Q token mark QUADPublic Accountability

Cost, delay, receipt

Fees And Finality

Before a public action asks for payment, signing, routing, upload, proof, or settlement, it should say who owns the quote, what cost is expected, what was actually charged, what delay applies, and which receipt closes the loop.

A quote is not custody. A fee label is not yield. Fast motion is not final settlement.

Before Paying Or Signing

If any required field is missing, downgrade the action until the owning surface publishes it.

FieldShould showBoundary
OwnerCore, Infra, Bridge, Liquid, or the main website if it is only an orientation page.The website does not become fee authority for chain-owned actions.
Quote idStable id for the expected action, route, upload, proof, service, or order.A quote id does not prove payment, completion, custody, or settlement.
Expected denomThe unit expected before the action: native gas denom, BIGHT, route denom, host denom, wrapper, or service label.Display label does not prove reserve backing or redemption.
Expected amountThe pre-action amount, including whether it is fixed, estimated, maximum, or indicative.Estimated cost is not a guaranteed final charge unless the owner says it is locked.
Fee componentsGas, host-chain gas, relayer fee, proof cost, memory cost, service fee, margin, buffer, or dust where relevant.Bundled costs should not hide pass-through categories when route risk matters.
ExpiryWhen the quote, route, payment window, order, or proof window stops being valid.Expired quotes should not be reused as current pricing.
Actual chargeThe amount actually recorded, credited, consumed, refunded, quarantined, or refused.Actual charge does not prove another surface accepted the outcome.
Finality labelPending, included, confirming, final enough, accepted, settled, refused, expired, refunded, quarantined, or terminal.Final on one surface is not final everywhere.
Receipt idPublic id for the result, refusal, refund, proof, route, upload, or settlement request.A receipt proves its bounded event, not universal truth.

Fee Classes

Cost labels should explain what is being paid for, not just show a number.

Fee classPublic meaningNot implied
Chain gasLocal execution cost on the chain where the transaction is signed.Admission, sale access, reserve value, or destination acceptance.
Host-chain gasExternal submission or command cost where Bridge or another owner publishes it.Host custody, successful delivery, or final destination accounting.
Relayer feeTransport or submission support for a route or packet.Custody, pricing authority, admission, or settlement authority.
Service feeAccepted work cost such as upload, retrieval, receipt memory, proof, reissue, contract work, passage, or motion.Provider entitlement, raw compute reward, or guaranteed future service.
Proof costCost of producing, retaining, verifying, reissuing, or linking evidence where the owner opens that lane.Payload truth, legal proof, or universal truth.
BufferFinality, slippage, dust, route-risk, repair, or continuity margin where published.Yield, backing, price floor, or redemption reserve.
RefundReturned amount under the owner surface's refund rule.Proof that the original route was accepted or that future routes will pass.

Chain Reading

Same word, different owner. Follow the chain that owns the action.

CoreCore owns local transaction gas, staking/fee denom labels, block inclusion, public receipts, quarantine, and Core admission labels. InfraInfra owns BIGHT work quotes, funding proof state, upload/retrieval/proof fees, receipt memory, contract-work pricing, and service receipts. BridgeBridge owns route quotes, host-chain gas, proof/memory cost, service margin, buffer, finality, refund, refusal, quarantine, and destination boundary labels. LiquidLiquid owns quote, order, fee, expiry, position, wrapper, risk, liquidation, settlement-request, and market-closed labels where published. Wallet labelsWallets display fee and finality labels, but owning surfaces decide what those labels mean. Source mapIf a copied fee, stale quote, or external registry disagrees with the owner, use the owner or say cannot verify.

Quote States

  • Indicative: shown for orientation only; not accepted.
  • Offered: owner has published a quote with expected denom, amount, and expiry.
  • Accepted: owner accepted the quote state under its public rule.
  • Paid: payment proof or chain payment is visible to the owner.
  • Charged: actual fee, gas, service cost, or route cost has been recorded.
  • Expired: quote can no longer be used as current pricing.
  • Refused: owner rejected the quote or action. Treat that as a normal terminal path unless a new route is offered.

Finality States

  • Submitted: request was sent, but not yet accepted as chain or product state.
  • Included: visible in a block or owner record, but not necessarily final enough.
  • Confirming: waiting for confirmations, proof, route checks, or owner review.
  • Final enough: final under the owner's published rule for the next action.
  • Accepted: owner has accepted the result into its local state.
  • Settled: settlement owner has recorded final balance truth where it has authority.
  • Quarantined: held or blocked until stronger evidence, refusal, or terminal state.

When Cost Changes

Changed cost should become a visible state, not a surprise hidden behind success text.

Estimate changed

Show the old estimate, new estimate, reason class, owner, and whether a new quote is required.

Actual differs

Show expected denom, expected amount, actual denom, actual amount, receipt id, and difference reason.

Underpaid

Show unpaid, expired, partial, or refused state. Do not quietly accept weaker proof as completed work.

Overpaid or surplus

Show refund, buffer, surplus, or quarantine label. Do not call it yield or reward.

Host cost moved

Bridge or host-facing routes should show host-chain gas, buffer, and finality posture as separate categories.

Stale quote

Do not reuse stale values. Ask the owner for a fresh quote or say current cost cannot be verified.

Do Not Infer

Fees and finality can make action legible without creating stronger economic claims.

Fee paid is not admission

Paying gas, service cost, host cost, or route cost does not force Core admission, destination acceptance, or settlement.

Quote visible is not liquidity

A visible quote does not prove live liquidity, market depth, reserve backing, or redemption access.

Receipt visible is not universal truth

A receipt proves its bounded event and owner, not every downstream claim.

Finality is local

Host-chain finality, route finality, service acceptance, and settlement finality remain separate labels.