Merge branch 'chore/main-catchup-2026-08-26' into 'main'HEADmain

Bring main onto the line this project actually ships (incl. the 1.2.23 compactblock port)

Closes #6, #7, #8, #11, #35, #34, #29, #28, #27, and #16

See merge request !16

12 files changed, 1351 insertions, 27 deletions

diff --git a/docs/dependencies.md b/docs/dependencies.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9fd45b6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/dependencies.md
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+# Build Dependencies
+
+Bitflash links consensus-adjacent cryptographic and proof-of-work code from
+external repositories. Fresh builds must not follow upstream `master` silently:
+a changed upstream branch can break reproducible builds or change behavior in
+code that every node relies on.
+
+The top-level `Makefile` pins source dependencies by full commit hash:
+
+| dependency | repository | pinned commit |
+|---|---|---|
+| libsecp256k1 | https://github.com/bitcoin-core/secp256k1 | `7fecac74aed8e1fd9078380d67dd04663705c989` |
+| RandomX | https://github.com/tevador/RandomX | `1e9d4b2df63fa6edf46b06789486e23c0fcaa55a` |
+
+When updating either dependency, rebuild from a clean dependency directory and
+run the full selftest suite before opening the PR. The PR should explain why the
+dependency changed and whether the update can affect consensus, addresses,
+signatures, proof-of-work validation, or mining.
diff --git a/docs/fair-launch.md b/docs/fair-launch.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9603910
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/fair-launch.md
@@ -0,0 +1,70 @@
+# Bitflash fair-launch verifier
+
+Bitflash ships a deterministic fair-launch audit script:
+
+```bash
+python3 scripts/verify-fair-launch.py --max-blocks 1000 --out bitflash-fair-launch-report.json --json
+```
+
+The verifier reads `blk*.dat` directly from the local Bitflash data directory.
+It does not use Berkeley DB, does not call the node binary, and does not need
+network access. It uses the same shared Python chain parser as the UTXO
+commitment and proof tools, so block serialization fixes land in one place.
+
+The report proves the launch baseline that can be checked from the chain:
+
+- the genesis block hash matches the source constant;
+- the genesis merkle root matches the source constant;
+- the genesis transaction is a single coinbase transaction;
+- the genesis output total is exactly `50.00000000 BTF`;
+- the scanned block range and mined coinbase total are reproducible.
+
+For machines that do not have a synced data directory yet, the source constants
+can be checked without disk blocks:
+
+```bash
+python3 scripts/verify-fair-launch.py --reconstruct-genesis
+```
+
+## Deterministic output
+
+Use `--json` or `--out` for canonical JSON. The JSON is written with sorted
+keys, fixed separators, ASCII escaping, and one trailing newline. It deliberately
+does not include local paths or wall-clock generation time, so two auditors
+scanning the same block range produce the same bytes.
+
+That makes the report shareable:
+
+```bash
+python3 scripts/verify-fair-launch.py --max-blocks 1000 --out report.json --json
+sha256sum report.json
+```
+
+If another auditor runs the same command against the same chain prefix, the
+`sha256sum` should match.
+
+## OpenTimestamps
+
+OpenTimestamps is optional and external. It anchors the report in Bitcoin
+without adding any bridge or dependency to Bitflash consensus.
+
+After generating a canonical JSON report:
+
+```bash
+ots stamp report.json
+ots verify report.json.ots
+```
+
+The `.ots` file proves that the exact report bytes existed no later than the
+Bitcoin block that confirms the timestamp.
+
+## What this does not claim
+
+This is not a retroactive genesis commitment. The Bitflash genesis block already
+exists, so adding a new on-chain commitment to genesis would create a different
+chain. This verifier instead audits the launch state that is already on-chain
+and makes the result reproducible and timestampable.
+
+It also does not prove real-world miner identity. It proves the genesis state,
+the absence of non-coinbase premine in genesis, and the deterministic coinbase
+totals over the scanned prefix.
diff --git a/docs/mining-calculator.md b/docs/mining-calculator.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e6cb61b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/mining-calculator.md
@@ -0,0 +1,108 @@
+# Bitflash mining calculator
+
+`scripts/bitflash-mining-calculator.py` is a local WhatToMine-style calculator
+for Bitflash.
+
+It does not fetch market prices, does not talk to exchanges, and does not
+change consensus. Price is a manual input until Bitflash has a reliable public
+market.
+
+## Examples
+
+Estimate from network hashrate:
+
+```bash
+python3 scripts/bitflash-mining-calculator.py \
+  --hashrate 21 --hashrate-unit kh/s \
+  --network-hashrate 1.56 --network-hashrate-unit mh/s \
+  --watts 140 --kwh-cost 0.10 \
+  --price 0.001 --pool-fee 1
+```
+
+Estimate from Bitflash difficulty:
+
+```bash
