Q token mark QUADPublic Accountability

Payables before promises

Obligations And Funding Posture

Every chain has ordinary costs: nodes, RPC, relayers, host gas, storage, proof work, monitoring, websites, refunds, and provider work. Public pages should say who owns the obligation, what funds it, what receipt closes it, and what must pause if it is not funded.

Expected use, unpaid invoices, route volume, token issuance, and unrealized yield are not spendable money.

Obligation Classes

Costs should be named by class before they become public claims.

ClassPublic meaningBoundary
Node / validatorValidator, observer, sentry, or chain-node cost where the owning chain publishes the role.Not proof of decentralization, validator profit, or network reliance.
RPC / REST / indexerPublic query, explorer, indexer, or status-feed support cost.Endpoint visibility is not custody, admission, or launch by itself.
Relayer gas floatOperational gas reserved for packet or route support where the owner publishes it.Not custody, counterparty authority, payment authority, or destination acceptance.
Host-chain gas floatExternal chain execution or submission budget for a Bridge or host-facing lane.Not host-asset custody, completed movement, or final settlement.
Storage / proof workInfra service capacity, retained memory, proof, retrieval, repair, and reissue work.Not raw compute rewards, payload truth, or Core admission.
Website / domain / status surfacePublic information, static release, DNS, TLS, status page, and support-surface continuity.Not chain authority, governance authority, or spend authority.
Refund / failed routeReturned value, failed route cost, reversal-equivalent state, surplus, or quarantine closure.Not yield, discretionary profit, or admission.
Emergency migrationProvider replacement, recovery, restore, continuity, or handoff obligation where publicly labelled.Not private recovery procedure or a guarantee of uninterrupted service.

Funding Labels

Use these labels before claiming that a route, product lane, or public surface can keep running.

LabelMeaningMust not imply
Operator-fundedAn operator is currently paying or carrying the cost outside chain-owned receipts.Protocol self-funding, continuity guarantee, or chain-owned reserve.
Prefunded floatA bounded float exists for a route, gas class, provider, or service window.Unlimited budget, custody proof, or open-ended billing authority.
Chain-fundedThe owning chain has an approved path to fund the obligation from its own public receipts.Sibling-chain subsidy or discretionary spend from another surface.
Governance-approvedA published governance or policy path has approved the obligation where that process exists.Private override, personal discretion, or retroactive permission.
Partially self-fundedRecurring receipts cover part of the obligation, but external support or float remains.Full sustainability or permanent availability.
Self-fundedRecurring receipts cover the obligation and receipt closure is visible.Profit, yield, reserve backing, or entitlement.
BlockedThe obligation lacks funding, receipt closure, provider continuity, or approved authority.Hidden availability or a promise that the route will work anyway.

Owner By Surface

Each surface should fund its own obligations unless a public receipt-backed support rail says otherwise.

CoreCore pays for Core chain observation, Core node posture, Core economic state, and the shared main-site support rail only where explicitly approved. InfraInfra pays for BIGHT work lanes, storage, proof, retrieval, retained memory, provider settlement, and Infra service continuity. BridgeBridge pays for passage work, host-chain gas posture, route observation, proof, refund handling, relayer work, and host evidence where opened. LiquidLiquid pays for motion, order, position, risk, wrapper, relayer gas, settlement-request, and market-adjacent obligations where opened. Main websiteThe main website explains, routes, degrades, and hands off. It does not become a payer or chain authority by publishing a page. Custody mapAccount class decides whether something is owed, held, recorded, payable, receivable, spendable, quarantined, or terminal.

Aging States

  • Current: obligation sits inside its expected service or payment window.
  • Due soon: payment, proof, refund, route, or service window is approaching.
  • Due now: action is needed before public claims should expand.
  • Late: downgrade affected availability, route, or continuity claims.
  • Disputed: owner has not accepted the payable, receivable, or proof state.
  • Unpayable: route, provider, amount, proof, or authority state prevents payment.
  • Closed: paid, refunded, refused, written off, expired, terminal, or receipt-closed.

Closure Evidence

  • Invoice or quote id: stable id for the expected obligation.
  • Owner surface: Core, Infra, Bridge, Liquid, or main website orientation.
  • Expected amount: amount, denom, fee class, cap, or budget window.
  • Actual amount: paid, consumed, refunded, quarantined, written off, or refused.
  • Receipt id: public closure id where the owner publishes it.
  • Difference reason: expiry, fee change, route failure, dispute, refund, surplus, or terminal state.

When Funding Is Missing

Missing funding should shrink the public claim. It should not be hidden behind optimistic status text.

Pause

Stop accepting actions that require the unfunded route, provider, relayer, or host lane.

Refuse

Return a clear refusal when the obligation cannot be funded or verified.

Downgrade

Keep static orientation visible but lower claims about live action, continuity, or throughput.

Quarantine

Hold uncertain value, route state, or provider result until funding, proof, or authority clears.

Refund

Return accepted value under the owner surface's refund rule where public evidence supports it.

Terminalize

Close the obligation as expired, refused, written off, or terminal with a public label.

Do Not Count As Spendable

These can be useful context, but they cannot pay bills until receipted by the owner.

Expected use

Interest, traffic, signups, route demand, or public attention are not spendable money.

Unpaid invoices

Receivables remain expectations until paid and receipted.

Route volume

Volume is not profit, reserve, runway, or provider budget.

Token issuance

Issuance is not revenue unless local law and receipts classify it as realized funding.

Unrealized yield

Yield that has not been realized, admitted, and receipted cannot fund obligations.

Sibling services

One chain's service does not become another chain's budget without a public invoice, receipt, prefund, or approved liability path.