TL;DR: Escrow holds the money until work is verified. Boundless uses Trustless Work for escrow infrastructure. “Trustless” means the rules are enforced by the system you don’t have to trust the other person to pay or deliver.
What you’ll learn
- What escrow is and why Boundless uses it
- How lock -> verify -> release works
- What this means for you as a creator, backer, or funder
- Where to go if something goes wrong
What is escrow?
Escrow is a holding place for money. On Boundless:- Lock The payer (project, backer, or grant program) locks funds (e.g., XLM) into escrow.
- Verify When you deliver work or hit a milestone, a reviewer (or the system) checks that it matches the rules.
- Release If the check passes, the funds are released to you. If not, they stay in escrow or go back according to the rules.
How it works in practice
Bounty:Project locks the bounty reward. You submit work. Project (or reviewer) approves. Escrow sends the reward to your wallet. Grant:
Grant program locks the grant amount. You deliver milestone 1; it’s approved. Escrow releases that portion to you. Same for each milestone. Hackathon:
Prizes are locked in escrow. Winners are announced. Escrow pays out to winners (and optionally to post-event milestone completions). Crowdfunding:
Backers’ funds go into escrow. You (the creator) complete a milestone and submit. Once approved, that part of the funds is released to you.
Why “trustless”?
“Trustless” doesn’t mean nobody is involved. It means you don’t have to trust one person or company to do the right thing. The rules are clear and enforced:- Funds can’t be taken back without the agreed conditions (e.g., approval, dispute outcome).
- You can’t get paid without meeting the agreed conditions.
What if something goes wrong?
If you disagree with a rejection or outcome, you can open a dispute. Someone (or a process) will review the evidence and decide. See Handle disputes.Next steps
- How Boundless works
- Bounties overview escrow in bounties
- Handle disputes