+python3 scripts/bitflash-mining-calculator.py \
+  --hashrate 21 --hashrate-unit kh/s \
+  --difficulty 45600 \
+  --watts 140 --kwh-cost 0.10
+```
+
+Machine-readable output:
+
+```bash
+python3 scripts/bitflash-mining-calculator.py \
+  --hashrate 21 --hashrate-unit kh/s \
+  --network-hashrate 1.56 --network-hashrate-unit mh/s \
+  --json
+```
+
+## Bitflash Difficulty Scale
+
+Bitflash does not use Bitcoin's SHA256 difficulty-1 constant for pool shares.
+The chain's easiest RandomX target is `bnProofOfWorkLimit = ~uint256(0) >> 12`,
+so difficulty 1 expects about `4096` hashes.
+
+The calculator uses:
+
+```text
+network_hashrate = difficulty * 4096 / block_time_seconds
+```
+
+At the default two-minute block target:
+
+```text
+network_hashrate = difficulty * 4096 / 120
+```
+
+If you already know network hashrate, pass `--network-hashrate` directly and
+the script derives the equivalent Bitflash difficulty for display.
+
+## Reward Estimate
+
+The expected daily reward is:
+
+```text
+blocks_per_day = 86400 / block_time_seconds
+miner_share = miner_hashrate / network_hashrate
+gross_btf_per_day = blocks_per_day * block_reward * miner_share
+net_btf_per_day = gross_btf_per_day * (1 - pool_fee_percent / 100)
+```
+
+Electricity is:
+
+```text
+electricity_per_day = watts / 1000 * 24 * kwh_cost
+```
+
+This is an expectation, not a promise. Solo mining variance can be very large,
+especially when the miner has a small share of the network.
+
+## Future Website Use
+
+The script is intentionally standalone so the same math can later back a
+website widget or status dashboard. Until a public price exists, a website
+calculator should keep price as a manual field and label fiat profit as
+speculative.
+
+## Website Fields
+
+A public calculator should ask for:
+
+- miner hashrate and unit;
+- power draw in watts;
+- electricity price per kWh;
+- pool fee percent;
+- optional BTF price;
+- either current Bitflash difficulty or current network hashrate.
+
+The output should separate:
+
+- estimated BTF per day;
+- estimated gross fiat revenue, if a manual price was provided;
+- electricity cost;
+- net profit/loss;
+- the difficulty/hashrate assumptions used.
+
+Never present the fiat number as a market quote unless it comes from a real
+public market. Before that exists, label it as a manual scenario.
diff --git a/docs/pool-directory.md b/docs/pool-directory.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ff0640a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/pool-directory.md
@@ -0,0 +1,61 @@
+# Public Pool Directory
+
+`pool.bitflash.network` should be a public directory, not a network dependency.
+Nodes discover pools through Nostr and `.btf`; the website only helps humans
+compare operators.
+
+Operators can publish the `pool_status.json` and `pool_rounds.json` files
+produced by:
+
+```bash
+bitflash -nogui -gen -operator \
+  -poolstatusfile=/var/www/pool_status.json \
+  -poolroundsfile=/var/www/pool_rounds.json
+```
+
+Build a static directory from one or more status files:
+
+```bash
+python3 scripts/build-pool-index.py --out-dir public/pool \
+  https://operator-one.example/pool_status.json \
+  https://operator-two.example/pool_status.json
+```
+
+The generated output contains:
+
+- `index.html`: human-readable ranking page.
+- `pools.json`: machine-readable API for `api.bitflash.network/pools.json`.
+
+The website is a convenience layer, not a consensus or discovery dependency.
+Nodes discover pools through Nostr descriptors and `.btf`; a missing website
+must not stop mining or pool operation.
+
+When a source is an HTTP(S) `pool_status.json`, the directory links to a
+`pool_rounds.json` proof file next to it. That file records the block height,
+block hash, coinbase txid, coinbase value, pool fee, total shares, per-address
+share counts, computed payouts, and payout txids once paid.
+
+Ranking order is intentionally simple:
+
+1. online pools first;
+2. higher reported hashrate;
+3. more authorized miners;
+4. lower fee;
+5. name as a stable tie-breaker.
+
+An entry is considered online when the source says the pool is running and its
+status file is no more than 120 seconds old.
+
+## Recommended Hostnames
+
+Use:
+
+```text
+pool.bitflash.network        human-readable pool directory
+api.bitflash.network/pools.json
+status.bitflash.network      relay/node health, not pool ranking
+docs.bitflash.network        operator setup guide
+```
+
+The GUI may use the API as a shortcut for humans, but it should keep the
+existing decentralized pool discovery path as the source of truth.
diff --git a/docs/release-verification.md b/docs/release-verification.md
index ecacd5f..b8eaf5e 100644
--- a/docs/release-verification.md
+++ b/docs/release-verification.md
@@ -3,60 +3,100 @@
 Bitflash releases publish binaries and a `SHA256SUMS` file. The checksum file
 proves that the file you downloaded matches the file the release page names.
 A detached signature, `SHA256SUMS.asc`, proves that the checksum file itself was
-signed by a trusted release key.
+signed by the Bitflash release key.
 
