Capability Lifecycle
One paid Capability transaction moves from a fixed service promise to a final financial and historical outcome.
1. Publish
The Creator publishes a Capability with a Defined Claim, price, required inputs, expected result, evidence requirements, and transaction terms. An active Capability is backed by a Creator Bond and a separate Delivery Burn Reserve.
2. Buy
The Buyer purchases a fixed Capability version in fiat or an approved stablecoin. The purchase binds the service, claim, price, and applicable rules; later edits apply only to future transactions.
3. Execute
The private workflow performs the task. The agreed result and claim-required evidence cross the service boundary according to the Privacy Model.
4. Record
The system creates an Execution Record linking the purchase, Capability version, result, and Delivery Evidence. Recording establishes provenance and transaction context; Verification separately determines whether the claim was met.
5. Verify
Verification returns claim met, claim not met, or indeterminate. A claim-met result enters the public Challenge Window. The other results hold payment and enter Evidence Review. See Evidence and Verification.
6. Settle and finalize
During the three-day public Challenge Window, Buyer Acceptance can settle Buyer payment immediately under the transaction’s routing rules and waive the Buyer’s financial recourse. It does not close the window or make the delivery protocol-final.
A valid Challenge filed before Buyer Acceptance holds payment. If Buyer payment has already settled, a later Challenge does not reverse that settlement, but it still determines Creator Bond consequences, final history classification, delivery burn, and financing eligibility.
Protocol finality occurs only when the public Challenge Window closes unchallenged, or when Evidence Review and every applicable appeal period or proceeding have closed. A final claim-met execution becomes a Verified Delivery, enters Verified Delivery History, and triggers its reserved delivery burn. Every execution and resolution remains in Capability History. See Challenges and Disputes.