Covenant Protocol (C-Protocol)
A covenant language for real-world stewardship: on-chain rules + verifiable proofs that move value only when conditions are truly met.
What is it?
The Covenant Protocol (C-Protocol) is a minimal, auditable rule system. It encodes who can attest, what counts as proof, and how value moves — enforced by code, not gatekeepers.
Why it matters
Grants, drops, & project treasuries can route funds only when real-world outcomes are verified — turning intent into programmable, transparent flows for stewards, artists, and local communities.
How it works
You define a covenant (roles, proofs, payout rules), connect proof sources (NFC tags, witnesses, oracles), then fund it with assets (like $CSEAS). When proofs clear, the C-Protocol releases value according to the rules.
Core Architecture
At its heart, the C-Protocol is a covenant on top of UTXO-style logic and contract checks. Each covenant defines a small set of primitives that can be composed into rich agreements:
📜 Covenants
- • Human-readable intent: name, purpose, and versioned spec.
- • On-chain state: funded inputs, locked outputs, and rule references.
- • Minimal surface: only the data needed to verify the covenant.
👥 Roles
- • Grantors lock value into the covenant.
- • Beneficiaries receive value when conditions pass.
- • Proof Authorities (PAs) are allowed to attest to proofs.
✅ Verifiable Proofs
- • Presence: NFC tag taps + time/space context.
- • Stewardship: measurable actions (kg removed, area restored, hours served).
- • Credentials & oracles: skills, roles, or external data feeds.
💸 Flow Rules
- • Thresholds: minimum attestations, quorum, or score.
- • Splits: pro-rata shares between beneficiaries & treasuries.
- • Time locks & fallbacks: expiry paths, refunds, or reallocation.
Developer Mental Model
- • Inputs: UTXOs / tokens locked under covenant rules.
- • State: compact metadata (roles, proof schema, thresholds).
- • Transitions: transactions that include proofs + PA signatures.
- • Validation: scripts verify proofs, roles, and rule satisfaction.
- • Outputs: unlocked value flows to beneficiaries or back to grantors.
Human Mental Model
- • “I fund this covenant if and only if these proofs become true.”
- • “These people or orgs are allowed to verify those proofs.”
- • “When it works, everyone can see why funds moved.”
- • “If it doesn’t, funds revert or follow a clear fallback path.”
Where to Go From Here
Ready to go deeper or wire up a covenant? Explore the Trust framework, play with the builder, or jump straight into proofs.