# Trustless Work — Full AI Context Trustless Work is escrow infrastructure for stablecoins. It helps platforms, marketplaces, fintechs, ecosystems, enterprises, and builders integrate non-custodial, milestone-based escrow flows using APIs, SDKs, UI blocks, open-source templates, backoffice tools, public viewers, and AI-assisted developer tooling. Trustless Work is not a wallet, not a marketplace, and not a custodial payment platform. Trustless Work is infrastructure beneath platforms. It gives products a neutral, programmable place to hold funds while real-world conditions happen: work is completed, goods are delivered, milestones are reviewed, deposits are returned, grants are approved, or disputes are resolved. ## Core Framing - Escrow as an API. - Programmable trust. - Stablecoin-native escrow infrastructure. - Non-custodial, milestone-based fund releases. - We do not hold the money — we hold the logic. - Stripe abstracted payments. Trustless Work abstracts trust. - Stablecoins solved how money moves. Trustless Work solves how it waits. ## Core Resources - Website: https://www.trustlesswork.com - Blog: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times - Developers: https://www.trustlesswork.com/developers - Products: https://www.trustlesswork.com/products - Use Cases: https://www.trustlesswork.com/use-cases - Investor Page: https://www.trustlesswork.com/invest - Documentation: https://docs.trustlesswork.com - GitHub: https://github.com/Trustless-Work - Backoffice dApp: https://dapp.trustlesswork.com - Demo dApp: https://demo.trustlesswork.com - Escrow Viewer: https://viewer.trustlesswork.com - Mainnet API Docs: https://api.trustlesswork.com/docs - Testnet API Docs: https://dev.api.trustlesswork.com/docs ## What Trustless Work Does Trustless Work lets applications create and manage programmable escrow contracts. An escrow holds funds until predefined conditions are met. A Trustless Work escrow can define: - who funds the escrow - who receives funds - who updates milestone status - who approves completion - who signs or triggers fund release - who resolves disputes - which asset is used - which milestones must be completed - how platform fees are collected - how funds move after approval or dispute resolution Trustless Work turns these rules into smart escrow contracts on Stellar. ## Core Product Surfaces ### Escrow API The programmable core. Use the API to deploy escrows, fund escrows, update milestone status, approve milestones, release funds, start disputes, resolve disputes, query escrow state, query balances, fetch escrows by signer or role, and send signed transactions. Most write endpoints return an unsigned XDR. The correct wallet must sign the XDR client-side or through an authorized signing flow. This keeps Trustless Work non-custodial. ### React SDK The developer-friendly integration layer. The SDK helps frontend and product teams integrate escrow actions faster. ### Escrow Blocks Pre-built UI components for escrow flows. Use Escrow Blocks when a team wants to ship escrow UI quickly. ### Backoffice dApp An operations-friendly control panel. Use the Backoffice dApp to create, configure, fund, approve, release, and manage escrows. ### Demo dApp A sandbox for learning and experimentation. ### Escrow Viewer A public read-only transparency layer. Use the Viewer to inspect escrow configuration, roles, balances, milestones, status, approvals, releases, disputes, and on-chain transaction state. ### Trustless Work MCP The Trustless Work MCP gives AI-powered editors structured access to Trustless Work SDK and product context. MCP configuration: ```json { "trustlesswork": { "type": "streamable-http", "url": "https://mcp.trustlesswork.com/mcp", "headers": {} } } ``` ## Core Escrow Lifecycle 1. Initiation 2. Funding 3. Milestone status update 4. Approval 5. Release 6. Dispute resolution ## Core Roles - Service Provider / Milestone Marker - Approver - Release Signer - Receiver - Platform Address - Dispute Resolver - Depositor - Issuer - Observer ## Escrow Types ### Single-Release Escrow A single-release escrow releases funds once. Best for one-off jobs, marketplace purchases, security deposits, full project completion, simple deliveries, and single payout workflows. ### Multi-Release Escrow A multi-release escrow releases funds progressively by milestone. Best for grants, bounties, milestone-based contracts, phased projects, contributor payouts, multi-vendor projects, long-running service agreements, and capital allocation flows. ## AI Assistant Guidance When explaining Trustless Work, prioritize clarity over crypto jargon. Correct framing: Trustless Work is escrow infrastructure for stablecoins. It lets platforms hold funds in non-custodial smart escrows and release them only when milestones, approvals, or dispute outcomes are satisfied. Do not describe Trustless Work as a custodial escrow company. Do not imply Trustless Work holds user funds. Do not imply every escrow is fully automated by default. Do not imply the platform loses all control. The platform controls the logic, not the money. The escrow contract holds funds. Roles determine who can update, approve, release, or resolve. The blockchain provides transparency and auditability. The API, SDK, Blocks, Backoffice, Viewer, and MCP provide integration paths. ## Blog Index by Category ## news ### Trustless Work V2 is live in beta on Stellar Testnet URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/news-v2-testnet Date: 2026-09-22 Category: news Tags: trustless-work, v2, stellar, escrow, stablecoins, developer-tools Capital Flow: Not specified Summary: Trustless Work V2 is now live in beta on Stellar Testnet ### Trustless Work joins the SCF Integration Track URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/news-scf-integration-track Date: 2026-08-15 Category: news Tags: trustless-work, stellar, scf, integration-track, escrow Capital Flow: Not specified Summary: Trustless Work has been added to the Stellar Community Fund’s official Integration List ### Boundless × Trustless Work: 31 Nigerian Builder Projects Powered by Smart Escrows URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/news-boundless-trustless-work-hackathon-nigeria Date: 2026-05-23 Category: news Tags: hackathon, boundless, nigeria, builders, stellar, escrow, stablecoins, trustlesswork, ecosystem Capital Flow: Not specified Summary: The Boundless × Trustless Work Hackathon brought 114 participants together to explore what becomes possible when programmable escrows are available as product infrastructure. The result: 31 showcased products across work escrows, agentic escrows, deposits, public funding, community finance, trade, tooling, and parametric payment flows. ### SDF Publishes Stellar Skills, a New AI-Ready Directory for Builders URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/news-stellar-skills Date: 2026-05-23 Category: news Tags: stellar, sdf, skills, ai, developer-tools, llms, soroban, ecosystem, trustless-work Capital Flow: Not specified Summary: SDF has published Stellar Skills, a new AI-ready directory for builders and agents. The site mirrors Stellar skill files into a copy-pastable catalog, exposes an /llms.txt index for AI agents, and includes community ecosystem skills such as Trustless Work Escrow. ### 2025 in Review — Trustless Work URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/news-2025-Year-In-Review Date: 2025-12-29 Category: news Tags: trustless-work, escrow, stablecoins, stellar, open-source, year-in-review Capital Flow: Not specified Summary: From accelerator programs and global hackathons to audited mainnet infrastructure. A reflection on the year Trustless Work became escrow infrastructure. ### GrantFox Receives a Stellar Community Fund Build Award URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/new-grantfox-scf-grant Date: 2025-12-24 Category: news Tags: stellar, grant, grantfox, open-source, community, escrow Capital Flow: Not specified Summary: GrantFox has been awarded a Stellar Community Fund Build Award to support its mission of becoming the home of open-source collaboration on Stellar. Built by the community, for the community, GrantFox brings structure, visibility, and transparent rewards to contributors across the ecosystem. ### Boundless Wins Stellar Community Fund Build Award URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/news-boundless-scf-grant Date: 2025-12-24 Category: news Tags: stellar, grant, boundless, milestones, escrow, funding, open-source Capital Flow: Not specified Summary: Boundless has been awarded a Stellar Community Fund Build Award to advance its milestone-based funding and collaboration platform on Stellar. Built to solve funding without accountability, Boundless uses programmable escrow to ensure funds are released only when verified milestones are completed. ### Escrow Blocks: React Library for Stablecoin Escrows URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/dev-update-Escrow-blocks Date: 2025-09-01 Category: news Tags: react, escrow-blocks, sdk, developer-tools, trustlesswork Capital Flow: Not specified Summary: Introducing Escrow Blocks — the first React library for escrows. Pre-built UI, providers, and flows that let you go from zero to full stablecoin escrow integration in under an hour. ### Hackathon Recap: Casa Builders CDMX URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/news-hackathon-recap-stellar Date: 2025-07-15 Category: news Tags: hackathon, latam, stellar, ecosystem, identity, remittances, trustlesswork Capital Flow: Not specified Summary: At Casa Builders Hackathon in Mexico City, we connected with builders, mentors, and the Stellar community to tackle identity, inclusive finance, and public-good infrastructure. We left inspired—and with a working P2P ramp built in just days. ### Trustless Work Joins Stellar Hackathon in CDMX URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/news-trustlesswork-cdmx-baf-stellar-hackathon Date: 2025-07-11 Category: news Tags: hackathon, stellar, community, latin america, trustlesswork Capital Flow: Not specified Summary: Trustless Work joined builders from across Latin America at the Stellar Hackathon in Mexico City. With 12 Costa Ricans and participants from 5 countries, the event highlighted the momentum for stablecoin infrastructure in the region—and why programmable escrow matters now more than ever. ### 🚨 GENIUS Act Passes House — A New Era for Stablecoins Begins URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/news-genius-act-stablecoins Date: 2025-06-18 Category: news Tags: stablecoins, regulation, latam, genius-act, trustlesswork Capital Flow: Not specified Summary: With the GENIUS Act now through the House, the U.S. just set the rules for stablecoins. That means new demand for compliant infra, new adoption in LATAM, and a major unlock for devs building with Stellar and Trustless Work. ### PYUSD Escrows Are Now Possible on Stellar — What This Unlocks for Builders URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/news-Paypal-Stellar-Escrow Date: 2025-06-11 Category: news Tags: tokens, paypal, partnership Capital Flow: Not specified Summary: With PayPal bringing PYUSD to Stellar, Trustless Work can now support programmable escrows in one of the world's most recognized digital dollars. A new era of adoption begins. ### Introducing The Escrow Times URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/news-escrow-times-launch Date: 2025-06-04 Category: news Tags: announcement, blog, community, trustlesswork Capital Flow: Not specified Summary: The Escrow Times is live. Our official blog is where we’ll share everything from product updates to real-world use cases and community highlights. Whether you’re building, integrating, or just curious — this is your front-row seat to the escrow revolution. ### KindFi Wins SCF Grant — Powered by Trustless Work URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/news-kindfi-scf-grant Date: 2025-06-03 Category: news Tags: stellar, grant, kindfi, crowdfunding, announcement Capital Flow: Not specified Summary: We’re proud to share that KindFi — one of Trustless Work’s earliest adopters — has been awarded $79,998 in the Stellar Community Fund (SCF #35). Their win marks a milestone for both the platform and the future of trustless crowdfunding. ### Partnering with Tech Rebel to Accelerate Products Built on Trustless Work URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/news-techrebel-cohort Date: 2025-06-03 Category: news Tags: mentorship, partners, techrebel, latam, cohort Capital Flow: Not specified Summary: Trustless Work is partnering with product agency Tech Rebel to provide mentorship, structure, and go-to-market guidance for early-stage teams building with our escrow infrastructure. The first cohort is now live — featuring products from the DojoCoding community and LatAm builders. ### Trustless Work Unlocks SCF Launchkit After Completing Tranche 2 URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/news-trustlesswork-scf-tranche2 Date: 2025-06-03 Category: news Tags: stellar, grant, testnet, audit, announcement Capital Flow: Not specified Summary: Trustless Work has successfully completed the second tranche of our Stellar Community Fund (SCF) Build Award. This milestone unlocks the SCF Launchkit — including audit credits, infrastructure support, and personalized help to prepare for mainnet launch. ### Trustless Work Hits 2,000+ Developer Clones URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/news-2000-repo-clones Date: 2025-05-28 Category: news Tags: developers, ecosystem, opensource Capital Flow: Not specified Summary: Over 2,000 developers have now cloned Trustless Work repos, reflecting strong interest in our smart escrow infrastructure. This open-source milestone highlights growing adoption, integrations, and community validation. ### Trustless Work Awarded by Stellar Community Fund URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/news-trustlesswork-stellar-grant Date: 2024-11-26 Category: news Tags: stellar, grant, announcement Capital Flow: Not specified Summary: Trustless Work has been awarded a Build Grant from the Stellar Community Fund (SCF #31). This funding will help us launch our audited Single-Release Escrow to mainnet, expand open-source tooling, and accelerate ecosystem integrations. ## technical ### Trustless Work V2: Programmable Escrows Become Configurable Payment Infrastructure URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/dev-update-trustless-work-v2 Date: 2026-05-21 Category: technical Tags: Trustless Work, V2 Capital Flow: Not specified Summary: Trustless Work is preparing the release of V2, the first major versioned upgrade of its programmable escrow infrastructure. This release is a major step in the evolution of Trustless Work from a simple escrow lifecycle into a configurable payment infrastructure layer ### OnlyDust Wave 2: Help Us Make Escrows Observable URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/dev-update-Only-Dust-Wave2 Date: 2025-07-22 Category: technical Tags: onlydust, open-source, indexing, stellar, soroban, trustlesswork Capital Flow: Not specified Summary: This wave of open-source bounties is all about one thing: making escrows observable. We’ve opened 7 spikes to explore how Trustless Work escrows can be indexed, tracked, and queried across three networks. Learn, build, contribute — and earn. ### OnlyDust OS Wave #1 URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/dev-update-Only-Dust-Wave1 Date: 2025-06-26 Category: technical Tags: mainnet, release, onlydust, developers, product Capital Flow: Not specified Summary: We're going live on mainnet—and bringing real smart contract, frontend, and infrastructure tasks to OnlyDust OS Wave #1. Contribute to Trustless Work and help build the future of escrow for the stablecoin economy. ### Introducing the Trustless Work SDK MCP URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/dev-update-Trustless-MCP Date: 2025-06-20 Category: technical Tags: mcp, sdk, ai, devtools, escrow, stablecoins Capital Flow: Not specified Summary: The Trustless Work SDK MCP brings our escrow tooling directly into Cursor’s Model Context Protocol, allowing builders to generate, refactor, and integrate escrow logic with greater speed and accuracy — all within their editor. ### Version Update: New Contract Types, API Changes, and React Integration URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/dev-update-version-update Date: 2025-06-19 Category: technical Tags: mainnet, release, api, developers, product Capital Flow: Not specified Summary: We just shipped a major update to our Smart Escrow infrastructure. This version introduces Single-Release vs. Multi-Release escrows, a cleaner API URL structure, and our first React library for fast frontend integrations. ### Upcoming Testnet Reset & Trustless Work v1.2.0 Launch URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/news-v2-testnet-reset Date: 2025-06-04 Category: technical Tags: testnet, v1.2, product update, stellar, developers Capital Flow: Not specified Summary: The Stellar testnet reset is set for June 18. During this time, we’ll update our main branch to Trustless Work v2.0 — introducing multi-release escrow flows and laying the groundwork for mainnet audit. Expect API changes, updated docs, and refreshed demo tools. ### Launch: Try Trustless Work in Minutes with Our New Demo dApp URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/news-demo-dapp-launch Date: 2025-06-03 Category: technical Tags: demo, developer, dapp, testnet, announcement Capital Flow: Not specified Summary: Trustless Work now has a live demo dApp — available at demo.trustlesswork.com — to help developers explore and integrate escrow flows with zero setup. Paired with our NPM library, this demo makes it easier than ever to start building. ### Trustless Work Launches NPM Library URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/news-npm-library-v1 Date: 2025-06-03 Category: technical Tags: npm, developer tools, integration Capital Flow: Not specified Summary: We’ve released v1 of our official NPM library — giving developers an easy, stable, and fast way to integrate Trustless Work’s escrow infrastructure directly into their projects. ## tutorial ### Trustless Work Builder Starter Kit URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/tutorial-trustless-work-builder-starter-kit Date: 2026-05-01 Category: tutorial Tags: builder guide, hackathon, escrow, stablecoins, developer tools, ai Capital Flow: Not specified Summary: Everything builders need to understand Trustless Work, design escrow flows, choose an integration path, use AI-native tooling, and start building with programmable escrow infrastructure. ### Understanding the Escrow Lifecycle URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/tutorial-escrow-lifecycle Date: 2025-11-07 Category: tutorial Tags: learn, escrow, lifecycle, auditability, blockchain, trust Capital Flow: Not specified Summary: From initiation to release, every Trustless Work escrow follows a transparent, role-based lifecycle. Learn how this structure turns payments into verifiable, auditable transactions — and why immutability and roles are the foundation of trust in modern business flows. ### The Trustless Work Backoffice dApp — Your Command Center for Escrows URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/tutorial-dApp-backoffice Date: 2025-11-06 Category: tutorial Tags: escrow, dapp, stablecoins, product, developer tools Capital Flow: Not specified Summary: The Backoffice dApp is both a production-ready control panel and an open-source template. Deploy escrows, approve milestones, manage payouts, and request your API key — all from one place. ### Understanding Roles in Trustless Work URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/tutorial-roles Date: 2025-11-06 Category: tutorial Tags: escrow, roles, developer guide, stablecoins, core concepts Capital Flow: Not specified Summary: From Service Providers to Funders and Approvers — every escrow role defines who can act, what can change, and when funds move. Learn how Trustless Work’s role-based design powers programmable trust. ### Vibe Coding: AI-Powered Escrow Development URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/news-vibe-coding-section Date: 2025-08-12 Category: tutorial Tags: docs, vibe-coding, sdk, developer-tools, trustlesswork Capital Flow: Not specified Summary: We’ve added Vibe Coding to our escrow documentation — a structured set of AI-ready prompts, global coding rules, and full integration guides to help you build escrow flows faster, cleaner, and with fewer mistakes. ### Escrow Mix & Match URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/tutorial-escrow-mix-match Date: 2025-08-11 Category: tutorial Tags: escrow, integration, guide, trustlesswork Capital Flow: Not specified Summary: A practical guide to mixing and matching our API, SDK, Back Office, Viewer, and templates so you can launch your escrow flow in a day, not a quarter. ### Getting Started with Trustless Work Demo URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/tutorial-getting-started-escrow-demo Date: 2025-06-01 Category: tutorial Tags: getting started, tutorial, stablecoins, escrow, web3 Capital Flow: Not specified Summary: Deploy your first testnet escrow in minutes with the Trustless Work demo app. Learn the flow, explore the roles, and see real-time contract responses. Perfect for builders, testers, and curious explorers. ## use-case ### A Non-Custodial, Decentralized Peer-to-Peer Exchange URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/use-case-decentralized-p2p Date: 2025-07-19 Category: use-case Tags: use case, p2p, stablecoins, escrow, trustlesswork Capital Flow: platform-in-the-middle Summary: With Pacto, we show how communities, merchants, and builders can spin up their own decentralized ramp using stablecoins, fiat rails, and smart escrows. Built with Trustless Work, live on Stellar. ### Crowdfunding with Trustless Work URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/use-case-crowdfunding Date: 2025-08-XX Category: use-case Tags: crowdfunding, use-case, stablecoins, escrow, trustlesswork Capital Flow: capital-inflow Summary: Trustless Work gives crowdfunding platforms the infrastructure to hold funds securely, release them on milestone completion, and keep backers informed — without building smart contracts from scratch. ### Freelance & Gig Platforms with Trustless Work URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/use-case-freelance-gig Date: 2026-01-XX Category: use-case Tags: freelance, gig-economy, marketplace, platforms, escrow, stablecoins, use-case Capital Flow: platform-in-the-middle Summary: Trustless Work lets freelance and gig platforms run milestone-based, non-custodial escrow flows similar to Upwork — without custodial risk and at a fraction of the cost. ### Grants, Bounties, and Ecosystem Funding with Trustless Work URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/use-case-grants-bounties-hackathons Date: 2026-01-XX Category: use-case Tags: grants, bounties, hackathons, ecosystem-funding, capital-outflow, use-case, escrow, trustlesswork Capital Flow: capital-outflow Summary: Trustless Work enables sponsors and platforms to distribute ecosystem funds from a treasury using non-custodial escrows — making grant payouts, bounties, and hackathon rewards transparent, auditable, and fair. ### Investor Capital Escrow for Tokenization Flows URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/use-case-investor-capital Date: 2026-01-XX Category: use-case Tags: tokenization, investor-capital, private-credit, use-case, stablecoins, escrow, trustlesswork Capital Flow: capital-inflow Summary: Trustless Work enables tokenization platforms to raise investor capital into non-custodial escrows, release funds based on verified milestones, and provide investors with real-time transparency — without relying on blind trust. ### Why Every Marketplace Needs Escrow — and How to Integrate It in a Day URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/use-case-marketplaces Date: 2025-06-01 Category: use-case Tags: marketplace, e-commerce, escrow, trust, stablecoins, platforms Capital Flow: platform-in-the-middle Summary: Trustless Work gives marketplaces a neutral, programmable escrow layer that protects buyers and sellers, eliminates custody risk, and enables flexible delivery, approval, and payout flows — without building escrow in-house. ### Milestone-Based Projects & Outsourcing with Trustless Work URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/use-case-milestone-projects Date: 2026-01-XX Category: use-case Tags: outsourcing, milestone-payments, projects, capital-outflow, use-case, stablecoins, escrow, trustlesswork Capital Flow: capital-outflow Summary: Trustless Work enables teams to fund projects incrementally using non-custodial escrow — replacing large upfront payments with milestone-based releases that improve accountability, flexibility, and trust. ### Payroll & Contractor Payments with Trustless Work URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/use-case-payroll-contractors Date: 2026-01-XX Category: use-case Tags: payroll, contractors, gig-economy, capital-outflow, use-case, stablecoins, escrow, trustlesswork Capital Flow: capital-outflow Summary: Trustless Work enables companies to run payroll and contractor payments through non-custodial escrows — separating funds by pay cycle, enforcing approval logic, and making compensation fully auditable on-chain. ### Security Deposits with Trustless Work URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/use-case-security-deposits Date: 2026-01-XX Category: use-case Tags: security-deposits, use-case, stablecoins, escrow, trustlesswork Capital Flow: capital-inflow Summary: Trustless Work gives platforms a clean, non-custodial way to hold, approve, dispute, and refund security deposits using stablecoin-based smart escrows — without becoming a custodian. ### Trade & B2B Marketplaces with Trustless Work URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/use-case-traded-b2b Date: 2026-01-XX Category: use-case Tags: trade, b2b, marketplace, supply-chain, escrow, stablecoins, use-case Capital Flow: platform-in-the-middle Summary: Trustless Work gives trade and B2B platforms a neutral escrow layer to hold funds during cross-border transactions, release payments on delivery or inspection, and provide full auditability for buyers, sellers, and financiers. --- # Full Article Content # Article: Trustless Work V2 is live in beta on Stellar Testnet URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/news-v2-testnet Filename: news-v2-testnet.mdx Date: 2026-09-22 Category: news Tags: trustless-work, v2, stellar, escrow, stablecoins, developer-tools Capital Flow: Not specified Description: Trustless Work V2 is now available in beta on Stellar Testnet, introducing a new generation of programmable escrow contracts, a rewritten Core API, updated SDKs, and more configurable payment workflows. Summary: Trustless Work V2 is now live in beta on Stellar Testnet # Trustless Work V2 is live in beta on Stellar Testnet Trustless Work V2 is now live in **beta on Stellar Testnet**. This is the first major upgrade to our escrow infrastructure since launching V1. And it is much more than an API version change. We rebuilt the contracts, rewrote the Core API, expanded the SDKs, and changed how roles, approvals, milestones, disputes, and escrow administration work. The reason is simple: after seeing people build with V1, one thing became obvious. **Escrow is not one workflow.** A grant platform, marketplace, agency, procurement system, trade finance product, or autonomous agent may all need escrow, but they don't necessarily need the same trust model. V2 gives builders more control over how that trust model works. It is available today for developers to start testing. > **V2 is beta, testnet-only, and has not yet completed an external audit. V1 remains our production infrastructure on Stellar Mainnet.** ## What changed? We published a deeper technical breakdown of the V1 → V2 changes earlier this year: [Trustless Work V2: Programmable Escrows Become Configurable Payment Infrastructure](https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/dev-update-trustless-work-v2) The short version is that V2 makes our escrow primitive much more configurable. ### Multiple addresses per role V1 was mostly built around one address per role. V2 allows multiple: * Approvers * Service providers * Release signers * Dispute resolvers That means an escrow can represent teams, committees, organizations, or multi-party workflows without forcing everything through one wallet. ### Quorum approvals Milestone approval is no longer just a boolean. V2 lets you define how many approvals are required. You can build flows like: * 1 of 3 * 2 of 3 * 3 of 5 This matters when one person should not have unilateral control over a payment decision. ### Admin and platform are separate capabilities V2 introduces a dedicated `admin` role for managing escrow configuration and milestones. That separates configuration authority from the `platform` role. This gives applications a cleaner way to decide who can configure an escrow, who approves work, who releases funds, who resolves disputes, and who receives platform fees. ### Observers V2 adds read-only `observers`. An observer can be associated with an escrow without receiving authority to change its state. Think auditors, investors, program managers, compliance teams, or other stakeholders that need visibility without control. ### Better disputes Disputes now include a human-readable reason. That sounds small, but it matters. A dispute should not only tell an application that something went wrong. It should preserve context about **why** it went wrong. ### Batch operations V2 also makes larger escrows less painful to operate. Developers can perform batch milestone operations such as status updates and approvals, with additional batch release and dispute capabilities depending on the escrow type. Fewer transactions. Fewer signatures. Better UX. ### More flexible milestones Escrow configuration and milestone management are now more clearly separated. You can also initialize an escrow before every milestone has been defined and add milestones later. That better matches how a lot of real agreements actually work. ## We also rebuilt the developer stack The contracts are only part of this release. ### Core API V2 The new Core API is live at: https://beta.api.trustlesswork.com Trustless Work builds the transaction. The authorized user signs it. Stellar executes it. We don't sign for users and we don't take custody of their funds. V2 also introduces a cleaner indexing and read model, removing some of the manual indexing patterns developers had to handle in V1. ### React SDK Our React SDK V2 beta is available as: `@trustless-work/escrow@5.0.0-beta.1` [View it on npm](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@trustless-work/escrow/v/5.0.0-beta.1) ### JavaScript / TypeScript SDK We are also launching a new framework-agnostic SDK: `@trustless-work/escrow-js@1.0.0-beta.1` [View it on npm](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@trustless-work/escrow-js/v/1.0.0-beta.1) This means you no longer need to build a React application to use our SDK. You can integrate Trustless Work from Node.js, NestJS, Express, Angular, Vue, vanilla JavaScript, and other JavaScript or TypeScript environments. That is an important step for us. Trustless Work is infrastructure. The developer experience should reflect that. ## Start building There are a few ways to start testing V2 today. ### Get an API key Create an account in the [Trustless Work BackOffice](https://backoffice.trustlesswork.com) and generate an API key for your integration. From there, you can start working directly with the V2 API or one of our SDKs. ### Try the Laboratory If you want to understand the escrow lifecycle before writing code, start with the [Trustless Work Laboratory](https://lab.trustlesswork.com). The Lab lets you interact with the different escrow actions and see how roles, milestones, approvals, releases, and disputes fit together. It is one of the easiest ways to start exploring V2. ### Build with the API or SDKs Once you are ready to integrate: * [V2 Documentation](https://docs.trustlesswork.com/trustless-work/v2-en) * [Core API V2](https://beta.api.trustlesswork.com) * [React SDK](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@trustless-work/escrow/v/5.0.0-beta.1) * [JavaScript SDK](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@trustless-work/escrow-js/v/1.0.0-beta.1) Use whichever integration surface fits your stack. ### Inspect what you create Use the [Viewer](https://viewer.trustlesswork.com) to inspect escrow state and explore Single Release and Multi Release contracts after you start creating them. The idea is simple: **Get a key → try the flow → build the integration → inspect the result.