Everything You Need
to Know About BAN

No. The Bitcoin Attestation Network extends Bitcoin -- it does not replace it, fork it, or compete with it. Every BAN node runs a real Bitcoin node. Every Memory BlockTM anchors to Bitcoin via Taproot. Bitcoin is the settlement layer and the monetary foundation. BAN adds identity, credentials, decentralized AI, and bounded programmable operations above Bitcoin's settlement layer. We believe Bitcoin is sound money. We built a system designed to operate on top of it.

A Memory BlockTM is a dual-purpose block that serves as both a financial ledger entry and a canonical source of verified knowledge. Finalized attestos and related records from Memory Blocks can be extracted into supervised training datasets and local indexes for ElliottTM AI. The deeper the chain confirms a fact, the higher its trust score. No internet scrapes. No unverified data. Facts included in finalized receipts carry explicit provenance.

BAN uses ML-DSA-65 (NIST FIPS 204) lattice-based signatures at the consensus level from the very first block. This is not a future upgrade or a migration plan. Key exchange uses Kyber-768. Transport uses PQTLSTM. The Toshi PQ1TM hardware wallet generates ML-DSA-65 keys on-device so the secret key is designed to stay on the chip. BAN is built for the post-quantum transition from genesis, while acknowledging that all cryptography still depends on implementation and operational discipline.

qBTCTM is the operating token used for activity on the Bitcoin Attestation Network. It has a hard cap of 21 million, mirroring Bitcoin's supply. BAN is designed to reward verified work across categories such as mining, validation, storage, AI inference, model training, and Bitcoin anchoring as those programs are enabled. Bitcoin remains the reserve layer, while qBTC is intended to support network transactions, bounded programmable operations, storage, and AI compute on the operating layer. Planned vault-based Bitcoin functionality, if enabled later, is separate from the current public rollout.

No. A modern laptop is enough to begin exploring the software, and compatible USB miners can add SHA-256 work for people who want dual-mining style participation. When verified-work programs are enabled, that contribution can qualify for qBTCTM shares. No ASIC farm. No 32 ETH stake. No data center. Practical starting points are roughly 8 GB RAM / 10 GB SSD for Wallet, 8-16 GB RAM / 40 GB SSD for Wallet + Verified Work, 16 GB RAM / 120 GB SSD for a Pruned Node, and 32 GB RAM / 1+ TB SSD for a Full Node. These are not strict minimums, and storage, indexing, AI features, and future services can increase requirements over time.

ElliottTM is a local-first AI assistant fine-tuned from supervised datasets derived from finalized attestos and Memory BlocksTM. It runs on your machine by default -- your prompts, data, and model weights never leave your hardware unless you choose otherwise. The current implementation builds an SFT dataset from finalized chain knowledge, applies local LoRA fine-tuning, and exports deployable GGUF models for local runtime. Elliott uses Synthetic RAMTM, a local knowledge index rebuilt from verified chain data. The core intelligence comes from consensus-verified facts, not internet scrapes.

Proof of KnowledgeTM is BAN's consensus innovation. Traditional proof-of-work produces hashes that are immediately discarded -- useful for security but producing no lasting artifact. Proof of Knowledge channels that same computational work into verified datasets, model artifacts, and data verification. The work is still cryptographically verifiable, but it produces lasting value: reusable knowledge, signed receipts, and model outputs the network can inspect. Work that matters, not just work that burns.

An Attesto is a post-quantum-signed verifiable claim recorded on the BAN chain. It is not a token. It is a cryptographic statement: "this entity attests to this fact, signed with ML-DSA-65, at this block height." Attestos power identity verification, credential issuance, document signing, supply chain tracking, and any scenario where someone needs to prove something happened. Think of it as a notarized statement that is quantum-resistant, immutable, and anchored to Bitcoin.

PQTLSTM is a post-quantum transport layer that replaces traditional TLS. There is no certificate authority and no DNS dependency. Your node identity IS the certificate -- the ML-DSA-65 public key authenticates the connection directly. X402 is designed as an agent payment protocol built on PQTLS: machines will be able to negotiate and execute payments autonomously during a transport session. This is designed to enable machine-to-machine commerce, API monetization, and autonomous agent transactions without human intervention.

Yes. ElliottTM AI is designed to work with any provider. Connect any compatible model provider or run entirely offline with local GGUF models. Your data stays local by default -- prompts and context are processed on your machine, and only the inference call goes to the provider you choose. You can also run entirely offline with local models. The verified knowledge indexed through Synthetic RAMTM can ground whatever model you use in finalized chain data rather than opaque web scrapes.

A .btc identity is a decentralized node identity tied to your post-quantum key pair. It is not an email address and does not use SMTP or DNS. Your identity (like yourname@toshi.btc) is resolved through the BAN mesh network. It is used for node authentication, credential verification, transaction signing, and machine-to-machine communication. All messages are encrypted with Kyber-768 and authenticated with ML-DSA-65. Your key is your identity.

No. The full ProofnetTM core stack is not public today. The public materials describe the system architecture and operating model, while specific code, firmware, and components may be published separately under their own applicable terms. The wallet, operator console, browser, creator tools, and supporting services are built in-house in Logan, Utah.