Verify settlement
Confirm a trade actually completed, on chain and in the index, rather than trusting a status label.
Universe implementation Verified 2026-08-31
Describes what a Bitcoin Universe service actually does today. It is not a statement about the protocol in general.
- Page ID
-
guides/verify-settlement - Normative authority
- Universe implementation documentation
- Networks
- mainnet
- Documentation version
- 2026.08
- Audience
- everyone, holder, integrator
- Owner
- bitcoin-universe-docs
- Sources
-
- Universe ARC-20 index and Marketplace v1 authority
at
670030e50071private repository
- Universe ARC-20 index and Marketplace v1 authority
at
Before you start
Section titled “Before you start”- Supported networks: mainnet.
- Status: Universe implementation.
- A settlement status is a product state. Verify the chain and the index separately.
The procedure
Section titled “The procedure”- Read the settlement record for the order. Note the settlement transaction id.
- Confirm that transaction on Bitcoin.
- Wait for the index to reach that height and report a stable generation.
- Read the asset by Atomical ID and confirm its current location is an output you control.
- Confirm the payment output paid the expected script and value.
- Confirm the transaction recorded no burn.
- Record the generation identifier alongside the result.
Step four is the one that matters. A settlement status without a confirmed location change is not a completed trade.
What each side verifies
Section titled “What each side verifies”| Party | Verifies |
|---|---|
| Buyer | The asset is now at an output they control, and no burn occurred |
| Seller | The payment output paid the exact script and value they signed for |
Reconciliation
Section titled “Reconciliation”The service exposes a settlement read for each order, and an operator-only reconcile action. Reconciliation is for resolving a service-side record against the chain. It is not a way to undo a confirmed settlement.
If something is wrong
Section titled “If something is wrong”| Symptom | What it means |
|---|---|
| Settled status, asset not moved | Read the settlement transaction. It may not have confirmed |
| Asset moved, payment missing | Read the payment output. This should be impossible under exact binding |
| Neither moved | Nothing settled. Nothing was spent |
| Index behind | Wait for the height. Do not conclude anything yet |
Reorg considerations
Section titled “Reorg considerations”A settlement confirmed inside the reorg window is not final. For a significant amount, wait for depth appropriate to the value and re-read rather than trusting the first answer.