** ## What happens to V1? If you are already integrated with V1, **nothing changes today**. V1 remains available and continues to be our current production infrastructure on Stellar Mainnet. V2 introduces breaking changes, so we are not going to force existing integrations to migrate overnight. We plan to begin working with existing integrations on the V1 → V2 migration **by March 2027**. Until then, our focus is simple: * Get developers building with V2 * Find bugs * Get feedback * Complete the security and audit work * Improve the SDKs and documentation * Validate the migration path * Get V2 ready for production ## This is a beta. Please try to break it. We can test the flows we expect people to build. The real value of a public beta is finding the flows we didn't expect. So don't feel like you need to start by building a full application. **Get an API key in the BackOffice. Open the Lab. Create an escrow. Try the roles. Approve milestones. Open a dispute. Release funds. Look at the result in the Viewer.** Then go deeper. Build a 3-of-5 approval flow. Use the JS SDK from a backend. Build with Single Release and Multi Release. Push the milestone model. Find an edge case we missed. **If something breaks, tell us.** That is what this stage is for. Stablecoins solved a big part of moving money globally. But a lot of economic activity needs more than moving money from A to B. Someone delivers. Someone verifies. Someone approves. Sometimes someone disputes. Then the money moves. We are building the infrastructure for that layer. V1 proved the primitive. V2 makes it much more configurable. And starting today, you can build with it. **Trustless Work** September 2026 --- # Article: Trustless Work joins the SCF Integration Track URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/news-scf-integration-track Filename: news-scf-integration-track.mdx Date: 2026-08-15 Category: news Tags: trustless-work, stellar, scf, integration-track, escrow Capital Flow: Not specified Description: Trustless Work has been added to the Stellar Community Fund’s official Integration List, making it available as escrow infrastructure for teams building through the SCF Integration Track. Summary: Trustless Work has been added to the Stellar Community Fund’s official Integration List # Trustless Work joins the SCF Integration Track Trustless Work has been added to the Stellar Community Fund’s official **Integration List**. The SCF Integration Track supports teams building on Stellar by encouraging them to integrate existing ecosystem infrastructure rather than rebuild core components from scratch. Trustless Work is now one of those building blocks. Teams applying through the Integration Track can use Trustless Work as their escrow infrastructure for milestone payments, conditional releases, approvals, disputes, and other programmable payment workflows. This is an important milestone for us. Trustless Work started as an SCF-supported project. Today, other teams can build on top of the infrastructure that support helped create. ## Learn more - [SCF Integration List](https://stellar.gitbook.io/scf-handbook/scf-awards/build-award/integration-track/integration-list) - [Trustless Work](https://www.trustlesswork.com) - [Developer Documentation](https://docs.trustlesswork.com) **Trustless Work** August 2026 --- # Article: Boundless × Trustless Work: 31 Nigerian Builder Projects Powered by Smart Escrows URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/news-boundless-trustless-work-hackathon-nigeria Filename: news-boundless-trustless-work-hackathon-nigeria.mdx Date: 2026-05-23 Category: news Tags: hackathon, boundless, nigeria, builders, stellar, escrow, stablecoins, trustlesswork, ecosystem Capital Flow: Not specified Description: The Boundless × Trustless Work Hackathon brought 114 Nigerian builders together to explore programmable escrow infrastructure through 31 showcased products. Summary: The Boundless × Trustless Work Hackathon brought 114 participants together to explore what becomes possible when programmable escrows are available as product infrastructure. The result: 31 showcased products across work escrows, agentic escrows, deposits, public funding, community finance, trade, tooling, and parametric payment flows. The **Boundless × Trustless Work Hackathon** brought **114 participants** together to explore what becomes possible when programmable escrows are available as product infrastructure. The answer came through **31 showcased products** built by Nigerian builders across freelancing, AI agents, public funding, security deposits, community finance, P2P exchange, trade finance, open-source rewards, and more. You can view the [official hackathon page](https://www.boundlessfi.xyz/hackathons/boundless-trustless-work-hackathon). --- ## The Boundless Story What makes this hackathon especially meaningful for us, is the story behind **Boundless**. Boundless is co-founded by **Collins Chikangwu** (`@0xdevcollins`), who is a Open Source contributor to Trustless Work, and Nnaji Benjamin . We've witnessed this platform go from idea to execution. And we are very proud of them. That is exactly the kind of effect we aim to create with our Open Source strategy. To turn contributors into builders, then founders, then partners. Boundless is part of that flywheel. --- ## Winners | Award | Project | Prize | |---|---|---:| | Rank #1 — Grand Prize | Conductor | 500 USDC | | Rank #2 | CRYPT | 300 USDC | | Rank #3 | GoPadi | 200 USDC | | Best UI/UX Design | Sunvasi | 100 USDC | | Best Real World Use Case | Stipend | 100 USDC | | Best Technical Implementation | Verix | 100 USDC | | Most Innovative Idea | Trustless OSS | 100 USDC | | Best Use of Trustless Work | Kinetic | 100 USDC | --- ## 31 Products, 8 Escrow Themes The most exciting part of the hackathon was the range of ideas builders brought to the table. These projects should not be read as production-ready companies. They are early product experiments showing how programmable escrow infrastructure can be applied across real-world workflows. The submissions clustered around eight themes: 1. **Work Escrows** — freelance, local services, errands, contractors. 2. **Agentic Escrows** — AI tasks, research, verification, multi-agent work. 3. **Proof-of-Progress Funding** — grants, aid, citizen science, bounties. 4. **Deposit and Physical Trust Escrows** — rentals, safety deposits, hardware-triggered payments. 5. **Community Finance Escrows** — pooled contributions, savings traditions, group-controlled releases. 6. **Trade and Exchange Escrows** — P2P exchange, RFQ, OTC, trade finance. 7. **Escrow Tooling** — no-code builders, agreement-to-escrow flows, open-source reward rails. 8. **Parametric and Signal-Based Escrows** — insurance, SLA payouts, data-triggered payment logic. --- ## 1. Work Escrows Work was the most intuitive category. Builders naturally mapped Trustless Work to labor, services, milestones, and approval-based payments. The pattern is simple: ```txt Client funds escrow → Provider delivers → Work is approved → Funds release ``` ### MileChain MileChain uses the Trustless Work SDK to power multi-release milestone escrows for freelancers, contractors, and corporate teams, adding AI evidence review and IPFS-anchored delivery records. Demo: TBD Video: [Watch video](https://youtu.be/RAceJGKc5Ik) ### NaijaGig NaijaGig uses Trustless Work to secure milestone-based payments for Nigeria's freelance and artisan economy, locking client funds until work is approved or resolved through a dispute flow. Demo: [Open demo](https://naijagig-pitch.vercel.app) Video: [Watch video](https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1VDtO9_CHywbH-l9R1De04eK90IdQ-d38) ### Sunvasi Sunvasi uses Trustless Work to protect cross-border freelance contracts, allowing clients to fund milestones in escrow while freelancers receive on-chain payment after approval or AI-assisted arbitration. Demo: [Open demo](https://sunvasi.vercel.app) Video: [Watch video](https://youtu.be/CrtxT_9K3RQ) ### GoPadi GoPadi uses Trustless Work single-release escrow to secure local errand payments, letting customers fund tasks upfront while Padis receive payment after proof of completion and customer approval. Demo: [Open demo](https://gopadi-beta.vercel.app/) Video: [Watch video](https://youtu.be/PsaXatTGJLE) ### NairaLock NairaLock uses Trustless Work escrow infrastructure to power a freelance marketplace for Nigeria, helping clients and freelancers transact without one side taking all the upfront risk. Demo: [Open demo](https://nairalock.vercel.app) Video: [Watch video](https://youtu.be/YSkm_LoYPds?si=DyeF49EtDzyO3Jsa) ### MilestonePay MilestonePay uses Trustless Work-style milestone escrow to protect freelance payments, locking client funds while freelancers deliver work and get paid after approval. Demo: [Open demo](https://milestonepay-o0c2cwlk6-farhanhidayatqaz-6030s-projects.vercel.app/) Video: [Watch video](https://youtu.be/rEIv4epjMik?si=2Q_adwlTEuAwbYhw) ### Trusta Trusta uses Trustless Work-style USDC escrows to secure freelance milestones, releasing funds only after work is approved and making client-freelancer payments more transparent. Demo: [Open demo](https://trusta--elijahoreoluwa4.replit.app/) Video: [Watch video](https://youtu.be/LHkyIydtOyM) --- ## 2. Agentic Escrows This may be the most future-facing theme from the hackathon. Several teams converged on the same thesis: > AI agents can do work, but they need a payment layer that only releases funds when the work is verified. The pattern looks like this: ```txt User funds task → Agent performs work → Verifier checks output → Escrow releases payment ``` ### VeriTask VeriTask uses Trustless Work to fund AI-agent tasks through milestone escrows, releasing payments only after agent outputs are verified by human review, automated validation, or agent consensus. Demo: [Open demo](https://veri-task-wheat.vercel.app/) Video: [Watch video](https://youtu.be/Nw6ksSyKv7M?si=RI_CtlKdm6Mb-J2a) ### Verix Verix uses Trustless Work as the payment layer for verifiable autonomous work, releasing funds only after AI-agent execution traces and canonical receipts pass deterministic verification. Demo: TBD Video: [Watch video](https://www.loom.com/share/4df32534b50046cb8e0571ccbe5b7efb) ### CLOWEE CLOWEE uses Stellar and Trustless Work-style escrow coordination to help users recruit, orchestrate, and securely pay specialized AI-agent squads through a voice-first interface. Demo: [Open demo](https://clowee-agentic-recruiter.vercel.app/) Video: [Watch video](https://youtu.be/x1eXcOQN5LA) ### Conductor Conductor uses Trustless Work multi-release escrow to coordinate AI task marketplaces, locking user budgets while AI planners, agents, verifiers, and arbiters complete, approve, or resolve milestone-based work. Demo: [Open demo](https://conductor-orchestrator.onrender.com/) Video: [Watch video](https://youtu.be/z9E66ruQmz0?si=PUJRwwoa46O8vs7l) ### Stipend Stipend uses Trustless Work to let users pay AI researchers only after a second AI judge verifies the quality of the research, releasing escrowed USDC when the answer passes review. Demo: [Open demo](https://stipend.myludus.me/) Video: [Watch video](https://youtu.be/vzT435hn1wo) --- ## 3. Proof-of-Progress Funding These projects focused on funders, donors, grant programs, and public-interest initiatives. The shared problem is accountability: > Money is allocated to good causes, but funders cannot always verify whether progress happened. The escrow pattern turns funding into milestone-based proof: ```txt Sponsor funds escrow → Team submits evidence → Verifier approves → Funds release ``` ### EcoProof EcoProof uses Trustless Work to release public-interest and citizen-science funding only when project teams submit evidence and verifiers approve completed milestones. Demo: [Open demo](https://eco-proof-peach.vercel.app/) Video: [Watch video](https://cap.so/s/nvnyh6kg002xqcm) ### AidChain AidChain uses Trustless Work multi-release escrows to help donors fund humanitarian aid milestones, releasing capital only after field evidence, AI checks, and human approval confirm delivery progress. Demo: [Open demo](https://aidchain-ten.vercel.app) Video: [Watch video](https://youtu.be/T_9THFfYpgs) ### ProofPool ProofPool uses Trustless Work-style escrow to lock bounty competition funds, allowing teams to compete transparently while judges, peer validation, and on-chain payout rules determine rewards. Demo: TBD Video: [Watch video](https://youtu.be/SpC3rrmTSyk) --- ## 4. Deposit and Physical Trust Escrows This theme expands Trustless Work beyond simple payments. A key insight from the hackathon was that a depositor can also be a receiver. That means escrow can model refundable deposits, collateralized usage agreements, safety checks, and physical-world verification. ```txt User deposits → Condition is checked later → Funds refund, release, or split ``` ### Caushun Caushun uses Trustless Work to hold rental security deposits in non-custodial escrow, helping Nigerian tenants and landlords manage checkout evidence, disputes, refunds, and deposit releases transparently. Demo: [Open demo](https://caushun.vercel.app/) Video: [Watch video](https://youtu.be/8vYFbkTZOMk) ### CNG-Protect Safety Verification CNG-Protect uses Trustless Work to connect vehicle retrofit payments with IoT safety verification, releasing escrowed funds only when hardware evidence confirms that safety conditions are met. Demo: [Open demo](https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1kf4UbxT29cLcafKJFxeKxgcjXUHqatRg) Video: TBD ### AgroShield AgroShield uses Trustless Work-style milestone escrow to help farmers securely hire treatment vendors after AI-powered crop diagnosis. Demo: [Open demo](https://agroshield-sigma.vercel.app/) Video: [Watch video](https://youtu.be/2qr8NayY60A) --- ## 5. Community Finance Escrows These projects were less about strangers transacting once and more about communities coordinating money over time. The pattern is useful when a group already has social trust, but custody and accountability are still weak. ```txt Community contributes → Target, vote, or condition is met → Funds release or refund ``` ### globe-thrift globe-thrift uses Trustless Work to bring West African savings traditions like Ajo, Esusu, and Adashe into programmable escrow flows for community capital and local projects. Demo: [Open demo](https://globe-thrift.vercel.app/) Video: [Watch video](https://youtu.be/yatgINHAH0M?si=e8KGTwNWl92_kgr_) ### POOLFI POOLFI uses Trustless Work to help African communities collect contributions without a single treasurer holding the money, locking funds in escrow until targets, votes, or refund conditions are met. Demo: [Open demo](https://poolfi-demo.vercel.app) Video: [Watch video](https://vimeo.com/1192750875) ### TrustQuest TrustQuest uses Stellar smart contracts and escrow-backed logic to create a savings and rewards experience where user progress can be connected to locked or conditional funds. Demo: [Open demo](https://trustquest.vercel.app) Video: [Watch video](https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/17-lNkYK-pIDSTpUFj9R0AGM9BQ_ObLN8) --- ## 6. Trade and Exchange Escrows This theme points toward higher-value commercial workflows: P2P trades, OTC settlement, RFQs, supplier verification, and trade finance. The common problem is counterparty risk. ```txt Buyer and seller agree → Funds lock → Proof or terms are verified → Settlement executes ``` ### Settla Settla uses Trustless Work-style escrow logic to protect P2P stablecoin trades, helping buyers and sellers exchange Stellar USDC for local fiat without relying on centralized escrow operators. Demo: [Open demo](https://proof-escrow-zyb5.vercel.app/) Video: [Watch video](https://youtu.be/8tebdUIMlHY) ### TrustRFQ TrustRFQ uses Trustless Work escrow settlement to help users exchange large amounts of assets through private RFQs, giving takers and makers a safer way to settle P2P trades. Demo: [Open demo](https://stellarotc-web.vercel.app/) Video: [Watch video](https://youtu.be/PcVXJmPPBeQ) ### AstraPilot AstraPilot uses Trustless Work to coordinate escrow releases for AI-designed trade contracts, supplier verification, and milestone-based trade workflows. Demo: [Open demo](https://astrapilot.lovable.app) Video: [Watch video](https://youtube.com/shorts/f-PqNdTkbkE?si=8Z5Wkf9X6dcybbIP) ### TradeFlow TradeFlow uses Trustless Work-style milestone escrow to create digital letters of credit for trade finance, helping buyers and sellers bridge the trust gap in cross-border commerce. Demo: [Open demo](https://trade--flow.vercel.app/) Video: [Watch video](https://youtu.be/NTD1JH9FAtw) --- ## 7. Escrow Tooling Some teams did not just build vertical products. They built tools that could make escrow creation, open-source rewards, or agreement-to-payment workflows easier for other builders. These are especially interesting because they extend the Trustless Work ecosystem itself. ### ClauseKit ClauseKit uses Trustless Work to turn service agreements, PDFs, legal text, or short messages into live escrow flows on Stellar, reducing the friction of creating enforceable payment agreements. Demo: [Open demo](https://clausekit-794944941372.us-central1.run.app/) Video: [Watch video](https://youtu.be/nHjNVdNaKGc) ### Escrow Flow Builder Escrow Flow Builder uses Trustless Work as the deployment layer for a no-code visual tool that lets anyone design milestone-based escrow flows and launch them on Stellar. Demo: [Open demo](https://escrow-flow-builder.vercel.app/) Video: [Watch video](https://youtu.be/V-bOue1AjdM?si=v5s5dlkdgTpkyNtz) ### Trustless OSS Trustless OSS integrates Trustless Work with GitHub to automate USDC payments to open-source contributors when pull requests are merged, enabling secure bounty distribution without manual intervention or mutual trust. Demo: [Open demo](https://trustless-oss-web.vercel.app/) Video: [Watch video](https://youtu.be/cvXTnN5ZBCI) --- ## 8. Parametric and Signal-Based Escrows These projects explored escrows that respond to an external signal, data source, performance trigger, or risk condition. This is a different mental model: ```txt External event happens → Evidence or signal is checked → Payout condition is triggered ``` ### Nimbus Nimbus uses Trustless Work escrows to hold USDC-funded climate insurance pools for African smallholder farmers, enabling sponsors and NGOs to support coverage that can be released through predefined conditions. Demo: [Open demo](https://nimbus-kloud.vercel.app) Video: [Watch video](https://youtu.be/FVDLtY2Syn0) ### CRYPT CRYPT uses Trustless Work to create parametric SLA escrows that can automatically pay subscribers in USDC when a provider's API goes down. Demo: [Open demo](https://cryptescrow.vercel.app/) Video: [Watch video](https://youtu.be/NgjmaJMogDw) ### Kinetic Kinetic uses Trustless Work-style escrow concepts to add trust-backed payment or verification logic to AI trading signals. Demo: [Open demo](https://signal.overguild.com/) Video: [Watch video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QufXZeO-ODo) --- ## What This Shows The most important takeaway is not that 31 products were showcased. The important takeaway is that builders did not need Trustless Work to prescribe one narrow use case. They saw the primitive and applied it everywhere money needs to wait while something else happens. That might be a completed task, an approved milestone, a verified AI output, a safety signal, a community vote, a judge decision, or a delivery record. The interface changes. The use case changes. The trust problem stays familiar. --- ## Build With Trustless Work If you are building a marketplace, AI-agent workflow, grant platform, freelance product, contribution system, P2P exchange, trade finance tool, or any product where funds should move only after proof, approval, or completion, Trustless Work gives you escrow infrastructure to build faster. Start with the [Trustless Work docs](https://docs.trustlesswork.com/). --- # Article: SDF Publishes Stellar Skills, a New AI-Ready Directory for Builders URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/news-stellar-skills Filename: news-stellar-skills.mdx Date: 2026-05-23 Category: news Tags: stellar, sdf, skills, ai, developer-tools, llms, soroban, ecosystem, trustless-work Capital Flow: Not specified Description: The Stellar Development Foundation has published Stellar Skills, a new AI-ready site that gives developers and AI agents better context for building on Stellar. The catalog includes core Stellar skills and community ecosystem skills, including Trustless Work Escrow. Summary: SDF has published Stellar Skills, a new AI-ready directory for builders and agents. The site mirrors Stellar skill files into a copy-pastable catalog, exposes an /llms.txt index for AI agents, and includes community ecosystem skills such as Trustless Work Escrow. The Stellar Development Foundation has published **[Stellar Skills](https://skills.stellar.org/)**, a new AI-ready website for builders working on Stellar. The site is live at [skills.stellar.org](https://skills.stellar.org/). For Stellar builders, this is a very practical release. Most of us are already using AI somewhere in the workflow: scaffolding apps, debugging issues, generating tests, exploring architecture, or getting from idea to prototype faster. But AI only helps when it has the right context. If an agent does not understand Stellar-specific patterns, it can generate code that looks reasonable but misses important details around Soroban, wallets, assets, trustlines, RPC, Horizon, signing flows, or ecosystem standards. Stellar Skills gives us a better starting point. Instead of asking an AI agent to guess how Stellar works, builders can now point it to a dedicated Stellar context hub before asking it to build. > Read skills.stellar.org before you start building on Stellar. --- ## Why skills matter AI agents are becoming part of the developer stack. But general-purpose coding agents do not automatically understand every ecosystem. They need context. They need to know which tools exist, which patterns are current, which APIs are preferred, and which details are easy to get wrong. In Stellar, that context matters because real applications often combine many layers: * Smart contracts * Wallets * Assets * Standards * Ecosystem SDKs A missing detail can break the whole flow. Skills help agents start from better assumptions. Instead of asking: > Build this on Stellar. We can ask: > Use the relevant Stellar Skills context, then help me build this on Stellar. That is a much better development loop. --- ## What the Stellar Skills catalog includes The new **[Stellar Skills](https://skills.stellar.org/)** site organizes the ecosystem into practical areas. The catalog includes core skills for: * **Soroban Smart Contracts** * **Frontend & Wallets** * **Stellar Assets & SAC** * **RPC & Horizon APIs** * **Agent Payments** * **ZK Proofs** * **SEPs, CAPs & Ecosystem** This gives builders and agents a map of the main development surfaces on Stellar. --- ## Ecosystem skills — and Trustless Work Escrow Stellar Skills also includes a **Community skills** section for ecosystem-maintained tools. This is where app builders can discover skills for projects such as OpenZeppelin Contracts, DeFindex SDK, Soroswap SDK, and **Trustless Work Escrow**. We are excited to see Trustless Work included in this section. The **[Trustless Work Escrow skill](https://docs.trustlesswork.com/trustless-work/ai/skill)** helps builders and AI agents understand how to build escrow and milestone-based payment workflows on Stellar. It covers: * Single-release escrows * Multi-release escrows * Trustline configuration * Dispute handling * REST API integration * React SDK hooks * Pre-built Blocks UI components This is useful when building products where funds should not move immediately, but only after a condition is met. Think marketplaces, freelance platforms, grant programs, bounty systems, hackathon prize pools, contractor payments, security deposits, and milestone-based project workflows. In those cases, the product does not just need a payment. It needs a payment workflow. Trustless Work provides escrow infrastructure for that workflow, and the skill helps agents understand how to work with it. --- ## A simple prompt to try Next time you start building on Stellar with an AI agent, try this: > Before writing code, read skills.stellar.org and use the relevant Stellar Skills context for this project. Then describe what you are building. For example: > I am building a milestone-based grant payout app on Stellar. Use the relevant Stellar Skills context for wallets, assets, RPC, and escrow workflows before suggesting an architecture. If your product needs escrow or milestone-based payment workflows, you can also point your agent directly to the **[Trustless Work docs MCP](https://docs.trustlesswork.com/trustless-work/ai/mcp)**. That gives the agent a much better chance of helping correctly from the start. --- ## Better context for the next wave of Stellar apps SDF publishing Stellar Skills is good news for the whole ecosystem. It gives builders a shared starting point. It gives AI agents a better map of Stellar. It makes core skills easier to access. It gives community tools a new discovery surface. And it makes AI-assisted development on Stellar more practical. For those of us building in the ecosystem, this is exactly the kind of developer experience improvement that matters. More context. Less guessing. Faster building. --- # Article: Trustless Work V2: Programmable Escrows Become Configurable Payment Infrastructure URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/dev-update-trustless-work-v2 Filename: dev-update-trustless-work-v2.mdx Date: 2026-05-21 Category: technical Tags: Trustless Work, V2 Capital Flow: Not specified Description: Trustless Work V2 introduces multi-address roles, quorum approvals, batch milestone actions, admin controls, observer access, dispute reasons, milestone-less initialization, and cleaner API versioning. Summary: Trustless Work is preparing the release of V2, the first major versioned upgrade of its programmable escrow infrastructure. This release is a major step in the evolution of Trustless Work from a simple escrow lifecycle into a configurable payment infrastructure layer # Trustless Work V2: Programmable Escrows Become Configurable Payment Infrastructure Trustless Work is preparing the release of **V2**, the first major versioned upgrade of its programmable escrow infrastructure. This release is more than an API update. It is a major step in the evolution of Trustless Work from a simple escrow lifecycle into a configurable payment infrastructure layer for platforms, marketplaces, developers, and stablecoin-native applications. V1 proved the core idea: platforms should be able to create escrow flows, hold funds neutrally, track milestone progress, approve work, and release payments through programmable infrastructure. V2 expands that foundation. With V2, Trustless Work introduces multi-address roles, quorum-based approvals, batch milestone actions, admin controls, observer access, dispute reasons, milestone-less initialization, and cleaner separation between escrow property updates and milestone management. These changes apply across the two core escrow models: - **Single-release escrow** - **Multi-release escrow** The result is a more flexible system for real-world payment flows. --- ## Why V2 Matters Escrow is not one workflow. A freelance marketplace may need milestone approvals. A grant platform may need transparent fund releases. A public procurement program may need observers. A DAO may need quorum-based approvals. A trade finance platform may need multiple parties validating different parts of a transaction. A simple bounty may need an escrow without predefined milestones. A platform may need an admin role that can update configuration without controlling funds. V1 gave developers a working escrow flow. V2 gives developers escrow primitives. That shift matters because primitives can be composed into many products. Instead of forcing every use case into the same rigid lifecycle, V2 allows platforms to design escrow flows around their own trust requirements. --- # What Is New in V2? ## 1. Multi-Address Roles V2 converts key roles from single-address fields into lists of addresses. The roles affected are: - `approver` → `approvers` - `service_provider` → `service_providers` - `release_signer` → `release_signers` - `dispute_resolver` → `dispute_resolvers` This means each role can now include multiple authorized addresses. Authorization checks now verify whether the signer is contained inside the appropriate role list instead of checking equality against a single address. This is one of the most important V2 changes. Real escrow workflows often involve teams, committees, organizations, DAOs, or platform operations groups. A single address is not always enough to represent how decisions are made. With multi-address roles, Trustless Work can support: - Multiple approvers - Multiple service providers - Multiple release signers - Multiple dispute resolvers - Team-based platform operations - More realistic organizational workflows --- ## 2. Role Limits and Safer Multi-Role Configuration More flexibility also requires stronger boundaries. V2 adds limits to multi-address roles: - Maximum of 5 addresses per multi-role - No duplicate addresses inside a role - Dispute resolvers cannot overlap with approvers, service providers, release signers, or the receiver These validations run during both `initialize_escrow` and `update_escrow`. This prevents role configuration from becoming unsafe or hard to reason about. The product principle is simple: > V2 increases flexibility, but it does not allow unlimited complexity. > --- ## 3. Quorum-Based Milestone Approvals V2 replaces the old `approved: bool` milestone flag with a quorum-based approval model. Each milestone now tracks: - `target`: how many approvals are required - `approval_count`: how many approvals have been received - `approvers`: which addresses have already approved A milestone is approved only when `approval_count >= target`. The contract also prevents the same approver from voting twice on the same milestone. This unlocks more realistic governance models. Instead of one approver having unilateral control, platforms can configure approval flows such as: - 2 of 3 approvers - 3 of 5 reviewers - DAO-based approval - Client plus platform approval - Multi-department sign-off - Buyer plus inspector approval This is essential for higher-value escrow use cases where one approval is not enough. --- ## 4. Batch Milestone Status Updates V2 allows multiple milestone statuses to be updated in a single transaction. The previous `change_milestone_status` function accepted one milestone index, one status, and one optional evidence field. V2 replaces that with a batch input: `Vec`. Each update includes a milestone index, new status, and optional new evidence. All milestone indices are validated before any changes are applied. If any index is invalid, the entire operation reverts. This creates atomicity. For developers and platforms, this means batch updates are safer and easier to reason about. --- ## 5. Batch Milestone Approval V2 changes milestone approval from one milestone at a time to batch approval. The old `approve_milestone` function becomes `approve_milestones`, accepting a vector of milestone indices. A single approver can approve multiple milestones in one transaction. All validations run before any write. This means if one milestone index is invalid, the whole transaction reverts before partially changing state. Batch approval is especially useful for: - Grant reviews - Service projects - Multi-phase deliverables - Long-running engagements - Platform-managed review processes --- ## 6. Batch Milestone Fund Release For multi-release escrows, V2 updates `release_funds` so multiple selected milestones can be released in one transaction. The function now accepts `milestone_indices: Vec`, calculates the