 That gives users two separate checks:
 
-1. `gpg --verify SHA256SUMS.asc SHA256SUMS` checks who signed the checksums.
-2. `sha256sum -c SHA256SUMS` checks the binaries against those checksums.
+1. `gpg --verify SHA256SUMS.asc SHA256SUMS` — who signed the checksums.
+2. `sha256sum -c SHA256SUMS` — the binaries against those checksums.
 
-## User Check
+But the first check is only worth something if you require a **specific** key.
+A good signature by *some* key proves nothing; anyone can make one.
 
-From a shell with `curl` or `wget` and `sha256sum`:
+## The release signing key
+
+```text
+fingerprint  910A 2B4C CA87 9E81 FB4B  2AEA 1D4A 53D3 B78A A4B8
+uid          Bitflash Releases (bitflash.network release signing)
+             <releases@bitflash.network>
+```
+
+The public key is published at
+`https://releases.bitflash.network/bitflash-release-key.asc` and embedded in
+`scripts/verify-release.sh`, so the tool's trust anchor lives in this
+repository rather than on the server it verifies.
+
+## User check
+
+From a shell with `curl` or `wget`, `sha256sum` and `gpg`:
 
 ```bash
 scripts/verify-release.sh latest
 ```
 
-For a specific release:
+The public release host should expose latest-file aliases for convenience:
 
-```bash
-scripts/verify-release.sh v1.2.13
+```text
+https://releases.bitflash.network/SHA256SUMS
+https://releases.bitflash.network/SHA256SUMS.asc
 ```
 
-For release audits, require the signature:
+Those aliases must point at the current versioned directory. They do not replace
+signature verification; they only make the common manual path shorter.
+
+For a specific release:
 
