> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://inferra.gitbook.io/inferra-docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://inferra.gitbook.io/inferra-docs/inferra-cloud/the-escrow-program.md). # The escrow program Inferra Cloud settles rentals through a single program on Solana. It holds a buyer's payment in an escrow tied to one order, pays the provider only after the machine is delivered, and refunds the buyer if it is not. No wallet, not even the protocol's own, can move escrowed funds. On mainnet everything settles in USDC. ``` Escrow program: 85BFwPsoQEnnyXFszbSSFTN7wGCRWhYNPwHLFFjdxDeK ``` ### How a rental settles When you rent, your payment is locked in an escrow that belongs to that single order. From there, exactly one of two things happens. * **The machine is delivered.** The provider is paid 98% and the protocol takes a 2% fee. This is the only way funds ever reach a provider. * **It is not.** The full amount is refunded to you, and part of the provider's stake is slashed and split between you and the treasury, so a failed delivery costs the provider and makes the buyer whole. An order settles once and cannot reopen. Delivery can be confirmed by you, or, for verified providers, by the protocol arbiter on your behalf, so a normal rental completes without asking you to sign a second time. ```mermaid flowchart LR Start((Rent)) --> Escrowed[Held in escrow] Escrowed -->|delivered| Delivered[Provider paid, 98 percent] Escrowed -->|not delivered| Refunded[Buyer refunded, stake slashed] ``` ### Providers To list capacity, a provider bonds stake into the program, starting at 100 USDC. That stake is the collateral behind their listings: deliver, and it stays; fail, and it is slashed. See [Becoming a provider](/inferra-docs/inferra-cloud/becoming-a-provider.md). ### What it guarantees * The protocol has no wallet that can move a buyer's escrowed funds. * A provider is paid only for a delivered order, and always receives a real share of it. * A refund returns the full amount of that one order and can never reach another. The same program runs the marketplace on both networks; on mainnet it settles in USDC. See [On-chain addresses](/inferra-docs/reference/on-chain-addresses.md) for the details, and [The delivery layer](/inferra-docs/inferra-cloud/the-delivery-layer.md) for what happens once an order settles. --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com. ## Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter, and the optional `goal` query parameter: ``` GET https://inferra.gitbook.io/inferra-docs/inferra-cloud/the-escrow-program.md?ask=&goal= ``` `ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. `goal` is optional and describes the broader end goal you are ultimately trying to accomplish on behalf of the user. GitBook uses it to tailor the answer towards what is most useful for that goal. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.