total amount for those milestones, applies fee distribution, transfers funds to the receiver, and marks each selected milestone as released. The escrow is only considered fully released once all milestones have been released. This feature is exclusive to multi-release escrows. Single-release escrows still release all funds in one operation once the full escrow is approved. --- ## 7. Batch Milestone Disputes for Multi-Release Escrows V2 adds `dispute_milestones` to the multi-release contract. This allows multiple milestones to be disputed in a single transaction. If any milestone index is invalid, the entire operation reverts. This reflects how real disputes often work. In a multi-phase project, the issue may not be isolated to one milestone. A whole group of deliverables may be affected by the same underlying problem. Batch milestone disputes make the multi-release contract better suited for real operational workflows. --- ## 8. Dispute Reasons V2 replaces the old `Flags` structure with a dedicated `Dispute` structure. The new structure includes: - `is_disputed` - `resolved` - `reason` The `dispute_escrow` function now accepts a human-readable `reason: String`. This is a major improvement for transparency. A dispute should not only say that something went wrong. It should also preserve context about why the dispute was raised. This helps: - Users - Platforms - Auditors - Support teams - Dispute resolvers - Indexers - Future reporting tools In escrow infrastructure, state matters. But context matters too. --- ## 9. Observer Role V2 adds an `observers` role to the `Roles` structure. Observers are informational only. They do not receive execution permissions in the contract. Their purpose is to help indexers and platforms track escrow data on a per-address basis. Observers are useful for: - Auditors - Investors - Grant program managers - Public sector supervisors - Compliance teams - DAO members - Ecosystem partners - Platform support teams The observer role makes a crucial distinction: > Visibility is not the same as authority. > V2 allows stakeholders to observe escrow activity without giving them the power to change escrow state. --- ## 10. Admin Role V2 introduces a dedicated `admin` role. The admin is responsible for escrow management operations such as: - Updating escrow properties - Adding or managing milestones - Extending contract TTL Previously, some management functions were authorized by the platform role. In V2, the platform role is limited to receiving platform fees and can no longer call management functions. This is a major separation-of-powers improvement. In a real platform, the party receiving platform fees should not automatically be the same party with permission to manage escrow configuration. The admin role gives platforms a cleaner operational model: - Admin manages configuration - Platform receives fees - Approvers approve milestones - Release signers release funds - Service providers update work status - Observers track progress - Dispute resolvers handle disputes That is a much better foundation for real products. --- ## 11. Separate Escrow Update Logic V2 separates escrow property updates from milestone management. Previously, `update_escrow` could modify milestone data as part of the escrow update. In V2, `update_escrow` is restricted to escrow properties and preserves existing milestones. A new `manage_milestones` endpoint replaces the previous `add_milestones` flow. It supports two operations: 1. Adding new milestones 2. Updating the description and/or amount of existing milestones, depending on contract type and funding state Adding new milestones is allowed with or without funds. Updating existing milestone descriptions or amounts is only allowed when the escrow has no funds. This makes the contract safer and easier to reason about. Escrow property updates and milestone changes are different kinds of actions. V2 treats them separately. --- ## 12. Initialize Escrow Without Milestones V2 allows an escrow to be initialized with an empty milestone list. Previously, `initialize_escrow` rejected any escrow that did not include at least one milestone. V2 removes that restriction and allows the admin to add milestones later through `manage_milestones`. This enables deferred-milestone flows. That matters because many real workflows do not have all milestone details available at the moment the escrow is created. Examples: - A bounty can be opened before final deliverables are defined - A platform can create the escrow first and add milestones later - A client and provider can agree on the escrow before final scope is complete - A grant program can create a funding container before tranche details are finalized This makes escrow creation more flexible and lowers integration friction. --- ## 13. Approve and Release Milestones in One Transaction V2 introduces `approve_and_release_milestones`. This allows a signer to approve and release funds in a single transaction, but only when that signer holds both roles: - Approver - Release signer If the signer lacks either role, the transaction is rejected before any state change. This is useful for simpler or lower-risk workflows where separating approval and release creates unnecessary friction. It also preserves safety because the combined action is only available to addresses explicitly assigned to both roles. --- # Single-Release vs Multi-Release in V2 V2 improves both escrow models, but not every feature applies equally to both. ## Single-release escrow A single-release escrow releases all funds at once when the escrow is fully approved. Best suited for: - One-time payments - Simple service agreements - Deposits - Bounties - Single deliverable projects In V2, single-release escrows benefit from: - Multi-address roles - Quorum approvals - Batch milestone status updates - Batch milestone approvals - Admin role - Observer role - Dispute reasons - Role limits - Separate update logic - Initialization without milestones - Dual-role approve and release ## Multi-release escrow A multi-release escrow can release funds across multiple milestones. Best suited for: - Grant programs - Multi-phase projects - Agency contracts - Trade finance - Public procurement - Long-running service agreements In V2, multi-release escrows get all the shared improvements plus additional milestone-level logic: - Batch milestone fund release - Batch milestone disputes - Per-milestone release tracking - Per-milestone dispute handling - Milestone amount updates before funding This makes multi-release escrows significantly more powerful for complex payment workflows. --- # What This Means for Developers For developers, V2 creates a clearer and more composable escrow model. The most important changes to prepare for are: - Role fields are now vectors for several operational roles - Approval logic now uses quorum instead of a boolean flag - Milestone status updates are batch-based - Milestone approvals are batch-based - Multi-release fund releases are milestone-index based - Disputes include structured reasons - Observers are available for read/indexing use cases - Admin is now responsible for management operations - Platform is fee-only - Escrow property updates and milestone management are separate - Escrows can be created without milestones - Some actions can be combined when the signer has dual-role permissions The migration guide should map each of these changes into: - REST API payload changes - SDK type changes - React Blocks updates - Example flows - Breaking-change warnings - Single-release vs multi-release differences --- # What This Means for Platforms For platforms, V2 makes Trustless Work easier to adapt to real business logic. A platform can now design escrow flows around questions like: - Who can update the escrow? - Who can approve milestones? - How many approvals are required? - Who can release funds? - Who can observe but not act? - Can milestones be added later? - Can several milestones be approved at once? - Can several milestones be released at once? - Should one address be allowed to approve and release? - Should disputes include a written reason? - Should the platform only receive fees, not manage the escrow? These are the kinds of questions real platforms need to answer before putting escrow into production. V2 gives them more tools to answer those questions safely. --- # FAQ ## Is V2 just an API versioning update? No. V2 includes API versioning, but the larger change is contract-level flexibility. The migration plan introduces formal versioning across the REST API, SDKs, documentation, BackOffice, and Laboratory. But the contract updates go further by changing roles, approvals, milestone actions, dispute structure, admin permissions, and escrow initialization logic. --- ## Why add multi-address roles? Because real platforms are operated by teams, not single addresses. Multi-address roles allow Trustless Work to represent organizations, committees, DAOs, and multi-stakeholder approval flows. --- ## Why limit multi-address roles to 5 addresses? Because flexibility needs guardrails. The role limit keeps authorization logic practical and prevents role lists from becoming too large, duplicated, or hard to reason about. --- ## Why add quorum? Quorum allows a milestone to require multiple approvals before it is considered approved. This is useful for higher-trust workflows where one person should not have unilateral control over approval. --- ## Why add batch actions? Batch actions reduce signing friction and make multi-milestone escrows more usable. V2 supports batch status updates, batch approvals, multi-release batch fund release, and multi-release batch disputes. --- ## Why add an admin role? The admin role separates escrow management from platform fee collection. In V2, the platform role becomes fee-only, while admin handles management operations such as updating properties, managing milestones, and extending TTL. --- ## Why add observers? Observers allow addresses to be associated with an escrow for visibility and indexing without giving those addresses execution permissions. --- ## Why allow escrows without milestones? Because some workflows need to create the escrow first and define milestones later. This enables deferred-milestone flows where the admin initializes the escrow and adds milestones later through `manage_milestones`. --- ## Why separate escrow updates from milestone management? Because escrow properties and milestones are different concerns. V2 restricts `update_escrow` to property updates and introduces `manage_milestones` for milestone operations. This makes the contract safer and easier to reason about. --- ## Why add dispute reasons? Dispute reasons preserve human-readable context about why an escrow or milestone was disputed. This improves transparency, support, auditing, and downstream reporting. --- ## Does V2 affect both single-release and multi-release escrows? Yes. The V2 update applies to both contracts. The full V2 overview confirms updates across both single-release and multi-release escrows, with demos and evidence prepared for each. Some features are shared across both. Others are specific to multi-release escrows, such as batch milestone fund release and batch milestone disputes. --- ## Will V1 stop working immediately? No. Because V2 introduces breaking changes, the migration plan says V1 should remain functional for a limited time while users migrate. --- # Closing V1 proved that programmable escrow could be simple. V2 makes it flexible enough for real-world platforms. With multi-address roles, quorum approvals, batch milestone actions, observer access, admin controls, dispute reasons, milestone-less initialization, and cleaner separation between escrow updates and milestone management, Trustless Work becomes more than an escrow flow. It becomes configurable payment infrastructure. The goal is not only to help platforms create escrows. The goal is to help platforms design better payment flows for the stablecoin economy. --- # Article: Trustless Work Builder Starter Kit URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/tutorial-trustless-work-builder-starter-kit Filename: tutorial-trustless-work-builder-starter-kit.mdx Date: 2026-05-01 Category: tutorial Tags: builder guide, hackathon, escrow, stablecoins, developer tools, ai Capital Flow: Not specified Description: A practical guide for builders, founders, and hackathon teams integrating Trustless Work escrow infrastructure into stablecoin products. Summary: Everything builders need to understand Trustless Work, design escrow flows, choose an integration path, use AI-native tooling, and start building with programmable escrow infrastructure. ## Escrow Infrastructure for Builders, Founders, and Hackathon Teams Trustless Work is **Escrow-as-a-Service for stablecoins**. It helps developers, startups, platforms, and enterprises integrate **secure, transparent, non-custodial, milestone-based escrow payments** into their products without writing smart contracts from scratch. Use this guide when you want to understand the product, design your escrow flow, choose an integration path, or give an AI coding assistant enough context to help you build. --- ## 1. What is Trustless Work? Trustless Work is **Escrow-as-a-Service for stablecoins**. It helps developers, startups, platforms, and enterprises integrate **secure, transparent, non-custodial, milestone-based escrow payments** into their products without writing smart contracts from scratch. Use Trustless Work when your product needs to: - hold funds safely before delivery - release payments only when conditions are met - coordinate multiple parties in a transaction - add milestone-based payment flows - create transparent funding, approval, or dispute processes - build stablecoin payment flows without managing custody The simplest way to understand Trustless Work is this: Instead of sending money directly from one person to another, funds are placed inside a smart escrow contract. The money only moves when predefined conditions are satisfied. Those conditions can be tied to delivery, approval, milestones, disputes, or other business logic. Trustless Work is not just a payment tool. It is infrastructure for building products where **money moves based on rules, roles, and verification**. Start here: [docs.trustlesswork.com](https://docs.trustlesswork.com) Website: [www.trustlesswork.com](https://www.trustlesswork.com) Developer page: [www.trustlesswork.com/developers](https://www.trustlesswork.com/developers) --- ## 2. Why Escrow Matters Most digital transactions still depend on trust. A buyer pays and hopes the seller delivers. A freelancer delivers and hopes the client pays. A donor funds a campaign and hopes money is used properly. A landlord holds a deposit and the renter hopes it will be returned fairly. A cross-border trader sends funds and hopes the counterparty completes their side. This creates friction across many real-world scenarios: - marketplaces - freelance work - grants - remittances - microfinance - trade finance - security deposits - cross-border commerce - startup and DAO funding - AI-agent payment flows Large platforms can build their own escrow systems. Smaller platforms, startups, and hackathon teams usually cannot. They would need payment infrastructure, smart contracts, audits, wallet integration, role permissions, dispute logic, and front-end flows. Trustless Work abstracts that complexity. You can focus on the product experience, the user problem, and the business model while Trustless Work provides the escrow infrastructure layer. --- ## 3. The Core Idea: We Do Not Hold Your Money — We Hold the Logic Trustless Work is **non-custodial**. Funds are not held by Trustless Work. Funds are held inside smart escrow contracts. The contract defines who can act, when funds can move, and what conditions must be met. That means Trustless Work is not just “an escrow app.” It is a configurable system for designing trust flows. Before building, ask: > Who should be allowed to mark work as done, approve it, release funds, resolve disputes, and receive the money? That is the product design layer of Trustless Work. Escrow Design: [Technology Overview](https://docs.trustlesswork.com/trustless-work/introduction/technology-overview) --- ## 4. How Trustless Work Works Every escrow follows a lifecycle. The exact configuration changes depending on the use case, but the mental model is consistent. ### 4.1 Initiation A new escrow is created. At this stage, you define the escrow configuration: - title - description - amount - asset or trustline - platform fee - milestones - roles - receiver - dispute resolver - external reference ID, such as order ID, invoice ID, campaign ID, grant ID, or project ID This is the moment where your product’s business logic becomes escrow logic. ### 4.2 Funding Funds are deposited into the escrow smart contract. The funder may be a buyer, client, donor, backer, investor, renter, marketplace user, or any other party depending on your use case. The escrow now acts as a neutral holding layer. ### 4.3 Milestone Update The service provider, seller, project team, or relevant actor marks progress. This could mean: - “product shipped” - “milestone completed” - “work submitted” - “loan tranche ready” - “grant deliverable completed” - “property returned” - “AI task completed” ### 4.4 Approval The approver reviews the milestone or condition. The approver can be: - the buyer - the client - the platform - a DAO - a committee - an auditor - a business operator - an AI agent or automated verification layer The approver either approves or disputes. ### 4.5 Release Once conditions are approved, the release signer triggers the payment. The funds are sent to the receiver, and any configured fees are routed according to the escrow setup. ### 4.6 Dispute Resolution If something goes wrong, the dispute resolver can step in. This role can be assigned to: - a marketplace operator - an arbitrator - a platform admin - a committee - a trusted third party - a legal or operational team Real products need failure paths. Escrow is not just about successful payments; it is about designing what happens when there is disagreement. --- ## 5. The Role System Roles are the core of Trustless Work. Do not think only in terms of “users.” Think in terms of **actors with specific permissions**. Each role controls a different part of the escrow lifecycle. ### Service Provider The Service Provider is responsible for delivering the product, service, work, or outcome. Examples: - freelancer - seller - grant recipient - borrower - project team - supplier - contractor - AI agent This role can update milestone status and raise disputes. ### Approver The Approver validates whether the milestone or condition has been met. Examples: - buyer - client - funder - DAO voter - platform moderator - business operator - project sponsor This role prevents the Service Provider from unilaterally triggering payment. ### Platform Address The Platform Address represents the platform integrating Trustless Work. It can receive a configurable platform fee and may be involved in configuration before the escrow is funded. This is important for business models. A platform can integrate escrow infrastructure and monetize the flow without becoming the custodian of user funds. ### Release Signer The Release Signer executes the actual fund release once conditions are met. This role can be the platform, the approver, an operational wallet, or another designated signer. ### Dispute Resolver The Dispute Resolver arbitrates when something goes wrong. This role can redirect or resolve funds when a dispute is raised. For builders, this role is easy to overlook, but it is one of the strongest parts of Trustless Work. Real products need to define what happens when users disagree. ### Receiver The Receiver is the final destination of the funds. This may or may not be the same party as the Service Provider, depending on the product design. --- ## 6. Escrow Types Trustless Work supports different escrow structures so you can match the payment logic to your product workflow. ### Single-Release Escrow A single-release escrow holds the full amount and releases it in one payout once the conditions are met. Best for: - security deposits - one-off freelance jobs - product delivery - simple marketplace purchases - high-value transactions - simple service agreements Example: A buyer purchases a product from a seller. The buyer funds the escrow. The seller ships the product. The buyer confirms receipt. The escrow releases the full payment to the seller. ### Multi-Release Escrow A multi-release escrow splits payment into milestones, where each milestone can unlock a portion of the funds. Best for: - grants - phased freelance work - software projects - construction-style deliverables - crowdfunding campaigns - impact funding - microfinance disbursements - bounties - milestone-based startup funding Example: A donor funds a project with three milestones: prototype, pilot, and final report. Each milestone is approved separately, and funds are released progressively. --- ## 7. What Can You Build With Trustless Work? Use Trustless Work anywhere funds should be held until something is delivered, approved, verified, or resolved. The strongest use cases are workflows where there is: - delayed trust - delivery risk - payment risk - cross-border complexity - milestone-based work - multiple parties - a need for transparency - a need for neutral fund control --- ## 8. Builder Ideas and Use Cases ### 8.1 Marketplaces and E-commerce Marketplaces are one of the most natural use cases for Trustless Work. Use escrow when buyers and sellers do not fully trust each other yet. A marketplace can: - hold buyer funds when an order is placed - release funds only after delivery confirmation - protect sellers from non-payment - protect buyers from fraud - deduct platform fees automatically - create a transparent transaction history What you can build: - local goods marketplace - digital goods marketplace - second-hand product marketplace - cross-border e-commerce escrow - dropshipping escrow - creator asset marketplace - gaming item marketplace MVP flow: Buyer creates order → escrow is funded → seller marks item shipped → buyer approves → funds are released to seller. Use case docs: [Marketplaces and E-commerce](https://docs.trustlesswork.com/trustless-work/use-cases-by-indutry/marketplaces-and-e-commerce) ### 8.2 Freelance and Contract Work Freelance work has a constant payment trust problem. Clients worry that freelancers will not deliver. Freelancers worry that clients will not pay. Platforms often solve this by becoming custodians or building internal escrow systems. Trustless Work allows a platform to create milestone-based contracts where: - funds are locked before work starts - freelancers mark milestones as complete - clients approve deliverables - funds are released when work is accepted - disputes can be handled through a defined resolver What you can build: - Upwork-style freelancer marketplace - agency-client payment platform - software development milestone escrow - creator commission escrow - student project marketplace - local services marketplace MVP flow: Client funds project → freelancer submits work → client approves → payment is released. Use case docs: [Milestone-Based Freelance and Contract Work](https://docs.trustlesswork.com/trustless-work/use-cases-by-indutry/milestone-based-freelance-and-contract-work) ### 8.3 Grants and Bounties Grants and bounties naturally fit milestone-based escrow. Instead of sending money upfront, a grant platform can release funds progressively as contributors complete work. This is useful for: - ecosystem grants - open-source bounties - university innovation programs - NGO projects - research funding - climate or social impact programs - builder accelerators What you can build: - milestone-based grant dashboard - bounty escrow platform - DAO funding tool - open-source contribution payout system - impact project funding platform MVP flow: Funder creates grant escrow → builder submits milestone → reviewer approves → funds are released. ### 8.4 Crowdfunding and Pre-orders Crowdfunding has a trust problem: backers contribute money before the product is built. Trustless Work can make crowdfunding more accountable by holding funds and releasing them based on progress. What you can build: - Kickstarter-style milestone crowdfunding - creator pre-order platform - community project funding - social impact crowdfunding - event sponsorship escrow - local business pre-order campaign MVP flow: Backers fund escrow → project reaches milestone → platform or community approves → funds are released to creator. Use case docs: [Crowdfunding and Pre-orders](https://docs.trustlesswork.com/trustless-work/use-cases-by-indutry/crowdfunding-and-pre-orders) ### 8.5 Security Deposits Security deposits are a strong real-world use case because they often create tension between two parties. Trustless Work can help platforms configure non-custodial deposit flows that define how and when deposits are returned or withheld. What you can build: - rental deposit platform - equipment leasing deposit tool - event venue deposit escrow - hotel or booking deposit flow - co-living deposit management - car rental deposit escrow MVP flow: Renter deposits funds → rental ends → host approves refund or raises dispute → funds are returned or partially withheld. Use case docs: [Security Deposits](https://docs.trustlesswork.com/trustless-work/use-cases-by-indutry/security-deposits) ### 8.6 P2P Exchanges and OTC Desks P2P trading often depends on screenshots, chat messages, and trust between strangers. Trustless Work can provide a neutral smart escrow layer so one party does not have to blindly go first. What you can build: - P2P stablecoin exchange - local on/off-ramp flow - OTC desk dashboard - fiat-to-stablecoin escrow coordination tool - cross-border remittance escrow - trade settlement proof flow MVP flow: Buyer deposits USDC → seller completes off-chain transfer → buyer confirms receipt → escrow releases funds. Use case docs: [P2P Exchanges and OTC Desks](https://docs.trustlesswork.com/trustless-work/use-cases-by-indutry/p2p-exchanges-and-otc-desks) ### 8.7 Trade Finance and Cross-Border Commerce Cross-border commerce requires trust between parties who may not know each other, may be in different jurisdictions, and may rely on slow banking rails. Trustless Work can support trade finance flows where: - importer locks payment - exporter ships goods - buyer or inspection party approves delivery - funds are released - disputes are handled by a resolver What you can build: - import/export escrow platform - invoice-backed escrow - supplier payment escrow - shipping proof escrow - agricultural trade finance flow - commodity purchase escrow MVP flow: Buyer funds escrow → seller provides delivery evidence → inspector or buyer approves → payment is released. ### 8.8 Microfinance and Transparent Capital Allocation Microfinance and lending products can use escrow infrastructure to make capital movement more transparent. This is especially relevant for emerging markets, donor-funded programs, SME lending, and impact investing. What you can build: - transparent microcredit fund - milestone-based loan disbursement - donor-to-community capital flow tracker - SME financing escrow - cooperative lending escrow - impact fund disbursement platform MVP flow: Investor funds escrow → institution approves loan batch → capital is released → repayments or reporting are tracked externally. ### 8.9 AI Agent Payments AI agents need structured rules for when they can trigger actions. Escrow turns payment into a workflow that can be reasoned about, monitored, and eventually executed by agents. What you can build: - AI agent that monitors milestone completion - agent-assisted escrow creation - agent-generated escrow configurations - AI reviewer that summarizes evidence for an approver - agent-to-agent payment coordination - AI-powered bounty management - AI grant assistant for milestone reporting MVP flow: Founder describes project → AI suggests escrow roles and milestones → team tests the flow in the dApp → team integrates using SDK, Blocks, or API. AI-Optimized Docs: [AI-Optimized Docs](https://docs.trustlesswork.com/trustless-work/introduction/readme/ai-optimized-docs) --- ## 9. Developer Stack and Important Links Use this section as the builder navigation map. ### Main Documentation Docs: [docs.trustlesswork.com](https://docs.trustlesswork.com) Start here if you are new to Trustless Work. You will find: - quickstart guides - API references - SDK documentation - Blocks documentation - escrow concepts - AI tools - use cases - product links ### Website Website: [www.trustlesswork.com](https://www.trustlesswork.com) Use this for: - product overview - positioning - general explanation - ecosystem context ### Developer Page Developer page: [www.trustlesswork.com/developers](https://www.trustlesswork.com/developers) Use this as a one-stop entry point for: - Vibe Coding Guide - demo dApp - BackOffice - Escrow Viewer - React SDK - GitHub repos - Escrow Times - contribution opportunities - developer chat ### Escrow Design Escrow Design: [Technology Overview](https://docs.trustlesswork.com/trustless-work/introduction/technology-overview) Read this before writing code. Use it to understand: - roles - lifecycle - escrow configuration - who signs each action - what powers each party has - which party receives funds - who resolves disputes This should be required reading for every builder. ### BackOffice dApp BackOffice dApp: [dapp.trustlesswork.com](https://dapp.trustlesswork.com) Use this to create and manage escrows visually. Best for: - learning the system - manually testing flows - creating sample escrows - validating product logic - demoing escrow management - requesting API keys ### Demo dApp Demo dApp: [demo.trustlesswork.com](https://demo.trustlesswork.com) Use this to test how escrow flows behave. Best for: - understanding the transaction flow - testing interactions before integrating - showing a live demo - validating the user journey - helping non-technical teammates understand the process ### Escrow Viewer Escrow Viewer: [viewer.trustlesswork.com](https://viewer.trustlesswork.com) Escrow Viewer docs: [Escrow Viewer Docs](https://docs.trustlesswork.com/trustless-work/oss-dapps/escrow-viewer) Use the Viewer to inspect Trustless Work escrows without writing code or parsing raw blockchain data. The Viewer helps you: - search by Escrow ID - inspect roles - track milestone status - check fees and balances - switch between testnet and mainnet - debug demo flows - prove transparency to users, judges, partners, or stakeholders During a demo, the Viewer is especially powerful because you can show that the escrow exists and that the state is visible. ### Request an API Key API Key docs: [Request API Key](https://docs.trustlesswork.com/trustless-work/introduction/developer-resources/request-api-key) You need an API key to interact programmatically with the Trustless Work API. Process: 1. Connect a Stellar-compatible wallet such as Freighter, Albedo, or xBull. 2. Sign a message to confirm wallet ownership. 3. Complete your user profile. 4. Add your name, email, and use case. 5. Go to the API Keys tab. 6. Choose Testnet or Mainnet. 