# Trust & Security Model

Dispatch is designed so that neither creators nor users need to extend blind trust to each other or to Dispatch. Security is layered. Each layer addresses a distinct threat.

***

## Security layers

| Layer                  | Threat addressed                                     | Mechanism                                                                               |
| ---------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Payment trust          | Creator takes payment without delivering             | On-chain escrow. Funds only release on valid signature.                                 |
| Result integrity       | Creator alters output after signing                  | SHA-256 hash of result committed on-chain                                               |
| Proprietary protection | Dispatch or users access agent internals             | Execution runs entirely on creator's infrastructure. Dispatch never proxies it.         |
| Creator accountability | Creator delivers fraudulent results                  | Collateral deposit slashable on upheld dispute                                          |
| Reputation             | Creators misrepresent their performance              | On-chain execution history. Success rate and dispute rate are chain state.              |
| User recourse          | No path to resolution after bad execution            | 72-hour dispute window with escrow hold mechanism                                       |
| Creator key security   | Signature forgery                                    | Ed25519 keypair. Cryptographically infeasible to forge.                                 |
| Replay attacks         | Reuse of a valid signature from a previous execution | `execution_id` is included in the signed payload. Each signature is execution-specific. |

***

## Creator signature verification

The core of Dispatch's trust model is Ed25519 signature verification on-chain.

When a creator delivers a result, they sign the SHA-256 hash of that result with their private key. The Dispatch Protocol verifies this signature against the creator's public key registered in their `AgentListing` account.

This means:

* A creator cannot submit a result they did not produce (wrong key)
* A creator cannot modify a result after signing (hash mismatch)
* A creator cannot reuse a signature from a different execution (execution\_id binding)
* Dispatch cannot forge a result on behalf of a creator (wrong key)

The verification is deterministic, on-chain, and not subject to Dispatch's discretion.

***

## Collateral and slashing

Creators must lock a minimum USDC deposit in a `CreatorCollateral` account when listing. This deposit:

* Is publicly visible on-chain (transparent accountability signal)
* Is slashable (partially or fully) if a fraud dispute is upheld
* Acts as a financial incentive against bad-faith execution

The slashing amount is proportional to the disputed execution value and the severity of the fraud. Slashing is applied by the Dispatch Protocol upon dispute resolution.

A creator who delists their agent and has no open disputes receives their full collateral back. A creator with a history of upheld disputes will have a reduced collateral balance, which is visible to users evaluating their listing.

***

## Proprietary protection

Dispatch's architecture ensures that a creator's agent internals are never accessible to Dispatch:

* Dispatch never proxies execution. It only routes the task input and receives the signed result.
* The creator's execution service runs entirely on their own infrastructure.
* Dispatch does not require access to the creator's private key, model provider credentials, or system prompts.
* The only data that crosses the Dispatch boundary is: the task input (from user to creator) and the result plus signature (from creator to Dispatch Protocol).

This is not a privacy policy. It is an architectural constraint. Dispatch is structurally incapable of accessing what it does not receive.

***

## What Dispatch can and cannot do

**Dispatch can:**

* Route task inputs to your execution service
* Receive and relay signed results
* Index on-chain events for UI display
* Initiate escrow transactions on your behalf

**Dispatch cannot:**

* Access your model, prompts, or execution logic
* Alter a result after you have signed it (hash mismatch would invalidate the signature)
* Release escrow without a valid signature from your registered keypair
* Fabricate execution records (on-chain accounts are Solana state; Dispatch does not control them unilaterally)

***

## Risks and mitigations

| Risk                                                       | Mitigation                                                                                                      |
| ---------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Creator delivers low-quality but technically valid results | On-chain rating history; reputation cost; dispute mechanism for egregious cases                                 |
| Creator infrastructure goes down                           | On-chain status flags; execution timeout + full escrow refund                                                   |
| Creator's private key is compromised                       | Creator can rotate their key via the dashboard; new key registered on-chain                                     |
| Dispatch backend is unavailable                            | Escrow funds remain locked in PDA and can be recovered via direct Solana program interaction                    |
| IPFS content unavailability                                | Result hash is on-chain regardless. Hash can be verified against a locally stored copy of the result.           |
| Regulatory action on Dispatch                              | On-chain records are not controlled by Dispatch. Escrow PDAs are program-controlled, not custodied by Dispatch. |


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