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102 sats \ 1 reply \ @anon 5h \ on: The BitVault B-SSL vault proposal doesn't make any sense bitcoin
Hey everyone — I really appreciate the feedback and the attention given to BitVault and the B-SSL paper.
Let me clarify a few important distinctions that might help clear up the confusion 👇
1️⃣ BitVault ≠ B-SSL
- BitVault is a user-facing wallet and security app — its mission is to protect people from physical attacks, hacks, and coercion through time-delayed co-signing, secret notifications, and multisig distribution. Think of it as a defensive layer for humans.
- B-SSL (Bitcoin Secure Signing Layer) is research, not a commercial feature yet. It’s aimed at solving a different problem entirely — the loss of keys in self-custody — by introducing a covenant-free vault model that allows long-term recovery without custodial risk. Think of it as a durability layer for keys. They are complementary but separate — B-SSL is open for review and refinement by the community before any code is released.
2️⃣ About the 2 h – 15 d timelock
That range is not meant to “store” coins for years; it’s meant to create a delay window before a spend is finalized — the same principle behind existing vault prototypes.
The longer (1 – 3 y) delays apply to fallback and recovery paths, not normal transactions.
So there’s no need to “cycle” funds unless you want perpetual delay rotation — a choice that’s user-configurable, not mandatory.
3️⃣ Why the code isn’t public yet
BitVault is currently conducting security audits and user-testing of the beta build before any production code is pushed.
B-SSL, as a research paper, is intentionally public before implementation to invite peer review — exactly how open research should work in Bitcoin.
4️⃣ What the Convenience Service actually does
The CS is not a custodian.
It cannot spend coins, alter delays, or hold keys.
It simply co-signs after Bitcoin’s own consensus-enforced delay has expired — or not at all.
If it disappears, the user still has full fallback paths.
It’s optional convenience, not trust.
5️⃣ The big picture
BitVault’s goal is to make Bitcoin self-custody safer for ordinary people.
B-SSL’s goal is to make it harder to lose Bitcoin forever.
They solve different risks — one human, one structural — and both are being shared openly for discussion because that’s how Bitcoin evolves: through transparent debate, peer review, and collaboration.
In short:
BitVault protects users from attacks and coercion.
B-SSL protects users from key loss and permanent lock-out.
Both remain 100 % non-custodial and enforce all conditions on-chain.
While the code is not public you can subscribe to be a beta tester on our website: https://www.bitvault.sv/
The BitVault Team
B-SSL protects users from key loss and permanent lock-out.
How does the use of a 2hr - 15 day timelock on key C (from your whitepaper) help protect the user from loss of keys?
Here's how I understand the B-SSL system as laid out in your whitepaper:
- user sets up a wallet with 3 keys (A, B, C)
- at least 2 keys are required to sign to move coins from this wallet
- Keys A and C can generate a sign transactions spending coins out of the vault 2 hrs - 15 days after coins enter the vault (depending on how the user configures it)
- Keys A and B can sign transactions spending coins out of the vault 1 year after coins enter the vault
- Keys B and C can sign transactions spending coins out of the vault 3 years after coins enter the vault
I believe I understand the spending paths used by A+B and B+C, but I'm very confused about the purpose of the A+C spending path.
If the timelock on the A+C spending path begins counting as soon as coins are moved into the vault, what purpose does it serve? Do you plan on having users self-send their coins to refresh this timelock before it expires? If not, users will only benefit from the timelock for (at most) the first 15 days of using the vault. This is what confuses me. Can you help me understand this part of it?
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