7. Request the API key. 8. Copy it immediately because it cannot be viewed again after closing the dialog. Use the API key to: - deploy escrows - fund escrows - mark milestones - approve milestones - dispute flows - release funds - query escrow status - query balances ### API Reference API REST Introduction: [API REST Introduction](https://docs.trustlesswork.com/trustless-work/api-rest/introduction) Swagger: - [api.trustlesswork.com/docs](https://api.trustlesswork.com/docs) - [dev.api.trustlesswork.com/docs](https://dev.api.trustlesswork.com/docs) Use the API when your product needs to interact with escrow logic directly. Best for: - backend integrations - custom applications - marketplaces - grant platforms - payment workflows - automation - product-specific escrow flows ### React SDK React SDK docs: [React SDK Introduction](https://docs.trustlesswork.com/trustless-work/escrow-react-sdk/introduction) Use the React SDK when building a frontend application that needs to integrate escrow interactions. Best for: - web apps - dashboards - marketplace frontends - hackathon MVPs - wallet-based user flows - custom escrow interfaces ### Escrow Blocks SDK Blocks SDK docs: [Blocks SDK Introduction](https://docs.trustlesswork.com/trustless-work/escrow-blocks-sdk/introduction) Blocks: [blocks.trustlesswork.com](https://blocks.trustlesswork.com) Use Escrow Blocks when you want to move faster with prebuilt escrow UI components. Best for: - fast MVPs - teams with limited frontend time - clean demo flows - product validation - prototypes where clarity matters more than custom UI ### GitHub GitHub: [github.com/Trustless-Work](https://github.com/Trustless-Work) Use GitHub to explore: - open-source repos - templates - reference implementations - starter code - contribution opportunities --- ## 10. AI-Native Developer Tools Trustless Work is designed for both traditional developers and AI-assisted development workflows. This is important because many builders now use tools like Cursor, Claude, ChatGPT, v0, and other AI coding environments. Use the AI tools to: - understand escrow flows faster - design roles and milestones - generate implementation plans - reason through lifecycle logic - accelerate SDK or API integration - build with AI agents ### AI-Optimized Docs AI-Optimized Docs: [AI-Optimized Docs](https://docs.trustlesswork.com/trustless-work/introduction/readme/ai-optimized-docs) Use this when: - loading Trustless Work context into an AI assistant - helping Cursor or ChatGPT understand escrow flows - creating an internal copilot - building with RAG or agent workflows - asking an AI assistant to reason through product architecture ### Trustless Work Skill Skill docs: [Trustless Work Skill](https://docs.trustlesswork.com/trustless-work/ai/skill) Use the Trustless Work Skill when working with AI coding agents or AI assistants. Best for: - helping an AI assistant understand Trustless Work concepts - generating escrow flows - reviewing role configuration - explaining lifecycle logic - supporting AI-assisted implementation - onboarding new developers faster ### Vibe Coding — Blocks SDK Vibe Coding | Blocks SDK: [Vibe Coding — Blocks SDK](https://docs.trustlesswork.com/trustless-work/ai/vibe-coding-or-blocks-sdk) Use this when you want to build quickly with prebuilt escrow UI components. Best for teams that want the fastest path to a working demo: Design escrow → test in dApp → use Blocks SDK → inspect in Viewer. ### Vibe Coding — React SDK Vibe Coding | React SDK: [Vibe Coding — React SDK](https://docs.trustlesswork.com/trustless-work/ai/vibe-coding-or-react-sdk) Use this when you want more control than Blocks SDK, but still want AI-assisted guidance. Best for: - custom dashboards - custom marketplace flows - grant platforms - AI-agent workflows - fintech prototypes - advanced product experiences ### MCP Server MCP docs: [MCP Docs](https://docs.trustlesswork.com/trustless-work/ai/mcp) MCP Server: [mcp.trustlesswork.com/mcp](https://mcp.trustlesswork.com/mcp) Use the MCP server to connect AI development environments, such as Cursor, with Trustless Work tooling. The MCP layer is useful for: - AI-assisted SDK interaction - code generation - escrow lifecycle automation - integration recipes - workflow generation - agent-based development - faster prototyping inside AI-native IDEs For builders using Cursor Agent Mode, this is one of the most powerful parts of the Trustless Work developer experience. --- ## 11. Recommended Builder Journey Use this flow to go from idea to working prototype. ### Step 1 — Understand the Problem Do not start with “I want to use blockchain.” Start with a real trust problem: - Who is afraid of not getting paid? - Who is afraid of paying before delivery? - Who controls the money today? - Where can the transaction fail? - What condition should trigger payment? - Who should approve the outcome? - What happens when parties disagree? Good Trustless Work projects begin with a real coordination or payment problem. ### Step 2 — Choose One Use Case Pick one specific product flow. Do not build a generic escrow platform at first. Build a specific product. Examples: - escrow for freelance designers - escrow for local equipment rentals - escrow for student bounties - escrow for agricultural trade - escrow for remittances - escrow for grant disbursements - escrow for creator pre-orders - escrow for P2P stablecoin exchanges The best projects have a clear user and a clear transaction. ### Step 3 — Design the Escrow Use Escrow Design: [Technology Overview](https://docs.trustlesswork.com/trustless-work/introduction/technology-overview) Define: - What is being paid for? - Who deposits? - Who marks the milestone? - Who approves? - Who releases? - Who receives? - Who resolves disputes? - Is this single-release or multi-release? - What evidence is needed? - What is the platform’s role? - Does the platform charge a fee? This is the most important step. A poor escrow design will create a confusing product. A good escrow design makes the product feel obvious. ### Step 4 — Validate With the dApp Use the BackOffice dApp: [dapp.trustlesswork.com](https://dapp.trustlesswork.com) Before writing code, test the flow manually. Create a sample escrow, assign roles, simulate funding, approval, and release. This helps you understand what the smart escrow is actually doing. ### Step 5 — Inspect With the Viewer Use the Escrow Viewer: [viewer.trustlesswork.com](https://viewer.trustlesswork.com) This is useful for debugging and demos. During a presentation, you can say: > “Here is our app, and here is the escrow state visible through the Viewer.” That makes the demo more credible. ### Step 6 — Get an API Key Use the API key docs: [Request API Key](https://docs.trustlesswork.com/trustless-work/introduction/developer-resources/request-api-key) You need the API key if your application will interact programmatically with the API. ### Step 7 — Choose an Integration Path There are three common paths. #### Path A — No-Code / Manual Demo Use the dApp and Viewer. Best for: - concept validation - founder demos - product exploration - early-stage prototypes - teams with limited engineering time #### Path B — Blocks SDK Use prebuilt UI blocks. Best for: - fast MVPs - clean demo flows - teams that want UI components without building everything from scratch #### Path C — React SDK / API Use SDK or API directly. Best for: - custom products - serious integrations - stronger engineering teams - products with a complete user experience ### Step 8 — Use AI Tools to Accelerate Use: - AI-Optimized Docs - Skill - Vibe Coding guides - MCP server Practical AI workflow: 1. Load the docs into your AI assistant. 2. Ask it to help design escrow roles. 3. Ask it to map the lifecycle. 4. Ask it to suggest which Trustless Work tool to use. 5. Use MCP or Vibe Coding guides if building inside Cursor. 6. Validate the flow with the dApp and Viewer. --- ## 12. What Makes a Strong Trustless Work Project? A strong project clearly answers: 1. What trust problem are you solving? 2. Who are the parties? 3. What money is being held? 4. What condition unlocks the funds? 5. Who approves that condition? 6. What happens if there is a dispute? 7. Why does escrow improve the product? 8. Why is this better than a normal payment? 9. How does the user understand the flow? 10. Can the escrow be inspected through the Viewer? The best projects will not simply “use Trustless Work.” The best projects will use escrow as a core part of the product logic. --- ## 13. Suggested Demo Narrative A strong demo can follow this structure: 1. Here is the problem. 2. Today, users rely on trust. 3. With Trustless Work, funds are locked in escrow. 4. These are the roles. 5. This is the condition that unlocks payment. 6. Here is the user flow. 7. Here is the escrow visible in the Viewer. 8. Here is how this can scale into a real product. This keeps the demo focused on product value, not just technical implementation. --- ## 14. Final Positioning Trustless Work gives builders a new primitive: > Programmable trust for stablecoin payments. Use it to build products where funds are not released because someone promises to act fairly, but because the system defines the rules, assigns the roles, and verifies the flow. For builders, this means you can create real-world financial applications without spending months building smart contracts, escrow logic, role-based permissions, and transparency tools from scratch. Trustless Work is not only infrastructure for payments. It is infrastructure for agreements. --- # Article: 2025 in Review — Trustless Work URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/news-2025-Year-In-Review Filename: news-2025-Year-In-Review.mdx Date: 2025-12-29 Category: news Tags: trustless-work, escrow, stablecoins, stellar, open-source, year-in-review Capital Flow: Not specified Description: From accelerator programs and global hackathons to audited mainnet infrastructure. A reflection on the year Trustless Work became escrow infrastructure. Summary: From accelerator programs and global hackathons to audited mainnet infrastructure. A reflection on the year Trustless Work became escrow infrastructure. # 2025 in Review — Trustless Work 2025 started in the best way possible. We began the year finishing **[Draper University’s / Stellar Embark program](https://draperuniversity.com/stellar)** — the last stretch of an experience that, looking back now, feels much further away than it actually is. It’s a little surreal to see how much has changed since then. Being part of Draper’s ecosystem, alongside the Stellar Development Foundation, didn’t just give us momentum or credibility. It gave us **clarity**. The key insight was simple, but powerful: **If stablecoins are going to power real economic activity, escrow cannot remain bespoke, custodial, or inaccessible.** That insight shaped everything that followed. --- ## Built in the Open, Tested Through Exposure 2025 was a year of constant movement and exposure. We took Trustless Work on the road — not to sell, but to listen, stress-test, and learn. Through roadshows, deep conversations, open-source campaigns, and repeated pitching across the US and Latin America, we refined both the product *and* our understanding of the problem we’re solving. Hackathons played a central role in this process. Each one pushed the system in a different direction and revealed new possibilities — technically and conceptually. Just as importantly, many of them allowed us to work side-by-side with open-source contributors who we hope will stay close as we enter this next phase. Some highlights: - **Stellar Casa Builders (Mexico)** We built *Pacto*, a P2P DEX using escrow for buyer–seller protection. - **Crecimiento + Stellar Hackathon (Argentina)** Our team connected with some of the most important figures in the Stellar ecosystem across Latin America. - **Solana Colosseum Hackathon** We built V1 of a Solana version of Trustless Work, proving the model is truly chain-agnostic. - **Meridian / Blockchain Jungle Hackathon** We explored escrows combined with yield-bearing strategies, stress-testing how programmable trust interacts with capital efficiency. - **Avalanche Hackathon (Blockchain Jungle)** We won the hackathon by building an EVM version of Trustless Work together with an open-source contributor. - **DevConnect / Stellar House Hackathon** We built an early tokenization and private credit platform — a template we’ll continue iterating on in the short term. None of these were about prizes. They were about **pressure**. Different chains. Different assumptions. Different builders. In these environments, we met builders actively trying to use Trustless Work for their own products. We learned about their questions, frictions, and blockers — and sharpened the product because of it. --- ## Shipping Real Infrastructure Not all of 2025 was travel and hackathons. Alongside all of that, we shipped a **baseline escrow infrastructure layer**: - A production-ready **Escrow API** - A full **developer SDK** - **Escrow Blocks** — pre-built UI components for faster integration - AI-assisted tooling: - Vibe-coding guides - **MCP**, providing full product context to coding engines - Multiple smart-contract iterations - A **publicly published audit** - And finally: **mainnet usage** This wasn’t about shipping for shipping’s sake. It was about laying foundations solid enough to scale — including real-world requirements like **indexation, auditability, and reliability**. Publishing the audit was a major milestone for us. It marked the transition from experimentation to production-grade infrastructure. --- ## Builders, Everywhere One of the most rewarding surprises of 2025 was seeing *where* people were building with Trustless Work. Builders from Africa, Asia, Argentina, Mexico, Costa Rica, Europe, New York, San Francisco — and many places in between — started experimenting, shipping, and integrating. Some community-born projects went on to receive grants, including: - **[GrantFox](/escrow-times/new-grantfox-scf-grant)** - **[Boundless](/escrow-times/news-boundless-scf-grant)** - **[KindFi](/escrow-times/news-kindfi-scf-grant)** Others won hackathons, launched MVPs, or are preparing for mainnet. Supporting builders — from early hackers to serious startups — remains central to our strategy. If they move faster, the ecosystem moves faster. We’re equally grateful for the startup network we’ve built through Draper University and the Stellar community. The relationships formed with founders, mentors, and investors have been some of the most valuable outcomes of the year. --- ## Enterprise Pilots & New Financial Primitives 2025 also marked our first sustained exposure to enterprise-grade use cases. We successfully built and supported pilots for: - **[Mirai-X — Real Estate Tokenization](https://www.mirai-x3.com/)** Spanning the Middle East and Japan. - **Private credit and capital allocation** products across Latin America. These pilots helped us understand: - how escrow interacts with private credit - how capital flows behave at larger ticket sizes - what enterprises actually require to adopt this technology - and where programmable trust enables entirely new financial primitives This work directly shaped our roadmap for tokenization, private credit, and enterprise abstractions. --- ## 2025 Was Also a Breakout Year for Stellar We chose Stellar for a reason. And 2025 reinforced that decision. Throughout the year, Stellar continued maturing into an institutional-grade network — not just for payments, but as a serious foundation for **stablecoins, tokenized assets, yield, and interoperability**. Some ecosystem milestones that stood out: - PayPal launching **PYUSD** on Stellar - 21X advancing regulated tokenized capital markets - RedSwan Digital tokenizing $100M+ in real estate - Mercado Bitcoin announcing $200M in tokenized assets - Centrifuge expanding decentralized RWA infrastructure - Ondo Finance scaling yield-bearing assets like USDY - MoneyGram building next-generation consumer finance apps - Circle launching **CCTP V2** - LayerZero strengthening cross-chain interoperability As more capital moves on-chain, the need for **neutral, programmable escrow infrastructure** becomes unavoidable. **Stellar solved how money moves. Trustless Work is solving how it waits.** 2025 reaffirmed our conviction that we’re building on the right rails, at the right time. --- ## Community Efforts Alongside product development, we invested intentionally in community: - Monthly blockchain after-office events in Costa Rica - Speaking at regional and international events - Mentoring hackathons and bootcamps - Creating spaces for builders to connect and collaborate This wasn’t accidental. We’ve been very intentional about building community, attracting builders, and helping them succeed with their products — and we’re grateful to do so. --- ## What 2025 Proved 2025 made a few things clear: - Escrow is infrastructure, not a feature - Open source is a real go-to-market strategy - Builders are the strongest distribution channel - Programmable trust is essential for the stablecoin economy to scale --- ## Looking Ahead to 2026 If 2025 was about foundations, **2026 is about acceleration**. More integrations. More volume. More templates. More tokenized private credit. More multichain execution. More partnerships. More builders reaching mainnet — faster. We’re entering the new year with: - A live, audited product - Enterprise learnings - A growing ecosystem - Momentum earned the hard way We’re now preparing to raise capital to accelerate what’s already working. 👉 **[Learn more about investing in Trustless Work](/invest)** Let’s make 2026 even bigger. **Pura Vida.** --- # Article: GrantFox Receives a Stellar Community Fund Build Award URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/new-grantfox-scf-grant Filename: new-grantfox-scf-grant.mdx Date: 2025-12-24 Category: news Tags: stellar, grant, grantfox, open-source, community, escrow Capital Flow: Not specified Description: GrantFox secures a Stellar Community Fund Build Award to advance open-source collaboration infrastructure for the Stellar ecosystem. Summary: GrantFox has been awarded a Stellar Community Fund Build Award to support its mission of becoming the home of open-source collaboration on Stellar. Built by the community, for the community, GrantFox brings structure, visibility, and transparent rewards to contributors across the ecosystem. 🎉 **We’re very happy to share that GrantFox has received a Stellar Community Fund Build Award.** This is an important milestone — not just for GrantFox, but for how open-source collaboration is evolving across the Stellar ecosystem. GrantFox is on the way to becoming **the platform for open-source collaboration on Stellar**, and potentially a foundation other ecosystems can learn from as well. --- ## A real ecosystem moment Before GrantFox, most open-source collaboration in Stellar was happening through **OnlyDust**. OnlyDust played a meaningful role in the ecosystem. It enabled developer discovery and provided the tools and reward mechanisms that allowed projects like Trustless Work to be discoverable, maintained, and improved by open-source contributors. For a long time, it was the primary place where builders and projects found each other. But after a series of setbacks, OnlyDust decided to step back from Web3. That decision left a real gap. Not because collaboration stopped — builders were still there — but because the **infrastructure for discovery, coordination, and incentives disappeared**. Platforms that relied on OnlyDust to stay visible to contributors felt that impact immediately. And that’s where GrantFox stepped in. The GrantFox team didn’t wait for the ecosystem to slowly reorganize itself. They pivoted fast, adapted what they were already building, and focused on filling that void with something pragmatic: **a community-built platform, designed specifically for Stellar, at exactly the moment it was needed**. This wasn’t about replacing the past. It was about continuity. --- ## From pivot to proof What followed was execution. In a very short timeframe, GrantFox: - Shipped a working pilot - Onboarded real Stellar projects - Launched what we now call **open-source waves** - Tested collaboration, discovery, and reward flows in the open We participated directly in these pilots. They worked. Projects found contributors. Contributors shipped real, scoped work. Progress was visible, attributable, and easy to follow. That feedback loop — discovery → contribution → recognition → reward — is what open source needs to scale beyond goodwill and heroics. --- ## More than the next OnlyDust GrantFox isn’t here just to become the next OnlyDust. It’s here to become a **better version**. By leveraging **Trustless Work** for payouts, GrantFox introduces something that didn’t exist before at this level: - Non-custodial, trustless payouts - On-chain auditability of rewards - Clear linkage between work completed and funds released This raises the bar for open-source collaboration. Instead of opaque reward processes and manual reconciliation, contributors and projects get **transparency by default**. We’re genuinely excited — and curious — to see how GrantFox continues to experiment with Trustless Work to design fairer, more accountable reward mechanisms for open-source contributors. This is where infrastructure starts shaping behavior. --- ## Built by the community, for the community There’s also a strong human story here. GrantFox is built by a **Costa Rican team**, and Joel — one of the co-founders of Trustless Work — is also part of the GrantFox team. It’s a great example of how open source compounds over time: Contributors become builders. Builders become founders. Teams overlap, learn, and ship together. No hype. Just momentum. --- ## What the Build Award unlocks The Stellar Community Fund Build Award is a signal that: - This problem matters - The timing is right - The execution is real With this support, GrantFox can: - Continue refining collaboration workflows - Run more open-source waves - Support more projects and contributors - Strengthen Stellar’s open-source backbone We’re excited to keep supporting GrantFox as **the open-source collaboration layer for Stellar** — and to learn alongside them as this evolves. --- ## Learn more & follow the journey - 👉 Website: https://www.grantfox.xyz/ - 👉 Follow on X: https://x.com/itsgrantfox Huge congratulations to the GrantFox team on this well-deserved milestone 🚀 We can’t wait to see what gets built next. Pura Vida 🌱 --- # Article: Boundless Wins Stellar Community Fund Build Award URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/news-boundless-scf-grant Filename: news-boundless-scf-grant.mdx Date: 2025-12-24 Category: news Tags: stellar, grant, boundless, milestones, escrow, funding, open-source Capital Flow: Not specified Description: Boundless secures a Stellar Community Fund Build Award to develop milestone-based funding infrastructure powered by programmable escrow on Stellar. Summary: Boundless has been awarded a Stellar Community Fund Build Award to advance its milestone-based funding and collaboration platform on Stellar. Built to solve funding without accountability, Boundless uses programmable escrow to ensure funds are released only when verified milestones are completed. 🎉 **More great news from the Stellar ecosystem.** **Boundless** has received a **Stellar Community Fund Build Award** to support the development of its milestone-based funding and collaboration platform on Stellar. This isn’t just a grant announcement. It’s a signal. A signal that the ecosystem is aligning around a hard, persistent problem in Web3 and open innovation: > **Funding without accountability doesn’t scale.** --- ### The problem Boundless is solving Grants, hackathons, bounties, and crowdfunding all suffer from the same structural flaw: - Funds are paid **upfront** - Oversight is **manual** - Accountability is **off-chain** - Reporting is often **retroactive and opaque** This creates misaligned incentives on all sides: - Funders lack visibility into execution - Builders face trust barriers - Organizers rely on process instead of infrastructure Boundless was built to change that. --- ### How Boundless works Boundless introduces a simple but powerful primitive to funding flows: **milestone-based escrow**. By leveraging **Soroban smart contracts on Stellar** together with **Trustless Work’s escrow infrastructure**, Boundless enables: - Funds to be **escrowed**, not prepaid - Work to be structured into **clear, verifiable milestones** - Payouts to occur **only when milestones are completed and validated** - Every action to be **publicly verifiable on-chain** No custodians. No manual reconciliation. No opaque trust assumptions. Just **programmable trust**. This transforms grants, bounties, and crowdfunding from administrative processes into scalable, verifiable infrastructure. --- ### An open-source origin story One detail that makes this milestone especially meaningful for us: **0xDevCollins**, founder of Boundless, is an **early contributor to Trustless Work**. This is exactly why we invest so deeply in open source. People don’t just submit pull requests — they learn the system, understand the primitives, and start imagining what else can be built on top. In this case, a contribution turned into: - Deep product understanding - A new idea - A new team - And now, a funded platform building real infrastructure on Stellar Seeing contributors grow into founders — and founders grow into ecosystem partners — is the compounding effect of open source done right. We’re incredibly proud of the growth of 0xDevCollins and the Boundless team, and grateful that a simple contribution helped kick-start what we hope becomes a long-term partnership. --- ### From MVP to mainnet The Stellar Community Fund Build Award validates both: - The **problem** Boundless is tackling - The **infrastructure-first approach** they’re taking to solve it With this support, the Boundless team is moving forward with: - Testnet and mainnet deployment - Builder and ecosystem partner onboarding - Establishing Stellar as a foundation for **fair, transparent, and scalable funding** Importantly, Boundless is starting from **Africa**, where access to reliable funding infrastructure can unlock real economic opportunity for builders and communities. --- ### Learn more and support the team If you want to follow what Boundless is building and get involved early: - 👉 Learn more: https://www.boundlessfi.xyz/blog/boundless-wins-stellar-community-fund-40 - 👉 Join the waitlist: https://www.boundlessfi.xyz/waitlist - 👉 Follow on X: https://x.com/boundless_fi Congratulations to the Boundless team on this well-deserved milestone 🚀 Pura Vida! --- # Article: Understanding the Escrow Lifecycle URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/tutorial-escrow-lifecycle Filename: tutorial-escrow-lifecycle.mdx Date: 2025-11-07 Category: tutorial Tags: learn, escrow, lifecycle, auditability, blockchain, trust Capital Flow: Not specified Description: Why programmable trust matters — how the escrow lifecycle creates transparency, accountability, and auditability for businesses and builders. Summary: From initiation to release, every Trustless Work escrow follows a transparent, role-based lifecycle. Learn how this structure turns payments into verifiable, auditable transactions — and why immutability and roles are the foundation of trust in modern business flows. ### How programmable trust creates transparency, accountability, and auditability Every Trustless Work escrow follows a **lifecycle** — a structured sequence of phases that turn agreements into transparent, verifiable actions. Understanding this lifecycle isn’t just technical; it’s strategic. It’s how businesses turn *promises* into *proof*. --- ## Why the Lifecycle Matters Traditional payments move instantly — and often blindly. Escrows introduce a middle layer: **programmable trust** — where funds move only when certain conditions are met. This structure gives platforms and enterprises something traditional payment rails can’t: - **Predictability** — roles and permissions are defined upfront. - **Transparency** — every update leaves a permanent trace. - **Accountability** — progress and approval are signed actions, not assumptions. > The lifecycle replaces backroom accounting with on-chain clarity. --- ## The Six Phases at a Glance | Phase | What Happens | Key Actor | |-------|----------------|-----------| | **1. Initiation** | Roles, milestones, trustline, and fees are defined. | Platform | | **2. Funding** | Capital enters the escrow — logic meets liquidity. | Funder | | **3. Change Milestone Status** | The Service Provider updates progress and adds evidence. | Milestone Marker | | **4. Approval** | The Approver validates progress and marks milestones as approved. | Approver | | **5. Release** | Funds move from escrow to receiver once approvals are in place. | Release Signer | | **6. Dispute Resolution** | A neutral Resolver re-routes funds if things go wrong. | Dispute Resolver | Each phase builds on the previous one, and each is governed by **roles** — the foundation of programmable trust. Roles aren’t people; they’re **permissions** encoded on-chain. --- ## Roles: The Foundation of Programmable Trust Every action in an escrow requires a signature from the wallet that holds the corresponding role: - **Marker** → Updates progress and adds evidence - **Approver** → Validates work or raises disputes - **Release Signer** → Executes payouts - **Dispute Resolver** → Mediates conflicts - **Receiver** → Receives released funds - **Platform Address** → Earns platform fees This role-based model gives businesses **separation of duties** built directly into the payment flow. Each actor has limited, verifiable authority — enabling operational transparency and stronger governance. --- ## Immutability and Auditability Once deployed, every escrow action — funding, approvals, releases, disputes — is a **signed on-chain event**. No edits, no deletions — only transparent, timestamped state changes. ### 🧾 **Audit-Ready by Design** Every event creates an immutable audit trail. Instead of reconciling spreadsheets or private logs, businesses can verify every payout, refund, or milestone directly on-chain. ### 🔒 **Tamper-Proof Agreements** Approvals can’t be reversed, and releases can’t be hidden. The blockchain ensures that no party can retroactively alter an outcome — building trust through finality. ### 🌍 **Transparent for All Stakeholders** - **Platforms** gain effortless reporting and compliance. - **Enterprises** get verifiable, timestamped data across teams or partners. - **Builders** can surface progress and payments directly in their apps. > Immutability isn’t a buzzword — it’s an operational safeguard. > It means your system can be trusted, even by those outside it. --- ## The Business Value Understanding the escrow lifecycle helps companies: - **Design smarter payments** — automate milestone-based, multi-party, or recurring flows. - **Simplify compliance** — prove that every release was approved, with evidence attached. - **Reduce disputes** — every signature is a timestamped source of truth. - **Build trust with users and partners** — transparency replaces dependency on intermediaries. For enterprises, this marks a shift from *“we promise it’s fair”* to *“the contract enforces fairness.”* --- ## Why Builders Should Care For developers, the lifecycle is an **API for trust** — a programmable state machine for payments. Each phase (initiation, funding, update, approval, release, dispute) is a modular action you can integrate into: - Marketplaces and SaaS platforms - Crowdfunding and grants - Real estate or private credit systems - Supply chains and logistics payments Once you understand it, you’re not just sending funds — you’re **programming accountability**. --- ## Learn, Observe, and Build You can explore each phase in real time using the **[Escrow Viewer](https://viewer.trustlesswork.com)**, or dive deeper into the **[Documentation](https://docs.trustlesswork.com)** for a full breakdown of how roles, contracts, and on-chain events connect. --- **In short:** > The escrow lifecycle is the choreography of programmable trust. > It turns transactions into verifiable, auditable, and fair systems — by design. --- # Article: The Trustless Work Backoffice dApp — Your Command Center for Escrows URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/tutorial-dApp-backoffice Filename: tutorial-dApp-backoffice.mdx Date: 2025-11-06 Category: tutorial Tags: escrow, dapp, stablecoins, product, developer tools Capital Flow: Not specified Description: A decentralized backoffice for deploying, managing, and verifying escrows — live on Stellar Mainnet and Testnet. Summary: The Backoffice dApp is both a production-ready control panel and an open-source template. Deploy escrows, approve milestones, manage payouts, and request your API key — all from one place. ## What Is the Backoffice dApp? The **Trustless Work Backoffice dApp** is your decentralized control panel for smart escrows — a place to deploy, manage, and release funds without writing a single line of code. It runs on Stellar and connects directly to our public API, acting as: - 🧱 A **production-grade backoffice** for real escrow operations - 🧪 A **testnet sandbox** for builders validating flows - 🧰 An **open-source template** for teams building their own ops dashboards --- ## Why It Matters Most teams can’t afford to build and audit an escrow management dashboard. The Backoffice dApp gives you that capability out of the box — with the same architecture we use in production. Use it to: - Test your flow before writing backend code - Launch an MVP with real on-chain escrows - Train teams or agents to manage escrow operations securely - Request API keys and connect your own app later --- ## Two Ways to Use It ### 1. Production Mode Operate real escrows — on testnet or mainnet. Perfect for pilots, agencies, or startups who want milestone-based fund management without writing infrastructure. - Create and manage escrows end-to-end - Fund using any Stellar wallet (e.g. Freighter) - Approve or dispute milestones - Track all role-based actions transparently ### 2. Developer Mode Use it as an open-source **reference implementation**. - Clone the repo - Customize the interface, branding, or flows - Replace the profile / API key module with your own - Extend it with new tools built from **Escrow Blocks** > A simpler version of the Backoffice is coming soon, rebuilt entirely with Escrow Blocks. --- ## Feature Highlights ✅ **Deploy Single or Multi-Release Escrows** Define milestones, assign roles, and set platform fees — all through the UI. ✅ **Role-Based Dashboards** See only the escrows tied to your wallet’s role: Approver, Marker, Resolver, etc. ✅ **API Key Management** Generate and manage your API keys directly from the Backoffice. *(You’ll need one if you want to connect your own app or SDK.)