit terminal allocation for independent indexing.
What it does not guarantee
- That criteria are clear, complete or commercially sensible.
- That an artifact remains retrievable or matches its description.
- That verifier or arbitrator operators are independent, competent or available.
- That an identity anchor resolves correctly or proves address control.
- That any deployment is audited or safe for real value.