 ```bash
-scripts/verify-release.sh v1.2.13 --require-signature
+scripts/verify-release.sh v1.2.15
 ```
 
-Older releases may not have `SHA256SUMS.asc`. In that case the script warns and
-still checks file integrity. New release audits should use `--require-signature`.
-
-## Maintainer Flow
+The script downloads the release, imports the pinned key into a throwaway
+keyring, and **refuses anything that is not a valid signature by the key above**
+before checking the hashes. Releases from before signing was introduced ship
+only `SHA256SUMS`; without `--require-signature` those are checked for integrity
+and reported as unsigned.
 
-After building release assets in the repository root:
+By hand, if you would rather not run the script:
 
 ```bash
-scripts/make-release-checksums.sh --sign --local-user RELEASE_KEY_ID
+curl -O https://releases.bitflash.network/bitflash-release-key.asc
+gpg --import bitflash-release-key.asc
+gpg --verify SHA256SUMS.asc SHA256SUMS   # must name the fingerprint above
+sha256sum -c SHA256SUMS
 ```
 
-Upload all built assets plus:
+## Maintainer flow
 
-```text
-SHA256SUMS
-SHA256SUMS.asc
+The signing key lives on a dedicated location, not in the build tree. After
+building the release assets in the repository root, write and sign the
+checksums:
+
+```bash
+sha256sum Bitflash-*.zip Bitflash-*.AppImage bitflash-node-* > SHA256SUMS
+gpg --armor --detach-sign --output SHA256SUMS.asc SHA256SUMS
 ```
 
-Keep the private signing key offline or on a dedicated release machine. Publish
-the public key fingerprint in the release notes and keep using the same key for
-future releases unless there is a clearly announced rotation.
+Publish, alongside the assets, `SHA256SUMS` and `SHA256SUMS.asc`, and update
+`latest.txt` on the releases host to the new tag. Keep using the same key; if it
+is ever rotated, announce the new fingerprint clearly and update the embedded
+key in `verify-release.sh`.
+
+For Windows releases with managed Tor built in, run `make windows-tor`. It
+creates `Bitflash-*-windows-with-tor.zip` by downloading the Tor Expert Bundle,
+checking the pinned SHA256 in `scripts/package-windows-tor.sh`, optionally
+verifying the Tor Project `.asc` signature, and placing `tor/tor.exe` next to
+`Bitflash.exe`. For release builds, run `TOR_VERIFY_GPG=required make
+windows-tor` so the signature check is mandatory. Include that zip in
+`SHA256SUMS` like any other release asset.
 
-## Why This Matters
+## Why this matters
 
 `SHA256SUMS` alone protects against a broken download, but not against someone
-replacing both a binary and the checksum file. Signing `SHA256SUMS` means an
-attacker must also have the release signing key to make the replacement verify.
+replacing both a binary and the checksum file. Signing `SHA256SUMS`, and
+requiring a pinned key, means an attacker must also hold the release signing key
+to make the replacement verify. Serving from bitflash.network makes this the
+guarantee that matters: without a pinned key, "trust the site" is the only
+thing standing behind a download.
 