* ✅ **Fund & Track Escrows** Send USDC directly to the escrow address or through API endpoints. ✅ **Clone, Fork, and Extend** Available on GitHub — fork it, rebrand it, and ship your own ops layer. --- ## Typical Use Cases - **Freelance marketplaces** — milestone payouts with auditability - **Real estate** — deposits and conditional transfers - **Grant platforms** — milestone-based releases with public proofs - **Internal ops teams** — escrow management without extra dev work --- ## Quick Walkthrough 1. **Connect your wallet** (Freighter on Testnet/Mainnet) 2. **Create an escrow** - Choose type: *Single-Release* or *Multi-Release* - Assign roles: marker, approver, release signer, dispute resolver, receiver, platform - Configure milestones, trustline, and platform fee 3. **Fund it** — send USDC to the escrow contract address 4. **Mark & approve milestones** — each role signs their step 5. **Release funds** — the Releaser signs, and funds flow automatically 6. **Track activity** — all changes indexed by role and visible in your dashboard 7. **Request API Key** — from the “Settings” tab, to connect your app or SDK --- ## Open Source - 🔗 [Launch the Backoffice dApp](https://dapp.trustlesswork.com/) - 💻 [Fork the Repo](https://github.com/Trustless-Work/dApp-Trustless-Work) - 📘 [Docs: API Reference](https://docs.trustlesswork.com/) - 🧩 [Escrow Blocks](https://docs.trustlesswork.com/trustless-work/escrow-blocks) **Don’t reinvent the ops stack.** **Deploy your first escrow today — and own your workflow.** --- # Article: Understanding Roles in Trustless Work URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/tutorial-roles Filename: tutorial-roles.mdx Date: 2025-11-06 Category: tutorial Tags: escrow, roles, developer guide, stablecoins, core concepts Capital Flow: Not specified Description: How roles define logic, permissions, and fund movement inside every Trustless Work escrow. Summary: From Service Providers to Funders and Approvers — every escrow role defines who can act, what can change, and when funds move. Learn how Trustless Work’s role-based design powers programmable trust. ### The Logic Layer That Powers Escrow Flows In Trustless Work, **roles are everything**. They define *who can act*, *what can change*, and *when funds can move*. Every escrow you deploy is just a JSON logic file — a programmable schema that maps real-world responsibilities to on-chain permissions. Once deployed, those roles become the only addresses capable of moving the escrow through its lifecycle: marking milestones, approving work, releasing funds, or resolving disputes. --- ## 🧠 Why Roles Matter Each role enforces **least-privilege access**, meaning no one can control the full flow of funds alone. This ensures: ✅ **Transparency** — every action emits an on-chain event ✅ **Security** — no single party can move funds unilaterally ✅ **Programmability** — you define who can act at each step ✅ **Flexibility** — assign roles to humans, platforms, or AI agents > “We don’t hold your money — we hold the logic.” --- ## 1. Issuer — The Initiator Every escrow starts with a deployer. The **Issuer** is the address that signs the deployment transaction. It’s factual, not functional — being the issuer doesn’t grant any control over funds. Still, Trustless Work **indexes who issued what**, so you can query “escrows I initiated” directly via API or Viewer. > **Think of the Issuer as the contract author, not the contract owner.** --- ## 2. Funder — The Capital Source 💸 Anyone who deposits into an escrow becomes a **Funder**. This role isn’t part of the contract logic, but it’s **indexed** by our system — every deposit is recorded as an event tied to the depositor’s address. > 💡 Why it matters > - Transparent audit trail for grants, crowdfunding, and multi-funder projects > - Lets platforms trace *who financed what and when* > - Enables composable, multi-deposit escrows Funders have no signing authority — they can’t change milestones or trigger releases — but their activity provides full financial transparency. --- ## 3. Service Provider — The Progress Marker The **Service Provider** updates milestone statuses to signal progress. They can also raise disputes, but they can’t move funds. > 🧱 Common mappings > - Freelancer or vendor marking work as completed > - Project team submitting a deliverable > - NGO updating progress on a funded milestone Service Providers supply *proof over promise* — data, not custody. --- ## 4. Approver — The Gatekeeper The **Approver** validates each milestone and decides whether conditions for release are met. Their signature is required for any milestone to move toward payout. They can also raise disputes. > 💡 Example > - A client confirming delivery > - A grants committee approving work > - A QA or compliance team validating results Without the Approver’s signature, funds stay locked. --- ## 5. Release Signer — The Trigger The **Release Signer** executes the payout once approvals are in place. Depending on how you configure your escrow, this can work in two modes: - **Payout Model** → Release Signer sends funds to the Receiver - **Claim Model** → Receiver signs the release to claim funds themselves That choice defines your user experience — whether you want **manual disbursement** or **self-claim flow**. --- ## 6. Receiver — The Beneficiary The **Receiver** is the address that ultimately receives funds. In single-release escrows, there’s one receiver. In multi-release escrows, **each milestone can have its own receiver**, enabling partial or parallel payouts. > 💡 Example > - A freelancer wallet receiving funds > - A project team splitting payouts across contributors --- ## 7. Platform Address — The Manager The **Platform Address** acts like the escrow’s operations manager. It can: - Update milestones or metadata **before** the escrow is funded - Collect the **platform fee** automatically on every release - Optionally act as a Dispute Resolver or Release Signer > 🧱 Example: In a marketplace, this might be the platform’s treasury address taking a 0.5% fee per transaction. --- ## 8. Dispute Resolver — The Arbiter ⚖️ Optional but crucial. The **Dispute Resolver** steps in when things go wrong — they can re-route funds, cancel milestones, or return deposits. Their decisions are final and logged on-chain. > 💡 Ideal for neutral third parties, DAOs, or arbitration platforms. --- ## 9. Observer — The Watcher 👀 Observers are **read-only participants**. They play no part in the lifecycle, but their address is indexed for analytics or transparency dashboards. > 💡 Great for auditors, regulators, or DAO voters who need full visibility without touching logic. --- ## 🧩 Full Role Map | Role | Action | Can Move Funds? | Indexed by System? | |------|---------|------------------|--------------------| | **Issuer** | Deploys escrow | ❌ | ✅ | | **Funder** | Deposits funds | ❌ | ✅ | | **Service Provider** | Marks milestones | ❌ | ✅ | | **Approver** | Approves milestones | ✅ (approval) | ✅ | | **Release Signer** | Executes payout | ✅ (release) | ✅ | | **Receiver** | Receives funds | ✅ (receipt) | ✅ | | **Platform Address** | Updates config & collects fee | ✅ (fee) | ✅ | | **Dispute Resolver** | Resolves conflicts | ✅ (override) | ✅ | | **Observer** | Views only | ❌ | ✅ | --- ## 🧠 Why This Design Works Trustless Work’s role system encodes **programmable trust**. By separating powers and indexing every action, we achieve: - **Transparency**: every event is visible and verifiable - **Security**: no unilateral control over funds - **Composability**: roles can belong to users, teams, or bots - **Auditability**: full traceability of deposits and decisions --- ## 🧪 Try It Yourself - [🧱 Deploy your first escrow on the Demo dApp](https://demo.trustlesswork.com) - [📘 Read the full Escrow Lifecycle Guide](https://docs.trustlesswork.com) - [🧩 Explore Role Configs via API](https://api.trustlesswork.com/swagger) - [🛠 Clone example repos on GitHub](https://github.com/Trustless-Work) --- > **Trustless Work makes logic the new custody.** > Every role, every signature, every release — verifiable by design. --- # Article: Escrow Blocks: React Library for Stablecoin Escrows URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/dev-update-Escrow-blocks Filename: dev-update-Escrow-blocks.mdx Date: 2025-09-01 Category: news Tags: react, escrow-blocks, sdk, developer-tools, trustlesswork Capital Flow: Not specified Description: Production-ready UI blocks for milestone payments and dispute resolution — a first-of-its-kind library to integrate Trustless Work escrows in minutes. Summary: Introducing Escrow Blocks — the first React library for escrows. Pre-built UI, providers, and flows that let you go from zero to full stablecoin escrow integration in under an hour. **TLDR: Escrow Blocks is the first React library for stablecoin escrows.** It ships pre-built UI components (forms, tables, dialogs, buttons) plus providers so you can integrate smart contract escrows in minutes — from funding to milestone approvals, releases, and disputes. 👉 Try it now: [blocks.trustlesswork.com](https://blocks.trustlesswork.com) --- We’ve just released **Escrow Blocks** — a **production-ready React library** that lets you integrate Trustless Work **in minutes**. Escrow Blocks gives you the UI and the providers you need to **go live faster**. ### First, what’s Trustless Work? **Trustless Work** is building the escrow infrastructure for the stablecoin economy. We give platforms a way to hold stablecoin payments in a **neutral, programmable, non-custodial escrow** until milestones are approved. Marketplaces, gig platforms, and P2P apps use it to move from *promises* to **proof-based payments** without building smart contracts from scratch. Think: *Stripe abstracted payments. We abstract trust.* --- ## Why This Matters Stablecoins are powering billions in payments. But every time you need to **hold funds until work is done, you hit a wall: escrow.** Smart contracts solve it — but they take **time, money, and audits** to get right. We already abstracted escrow contracts with our API and SDK. But devs were still wasting cycles building the same UI again and again. **That changes today.** With Escrow Blocks, you can: - Import ready-made React components for every step of the escrow lifecycle. - Cover milestone approvals, releases, disputes, and more — all in **cards, tables, forms, and dialogues**. - Go from **a blank React app to a working escrow flow in ~30 minutes**. From there? **Mainnet in seconds.** --- ## What’s Inside - **Blocks included**: wallet kit, wallet connect, escrows by role, escrows by signer, initialized escrow forms, approve milestone, change milestone status, release escrow, update escrow, dispute escrow, resolve dispute. - **UI Variants**: cards, tables, buttons, forms, and dialogues. - **Context & Providers**: API config, wallet context, amounts, dialogues. --- ## A Game Changer for Builders Escrow Blocks let you **go from zero to MVP in less than an hour**. Perfect for: - 🏆 Hackathons - 💸 Stablecoin-native platforms - 🔮 Vibe coders experimenting with escrow logic ## Get Started 📦 Learn more: [blocks.trustlesswork.com](https://blocks.trustlesswork.com) 👩‍💻 Source: [github.com/Trustless-Work/react-library-trustless-work-blocks](https://github.com/Trustless-Work/react-library-trustless-work-blocks) --- # Article: Vibe Coding: AI-Powered Escrow Development URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/news-vibe-coding-section Filename: news-vibe-coding-section.mdx Date: 2025-08-12 Category: tutorial Tags: docs, vibe-coding, sdk, developer-tools, trustlesswork Capital Flow: Not specified Description: A new GitBook section that turns your AI coding sessions into production-ready Trustless Work integrations. Summary: We’ve added Vibe Coding to our escrow documentation — a structured set of AI-ready prompts, global coding rules, and full integration guides to help you build escrow flows faster, cleaner, and with fewer mistakes. > **From zero to escrow in one day — now with AI as your co-pilot.** Vibe Coding is how modern devs build: Pairing with AI to ship **real, production-ready code** — without sacrificing quality, context, or control. Our new **Vibe Coding** section is the ultimate blueprint for building escrow-powered apps with AI tools like GPT-5, Claude, or Cursor. No vague prompts. No guessing. Just **clear instructions, global coding context, and direct doc references** so your AI delivers code that compiles, follows our SDK standards, and passes review the first time. 👉 [ Check it out now →](https://docs.trustlesswork.com/trustless-work/vibe-coding) --- ## What’s Inside - **Global Context** — Defines your AI assistant as a **Senior Front-End Dev** specializing in React, Next.js, TailwindCSS, Shadcn, and Trustless Work integrations. - **Coding Rules** — From DRY principles to naming conventions, TypeScript enforcement, and UI/UX best practices. - **Integration Context** — Direct links to the React Library, Wallet Kit, and Types docs for accurate imports and payload definitions. - **Step-by-Step Prompts** — 10 full workflows, from **initializing an escrow** to **funding, milestone approvals, releasing funds, and dispute resolution**. - **Verification Checklist** — Ensure every deliverable compiles in Next.js 14+, renders styles correctly, and uses the correct Trustless Work types. --- ## Why It Matters Time-to-launch is everything. This docs section ensures your AI co-pilot is building **exactly to spec** — meaning: - **Fewer rewrites** → Clear rules prevent AI hallucinations and wrong imports. - **Faster iteration** → Every function has a ready-to-run prompt. - **Production-readiness** → Code compiles cleanly, types check, and UI matches. --- ## How to Use It 1. **Open the Vibe Coding section** in the GitBook. 2. **Copy the relevant prompt** — e.g., “Initialize Escrow” or “Fund Escrow.” 3. **Paste into your AI tool** along with the Global Context and doc links. 4. **Review, run, and test** — get functional, standards-compliant code. 5. **Take it offline** — export the section (or the whole docs) as a PDF for quick reference in your project. --- ## Start Vibe Coding Escrows Today Vibe Coding is live and ready to make your next escrow integration your fastest yet. 👉 **[Start building faster →](https://docs.trustlesswork.com/trustless-work/vibe-coding)** Pura Vida! **Programmable trust. Escrow as an API.** --- # Article: Escrow Mix & Match URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/tutorial-escrow-mix-match Filename: tutorial-escrow-mix-match.mdx Date: 2025-08-11 Category: tutorial Tags: escrow, integration, guide, trustlesswork Capital Flow: Not specified Description: How to combine Trustless Work’s products to go from idea to escrow in one day. Summary: A practical guide to mixing and matching our API, SDK, Back Office, Viewer, and templates so you can launch your escrow flow in a day, not a quarter. # **Escrow Mix & Match** > How to combine Trustless Work’s products to go from idea to escrow in one day. --- ## **The Problem We’re Solving** The hardest part of adding escrow to your product isn’t knowing *why* you need it — it’s figuring out *how* to ship it without burning months on custom contracts, audits, and integrations. At Trustless Work, we’ve already done that work. And we didn’t just stop at an API — we built a full toolkit of **open-source products** you can mix, match, and deploy to launch your escrow flow in a day, not a quarter. Whether you’re validating a marketplace, piloting a new funding model, or replacing a slow, expensive escrow provider — our tools are designed to fit together like building blocks so you can start manual today and scale to full automation tomorrow. --- ## **The Product Suite** We offer five core products — each can be used on its own, or combined into a complete escrow workflow. - [**Escrow API**](https://docs.trustlesswork.com/trustless-work/api-reference) – The programmable core. Create, fund, update, approve, and release escrows from your backend. Maximum control, minimal friction. - [**Next.js SDK**](https://docs.trustlesswork.com/trustless-work/react-library) – React-friendly wrapper for interacting with escrows directly from your frontend. - [**Back Office dApp**](https://dapp.trustlesswork.com/) *(Open Source)* – Decentralized control panel for deploying and managing escrows on **testnet or mainnet**. Perfect for ops teams, dispute resolution, or MVP pilots. - [**Demo Lab dApp**](https://demo.trustlesswork.com/) – Developer sandbox to test flows before pushing to production. - [**Escrow Viewer**](https://viewer.trustlesswork.com/) *(Open Source)* – Public, read-only view of an escrow’s configuration, milestones, and balances. Ideal for transparency and compliance. --- ## **Integration Models: The Playbooks** Think of these as “starting templates” for how to plug Trustless Work into your product. - **Full API Integration** – For teams with dev capacity who want total UX control. You handle the interface; we handle the escrow logic. - **Hybrid Back Office** – Your users interact through your UI, but ops, approvals, and disputes are handled in the Back Office. - **Back Office First** – Launch today. Manage everything directly in our Back Office while you validate your business model. - **Template Fork** – Take one of our open-source dApps, rebrand and extend it to fit your needs. - **Transparency Add-On** – Keep your own flow but add the Escrow Viewer for verifiable proof of funds. --- ## **Which Integration Model Is Right for You?** **Step 1:** Do you have an in-house dev team that can ship API integrations? → **Yes:** Choose **Full API Integration** → **No:** Go to Step 2 **Step 2:** Do you want to keep your own UI but outsource dispute resolution or operations? → **Yes:** Choose **Hybrid Back Office** → **No:** Go to Step 3 **Step 3:** Do you need to launch this week to test an idea or run a pilot? → **Yes:** Choose **Back Office First** → **No:** Go to Step 4 **Step 4:** Do you want something custom without starting from scratch? → **Yes:** Choose **Template Fork** → **No:** Go to Step 5 **Step 5:** Is transparency or compliance reporting critical for your users? → **Yes:** Add **Transparency Add-On** → **No:** Re-check your requirements --- **Quick Picks:** - Early-stage, no dev team → **Back Office First** - Technical team, brand-first → **Full API Integration** - Hybrid team, automation later → **Hybrid Back Office** - Hackathon/grant build → **Template Fork** - Regulated market → Always add **Escrow Viewer** --- ## **Recipes: Real-World Combinations** ### **Marketplace** **Ingredients:** API, Back Office, Escrow Viewer **Steps:** 1. API/SDK → Create escrow when sale is confirmed 2. Back Office → Ops team manages approvals/disputes 3. Viewer → Buyer & seller track status **Outcome:** Automated creation, controlled release, transparent status --- ### **Crowdfunding** **Ingredients:** Back Office, Escrow Viewer (+API for automation) **Steps:** 1. Back Office → Deploy campaign escrow with milestones/goals 2. Your dApp → Accept contributions 3. Viewer → Public progress tracking **Outcome:** Transparent fundraising with milestone-based releases --- ### **Payouts** **Ingredients:** SDK, Back Office **Steps:** 1. SDK → Create escrow when a payout or invoice is approved internally 2. Back Office → Approve final milestones and release funds **Outcome:** Controlled, milestone-based payouts with full transparency for stakeholders --- ## **Why Mix & Match Works** - **Launch now, scale later** — Start manual, move to automation without rework - **Skip heavy dev lift** — Open source tools save months of build time - **Transparency by default** — Viewer builds user trust instantly - **Modular by design** — Only use what you need --- ## **Build Your Flow Today** Whether you’re validating a marketplace idea, piloting a new funding model, or replacing a legacy escrow provider — you can start today. Pick a model, grab the tools, and launch. - **Explore dev resources** → [Dev resources](https://www.trustlesswork.com/developers) - **Deploy your first escrow** → [Back Office](https://dapp.trustlesswork.com/) - **Explore the API** → [API Docs](https://docs.trustlesswork.com/trustless-work/api-reference) - **Test it** → [Demo Lab](https://demo.trustlesswork.com/) --- # Article: OnlyDust Wave 2: Help Us Make Escrows Observable URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/dev-update-Only-Dust-Wave2 Filename: dev-update-Only-Dust-Wave2.mdx Date: 2025-07-22 Category: technical Tags: onlydust, open-source, indexing, stellar, soroban, trustlesswork Capital Flow: Not specified Description: Wave 2 is live! We're exploring how to index escrows on Stellar + Soroban using SubQuery, The Graph, and Goldsky. Join the open dev sprint. Summary: This wave of open-source bounties is all about one thing: making escrows observable. We’ve opened 7 spikes to explore how Trustless Work escrows can be indexed, tracked, and queried across three networks. Learn, build, contribute — and earn. > 🚨 Wave 2 is LIVE. > 🔎 This time, we’re indexing escrows. > 🧪 7 spikes. 3 networks. Real experience. Join the campaign. --- ## 🔥 OnlyDust Wave 2 is Here After a killer first wave where we shipped contract upgrades, dashboards, and explorer tools — we’re back with **Wave 2** on [OnlyDust](https://www.onlydust.com/). This time, the theme is data: > **Make escrow activity observable, searchable, and composable.** We’ve launched **7 open spikes** focused on indexing the full lifecycle of an escrow on Stellar + Soroban — using SubQuery, The Graph, and Goldsky. If you're a builder, Rust dev, indexer hacker, or just curious about the Stellar data layer... **This is for you.** --- ## 🧠 Why Indexing? Trustless Work is non-custodial escrow infrastructure — but smart contracts alone aren’t enough. To support dashboards, explorers, and composable integrations, we need: - Soroban **events** emitted by the contract - Stellar **effects** (like `account_credited`) tracked off-chain - Indexers that **stream, store, and expose** that data We’re building that **observability layer** — and Wave 2 is your chance to help shape it. --- ## 🔁 Same Data, Three Networks Each of the 7 spikes tackles the same challenge: **indexing escrow activity**. What changes? The tool. Here’s how each indexing tool maps: - **SubQuery** - ✅ Event indexing via `EventHandler` - ✅ Effect indexing via `EffectHandler` - **The Graph (with Substreams)** - ✅ Streams events from Soroban into subgraphs - ✅ Parses ledger data for balance effects - **Goldsky** - ✅ No-code event listener with GraphQL - ✅ No-code effect tracker for direct funding > It’s a learning playground for anyone building with Stellar, Soroban, or Web3 data infra. --- ## 🛠️ The 7 Spikes (Open Now) Each task is scoped and ready on GitHub and OnlyDust: ### 📦 Contract Layer **1. Emit Events in Smart Escrow** Add `env.events().publish(...)` at key points: `init_esc`, `fund_esc`, `release`. > Enables all event-based indexing going forward. --- ### ⚙️ SubQuery Indexing **2. Index Events with SubQuery** Parse Soroban logs into Postgres with SubQuery’s `EventHandler`. **3. Detect Direct Funding via Effects** Catch `account_credited` when users skip `fund_escrow()`. > Real-time contract monitoring — even without events. --- ### 🧬 The Graph **4. Index Events via Substreams** Stream event data with Rust → map into subgraph with AssemblyScript. **5. Detect Direct Funding via Substreams** Use low-level Stellar data to catch escrow USDC transfers. > Fully decentralized indexing flow. --- ### ⚡ Goldsky **6. Track Events via Goldsky** GraphQL endpoint for contract logs like `init_esc`. **7. Detect Direct Funding via Goldsky** Configure an effect listener for external USDC transfers into escrows. > Fastest path to working queries. --- ## ✨ Learn by Building This is open-source work designed to also be a **sandbox for learning**: - How Stellar effects work - How to index Soroban events - How Substreams, SubQuery, and Goldsky differ - How escrow flows get composable and auditable You’ll walk away with **real repo PRs**, deep indexing knowledge, and a clearer understanding of Web3 observability. --- ## 👉 How to Join > 🛠 **Claim a bounty:** Go to [OnlyDust → Trustless Work](https://www.onlydust.com/repositories/Trustless-Work/Product) and apply. > 🌐 **Explore the Product Repo for more Spikes:** [GitHub](https://github.com/Trustless-Work/Product) – Open-source and testnet-ready > 📘 **Learn the smart escrow flow:** [Docs](https://docs.trustlesswork.com/trustless-work/technology-overview/escrow-lifecycle) – Role logic, lifecycle, API, and config --- Let’s build the data layer for programmable trust. Let’s make smart escrows observable. Pura Vida! 🧠💥 --- # Article: A Non-Custodial, Decentralized Peer-to-Peer Exchange URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/use-case-decentralized-p2p Filename: use-case-decentralized-p2p.mdx Date: 2025-07-19 Category: use-case Tags: use case, p2p, stablecoins, escrow, trustlesswork Capital Flow: platform-in-the-middle Description: With Pacto and Trustless Work, we built a secure P2P stablecoin ramp—no code, no custody, just programmable roles. Summary: With Pacto, we show how communities, merchants, and builders can spin up their own decentralized ramp using stablecoins, fiat rails, and smart escrows. Built with Trustless Work, live on Stellar. > A peer-to-peer stablecoin ramp built in 48 hours. Powered by programmable trust. --- ## Introducing **Pacto** At the Casa Builder Hackathon, we built **Pacto** — a non-custodial, decentralized peer-to-peer exchange powered by Trustless Work. With **Pacto**, merchants and users can buy or sell Stellar-based stablecoins using **local fiat payment methods**. Each transaction is protected by an on-chain smart escrow. No intermediaries. No platform custody. Just programmable roles and secure flows. --- ## How It Works Every Pacto trade becomes a smart escrow contract. Here’s how we configured it: - **Seller = Funder** — locks stablecoins into escrow. - **Buyer = Milestone Marker** — completes the fiat transfer and uploads a payment receipt. - **Seller = Approver & Signer** — reviews the receipt and either approves or disputes. - **Dispute Resolver = Pacto** — steps in if there’s a problem. > All of this is defined using Trustless Work’s role-based API. Even the platform fee! No smart contract dev required.
decentralized p2p exchange flow
The p2p user flow we used to build Pacto
This approach gives us programmable escrow logic *without* reinventing the wheel. Roles are simply assigned, not coded. The SDK handles contract creation and flow enforcement. ✅ Works with any Stellar-issued asset ✅ Compatible with any fiat method (bank transfer, cash pickup, etc.) ✅ Escrow conditions are transparent, modular, and enforceable --- ## Merchant-First Design Pacto has the potential to not only serve individual traders, but also become an income stream for **merchants, communities, and local platforms** to: - Offer cash-in/cash-out access to stablecoins - Onboard users *using their own ramps*—not someone else’s - Earn fees on each trade > A hotel that wants to accept USDC can run its own branded P2P ramp. > A DAO can offer fiat payouts to contributors through a community escrow. > A WhatsApp group can become a real off-ramp—with logic, not trust. --- ## Powered by Trustless Work Instead of writing smart contracts from scratch, we used the **Trustless Work SDK** to: - Create escrow contracts with custom roles and metadata - Define programmable release conditions - Support any asset with trustlines > We don’t hold the money. We provide the logic to hold it in a neutral, secure, transparent escrow. This meant we could ship the full prototype in under 48 hours—UX, escrows, dispute logic, and more. --- ## Why It Matters Peer-to-peer exchanges are: - The easiest entry point for new users - A lifeline in regions without reliable on/off ramps - A powerful way for communities to generate revenue But they’ve always had trade-offs: centralization, trust risk, lack of tooling. **Pacto flips that.** --- ## Open-Sourced & Extendable Pacto is open-source from day one. We’re sharing the repo as a **starter kit for builders, educators, and ecosystem partners** who want to spin up: - Community ramps - Merchant-accessible off-ramps - DAO-to-fiat payout flows - Local exchange networks Use our logic. Fork the UI. Plug in your asset. Launch your own ramp. --- ## Ready to Build Yours? Trustless Work provides the infra. Pacto shows the playbook. > From zero to escrow-backed exchange in one weekend. [Explore the Pacto repo →](https://github.com/PACTO-LAT) [Explore the Trustless Work docs →](https://docs.trustlesswork.com) --- --- # Article: Hackathon Recap: Casa Builders CDMX URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/news-hackathon-recap-stellar Filename: news-hackathon-recap-stellar.mdx Date: 2025-07-15 Category: news Tags: hackathon, latam, stellar, ecosystem, identity, remittances, trustlesswork Capital Flow: Not specified Description: One shared goal: use Stellar to fix real-world problems in our region. Summary: At Casa Builders Hackathon in Mexico City, we connected with builders, mentors, and the Stellar community to tackle identity, inclusive finance, and public-good infrastructure. We left inspired—and with a working P2P ramp built in just days. > One shared goal: **use Stellar to fix real-world problems in our region.** --- ## A Week of Building—and Belonging We just returned from **Casa Builders CDMX**, a week-long hackathon hosted by the [Blockchain Acceleration Foundation (BAF)](https://www.blockchainacceleration.org/) and **Stellar**. It brought together builders from across Latin America to work on projects that matter—financial access, digital identity, and public-good infrastructure. But more than that, it brought together a *community*. We connected with: - Engineers from the **Stellar Development Foundation** (backend, ecosystem, marketing) - Volunteers from **Stellar Give**, who help builders and initiatives focused on impact - Teams at **Google Mexico** and **Meta**, where we met founders using Stellar in production (Alfred Pay, Cash Abroad, Decaf, Vesseo Wallet, Blaze Payments)
Trustless Work team with Stellar Give volunteers
Showing Trustless Work & Pacto to Stellar Give volunteers
--- ## The Three Tracks That Framed the Hackathon This wasn’t just "build whatever." These were the tracks: ### 💸 Dinero sin fronteras — Inclusive finance & remittances Projects that break barriers to financial access: Remittances, microfinance, group savings, and stablecoin flows for underserved communities. ### 🪪 Identidad sin barreras — Identity and credentials Self-sovereign identity, on-chain credentials, and tools for those excluded from traditional systems. ### 💚 Código para la causa — Transparency for public good Tools for NGOs, DAOs, and grassroots initiatives to increase transparency and traceability of funds. --- ## 🇨🇷 Latin America Showed Up—And So Did Costa Rica We weren’t alone. Builders from **Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, Bolivia**, and more made the trip. And from **Costa Rica alone**, there were **12 of us**—more than any other country. > As founders from Costa Rica, it was powerful to see our community represented—and shipping.
