TRANSACTIONS

Transaction
Architecture

UTXO-based type model — no scripting engine

01 — CURRENT

What Works Today

P2PKH Payments
LIVE

Single-key ECDSA secp256k1 with compressed pubkeys and mandatory LOW-S enforcement. BIP143-simplified sighash with genesis hash for replay protection.

Fee Market
LIVE

Rational fee-rate ordering (fee/size as integer ratio, no floating point). MIN_RELAY_FEE: 1 stock/byte. Mempool prioritizes by fee-rate.

UTXO Model
LIVE

Full UTXO tracking with ConnectBlock/DisconnectBlock for reorg support. BlockUndo preserves spent outputs for chain reorganization.

Batch Transactions
LIVE

Up to 256 inputs and 256 outputs per transaction (consensus). Policy limits: 128 inputs, 32 outputs.

Coinbase
IMMUTABLE

1000-block maturity (~7 days). Constitutional 50/25/25 split: miner, Gold Vault, PoPC Pool. Immutable at genesis.

Consensus Limits
PARAMETERS
MAX_BLOCK_BYTES1,000,000
MAX_TX_BYTES100,000 consensus / 16,000 policy
COINBASE_MATURITY1000 blocks
MIN_RELAY_FEE1 stock/byte
DUST_THRESHOLD10,000 stocks
MAX_INPUTS256 consensus / 128 policy
MAX_OUTPUTS256 consensus / 32 policy
02 — ACTIVATION

Activating at Block 5000

CONSENSUS UPGRADE
BOND_LOCK (OUT_BOND_LOCK, 0x10)
CONSENSUS

Time-locked output. Funds locked until specified block height. 8-byte payload: lock_until as uint64_t LE. Used by PoPC Model B for custody bonds.

ESCROW_LOCK (OUT_ESCROW_LOCK, 0x11)
CONSENSUS

Escrow with designated beneficiary. 28-byte payload: lock_until[8] + beneficiary_pkh[20]. Used by Materials Discovery Engine for access deposits.

Capsule Protocol v1
OVERLAY

Structured metadata in OUT_TRANSFER outputs. 12-byte header + up to 243-byte body. Types: open notes, sealed notes, document references, certificate instructions. Encryption: ECIES-secp256k1-AES256-GCM or X25519-AES256-GCM.

03 — FUTURE

Future Research

Multisig (M-of-N)
Fixed output type OUT_MULTISIG without full scripting. Medium complexity.
Relative Timelocks (CSV-like)
Enables payment channels. Requires sequence number field. Medium complexity.
HTLC
Hash timelock contracts for Lightning compatibility. High complexity.
RBF / CPFP
Mempool-only changes, no consensus change needed. Low complexity.
Schnorr Signatures
Key aggregation, batch verification. Could coexist with ECDSA. Medium complexity.

These features represent potential future upgrades to the SOST transaction architecture. Implementation will follow the type-based activation pattern established by BOND_LOCK and ESCROW_LOCK. No timeline commitments are made. Each upgrade requires a consensus change and will only be deployed after thorough testing, formal verification where applicable, and community review. SOST prioritizes correctness and security over feature velocity.

04 — PHILOSOPHY

Design Philosophy

Bitcoin Script vs SOST Types
COMPARISON
Aspect Bitcoin (Script) SOST (Types)
Model Stack-based scripting Fixed output types
Flexibility Arbitrary programs One type per capability
Attack surface Large (script injection, witness malleability) Minimal (no interpreter)
Validation speed Variable (script execution) Fast (type switch)
New features Soft fork (new opcodes) Hard fork (new output type)
Smart contracts Limited (Bitcoin Script Turing-incomplete) None (not a goal)

SOST chose a type-based model to minimize attack surface and maximize validation speed. Each transaction capability is a distinct output type with consensus-defined semantics. New capabilities activate at predetermined block heights, following the pattern established by BOND_LOCK at height 5000. This design trades flexibility for safety — SOST is a payment chain with constitutional reserves, not a smart contract platform.