 This is not reproducible builds yet. It is the smaller, immediate step that
-makes every release asset auditable by users before they run it.
+makes every release asset auditable before anyone runs it.
diff --git a/docs/rendezvous.md b/docs/rendezvous.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..68b5df3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/rendezvous.md
@@ -0,0 +1,336 @@
+# Bitflash `.btf` Rendezvous Protocol
+
+This is the specification of how Bitflash nodes reach each other, and how miners
+reach pools, without revealing an IP address and without any central directory.
+It documents the protocol as implemented in `src/btfaddr.cpp`, `src/btfchan.cpp`,
+`src/btfrv.cpp`, `src/btftunnel.cpp` and `src/nostr.cpp`.
+
+The design is ported from the Itzal hidden service design. A `.btf` address names
+a public key, a node proves ownership of that key by signing a service
+descriptor, other nodes find the descriptor over Nostr, and the two sides then
+meet through an untrusted relay over an end to end encrypted tunnel. The relay
+carries ciphertext only and never learns the plaintext.
+
+## 1. Overview
+
+A connection to a `.btf` service has three layers:
+
+1. **Discovery (Nostr).** The service publishes a signed descriptor as a Nostr
+   event. A caller fetches it by the service public key and verifies the
+   signature. The descriptor says which rendezvous relay the service is waiting
+   at, which encryption key to use, and optionally which Tor hidden service can
+   be dialed directly.
+2. **Rendezvous (TCP).** Caller and service both connect out to the same relay
+   and are paired by public key. Neither needs an inbound port or a public IP.
+   After pairing the relay is a blind byte pipe.
+3. **Direct onion fallback bypass.** If the descriptor carries a valid signed
+   `.onion:port` endpoint and the caller is running with Tor mode, the caller
+   tries that endpoint before using rendezvous. This removes the rendezvous
+   relay from the data path for peers that choose to run hidden services.
+4. **Encrypted channel (X25519 + XChaCha20-Poly1305).** Over the paired pipe the
+   caller and service run an ephemeral to static handshake and then exchange
+   authenticated frames. The relay sees only ciphertext.
+
+The caller ends up holding an ordinary local socket that behaves like a direct
+TCP connection to the peer. The node treats it exactly like any other peer
+socket.
+
+## 2. Identities and keys
+
+A node holds two independent keypairs.
+
+- **Signing / identity key**: a secp256k1 x-only key (BIP340 Schnorr). This is
+  the `.btf` identity and also the node's Nostr identity. Persisted in
+  `nostr.key`.
+- **Encryption key**: an X25519 (Curve25519) keypair. Persisted in
+  `btf_enc.key`. Its public half is published in the descriptor as `enc` and is
+  used for the tunnel key agreement.
+
+The identity key names the service and authenticates the descriptor. The
+encryption key secures the tunnel. They are separate so the long term identity
+never performs Diffie-Hellman and the encryption key can be rotated in a new
+signed descriptor.
+
+## 3. The `.btf` address
+
+An address is the identity public key plus a short checksum, Base32 encoded, with
+the suffix `.btf`.
+
+```
+label   = Base32( pubkey[32] || checksum[2] )
+address = label + ".btf"
+```
+
+- `pubkey` is the 32 byte secp256k1 x-only public key.
+- `checksum` is the first two bytes of `SHA256(".btf-checksum-v1" || pubkey)`.
+- Base32 uses the lowercase alphabet `abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz234567`, no
+  padding. The 34 byte payload encodes to 55 characters.
+- Parsing is case insensitive, trims surrounding whitespace, and strips a
+  trailing dot. A wrong checksum is rejected.
+
+The address is self certifying: it *is* the public key, so no registry has to be
+trusted to map a name to a key.
+
+## 4. Discovery over Nostr
+
+Nodes publish and read three kinds of parameterized replaceable Nostr events.
+Parameterized replaceable means the newest event for a given author and `d` tag
+supersedes the older one, so a descriptor is always the latest state.
+
+| Purpose | kind | `d` tag |
+|---|---|---|
+| Service descriptor | 38501 | `btf-descriptor-2` |
+| Rendezvous relay announcement | 38502 | `btf-relay-2` |
+| Pool announcement | 38503 | `btf-pool-2` |
+
+The Nostr event is signed with the node's identity key, so the event author
+equals the `.btf` public key. That binds the descriptor to the address at the