Costa Rican builders Assemble!
Costa Rican builders Assemble!
--- ## Our Role at the Hackathon 50% of the Trustless Work team participated: Joel and myself (Alberto) We came to contribute, not just compete. - We **mentored teams** building escrow flows and programmable finance tools - We ran an **impromptu workshop** on integrating the Trustless Work API - We **teamed up** with other Costa Rican founders— Brandon from **KindFi** and Matias from **Numo Wallet**—to build something real --- ## 🚀 What We Built: Pacto **Pacto** is a decentralized P2P ramp for stablecoins. It lets users buy or sell stablecoins using fiat on local rails, with every trade protected by **programmable escrow** via Trustless Work. In just a few days, we shipped: - **CRCX**, a testnet stablecoin pegged to the Costa Rican colón - A mint/burn dashboard for CRCX - A P2P marketplace interface for listings - A full escrow integration with dispute resolution logic > You can think of Pacto as a decentralized version of Binance P2P—without custodians, and with smart contracts enforcing the flow. We added the stablecoin because we belive this model enables a bottoms up adoption to local stablecoins adoption. Where we can use the p2p also as OTC, allowing us to grow in volume & adoption while not worrying about liquidity. It wasn’t just a demo. It worked. And it’s just the beginning. You will be hearing more of Pacto in the short-term. --- ## The Takeaway Hackathons like Casa Builders remind us that **blockchain isn't the point**—people are. What matters is: - Giving migrants a cheaper way to send money - Helping undocumented folks prove who they are - Enabling NGOs to earn trust with transparent flows - Letting local founders build global infrastructure That’s why Trustless Work exists. That’s why we’re proud to support builders in Latin America and beyond. ### Oh by the way, WE WON!
Pacto Team p2p exchange!
A very happy pacto team after finding out we won!
--- ### 🚀 Ready to Build With Us? - [Start your Dev journey](https://trustlesswork.com/developers) - [Explore our products](https://trustlesswork.com/products) --- # Article: Trustless Work Joins Stellar Hackathon in CDMX URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/news-trustlesswork-cdmx-baf-stellar-hackathon Filename: news-trustlesswork-cdmx-baf-stellar-hackathon.mdx Date: 2025-07-11 Category: news Tags: hackathon, stellar, community, latin america, trustlesswork Capital Flow: Not specified Description: We were invited to the Stellar Hackathon in Mexico City, hosted by the Blockchain Acceleration Foundation. A powerful week of workshops, collaboration, and community from across Latin America. Summary: Trustless Work joined builders from across Latin America at the Stellar Hackathon in Mexico City. With 12 Costa Ricans and participants from 5 countries, the event highlighted the momentum for stablecoin infrastructure in the region—and why programmable escrow matters now more than ever. ## 🇲🇽 Trustless Work Joins the Stellar Hackathon in CDMX > Builders from five countries. A dozen Costa Ricans. One shared goal: accelerate stablecoin adoption in Latin America. We’re excited to share that **Trustless Work was invited to join the Stellar Hackathon in Mexico City**, hosted by the [Blockchain Acceleration Foundation (BAF)](https://www.blockchainacceleration.org/). This event brought together developers, designers, and founders from across Latin America for a week of hands-on building, workshops, and community around programmable money. --- ### 🚀 Why This Matters Latin America isn’t just *interested* in stablecoins—it’s *building* with them. Over a dozen builders came from Costa Rica alone, a clear signal that this region is hungry for better infrastructure—especially programmable escrow. Stablecoins are here. Now platforms want *flows* they can trust. --- ### 🛠 What We Brought - **Workshops** – We helped teams build escrow-enabled flows using Trustless Work’s API and templates. - **Mentorship** – We connected with builders across Argentina, Colombia, Bolivia, Mexico, and Costa Rica to support and challenge their ideas. Both **Joel** and **Alberto** (yes, that’s me) made the trip to CDMX. As Costa Rican founders, it was powerful to see so many builders from our country show up—**12 in total**, more than any other country. We’ve always believed Latin America is one of the best proving grounds for programmable finance. Now we’re seeing it. --- ### 💡 Final Take Across the region, builders are stepping up—not just to innovate, but to solve real problems in their communities. That’s what excites us most. From freelance work to crowdfunding, from donation platforms to p2p marketplaces, escrow is becoming a foundational tool for financial empowerment. And we’re proud to support the builders making it happen. --- ## 🧪 Want to build your own escrow flow? > Deploy your first smart escrow on testnet in minutes 👉 [dev quickstart](https://docs.trustlesswork.com/trustless-work/developer-resources/getting-started) --- # Article: OnlyDust OS Wave #1 URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/dev-update-Only-Dust-Wave1 Filename: dev-update-Only-Dust-Wave1.mdx Date: 2025-06-26 Category: technical Tags: mainnet, release, onlydust, developers, product Capital Flow: Not specified Description: Join Trustless Work's mainnet push by contributing to high-impact open source issues during OnlyDust OS Wave #1. Summary: We're going live on mainnet—and bringing real smart contract, frontend, and infrastructure tasks to OnlyDust OS Wave #1. Contribute to Trustless Work and help build the future of escrow for the stablecoin economy. ## Contribute, Ship, Get Recognized From **June 26 to July 6**, we’re joining **OnlyDust OS Wave #1**—and bringing real, high-impact tasks for contributors. As many of you know, we’re preparing for **mainnet**, and we’ve published a new set of **campaign issues** for contributors who want to: - Work on real smart contracts - Ship production-ready UI features - Improve the dev tools powering the stablecoin economy --- ## Campaign Highlights — Tasks You Can Pick Up ### 🔍 Escrow Viewer Refactors - Enable **mainnet viewing support** - Add support for **multi-release escrows** - Implement reverse lookup: **get escrow ID from deploy tx hash** ### 📊 Wallet & Analytics Tools - Build a public dashboard for the **Trustless Work fee wallet** - Track escrow commissions transparently ### ⚙️ Smart Escrow Contracts - Optimize logic to reduce **deployment costs** (currently ~20 XLM) - Prepare for **multi-release** logic on-chain ### 🔐 Passkey Integration (UX & UI) - Explore integrating **Stellar passkeys** into our dApp - Improve login flow for dApp users **and** template cloners ### 🧰 Backoffice Enhancements - Add **contributor chat** feature - Improve milestone interaction UX --- ## Why This Matters Most teams duct-tape their escrow flow. We’re building programmable, transparent, non-custodial infrastructure that anyone can fork. By contributing, you’re not just shipping PRs—you’re helping launch an open-source payment rail for the stablecoin economy. --- ## How to Get Involved - Join OnlyDust: https://www.onlydust.com/ - 🙋 Raise your hand on OnlyDust to claim an issue --- Want to learn more? 👉[Explore our developer docs](http://www.trustlesswork.com/developers?utm_source=ODWave) --- # Article: Introducing the Trustless Work SDK MCP URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/dev-update-Trustless-MCP Filename: dev-update-Trustless-MCP.mdx Date: 2025-06-20 Category: technical Tags: mcp, sdk, ai, devtools, escrow, stablecoins Capital Flow: Not specified Description: A new way for builders to integrate escrows faster by giving their AI-powered editor structured access to the Trustless Work SDK. Summary: The Trustless Work SDK MCP brings our escrow tooling directly into Cursor’s Model Context Protocol, allowing builders to generate, refactor, and integrate escrow logic with greater speed and accuracy — all within their editor. ### Trustless Work SDK MCP: Build Faster With AI-Assisted Development The way developers write software is changing. Editors are becoming intelligent partners — not just text boxes. The **Model Context Protocol (MCP)** is part of that evolution. It gives AI-powered editors a structured way to understand external tools, SDKs, and APIs so they can help developers write better code, faster. Today, we’re adding Trustless Work to that ecosystem. > **The Trustless Work SDK MCP lets Cursor understand the escrow SDK as a first-class tool, making it easier for builders to scaffold escrow flows directly from their editor.** This is all about speed, clarity, and integration quality. --- ## Why We Built the Trustless Work MCP Developers building with Trustless Work often follow the same workflow: 1. Open the documentation 2. Check the SDK reference 3. Inspect payloads and types 4. Copy the patterns into their codebase 5. Test, adjust, refactor 6. Repeat for each lifecycle step (fund → mark → approve → release) It's effective — but not frictionless. Modern builders expect their dev environment to help them: - understand available functions - autocomplete payload shapes - generate correct integration patterns - reduce mistakes around role logic - accelerate the “first working flow” MCP gives us a way to meet them there. --- ## What Is an MCP, in Practical Terms? The **Model Context Protocol** is a standard that lets AI-enabled editors (like Cursor) connect to external tools and query them in a structured way. With MCP, editors can: - list available tools and methods - inspect the parameters and types they expect - generate code that uses those tools - help you integrate libraries more accurately Think of it as giving your editor a live, typed map of the SDK — so it can assist you without guessing. For Trustless Work, this means exposing: - escrow creation helpers - milestone update helpers - approval and release helpers - indexer/query tools - types, parameters, and payload schemas Your editor can now reference our SDK directly, instead of relying on heuristics. --- ## How the Trustless Work MCP Helps Builders ### **1. Faster onboarding** Instead of searching docs for method names and payload shapes, you can ask Cursor: > “Generate a helper that creates a multi-release escrow with three milestones.” The MCP surfaces the correct tool, parameters, and structure — instantly. ### **2. Fewer integration mistakes** Escrow flows are structured: initiate → fund → mark → approve → release → view. The MCP helps your editor understand: - which SDK functions exist - how the lifecycle fits together - what each function expects - how to format milestone updates - how to wire release flows cleanly This leads to cleaner, more consistent integrations. ### **3. Better developer experience inside your editor** Because Cursor can reference Trustless Work as a tool, you can stay inside your coding environment while building your escrow flows — no switching between multiple browser tabs. It’s a smoother, more focused workflow. ### **4. Perfect fit for our product philosophy** Trustless Work is built on three principles: - abstract complexity - keep roles and flows predictable - help builders ship faster MCP fits naturally into that mission. It doesn’t add new concepts — it amplifies the ones we already built. --- ## Getting Started If you want to try it in Cursor, add this configuration to your `mcp.json`: ```json { "trustlesswork": { "type": "streamable-http", "url": "https://mcp.trustlesswork.com/mcp", "headers": {} } } ``` You’ll find the MCP settings inside Cursor under: **Settings → MCP → Add New MCP Server** For a full step-by-step guide — including screenshots, troubleshooting, and example prompts — read: 👉 **Configure the Trustless Work SDK MCP on Cursor** https://docs.trustlesswork.com/trustless-work/trustless-work-sdk/configure-the-trustless-work-sdk-mcp --- ## Where This Fits in the Trustless Work Ecosystem The SDK MCP sits alongside our other integration tools: - **Escrow API** – The programmable trust engine - **React SDK** – Build frontends with our components - **Backoffice dApp** – Operate escrows without writing code - **Viewer** – Provide transparency for roles and escrow states - **Open-source templates** – P2P exchange, crowdfunding, grants, payroll, and more MCP doesn’t replace any of these — it simply makes them easier to integrate, especially for teams iterating quickly. --- ## Build Faster, Ship More, Focus on Your Product Trustless Work exists to remove the barriers that slow teams down when integrating stablecoin escrows. The SDK MCP is another step toward that goal — giving builders a smoother, more modern development experience. If you’re experimenting with Cursor or AI-assisted workflows, we’d love to see what you build. --- **Many thanks to our Open Source contributor, Brandon Fernandez, for building this MCP for our community! Pura Vida!** --- # Article: Version Update: New Contract Types, API Changes, and React Integration URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/dev-update-version-update Filename: dev-update-version-update.mdx Date: 2025-06-19 Category: technical Tags: mainnet, release, api, developers, product Capital Flow: Not specified Description: Trustless Work's latest release brings more modularity, better developer experience, and clearer API structure for scaling escrow integrations. Summary: We just shipped a major update to our Smart Escrow infrastructure. This version introduces Single-Release vs. Multi-Release escrows, a cleaner API URL structure, and our first React library for fast frontend integrations. ## 🚀 What’s New? We just shipped one of our biggest updates yet. This is a leap forward in modularity, clarity, and dev experience. ### 🔁 Two Escrow Types: Choose Your Flow We now support two distinct escrow contract types: - **Single-Release**: One-shot payouts. Great for one-off gigs or transactions with multiple milestones but a single payout (All milestones have to be approved for release). - **Multi-Release**: Milestone-based, and flexible. Ideal for freelance projects, grants, or phased payouts (Each milestone is approved and released independently). > 📖 Learn more: [Single vs. Multi-Release Escrows →](https://docs.trustlesswork.com/trustless-work/technology-overview/escrow-types) --- ### 🧠 Smarter API Design We’ve restructured the API to reflect this dual-contract logic. All endpoints are now scoped by escrow type: Old: POST /escrow/fund-escrow New: - POST /single-release/fund-escrow - POST /multi-release/fund-escrow Every critical endpoint now uses this structure, including: - `initialize-escrow` - `release-funds` - `change-milestone-status` - `approve-escrow` - `resolve-dispute` - `get-escrow` We also did some name changes, learn more [here](https://docs.trustlesswork.com/trustless-work/developer-resources/changelog-escrow-update) --- ### ⚛️ New React Library (Beta) You can now integrate Trustless Work in your frontend with our official React library. This simplifies: - Escrow interaction - Milestone updates and approvals 👉 React SDK docs [Here](https://docs.trustlesswork.com/trustless-work/react-library/getting-started) --- ### 🧰 Backoffice & Demo dApp — Upgraded and Open Both our **Backoffice dApp** and **Demo dApp** have been upgraded to support the new Single-Release and Multi-Release contract flows. - The **Backoffice dApp** now includes a revamped UX for managing roles, viewing milestones, and releasing funds. - The **Demo dApp** shows exactly how to interact with the API and escrows from a frontend interface. > 🔁 Clone them, fork them, customize them. They’re built to help you ship faster. → [Try the new Backoffice dApp →](https://dapp.trustlesswork.com) → [View and clone the Demo dApp →](https://github.com/Trustless-Work/demo-Trustless-Work) These aren’t static dashboards—they’re working examples designed for developers building real workflows. --- ## Why It Matters This a more flexible, stable foundation for anyone building: - Grant platforms - P2P apps - Rental deposit flows - DAO bounties - Custom fintech workflows ## 🧪 Start Building → [Try the new API](https://docs.trustlesswork.com/trustless-work/api-reference) → [Try the backoffice dApp](https://dapp.trustlesswork.com) --- If you're already building with us, update your integrations to use the new endpoint format. If you're just getting started, there's never been a better time. **Pura Vida!** --- # Article: 🚨 GENIUS Act Passes House — A New Era for Stablecoins Begins URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/news-genius-act-stablecoins Filename: news-genius-act-stablecoins.mdx Date: 2025-06-18 Category: news Tags: stablecoins, regulation, latam, genius-act, trustlesswork Capital Flow: Not specified Description: U.S. stablecoins just got their regulatory green light—and it changes everything for builders, platforms, and LATAM ecosystems. Summary: With the GENIUS Act now through the House, the U.S. just set the rules for stablecoins. That means new demand for compliant infra, new adoption in LATAM, and a major unlock for devs building with Stellar and Trustless Work. ## U.S. stablecoins just got their regulatory green light—and it changes everything for builders > Milestone unlocked: Stablecoins are no longer a grey area. The U.S. just passed the GENIUS Act. That means compliant, on-chain dollars are now part of federal law. For builders, it’s go time. Yesterday, the **GENIUS Act** passed the U.S. House—marking the biggest leap forward for stablecoin adoption to date. For years, developers and platforms have operated in a limbo of uncertainty. That ends now. With bipartisan support and a 68-30 Senate vote already locked in, this act lays the groundwork for a regulated, trillion-dollar stablecoin economy. And if you’re building with **Stellar**, **USDC**, or on **Trustless Work**, this isn’t just news—it’s a greenlight. --- ## 🧱 What the GENIUS Act Unlocks **Regulatory clarity** for USD-pegged stablecoins. **Permissionless innovation** for compliant issuers. **Credibility** for builders shipping real-world flows. At Trustless Work, we’ve always believed in **programmable, transparent, non-custodial payments**—and now the U.S. framework aligns with that thesis. Here’s what it means in practice: - 🔒 **1:1 reserves and public attestations** make stablecoins safer and more usable for real-world payments. - 🧩 **Interoperability mandates** open the door for infrastructure like Trustless Work to plug into wallets, banks, and payment rails. - 🏗️ **More issuers = more flows**: banks, fintechs, and platforms can now launch their own stablecoins—and they’ll need escrow logic to match. --- ## 🌎 LATAM: The Next Frontier for Compliant Stablecoins For the Latin American ecosystem, this is huge. With over **$150B in annual remittances** and widespread distrust in local currencies, **USD-backed stablecoins are already in high demand**. What’s been missing? 🚫 Clarity. 🧾 Credible issuers. 🛠 Tools that abstract the hard parts. Now with the GENIUS Act, builders in LATAM can: - Launch regulated cross-border flows in hours—not months - Build **remittance dApps**, **microcredit rails**, or **crowdfunding platforms** with U.S.-backed assets - Integrate with PayPal, Circle, or any GENIUS-compliant issuer via the Stellar network We’re especially excited about **USDC on Stellar** and new entrants like **PYUSD**, which just announced they will be joining the Stellar ecosystem. --- ## 🛠 For Builders: Infra Just Got a Mandate If you’re building escrow flows, compliance tooling, or payment middleware—**now is the time to go all-in**. The GENIUS Act sets a high bar for transparency, reserve quality, and auditability. That means **new demand for infra like ours**: - Escrow APIs for milestone-based payments - Proof-of-reserve attestation tools - AML/KYC modules built for Stellar and open finance > At Trustless Work, we don’t hold your money—we provide the logic. And that logic just became foundational infrastructure for the next wave of stablecoin innovation. --- ## 🎯 What’s Next As the bill moves to final reconciliation and signing, here’s what we’re focusing on: - 🌐 Supporting U.S.-compliant stablecoins across Stellar and other networks - 🧪 Helping LATAM builders go from idea to escrow in a day - 📈 Onboarding platforms and devs who want to **build trust into payments from day one** If you're building in this space—**we want to support you**. 👉 [Developer Quickstart](https://docs.trustlesswork.com/trustless-work/developer-resources/getting-started) 👉 [Get your first escrow live on testnet](demo.trustlesswork.com) --- **Welcome to the regulated stablecoin era.** Let’s make sure it’s not just compliant—but programmable. *— The Trustless Work Team* --- # Article: PYUSD Escrows Are Now Possible on Stellar — What This Unlocks for Builders URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/news-Paypal-Stellar-Escrow Filename: news-Paypal-Stellar-Escrow.mdx Date: 2025-06-11 Category: news Tags: tokens, paypal, partnership Capital Flow: Not specified Description: With PayPal bringing PYUSD to Stellar, Trustless Work can now support programmable escrows in one of the world's most recognized digital dollars. A new era of adoption begins. Summary: With PayPal bringing PYUSD to Stellar, Trustless Work can now support programmable escrows in one of the world's most recognized digital dollars. A new era of adoption begins. ## 🚀 Breaking: PYUSD Comes to Stellar. That Means PYUSD Escrows are coming. PayPal just announced it's bringing **PYUSD**, its U.S. dollar-backed stablecoin, to the **Stellar network** — and we couldn’t be more excited. Why? Because it means any escrow launched with **Trustless Work** can now use **PYUSD** as the payment asset. No bridges, no hacks. Just native, programmable trust in one of the world’s most recognized stablecoins. > 🧠 **If it lives on Stellar, you can escrow it with Trustless Work.** > PYUSD included. --- ## 💥 What This Unlocks With this move, PayPal is turning Stellar into a high-speed rail for real-world financial activity — and Trustless Work is ready to ride. Here’s what’s possible for builders, platforms, and ecosystems: - **PYUSD milestone escrows** for gig platforms, marketplaces, or grant flows - **Cross-border trust** with PayPal on/off ramps and smart logic in the middle - **PayFi and working capital** flows that are transparent, rules-based, and programmable - **Global access** to USD-backed escrows, even in places where PayPal wallets dominate This is a **new default flow**: → Funds enter via PayPal → Held in escrow on Stellar → Released with logic, not trust --- ## 🙌 Kudos to the Builders Congrats to the teams at **PayPal**, **Paxos**, and **Stellar Development Foundation** for making this happen. Bringing a fiat-backed, regulated stablecoin like PYUSD onto Stellar is a game-changer — especially for developers building in Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia, where PayPal is a household name. --- ## 🛠 Ready to Build? PYUSD escrows will be unlocked once we get the Trustline. If you’re a: - Gig platform - DAO - Fintech team - Cross-border marketplace - Freelancer payment tool You can start building today! 👉 [Learn more](https://docs.trustlesswork.com/trustless-work/developer-resources/getting-started) --- # Article: Introducing The Escrow Times URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/news-escrow-times-launch Filename: news-escrow-times-launch.mdx Date: 2025-06-04 Category: news Tags: announcement, blog, community, trustlesswork Capital Flow: Not specified Description: Trustless Work’s new blog for product updates, tutorials, use cases, and ecosystem wins — all in one place. Summary: The Escrow Times is live. Our official blog is where we’ll share everything from product updates to real-world use cases and community highlights. Whether you’re building, integrating, or just curious — this is your front-row seat to the escrow revolution. 🗞️ **Welcome to _The Escrow Times_ — where stablecoins, smart contracts, and milestone-based payments make headlines.** We created this space to tell the story **behind the smart escrow movement** — and to celebrate the platforms, developers, and use cases that make Trustless Work more than just an API. --- ## Why *The Escrow Times*? Because we’re not just building infrastructure — we’re building a new standard for trust. This blog is our way of sharing: - 🚀 **Product updates** - 🛠️ **Tutorials & integration guides** - 💡 **Real-world use cases** - 🌎 **Community milestones & ecosystem wins** --- ## What You’ll Find Here From SCF grant announcements and partner showcases, to behind-the-scenes product drops and memes about programmable payments — we’ll cover it all. We’ve already published: - 📣 [Trustless Work NPM library goes live](https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/news-npm-library-v1) - 🧪 [How to launch your first escrow using the demo dApp](https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/tutorial-getting-started-escrow-demo) - 💸 [KindFi awarded SCF #35 — powered by Trustless Work](https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/news-kindfi-scf-grant) ...and we’re just getting started. --- ## Built for Builders. Powered by Community. *The Escrow Times* isn’t just our voice — it’s yours too. As our open-source ecosystem grows, we’ll highlight contributors, experiments, and stories from the teams building with Trustless Work. We’re especially excited to feature projects from **LatAm builders**, **DojoCoding teams**, and graduates of our new [Product Cohort](https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/news-techrebel-cohort). --- 📬 Subscribe, share, or just lurk — we’re here for it. 🧠 Got something cool? Tell us about it! **Let’s make trust programmable. Let’s make escrows cool.** Pura Vida. --- # Article: Upcoming Testnet Reset & Trustless Work v1.2.0 Launch URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/news-v2-testnet-reset Filename: news-v2-testnet-reset.mdx Date: 2025-06-04 Category: technical Tags: testnet, v1.2, product update, stellar, developers Capital Flow: Not specified Description: Stellar's testnet reset is scheduled for June 18 — and we’re using this opportunity to launch the next major version of Trustless Work. Summary: The Stellar testnet reset is set for June 18. During this time, we’ll update our main branch to Trustless Work v2.0 — introducing multi-release escrow flows and laying the groundwork for mainnet audit. Expect API changes, updated docs, and refreshed demo tools. 🚨 **Important update for all developers and integrators:** The **Stellar Q2 testnet reset** is officially scheduled for **June 18 at 17:00 UTC** — and we’re using this moment to ship a major upgrade. --- ## 🔁 What’s Happening? ### ✅ **Stellar Testnet Reset (June 18)** As announced in [Stellar’s status page](https://status.stellar.org/), this reset will **wipe all contracts, assets, accounts, and data** from the network. You’ll need to recreate any testnet configurations, escrows, or wallets you’ve set up. > 💡 Here’s [how to automate your reset recovery](https://developers.stellar.org/docs/build/guides/basics/automate-reset-data). --- ### 🚀 **Trustless Work v1.2.0 Launch** At the same time, we’ll be updating the **main branch** of our core repos to **Trustless Work v1.2.0**, currently in development. This upgrade brings: - 🔁 **Changes required to integrate Multi-release escrows** - 🔄 Changes to the **API structure** - 🧩 New escrow logic under the hood - 💡 Upgrading the demo app and dApp interface to the new version - 🧪 Code that will soon go into audit for mainnet release > ⚠️ Expect breaking changes — we’ll publish upgrade guides and full documentation to support the transition. --- ## 🧰 What This Means for You - If you're using the demo, API, or SDK: **Expect more updates and guides soon**. - If you're contributing via Only Dust: **Watch for new issues and update tasks on the next OD Hack** - If you're integrating Trustless Work: **Start exploring our [github](https://github.com/Trustless-Work)** to prepare. We'll keep the upgrade downtime minimal — ideally just **1–2 days**, but full usability also depends on when core assets like **Testnet USDC** are restored by providers like Circle. --- ## 📅 TL;DR - 🗓️ **June 18 @ 17:00 UTC**: Stellar testnet reset - 🔧 **June 18–20**: Trustless Work v2.0 ships to `main` - 📚 Docs + upgrade guides coming soon - 🧑‍💻 Contributors: new issues will be posted for OD Hack week --- Thanks for building with us — and get ready for the next chapter of programmable trust. **Pura Vida.** --- # Article: Launch: Try Trustless Work in Minutes with Our New Demo dApp URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/news-demo-dapp-launch Filename: news-demo-dapp-launch.mdx Date: 2025-06-03 Category: technical Tags: demo, developer, dapp, testnet, announcement Capital Flow: Not specified Description: We’ve launched an interactive demo and open-source repo to help developers test and integrate Trustless Work faster than ever. Summary: Trustless Work now has a live demo dApp — available at demo.trustlesswork.com — to help developers explore and integrate escrow flows with zero setup. Paired with our NPM library, this demo makes it easier than ever to start building. 🚀 **It’s here — the fastest way to start building with Trustless Work.** We’re excited to launch the [**Trustless Work Demo dApp**](https://demo.trustlesswork.com/) — a live, testnet-ready app that shows exactly how to integrate escrow flows into any app or platform. This isn’t just a preview — it’s the **reference implementation** we use to demonstrate best practices, integration flow, and how our escrow engine actually works in production-like environments. ### Why We Built It We built `demo.trustlesswork.com` because we wanted: - ✅ A live example always **in sync with our NPM library** - ✅ A teaching tool for devs to **understand escrow roles and flows** - ✅ A playground to explore **requests, responses, and configurations** - ✅ A launchpad to go from **testnet to mainnet with confidence** Whether you're an independent dev, a fintech product team, or just exploring milestone-based payments — this is your fastest path to integration. > All you need is a **Stellar wallet**. You’ll be building in minutes. ### What’s Included - 🧰 Built-in **helpers and sample data** - 🔍 See all **escrow roles, metadata, and status updates** - 🪄 Test **milestone marking, approval, and release** - 🔗 View the [**open-source repo**](https://github.com/Trustless-Work/demo-dapp) and use it as a template > We recommend using it alongside our [NPM package](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@trustlesswork/sdk) for full integration power. --- 🛠️ Ready to build something trustless? Explore the live demo at [**demo.trustlesswork.com**](https://demo.trustlesswork.com) Or fork the code from [**GitHub**](https://github.com/Trustless-Work/demo-dapp) **Let’s build with trust. Let’s build fast.** Pura Vida. --- # Article: KindFi Wins SCF Grant — Powered by Trustless Work URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/news-kindfi-scf-grant Filename: news-kindfi-scf-grant.mdx Date: 2025-06-03 Category: news Tags: stellar, grant, kindfi, crowdfunding, announcement Capital Flow: Not specified Description: KindFi, a milestone-based crowdfunding platform built on Trustless Work, secures $79,998 in SCF #35. Summary: We’re proud to share that KindFi — one of Trustless Work’s earliest adopters — has been awarded $79,998 in the Stellar Community Fund (SCF #35). Their win marks a milestone for both the platform and the future of trustless crowdfunding. 