Glossary

Assertion A claim about an outcome, posted with a bond via assert_outcome. Identified by a u64 id. See the Assertion type in CONTRACT.md.

Asserter The address that posted an assertion. Receives the bond back if the assertion finalizes uncontested, or if a resolver majority agrees with them after a dispute.

Bond The amount of the configured token an asserter or disputer must post to make a claim. Fixed per contract instance at initialize. Exists to make bad-faith assertions and disputes costly.

Challenge window The time period (in seconds, from opened_at) during which a Pending assertion can be disputed. Fixed per contract instance at initialize.

Disputer The address that disputed a Pending assertion within its challenge window, matching its bond. Receives both bonds if a resolver majority disagrees with the original asserter.

Resolver An address in the resolver committee, entitled to vote on Disputed assertions via resolve.

Resolver committee The full set of resolvers for a contract instance, set at initialize and replaceable via update_resolvers. Must have an odd, non-zero length.

Majority resolvers.len() / 2 + 1. The number of matching votes needed to resolve a disputed assertion. Always achievable and never ambiguous because the committee is odd-length.

Finalize Closing out a Pending assertion after its challenge window has elapsed with no dispute. Callable by anyone. Returns the asserter’s bond.

Resolve Casting one resolver’s vote on a Disputed assertion. Once a majority agrees, the winning side receives both bonds and the assertion moves to Resolved.

Pause An admin-controlled switch (set_paused) that blocks new assertions, disputes, and resolver votes, without affecting finalize or update_resolvers. See ARCHITECTURE.md.

SEP-41 The Stellar Ecosystem Proposal defining the standard token interface Soroban contracts use (transfer, balance, etc.). Tholos’s token parameter must implement it.

SAC (Stellar Asset Contract) The built-in Soroban contract wrapping a classic Stellar asset (like native XLM or a Stellar-issued USDC) so it can be used as a SEP-41 token. What scripts/testnet-smoke.sh uses for its bond token.