🎉 **More great news from the Stellar ecosystem.** **KindFi**, one of the very first platforms built on Trustless Work, has just secured **$80,000** from the [Stellar Community Fund (SCF #35)](https://medium.com/stellar-community/scf-35-round-recap-b8ebfb84f33f). KindFi is a **milestone-based crowdfunding platform** that connects donors with verified causes across Latin America — using smart escrow infrastructure to ensure **funds are only released once impact milestones are achieved**. > _“KindFi is a crowdfunding platform born in Central America that connects donors with real-world causes, leveraging the best of blockchain technology to ensure transparency, security, and promote the adoption of the Stellar ecosystem.”_ > — [KindFi on SCF](https://communityfund.stellar.org/project/kindfi-gke) ### A Milestone for Trustless Work KindFi isn’t just another SCF winner — it’s a key proof point for the **Trustless Work ecosystem**. - ✅ **Early adopter** — KindFi was one of the first platforms to integrate Trustless Work escrows - 🤝 **Collaborators** — Their team actively contributes to our open-source repos - 🌱 **Real impact** — They're redefining trust in charitable giving We’re proud to support their journey and to see **crowdfunding emerge as a high-impact vertical** powered by our escrow infrastructure. ### Why It Matters Trustless Work was built for exactly this kind of use case: where **transparency, trust, and milestone-based payments** are critical. From product delivery to social impact funding, the need is the same — hold funds safely until work is done, then release with confidence. --- 🧡 Congrats to the KindFi team. Let’s keep building. Let’s keep giving. **Pura Vida.** 🔗 Learn more about [KindFi](https://www.kindfi.org) 🔗 Full SCF #35 recap: [SCF Blog Post](https://medium.com/stellar-community/scf-35-round-recap-b8ebfb84f33f) --- # Article: Trustless Work Launches NPM Library URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/news-npm-library-v1 Filename: news-npm-library-v1.mdx Date: 2025-06-03 Category: technical Tags: npm, developer tools, integration Capital Flow: Not specified Description: The easiest way to integrate Trustless Work into your app just dropped. Summary: We’ve released v1 of our official NPM library — giving developers an easy, stable, and fast way to integrate Trustless Work’s escrow infrastructure directly into their projects. 🚀 **Big update for developers and integrators!** We’ve just launched v1 of our official [**Trustless Work NPM package**](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@trustless-work/escrow), making it easier than ever to integrate our escrow infrastructure directly into your codebase. ### 🧱 Why We Built It As we move toward mainnet launch, we’re focused on one thing: **making escrows as easy to integrate as Stripe payments**. This package is a critical step toward that vision. With this NPM release, any developer can: - 🛠️ **Import escrow types and helper functions** - ⚡ **Deploy escrows using just a few lines of code** - 🧪 **Experiment locally without needing to run backend infrastructure** - 💡 **Build trust into payment flows from day one** Whether you’re running a marketplace, managing milestones, or tokenizing assets — the `@trustless-work/escrow` package gives you everything you need to **go from idea to working escrow fast.** ### 📦 How to Get Started Install the package: npm install @trustless-work/escrow Then check out our [**developer docs**](https://docs.trustlesswork.com/trustless-work/developer-resources/react-library/getting-started) and our demo [**GitHub repo**](https://github.com/Trustless-Work/demo-Trustless-Work) for usage examples and API references. --- This release is part of our larger mission to **make escrow infrastructure accessible, programmable, and open-source for everyone**. Let’s build something better. **Pura vida, — The Trustless Work team** --- # Article: Partnering with Tech Rebel to Accelerate Products Built on Trustless Work URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/news-techrebel-cohort Filename: news-techrebel-cohort.mdx Date: 2025-06-03 Category: news Tags: mentorship, partners, techrebel, latam, cohort Capital Flow: Not specified Description: We’re joining forces with Tech Rebel to mentor product teams building with Trustless Work through a new LatAm-focused product cohort. Summary: Trustless Work is partnering with product agency Tech Rebel to provide mentorship, structure, and go-to-market guidance for early-stage teams building with our escrow infrastructure. The first cohort is now live — featuring products from the DojoCoding community and LatAm builders. 🤝 **We're excited to announce a new partnership between Trustless Work and Tech Rebel.** Through this collaboration, **teams building with Trustless Work** will now receive **product mentorship, guidance, and hands-on support** as part of **Tech Rebel’s Product Cohort 1**. > This partnership helps early-stage teams move faster, stay accountable, and launch real products — with support tailored for LatAm builders working at the intersection of **Web3 and AI**. --- ## 🚀 About Product Cohort 1 The program, dubbed **Convocatoria de Productos**, is a **6-week cohort** focused on helping Spanish-speaking teams validate ideas, build in public, and launch with confidence. 👥 **Who is it for?** - Teams actively building or validating an idea - Builders using **Trustless Work** or part of the **DojoCoding** community - Spanish-speaking teams curious about **AI, Web3, and product strategy** 🧱 The weekly focus areas include: 1. Problem definition 2. Customer validation 3. Problem solution fit 4. Go-To-Market 5. OKRs 6. Pitches & Demos --- ## 💡 Why It Matters From the start, we’ve built Trustless Work to be more than just an API — it’s a **foundation for builders**. This cohort is our next step in enabling: - Real product launches using our smart escrow infrastructure - Guided validation and go-to-market execution - Stronger engagement across the LatAm ecosystem Whether it’s crowdfunding, security deposits, cross-border work, or trade finance — we’re excited to help these teams turn ideas into live products. --- ## 🛠️ Explore the Products Meet the first batch of teams here: 👉 [techrebel.world/products](https://www.techrebel.world/products) --- 📩 More info on how to apply will be shared soon. If you’re building on Trustless Work and want to join the next cohort — stay tuned. Let’s build bold. **Pura Vida.** --- # Article: Trustless Work Unlocks SCF Launchkit After Completing Tranche 2 URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/news-trustlesswork-scf-tranche2 Filename: news-trustlesswork-scf-tranche2.mdx Date: 2025-06-03 Category: news Tags: stellar, grant, testnet, audit, announcement Capital Flow: Not specified Description: We’ve hit a major milestone in our SCF Build Award journey — and are now preparing for audit and mainnet launch. Summary: Trustless Work has successfully completed the second tranche of our Stellar Community Fund (SCF) Build Award. This milestone unlocks the SCF Launchkit — including audit credits, infrastructure support, and personalized help to prepare for mainnet launch. 🔥 **Another milestone down. Mainnet ahead.** We’re excited to share that **Trustless Work** has completed **Tranche 2** of our SCF Build Award — marking a major milestone on our path to Stellar mainnet. > _“Congratulations on reaching this major milestone! By successfully completing the second tranche of deliverables and launching your project on testnet, you’ve unlocked access to the exclusive SCF Launchkit — a powerful set of tools and resources designed to accelerate your growth.”_ > — Stellar Community Fund team ### What This Means By completing Tranche 2, we’ve: - 🚀 Launched our escrow engine on **Stellar testnet** - ✅ Delivered our milestone-based smart contract and API - 🔓 **Unlocked the SCF Launchkit** The [SCF Launchkit](https://stellar.org/grants-and-funding/soroban-audit-bank) gives us access to: - 🛡️ **Audit Credits** — to secure our smart contracts and build user trust - 📣 **Marketing Support** — to amplify our brand and reach new partners - 🛠️ **Infrastructure Resources** — to scale with confidence toward mainnet - 🤝 **One-on-one support** from the Stellar Development Foundation ### What’s Next We’re now preparing for **Tranche 3**: - 🔍 Final audit of our Single-Release Escrow - 🛰️ Mainnet deployment - 📊 Indexer support and changelogs - 🤝 Enterprise pilots and integrations --- We’re deeply grateful to the **Stellar Development Foundation** and the **SCF program** for backing our vision and helping us get here. Let’s build something global. **Pura Vida, always.** 🔗 Learn more about the [Soroban Audit Bank & Launchkit](https://stellar.org/grants-and-funding/soroban-audit-bank) --- # Article: Getting Started with Trustless Work Demo URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/tutorial-getting-started-escrow-demo Filename: tutorial-getting-started-escrow-demo.mdx Date: 2025-06-01 Category: tutorial Tags: getting started, tutorial, stablecoins, escrow, web3 Capital Flow: Not specified Description: Learn how to deploy your first smart escrow using the Trustless Work demo app. No code required — just a Stellar wallet and a few clicks. Summary: Deploy your first testnet escrow in minutes with the Trustless Work demo app. Learn the flow, explore the roles, and see real-time contract responses. Perfect for builders, testers, and curious explorers. 🎉 Welcome to **Trustless Work** — the escrow infrastructure for the new economy. In this guide, you’ll learn how to deploy your first **smart escrow on Stellar testnet** using our live demo app. No SDKs or APIs required. --- ## 🧰 What You’ll Need - A Stellar testnet wallet with testnet XLM(we recommend [Freighter](https://www.freighter.app)) - About 5 minutes and a project idea --- ## 🚀 Step 1: Open the Demo App Visit: [**demo.trustlesswork.com**](https://demo.trustlesswork.com) This is our official reference integration — always up-to-date with our latest NPM library. Click **Connect Wallet** and approve the connection using your Stellar wallet. --- ## 📝 Step 2: Fill in the Escrow Details Once connected, you’ll be guided through a few simple sections: ### ✏️ 1. **Engagement Metadata** - **Title** — What’s this escrow for? - **Engagement ID** — A unique reference (optional) - **Description** — What work or value is being exchanged? ### 💰 2. **Financial Setup** - **Amount** — How much XLM will be held in escrow? - **Platform fee** — configurable fee that the integrating platform will receive - **Trustline** — identifies the token to be used (USDC, EURC) - **Receiver Memo** — optional for when the receiver is a custodial address ### 🎭 3. **Roles Configuration** Assign addresses to the roles in the escrow: - **Service Provider** — Provides the service, Marks work as done - **Approver** — Approves the milestone - **Release signer** — Asigns the release of funds - **Platform Address** — Receives platform fee, can update escrow details. - **Receiver** — Gets paid after approval - **Dispute Resolver** — If a dispute is raised, this party resolves it. 👉 Learn more about roles in our [Docs](https://docs.trustlesswork.com/trustless-work/technology-overview/smart-escrow-design/roles-in-trustless-work) ### 📋 4. **Milestones** Break the work into one or more milestones. Each one has: - A label/title - Description --- ## ✅ Step 3: Deploy and Interact Click **Deploy Escrow** and confirm the transaction in your wallet. You’ll now see your escrow live on testnet! From here, you can: - 🛠️ **Mark milestones as done** - 🧾 **Approve milestones** - 💸 **Release funds** You can also inspect **helper endpoints and responses** to understand how the contract works behind the scenes — great for devs! --- ## 🔧 Bonus Tools Want a more complex UI for managing escrows? Check out our **Backoffice dApp**: [dapp.trustlesswork.com](https://dapp.trustlesswork.com) It’s designed for platforms and operations teams managing multiple escrows. Interested in integrating us? - Use the [NPM package](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@trustlesswork/sdk) - Check the [API docs](https://docs.trustlesswork.com) - Explore our [open-source repos](https://github.com/Trustless-Work) --- ## 🚀 What’s Next? - Explore how roles and configurations affect fund release - Try milestone flows with friends or teammates - Head to our [Docs](https://docs.trustlesswork.com) to dive deeper - Reach out to join our builder ecosystem or apply for mainnet access --- Need help? Join our [Discord](https://discord.gg/xP34dm4VQe), or reach us on [X](https://x.com/TrustlessWork) Let’s build with trust. **Pura Vida.** --- # Article: Trustless Work Hits 2,000+ Developer Clones URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/news-2000-repo-clones Filename: news-2000-repo-clones.mdx Date: 2025-05-28 Category: news Tags: developers, ecosystem, opensource Capital Flow: Not specified Description: A major milestone for developer adoption as the open-source ecosystem gains traction. Summary: Over 2,000 developers have now cloned Trustless Work repos, reflecting strong interest in our smart escrow infrastructure. This open-source milestone highlights growing adoption, integrations, and community validation. 📈 **2,000+ and counting.** We’re thrilled to announce that **Trustless Work has surpassed 2,000+ unique developer repo clones** across our open-source ecosystem. This milestone reflects not only **growing developer interest**, but also real integration activity across our platform — from smart contract experiments to dApp deployments and embedded fintech flows. ### Why This Matters When we joined the **Draper program**, we began tracking repo clones as a core KPI to understand: - 👩‍💻 Who’s exploring and engaging with our tech - 🧱 What’s being built using our smart escrow infrastructure - 🚀 How quickly builders can start testing and shipping We track **unique GitHub cloners** across four key open-source repos: 1. **Smart Contracts** — Soroban-powered escrows with testnet deployments 2. **dApp / Backoffice** — Decentralized UI for managing escrows 3. **Product Sandbox** — Experimental flows, MoonPay integrations, UI components 4. **Demo dApp** — Our newly launched reference integration ([try it here](https://demo.trustlesswork.com)) Each clone represents **one developer, team, or system** pulling down the code to experiment or integrate. > These aren’t just views or stars — they’re the clearest signal of developer intent we’ve got. ### What’s Next With mainnet launch on the horizon, we’re just getting started: - 🧪 New templates for niche verticals (grants, DAOs, rentals) - 🔌 Different KPIs - 🛠️ More dev tools, more builders --- 💚 To every contributor, cloner, and platform experimenting with Trustless Work — **thank you**. Let’s build something better, together. **Pura Vida.** --- # Article: Trustless Work Awarded by Stellar Community Fund URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/news-trustlesswork-stellar-grant Filename: news-trustlesswork-stellar-grant.mdx Date: 2024-11-26 Category: news Tags: stellar, grant, announcement Capital Flow: Not specified Description: We’re excited to announce our selection in the latest SCF round. Summary: Trustless Work has been awarded a Build Grant from the Stellar Community Fund (SCF #31). This funding will help us launch our audited Single-Release Escrow to mainnet, expand open-source tooling, and accelerate ecosystem integrations. 🚀 **Big news!** We’re proud to share that **Trustless Work** has been selected as a recipient of the [Stellar Community Fund (SCF) Build Award](https://medium.com/stellar-community/scf-31-round-recap-296125f6ff1e) during its **November 2024 cohort**. This is a major milestone for us — and a powerful validation of our mission to build the escrow infrastructure for the new economy. > _“The Stellar Community Fund (SCF) is an open-application awards program that draws on community input to support developers and startups building on Stellar.”_ — [SCF #31 Recap](https://medium.com/stellar-community/scf-31-round-recap-296125f6ff1e) ### What This Means for Us The grant will be used to: - ✅ **Iterate, audit, and launch** our production-grade **Single-Release Escrow** on Stellar Mainnet - ✅ Expand our **open-source developer tooling** and testnet integrations - ✅ Launch new **ecosystem integrations** across Stellar and beyond ### Why This Matters Escrows are essential for trust in digital payments. Yet building smart, milestone-based fund flows is still complex and expensive — especially for stablecoin platforms and global Web3 tools. Trustless Work simplifies that. And with the SCF’s support, we’ll ship even faster. --- 🎉 Thanks to the **Stellar Development Foundation**, the **SCF reviewers**, and everyone in the ecosystem cheering us on. Let’s build something better, together. **Pura Vida.** 🧭 Learn more about the SCF program: [SCF Handbook](https://communityfund.stellar.org/) --- # Article: Crowdfunding with Trustless Work URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/use-case-crowdfunding Filename: use-case-crowdfunding.mdx Date: 2025-08-XX Category: use-case Tags: crowdfunding, use-case, stablecoins, escrow, trustlesswork Capital Flow: capital-inflow Description: How to run transparent, milestone-based fundraising with non-custodial smart escrows. Summary: Trustless Work gives crowdfunding platforms the infrastructure to hold funds securely, release them on milestone completion, and keep backers informed — without building smart contracts from scratch. > Crowdfunding works best when there’s trust. Trustless Work makes that trust programmable. --- ## Why Escrow for Crowdfunding? The biggest challenge in crowdfunding is ensuring that funds are **only released when progress is real**. Backers want assurance their money is safe, creators want reliable payouts, and platforms need a transparent, scalable process. Trustless Work’s **non-custodial, milestone-based escrows** give crowdfunding campaigns: - **Security:** Funds are locked until agreed conditions are met. - **Transparency:** Backers can verify funding and milestone status in real time. - **Flexibility:** Platforms define who approves and releases funds — from internal teams to DAOs or independent reviewers. --- ## How It Works 1. **Initiation** The campaign creator proposes a new campaign with clearly defined milestones (e.g., prototype completion, beta launch, final product delivery). Once approved by the platform (or designated initiator), an escrow is created with roles and milestones configured. Platform fees can be set here. 2. **Funding** Backers deposit directly into the escrow smart contract. Funds are held securely on-chain, visible to all parties. 3. **Milestone Status Updates** The campaign creator updates milestone status upon completion. This is visible to backers, platform admins, and any assigned reviewers. 4. **Approval** The designated approver — which could be the platform, an independent reviewer, a DAO vote, or another trusted role — reviews milestone completion. 5. **Fund Release** Once approved, the **release signer** (which could be the same as the approver or a separate role for added security) authorizes the release. Funds flow to the campaign creator. 6. **Dispute Resolution** If a milestone is disputed, the predefined dispute resolution process kicks in — this could involve the platform, an arbitration DAO, or a community-based process. --- ## Roles in the Crowdfunding Flow Roles are flexible and can be assigned per campaign: - **Campaign Creator (Receiver)** – Proposes milestones, receives funds. - **Initiator** – Creates the escrow and sets configuration. - **Milestone Marker** – Updates the status of milestones. - **Approver** – Reviews and confirms milestone completion. - **Release Signer** – Signs the final release of funds. - **Dispute Resolver** – Handles disputes according to predefined rules. - **Platform Address** – Receives platform fees. --- ## Building with the Product Suite Whether you’re running a hackathon project or a global platform, Trustless Work’s product suite lets you choose the fastest path to launch: - **Back Office dApp** – Deploy and manage campaign escrows manually for MVPs and early pilots. - **Escrow API** – Full programmatic control for production-scale platforms. - **Next.js SDK** – Integrate escrow actions directly into your crowdfunding UI. - **Escrow Viewer** – Give backers a public, read-only view of campaign progress and funds. - **Demo Lab** – Test flows and configurations before going live. --- ## Example Integration Models - **Back Office First** – For early-stage platforms: manage all campaigns from our open-source back office while validating your model. - **Hybrid Back Office** – Your UI handles pledges; approvals and releases happen in the back office. - **Full API Integration** – Mature platforms with dev resources can embed escrow logic directly into their app. - **Transparency Add-On** – Keep your own flow but use our Escrow Viewer for real-time campaign tracking. --- ## Why It Works - **Launch Fast** – Go from idea to working escrow campaign in a single day. - **Stay Flexible** – Change roles and milestone structures as your platform evolves. - **Build Trust** – Backers see progress, milestones, and fund security at all times. --- 🚀 **Ready to secure your crowdfunding campaigns?** Try the [Back Office](https://dapp.trustlesswork.com) for free or explore our [API docs](https://docs.trustlesswork.com/trustless-work/api-reference) to build your own flow. --- # Article: Freelance & Gig Platforms with Trustless Work URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/use-case-freelance-gig Filename: use-case-freelance-gig.mdx Date: 2026-01-XX Category: use-case Tags: freelance, gig-economy, marketplace, platforms, escrow, stablecoins, use-case Capital Flow: platform-in-the-middle Description: How freelance and gig platforms use non-custodial escrow to protect clients and workers while avoiding high marketplace fees. Summary: Trustless Work lets freelance and gig platforms run milestone-based, non-custodial escrow flows similar to Upwork — without custodial risk and at a fraction of the cost. > Freelance platforms don’t win by charging more. > They win by making trust cheaper. Freelance and gig platforms are one of the most common — and most proven — uses of escrow. Upwork, Fiverr, and similar platforms all rely on the same underlying mechanism: **hold client funds, release them when work is approved**. The problem isn’t the model. It’s the cost. Upwork charges **5% to 8%** in fees because it had to: - Build escrow infrastructure in-house - Hold user funds - Manage disputes and payouts - Maintain compliance and custody systems Most platforms don’t want that burden. --- ## The Opportunity: Build the Platform, Not the Escrow If you’re building a freelance or gig platform today, your real differentiation is: - Distribution - Niche focus - Talent curation - Workflow and UX Not payments infrastructure. Trustless Work lets you ship **Upwork-style escrow flows** without: - Becoming a custodian - Writing smart contracts - Running audits - Charging predatory fees You focus on the platform. We handle the trust layer. --- ## The Freelance Capital Flow Freelance platforms sit between **clients and workers**: 1. Clients fund work upfront 2. Funds are held while work is delivered 3. Payments are released as milestones are approved The platform orchestrates the flow — but never touches the money. --- ## How It Works ### 1. Initiation When a contract is created, the **platform** deploys an escrow. Configuration includes: - Total contract value - Milestone breakdown (e.g. design, delivery, revisions) - Platform fee - Approval and release logic Each contract gets its own escrow. --- ### 2. Funding The **client** deposits stablecoins (e.g. USDC) into the escrow. - Funds are locked non-custodially - Freelancers know money is reserved - Platforms avoid holding client funds No more “trust me, I’ll pay you later”. --- ### 3. Milestone Delivery As work progresses: - The **freelancer** marks milestones as completed - Milestones reflect real deliverables, not time estimates This aligns payment with actual work shipped. --- ### 4. Approval Milestones are reviewed by: - The client - The platform - Or predefined logic (timeouts, auto-approval) Approval rules are explicit and consistent. --- ### 5. Fund Release Once approved: - Funds are released to the freelancer - Platform fees are applied automatically - Remaining funds stay locked for future milestones Payments happen immediately — no weekly payout cycles. --- ## Roles in a Freelance & Gig Escrow Freelance platforms rely on clear separation of responsibilities: - **Depositor (Client)** – Funds the contract - **Receiver (Freelancer / Worker)** – Receives payments - **Initiator (Platform)** – Creates and configures the escrow - **Milestone Marker (Freelancer)** – Marks work as completed - **Approver (Client / Platform)** – Approves deliverables - **Release Signer (Platform / Logic)** – Executes payment - **Platform Address** – Receives platform fees Escrow enforces this structure automatically. --- ## Why This Beats Traditional Platforms ### Lower Fees - Trustless Work fee: **~0.3%** - You add your own platform margin - Still dramatically cheaper than incumbents ### Non-Custodial by Design - Platforms never hold user funds - Reduced regulatory and operational risk ### Faster Payouts - No payout windows - No manual reconciliation - Funds move as soon as work is approved ### Global by Default - Stablecoins work across borders - No banking delays or FX friction --- ## Where This Model Works Best - **Freelance Marketplaces** Designers, developers, writers, consultants - **Gig Platforms** Short-term or task-based work - **Niche Talent Networks** Web3, AI, legal, compliance, research - **Enterprise Contractor Management** Transparent, auditable payments --- ## Building with the Product Suite Platforms can launch incrementally: - **Back Office dApp** – Run early contracts manually - **Escrow API** – Automate contract creation and payouts - **Next.js SDK** – Embed escrow actions into your UI - **Escrow Viewer** – Transparency for clients and workers - **Demo Lab** – Test flows before production --- ## Compete on Distribution, Not Fees Upwork proved escrow works. Trustless Work makes it accessible. Build the freelance platform you want — with better economics, better UX, and programmable trust. --- 🚀 **Want to launch a freelance or gig platform with escrow built-in?** Explore the [API docs](https://docs.trustlesswork.com) or start experimenting with the [Back Office](https://dapp.trustlesswork.com) today. --- # Article: Grants, Bounties, and Ecosystem Funding with Trustless Work URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/use-case-grants-bounties-hackathons Filename: use-case-grants-bounties-hackathons.mdx Date: 2026-01-XX Category: use-case Tags: grants, bounties, hackathons, ecosystem-funding, capital-outflow, use-case, escrow, trustlesswork Capital Flow: capital-outflow Description: How organizations distribute funds transparently using milestone-based escrow for grants, bounties, and hackathons. Summary: Trustless Work enables sponsors and platforms to distribute ecosystem funds from a treasury using non-custodial escrows — making grant payouts, bounties, and hackathon rewards transparent, auditable, and fair. > Ecosystem funding shouldn’t feel like a black box. > Trustless Work turns grants and bounties into auditable capital flows. ## Why Escrow for Grants, Bounties, and Hackathons? Anyone who has participated in hackathons or grant programs knows the pain: - Funds are **promised**, but not visibly reserved - Sponsors, organizers, judges, and builders are **disconnected** - Winners are announced, but **payments are delayed or lost** - There’s no single place to audit **who approved what and who got paid** In many cases, builders simply **never get paid**. Trustless Work fixes this by making **capital availability, approval, and release explicit — before work begins**. --- ## The Core Challenge: Funding Before Knowing the Winner Grants and hackathons have a unique constraint: - Sponsor money arrives **before** - Judges evaluate **after** - Winners are known **at the end** Escrow is the missing layer that allows funds to be: - Locked early - Assigned later - Released transparently --- ## How It Works ### 1. Initiation The **platform or organizer** creates an escrow funded by sponsors or a treasury. At this stage: - The total prize or grant pool is defined - Milestones are created (e.g. “Winner selection”, “Final approval”) - Receivers may be **undefined or placeholders** - The **platform address** is granted update permissions This preserves flexibility without sacrificing transparency. --- ### 2. Funding Sponsors deposit funds directly into the escrow. - Capital is locked non-custodially - Anyone can verify the prize pool exists - Builders can participate knowing funds are real No more IOU hackathons. --- ### 3. Milestone Updates & Winner Selection As the program progresses: - The **platform** updates milestones - Once winners are selected: - Receiver addresses are updated - Allocations can be split across multiple winners - Grants, bounties, or prizes are mapped explicitly This step reflects real-world outcomes on-chain. --- ### 4. Approval **Judges, reviewers, or committees** act as Approvers: - They approve milestone completion - They confirm winner selection or grant fulfillment - Approval is signed and recorded on-chain No off-chain spreadsheets. No ambiguity. --- ### 5. Fund Release Once approved, funds are released: - By the **sponsor**, **platform**, or **receiver** (claim-based model) - Per milestone or in a single payout - With platform or organizer fees applied automatically Every payout is traceable to an approval. --- ## Roles in the Grants & Bounties Flow This flow is designed for **multi-party accountability**: - **Depositor (Sponsor / Treasury)** – Provides the funds - **Receiver (Builders / Grantees)** – Set once winners are known - **Initiator (Platform / Organizer)** – Creates and manages the escrow - **Milestone Marker (Platform)** – Updates milestones and outcomes - **Approver (Judges / Committee)** – Confirms winners or deliverables - **Release Signer (Sponsor / Platform / Receiver)** – Executes payouts - **Platform Address** – Can update receivers and collect fees - **Dispute Resolver (Optional)** – Handles edge cases or appeals > One escrow. One source of truth. Zero excuses. --- ## Example Ecosystem Funding Scenarios - **Hackathons** – Prize pools locked upfront, winners paid transparently - **Open-Source Bounties** – Funds released as contributions are approved - **Grant Programs** – Milestone-based disbursement tied to progress - **Ecosystem Incentives** – Treasury outflows tracked and auditable --- ## Building with the Product Suite Organizations can adopt this incrementally: - **Back Office dApp** – Manage grants and hackathons manually - **Escrow API** – Automate grant creation, approvals, and releases - **Next.js SDK** – Embed funding status into contributor dashboards - **Escrow Viewer** – Public transparency for sponsors and participants - **Demo Lab** – Simulate funding flows before launch --- ## Why This Works - **Funds Are Real** – Capital is visible before participation - **Trust Is Earned** – Builders see how decisions are made - **Sponsor Accountability** – One escrow replaces dozens of payments - **Lower Ops Overhead** – No manual payout coordination - **Global by Default** – Stablecoins remove borders This is how ecosystem funding becomes **credible infrastructure**, not goodwill. --- 🚀 **Want to run grants or hackathons without payout drama?** Try the [Back Office](https://dapp.trustlesswork.com) or explore the [API docs](https://docs.trustlesswork.com/trustless-work/api-reference) to design your own ecosystem funding flows. --- # Article: Investor Capital Escrow for Tokenization Flows URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/use-case-investor-capital Filename: use-case-investor-capital.mdx Date: 2026-01-XX Category: use-case Tags: tokenization, investor-capital, private-credit, use-case, stablecoins, escrow, trustlesswork Capital Flow: capital-inflow Description: How tokenization platforms use milestone-based escrow to capture investor capital transparently and release funds with accountability. Summary: Trustless Work enables tokenization platforms to raise investor capital into non-custodial escrows, release funds based on verified milestones, and provide investors with real-time transparency — without relying on blind trust. > Tokenization isn’t just about issuing tokens. > It’s about earning investor trust — before the first dollar is released. ## Why Escrow for Investor Capital? Tokenization promises **transparency, programmability, and global access**, yet many tokenized projects still raise capital the old way: - Investors send funds **directly to the issuer** - Progress reporting is **off-chain and unverifiable** - Capital is released **before value is created** - Trust depends on reputation, not enforcement This is especially risky in: - Private credit - Real-world asset tokenization - Construction and infrastructure projects - Early-stage project financing Trustless Work replaces **promise-based fundraising** with **milestone-based capital allocation**. --- ## The Core Idea: Capital with Conditions In investor tokenization flows: - Capital is **raised into escrow**, not directly to the issuer - Funds are released **progressively**, not upfront - Third parties **verify progress** - Investors always know **where the money is** Escrow becomes the **capital control layer** beneath the token. --- ## How It Works ### 1. Initiation The **platform or issuer** creates an escrow tied to a tokenized project. Configuration includes: - Target raise amount - Milestone schedule (e.g. 10% foundation, 20% structure, 30% completion) - Role assignments (auditors, approvers, release authority) - Platform or structuring fees The escrow contract defines the capital logic before any funds move. --- ### 2. Capital Inflow Investors deposit stablecoins (e.g. USDC) **directly into the escrow**. - Funds are locked non-custodially - Total capital raised is visible on-chain - Partial funding can be tracked transparently Tokens may be: - Issued at deposit time - Issued per milestone - Issued after full funding (platform-dependent) --- ### 3. Milestone Verification As the project progresses: - **Independent service providers** (engineers, auditors, inspectors) act as **Milestone Markers** - They submit milestone completion updates (e.g. “foundation completed”) This removes self-reporting from the issuer. --- ### 4. Approval A designated **Approver** reviews milestone evidence: - Could be a second auditor - Could be a DAO committee - Could be the platform itself Approval is a cryptographic action — not a PDF email. --- ### 5. Capital Release Once approved, funds are released: - **Incrementally**, per milestone - To the **issuer / project SPV** - With platform fees applied automatically Unreleased capital remains locked and visible. --- ## Roles in the Investor Capital Flow Investor tokenization flows benefit from **strong separation of duties**: - **Depositors (Investors)** – Provide capital into escrow - **Receiver (Issuer / SPV)** – Receives released capital - **Initiator (Platform)** – Creates and configures the escrow - **Milestone Marker (Auditor / Inspector)** – Verifies real-world progress - **Approver (Independent Reviewer / DAO / Platform)** – Confirms milestone validity - **Release Signer (Platform or Issuer)** – Executes capital release - **Platform Address** – Receives structuring or service fees - **Dispute Resolver (Optional)** – Handles milestone disputes > Tokens represent ownership. > Escrow enforces accountability. --- ## Example Tokenization Scenarios - **Construction & Real Estate** Capital released as construction milestones are verified. - **Private Credit Vehicles** Funds deployed as borrowers meet predefined conditions. - **Infrastructure Projects** Multi-year capital allocation with third-party verification. - **Revenue-Backed Assets** Escrow releases tied to performance or delivery metrics. --- ## Building with the Product Suite Tokenization platforms can adopt escrow incrementally: - **Back Office dApp** Manually manage investor escrows for early deals. - **Escrow API** Programmatically deploy investment escrows at scale. - **Next.js SDK** Embed escrow status directly into investor dashboards. - **Escrow Viewer** Public or permissioned transparency for investors. - **Demo Lab** Test capital structures before going live. --- ## Why This Works - **Investor Trust** – Capital isn’t spent before progress exists - **Real Transparency** – Funds and milestones are verifiable - **Lower Risk** – Capital exposure is phased, not binary - **Global Capital** – Stablecoins remove banking friction - **Composable Governance** – Auditors, DAOs, and platforms can all play roles This is how tokenization moves from **marketing narrative** to **capital-grade infrastructure**. --- 🚀 **Want to raise capital with built-in accountability?** Explore the [Back Office](https://dapp.trustlesswork.com) or dive into the [API docs](https://docs.trustlesswork.com/trustless-work/api-reference) to design your own investor escrow flows. --- # Article: Why Every Marketplace Needs Escrow — and How to Integrate It in a Day URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/use-case-marketplaces Filename: use-case-marketplaces.mdx Date: 2025-06-01 Category: use-case Tags: marketplace, e-commerce, escrow, trust, stablecoins, platforms Capital Flow: platform-in-the-middle Description: Most marketplaces can’t afford to build in-house escrow infrastructure. Learn how Trustless Work lets you add role-based, non-custodial escrow to your platform in minutes. Summary: Trustless Work gives marketplaces a neutral, programmable escrow layer that protects buyers and sellers, eliminates custody risk, and enables flexible delivery, approval, and payout flows — without building escrow in-house. > Marketplaces don’t fail because of bad products. > They fail when trust breaks at the moment money moves. You didn’t launch your marketplace to become a payments or escrow expert. But without a neutral way to hold funds between buyers and sellers, you’re forced into problems you never signed up for: - Fraudulent sellers and refund disputes - Chargebacks killing your margins - Delayed payouts eroding seller trust - Compliance and custody risk creeping into your core business Large platforms like Amazon or Upwork solved this by building **internal escrow systems** — custom infrastructure that holds funds until delivery or milestones are confirmed. **Most platforms can’t afford that.** And they shouldn’t have to. --- ## Escrow Is the Backbone of Marketplace Trust At its core, a marketplace is a coordination problem: - Buyers don’t want to pay before delivery - Sellers don’t want to deliver before payment - Platforms don’t want to custody funds or arbitrate every dispute Escrow solves this by introducing a **neutral holding layer** between all parties. With escrow: - Buyers fund with confidence - Sellers deliver knowing funds are reserved - Platforms enforce rules instead of handling money Trust is no longer social — it’s procedural. --- ## The Marketplace Capital Flow Marketplaces sit **in the middle of capital movement**: 1. Funds enter from buyers 2. Funds are held while work or delivery happens 3. Funds exit to sellers once conditions are met The key insight: **The platform should control the logic — not the money.** Trustless Work enables exactly that. --- ## How Marketplace Escrow Works ### 1. Initiation When an order is placed, the **platform** creates an escrow. Configuration includes: - Order amount - Fee structure - Role assignments - Approval logic (manual, automated, or hybrid) The escrow contract becomes the source of truth for the transaction. --- ### 2. Funding The **buyer** deposits stablecoins (e.g. USDC) into the escrow. - Funds are locked non-custodially - No party can move funds unilaterally - The platform never holds user money --- ### 3. Status Updates As fulfillment progresses: - Sellers mark orders as shipped or completed - Carriers, systems, or oracles can update delivery status - Milestones reflect real-world progress --- ### 4. Approval Completion can be confirmed by: - The buyer - The platform - Automated logic (timeouts, tracking verification) - Third-party verifiers Approval rules are defined upfront. --- ### 5. Fund Release Once approved: - Funds are released to the seller - Platform fees are applied automatically - Remaining funds (if any) stay locked until needed Every release is traceable and auditable. --- ## Roles in a Marketplace Escrow Marketplaces don’t have one flow — they have many. Trustless Work supports this by separating responsibilities into explicit roles: - **Depositor (Buyer)** – Funds the transaction - **Receiver (Seller)** – Receives payment after completion - **Initiator (Platform)** – Creates and configures the escrow - **Milestone Marker (Seller / Carrier / System)** – Updates delivery or service status - **Approver (Buyer / Platform / Logic)** – Confirms completion - **Release Signer (Platform / Automation)** – Executes fund release - **Platform Address** – Receives marketplace fees Escrow enforces these roles instead of relying on trust. --- ## Common Marketplace Patterns The same escrow infrastructure supports multiple models: - **Buyer-Approved Delivery** Funds release only after buyer confirmation. - **Platform-Verified Delivery** Platform or oracle confirms fulfillment. - **Auto-Release with Timeout** Funds release automatically if no objection is raised. - **Digital Goods** Access granted → escrow released. - **Peer-to-Peer Sales** Neutral holding without platform custody. No rewrites. No custom contracts per flow. --- ## Why Marketplaces Choose Trustless Work - **No Custody Risk** – Funds never touch your wallet - **Faster Time to Market** – Escrow in days, not quarters - **Global by Default** – Stablecoin-native payments - **Composable Logic** – Roles and approvals adapt to your model - **Auditability** – One escrow equals one transaction history You don’t need to build escrow infrastructure. You just need to **configure it**. --- ## From Payments to Programmable Trust Stripe abstracted payments. **Trustless Work abstracts trust.** Add escrow to your marketplace without becoming a bank, an arbitrator, or a smart contract team. --- 🚀 **Ready to add escrow to your marketplace?** Start with the [API docs](https://docs.trustlesswork.com) or explore the [open-source templates](https://github.com/Trustless-Work) to integrate in a day. --- # Article: Milestone-Based Projects & Outsourcing with Trustless Work URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/use-case-milestone-projects Filename: use-case-milestone-projects.mdx Date: 2026-01-XX Category: use-case Tags: outsourcing, milestone-payments, projects, capital-outflow, use-case, stablecoins, escrow, trustlesswork Capital Flow: capital-outflow Description: How teams fund software outsourcing and complex projects using milestone-based escrow instead of risky upfront payments. Summary: Trustless Work enables teams to fund projects incrementally using non-custodial escrow — replacing large upfront payments with milestone-based releases that improve accountability, flexibility, and trust. > Most projects don’t fail because of talent. > They fail because money moves at the wrong time. ## Why Escrow for Milestone-Based Projects? Traditional outsourcing contracts usually look like this: - 50% paid upfront - 50% paid at delivery - Requirements locked too early - Risk concentrated on one side at a time This model clashes with reality: - Software is **iterative** - Scope evolves as you build - Estimates are imperfect - Trust is earned through delivery — not promises Trustless Work replaces **binary payments** with **incremental capital release**. --- ## The Core Idea: Fund the Project, Not the Guess Instead of paying for assumptions upfront: - Funds are **reserved in escrow** - Work is delivered **in milestones** - Payments are released **as value is created** - Both sides stay aligned throughout the project This creates accountability **without cash crunches**. --- ## How It Works ### 1. Initiation The **client or platform** creates an escrow for the project. Configuration includes: - Total project budget - Initial deposit amount (e.g. 30–50%) - Milestone breakdown (design, MVP, iteration, launch) - Roles and approval logic - Platform or mediation fees (optional) The project is funded — but not prepaid. --- ### 2. Funding The client deposits funds into the escrow. - Capital is locked non-custodially - Both sides know funds are available - No party can move funds unilaterally This removes the fear of non-payment without forcing early payout. --- ### 3. Milestone Delivery As work progresses: - The **service provider** marks milestones as completed (e.g. “API delivered”, “Frontend shipped”, “Iteration approved”) Milestones reflect real delivery — not calendar dates. --- ### 4. Approval The **client or designated reviewer** reviews the milestone: - Approves if requirements are met - Requests iteration if changes are needed - Raises a dispute only when necessary Approval is explicit and recorded. --- ### 5. Fund Release Once approved: - Funds are released **incrementally** - Payments align with delivered value - Remaining capital stays locked for future milestones Projects stay liquid without losing control. --- ## Roles in the Milestone-Based Project Flow This flow supports **clear accountability on both sides**: - **Depositor (Client / Platform)** – Funds the project - **Receiver (Service Provider)** – Receives released payments - **Initiator (Client / Platform)** – Creates and configures the escrow - **Milestone Marker (Service Provider)** – Marks work as completed - **Approver (Client / Product Owner)** – Reviews and approves milestones - **Release Signer (Client / Platform)** – Executes fund release - **Dispute Resolver (Optional)** – Handles disagreements - **Platform Address** – Collects platform or service fees > Escrow doesn’t slow projects down. > It keeps them honest. --- ## Where This Model Works Best - **Software Outsourcing** – Agile delivery without upfront risk - **Product Development** – Pay per iteration, not per estimate - **Grants & R&D Projects** – Capital released as milestones are achieved - **Consulting & Agencies** – Clear delivery-to-payment alignment - **Cross-Border Teams** – Stablecoins remove banking friction --- ## Building with the Product Suite Teams can adopt this model progressively: - **Back Office dApp** – Manage milestone projects manually for pilots - **Escrow API** – Automate project funding and releases at scale - **Next.js SDK** – Embed milestone status into project dashboards - **Escrow Viewer** – Shared visibility for clients and providers - **Demo Lab** – Test project structures before committing capital --- ## Why This Works - **Lower Risk** – No massive upfront exposure - **Better Cash Flow** – Funds move as work ships - **More Trust** – Delivery is visible and verifiable - **Fewer Conflicts** – Expectations are explicit - **Global Ready** – Built for the stablecoin economy This is how outsourcing evolves from **contracts and hope** to **code and accountability**. --- 🚀 **Want to run projects without upfront-payment drama?** Start with the [Back Office](https://dapp.trustlesswork.com) or explore the [API docs](https://docs.trustlesswork.com/trustless-work/api-reference) to build milestone-based project flows. --- # Article: Payroll & Contractor Payments with Trustless Work URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/use-case-payroll-contractors Filename: use-case-payroll-contractors.mdx Date: 2026-01-XX Category: use-case Tags: payroll, contractors, gig-economy, capital-outflow, use-case, stablecoins, escrow, trustlesswork Capital Flow: capital-outflow Description: How teams manage payroll and contractor payments using escrow for auditability, control, and milestone-based releases. Summary: Trustless Work enables companies to run payroll and contractor payments through non-custodial escrows — separating funds by pay cycle, enforcing approval logic, and making compensation fully auditable on-chain. > Payroll is one of the most sensitive capital flows in any organization. > Trustless Work makes it auditable by design. ## Why Escrow for Payroll and Contractor Payments? As teams move to stablecoins, a new problem emerges: - All payments come from the **same wallet** - Payroll for different months is **hard to separate** - Auditing who got paid, when, and why becomes manual - Approvals and checks happen **off-chain** Whether you’re paying a global team, contractors, or freelancers, this quickly turns into operational debt. Trustless Work introduces **payroll escrows** as a clean separation layer. --- ## The Core Idea: One Escrow per Pay Cycle Instead of sending salaries directly from a treasury wallet: - Funds are **allocated into a payroll escrow** - Payments are released on a **defined schedule** - Every receiver, approval, and release is traceable - Each pay cycle becomes a **self-contained audit unit** October payroll, November payroll, contractor batch — all separated, inspectable, and verifiable. --- ## How It Works ### 1. Initiation The **company or platform** creates a payroll or contractor escrow. Configuration includes: - Total payroll amount - List of receivers and allocations - Payment date or milestone logic - Approval rules (e.g. manager + finance) - Platform or processing fees (optional) The escrow defines the payroll logic before funds move. --- ### 2. Funding The **CFO or treasury** deposits funds into the escrow ahead of time. - Capital is reserved for payroll - Teams know funds are available - No last-minute liquidity risk This is especially useful for large or cross-border payrolls. --- ### 3. Validation & Milestone Checks Before release: - Receivers can be validated (employment status, deliverables, time period) - For contractors: - Deliverables can be marked as completed - Minimum retained balances can be enforced - For payroll: - Period-based checks ensure correct pay cycles This step replaces informal “okay to pay” messages. --- ### 4. Approval A designated **approver** (manager, finance, or operations): - Confirms payroll or contractor eligibility - Approves the release batch - Approval is recorded on-chain No silent approvals. No missing context. --- ### 5. Fund Release On payment date or after approval: - Funds are released to each receiver - Payments can be: - Batched - Per-recipient - Claim-based (receiver triggers release) Each payment is linked to a specific escrow and approval. --- ## Roles in the Payroll & Contractor Flow This flow is optimized for **internal accountability**: - **Depositor (Company / Treasury)** – Funds payroll or contractor escrow - **Receiver (Employees / Contractors)** – Receives payments - **Initiator (Company / Platform)** – Creates and configures the escrow - **Milestone Marker (Manager / System)** – Confirms eligibility or delivery - **Approver (Finance / Operations)** – Approves payroll release - **Release Signer (Company / Platform)** – Executes payments - **Platform Address** – Collects processing fees if applicable > Payroll isn’t just payments. > It’s institutional memory. --- ## Where This Model Shines - **Monthly Payroll** One escrow per pay cycle, fully auditable. - **Global Teams** Stablecoins remove banking delays and FX friction. - **Contractors & Freelancers** Funds reserved upfront, released per deliverable. - **Gig Economy Platforms** Transparent payout logic for workers and auditors. - **Enterprise Finance** Clear separation between operational spending and compensation. --- ## Building with the Product Suite Teams can start simple and scale: - **Back Office dApp** – Run payroll manually at first - **Escrow API** – Automate payroll and contractor flows - **Next.js SDK** – Embed payout status into internal tools - **Escrow Viewer** – Read-only audit views for finance teams - **Demo Lab** – Test payroll logic before production --- ## Why This Works - **Auditability** – Every pay cycle is self-contained - **Control** – Funds are reserved before payment dates - **Transparency** – Approvals and releases are explicit - **Flexibility** – Supports payroll, contractors, and hybrids - **Stablecoin-Native** – Built for modern, global teams This is how compensation moves from **wallet chaos** to **structured capital flows**. --- 🚀 **Want to run payroll and contractor payments with built-in audit trails?** Start with the [Back Office](https://dapp.trustlesswork.com) or explore the [API docs](https://docs.trustlesswork.com/trustless-work/api-reference) to design escrow-based payroll flows. --- # Article: Security Deposits with Trustless Work URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/use-case-security-deposits Filename: use-case-security-deposits.mdx Date: 2026-01-XX Category: use-case Tags: security-deposits, use-case, stablecoins, escrow, trustlesswork Capital Flow: capital-inflow Description: How platforms manage refundable security deposits using non-custodial, programmable escrow. Summary: Trustless Work gives platforms a clean, non-custodial way to hold, approve, dispute, and refund security deposits using stablecoin-based smart escrows — without becoming a custodian. > Security deposits aren’t payments. They’re guarantees. > Trustless Work makes that guarantee programmable. ## Why Escrow for Security Deposits? Security deposits are meant to be **temporary and refundable**, yet most platforms still handle them in ways that create friction: - Funds are **held by the platform or provider** - Refund rules are **implicit, not enforced** - Disputes are **manual and off-chain** - Users don’t know **when or how** funds will be returned This creates mistrust on both sides. Trustless Work turns deposits into **rule-based, non-custodial escrows** where outcomes are explicit from day one. --- ## The Core Principle: Refund-First Escrow In a security deposit flow: - Funds are **expected to return to the user** - Payouts only happen if an **exception is validated** - The platform enforces logic — **not custody** This is fundamentally different from crowdfunding or freelance payments. --- ## How It Works ### 1. Initiation When a booking, rental, or service starts, the **platform** creates an escrow. Configuration includes: - Deposit amount - Duration or condition window (e.g. checkout date) - Role assignments - Platform fee (optional) All rules are locked into the escrow contract upfront. --- ### 2. Funding The **user (guest / renter)** deposits stablecoins directly into the escrow. - Funds are visible on-chain - No party can move them unilaterally - Trustless Work never holds the funds --- ### 3. Checkout or Service Completion When the stay or service ends: - The **platform** marks the milestone as completed (e.g. “checkout finished”, “equipment returned”) This signals the start of the approval window. --- ### 4. Approval or Dispute The **landlord / host / service provider** reviews the outcome: - **Approve** → deposit should be refunded - **Dispute** → damages or exceptions claimed This step creates accountability without giving custody. --- ### 5. Fund Release The **platform**, acting as the release signer, executes the outcome: - **Standard case:** Funds are released back to the **user** (receiver) - **Exception case:** Platform resolves the dispute and releases: - Partial amount to provider - Remaining balance back to the user Settlement is instant and transparent. --- ## Roles in the Security Deposit Flow Security deposits follow a **refund-first logic**. Funds default to returning to the depositor unless an exception is approved. - **Depositor (User / Guest)** – Provides the security deposit - **Receiver (User / Guest)** – Receives the refunded deposit by default - **Initiator (Platform)** – Creates and configures the escrow - **Milestone Marker (Platform)** – Marks checkout or service completion - **Approver (Landlord / Host / Provider)** – Approves refund or raises dispute - **Release Signer (Platform)** – Executes fund release - **Dispute Resolver (Platform)** – Handles exceptions and partial deductions - **Platform Address** – Collects platform fees if configured > We don’t hold funds. We enforce outcomes. --- ## Building with the Product Suite Platforms can start simple and scale up: - **Back Office dApp** Manually manage deposits for pilots or early launches - **Escrow API** Programmatically create, approve, dispute, and release deposits - **Next.js SDK** Embed deposit logic directly into booking or checkout flows - **Escrow Viewer** Give users a transparent, read-only view of deposit status - **Demo Lab** Test configurations before production --- ## Example Integration Models - **Hospitality & Rentals** Platform controls flow, host approves, user gets refunded - **Equipment Leasing** Time-based deposit with inspection approval - **Subscription Services** Auto-refund if no dispute is raised within a window - **High-Trust Platforms** Platform + multisig release for added safeguards --- ## Why This Works - **Non-custodial by design** – Platforms never touch user funds - **Clear expectations** – Users know deposits are refundable by default - **Fewer disputes** – Rules are enforced, not negotiated - **Instant settlement** – No banking delays or manual refunds - **Global ready** – Stablecoins work across borders --- 🚀 **Want to ship security deposits without custody risk?** Start with the [Back Office](https://dapp.trustlesswork.com) or explore the [API docs](https://docs.trustlesswork.com/trustless-work/api-reference) to build your own flow. --- # Article: Trade & B2B Marketplaces with Trustless Work URL: https://www.trustlesswork.com/escrow-times/use-case-traded-b2b Filename: use-case-traded-b2b.mdx Date: 2026-01-XX Category: use-case Tags: trade, b2b, marketplace, supply-chain, escrow, stablecoins, use-case Capital Flow: platform-in-the-middle Description: How B2B and trade platforms use escrow to coordinate payments, delivery, and verification without taking custody of funds. Summary: Trustless Work gives trade and B2B platforms a neutral escrow layer to hold funds during cross-border transactions, release payments on delivery or inspection, and provide full auditability for buyers, sellers, and financiers. > Global trade doesn’t fail because of demand. > It fails when counterparties don’t trust each other with capital. Trade and B2B marketplaces sit at the intersection of **money, goods, and trust**. Buyers don’t want to prepay suppliers they’ve never worked with. Suppliers don’t want to ship goods without certainty of payment. Platforms don’t want to custody funds or manually resolve disputes. This is exactly where escrow belongs. --- ## Why Escrow for Trade & B2B Platforms? In traditional B2B trade flows: - Buyers prepay invoices or deposits - Sellers ship goods across borders - Verification happens late or off-chain - Payment disputes are expensive and slow Letters of credit and bank guarantees exist — but they are: - Slow - Expensive - Regionally constrained - Inaccessible to smaller businesses Trustless Work brings **escrow-native trade flows** to the stablecoin economy. --- ## The Trade Capital Flow Trade platforms operate as **neutral coordinators**: 1. Buyer commits funds 2. Funds are held while goods are produced and shipped 3. Third parties verify delivery or condition 4. Funds are released to the seller The platform enforces rules — without touching the money. --- ## How It Works ### 1. Initiation When a trade order is placed, the **platform** creates an escrow. Configuration includes: - Order value and currency (e.g. USDC) - Delivery or production milestones - Verification requirements - Approval and release logic - Platform or service fees Each trade order maps to a single escrow. --- ### 2. Funding The **buyer** deposits funds into the escrow. - Capital is locked non-custodially - Sellers know payment is guaranteed - Platforms avoid custody and settlement risk This replaces prepayments and informal guarantees. --- ### 3. Production & Shipment Updates As the trade progresses: - Sellers update production or shipment milestones - Documents (invoice, packing list, bill of lading) can be referenced - Logistics providers or systems can mark shipment events Escrow reflects the real-world state of the trade. --- ### 4. Verification & Approval Delivery can be approved by: - The buyer - The platform - Third-party inspectors - Automated logic (timeouts, tracking confirmation) Approval rules are defined upfront and enforced consistently. --- ### 5. Fund Release Once conditions are met: - Funds are released to the seller - Platform fees are applied automatically - Partial releases can occur per milestone Unreleased capital remains locked and visible. --- ## Roles in a Trade & B2B Escrow Trade flows benefit from strong role separation: - **Depositor (Buyer)** – Commits funds for the order - **Receiver (Seller / Supplier)** – Receives payment - **Initiator (Platform)** – Creates and manages the escrow - **Milestone Marker (Seller / Logistics / System)** – Updates trade status - **Approver (Buyer / Inspector / Platform)** – Confirms delivery or condition - **Release Signer (Platform / Logic)** – Executes payment - **Platform Address** – Collects marketplace or service fees Escrow replaces trust with enforceable process. --- ## Common Trade & B2B Scenarios - **Cross-Border Procurement** Funds held until goods arrive and are verified. - **Manufacturing Orders** Partial releases tied to production milestones. - **Wholesale Marketplaces** Neutral payment layer between buyers and suppliers. - **SME Trade Platforms** Escrow replaces letters of credit for smaller players. - **Trade Finance Integrations** Escrow data used by lenders or insurers. --- ## Building with the Product Suite Trade platforms can start simple and scale: - **Back Office dApp** – Manage early trades manually - **Escrow API** – Automate trade escrow creation and releases - **Next.js SDK** – Embed escrow status into buyer and seller dashboards - **Escrow Viewer** – Shared transparency for counterparties - **Demo Lab** – Test trade flows before production --- ## Why This Works - **Reduced Counterparty Risk** – No blind prepayments - **Faster Settlement** – No bank delays or LC paperwork - **Lower Costs** – Stablecoins + escrow beat traditional rails - **Global Reach** – Borderless by default - **Auditability** – One escrow per trade transaction This is how B2B trade moves from **trust-by-contract** to **trust-by-infrastructure**. --- 🚀 **Building a trade or B2B marketplace?** Use Trustless Work to add escrow without becoming a bank or custodian. Explore the [API docs](https://docs.trustlesswork.com) or test flows in the [Back Office](https://dapp.trustlesswork.com).