+Nostr layer, and the descriptor is *also* signed inside its own content (see
+below), so a relay operator cannot forge or swap a descriptor for an address it
+does not control.
+
+**Resolving an address.** To reach `X.btf`, a caller parses the address to the 32
+byte key and sends a Nostr `REQ` filtered by `authors = [X]`, `kinds = [38501]`,
+`#d = ["btf-descriptor-2"]`, `limit = 1`. It verifies the returned descriptor and
+uses its `meeting_node` and `enc`.
+
+**Relay auto discovery.** A relay operator runs a rendezvous relay and publishes a
+kind 38502 event carrying `host:port`. Every node that reads it adds the relay to
+the set it can register at and dial through. No seed list edit or maintainer
+approval is needed. A small curated seed list is still shipped for bootstrap:
+
+```
+92.246.128.180:8434
+31.44.4.249:8434
+90.156.222.107:8434
+```
+
+The default rendezvous port is `8434`.
+
+## 5. The service descriptor
+
+The descriptor is a JSON object, signed with the identity key over a domain
+separated digest of its own fields.
+
+Legacy descriptor:
+
+```json
+{
+  "v": 2,
+  "pubkey": "<hex 32-byte x-only identity key>",
+  "enc": "<hex 32-byte X25519 public key>",
+  "meeting_node": "host:port",
+  "created": <unix seconds>,
+  "sig": "<hex 64-byte BIP340 Schnorr signature>"
+}
+```
+
+Onion-capable descriptor:
+
+```json
+{
+  "v": 3,
+  "pubkey": "<hex 32-byte x-only identity key>",
+  "enc": "<hex 32-byte X25519 public key>",
+  "meeting_node": "host:port",
+  "onion": "<56-char-v3-name>.onion:8433",
+  "created": <unix seconds>,
+  "sig": "<legacy v2 signature>",
+  "sig3": "<signature over the onion-capable digest>"
+}
+```
+
+The legacy signed digest is:
+
+```
+digest = SHA256( ".btf-descriptor-v2"
+               || pubkey[32]
+               || enc            (raw bytes of the string)
+               || meeting_node   (raw bytes of the string)
+               || created        (8 bytes, big endian) )
+```
+
+`sig` is kept on v3 descriptors so old nodes can still resolve and dial through
+the rendezvous relay. The onion-capable digest is:
+
+```
+digest3 = SHA256( ".btf-descriptor-v3-onion"
+                || pubkey[32]
+                || enc            (raw bytes of the string)
+                || meeting_node   (raw bytes of the string)
+                || onion          (raw bytes of the normalized string)
+                || created        (8 bytes, big endian) )
+```
+
+`sig` and `sig3` are deterministic BIP340 Schnorr signatures (no auxiliary
+randomness) over their respective digests by the identity key.
+
+**Verification** (untrusted input, must never throw): parse the JSON, require all
+fields with the right types, confirm `pubkey` equals the address being resolved,
+recompute the digest, and verify the Schnorr signature. Any failure rejects the
+descriptor.
+
+If `onion` is present, readers accept it only when it is a normalized v3 onion
+endpoint and `sig3` verifies. A bad or tampered onion field is ignored; the v2
+descriptor can still be used for rendezvous fallback if `sig` verifies.
+
+`created` lets a reader prefer the freshest descriptor when more than one is
+seen. A node without a direct onion endpoint only publishes a descriptor once it
+has actually registered at a `meeting_node`, so it never advertises a relay it
+cannot be reached at. A node with a direct onion endpoint may publish before
+rendezvous registration using `meeting_node = "rendezvous-pending"`; Tor peers
+can still dial the signed onion endpoint, and rendezvous becomes fallback once
+registration succeeds.
+
+## 6. Rendezvous transport
+
+The relay is a small TCP server. Every connection opens with a fixed 33 byte
+header:
+
+```
+byte 0     role: 'S' (service) or 'C' (client)
+bytes 1..32 target public key (the .btf identity, 32 bytes)
+```
+
+**Service registration (`S`).** The service connects out to the relay and sends
+`'S' || own_pubkey`. The relay stores the connection in a table keyed by the
+public key and leaves it open, waiting. There is one slot per key: a new
+registration for the same key replaces and closes the old one. The service does
+not block waiting to be paired at registration time; it is considered registered
+the moment the relay reads the header, which is what lets it publish a descriptor
+pointing at this relay.
+
+**Client dial (`C`).** The caller connects out to the same relay and sends
+`'C' || target_pubkey`. The relay looks up the waiting service:
+
+- If present, it removes it from the table, writes a single `0x01` byte to both
+  sockets, and then forwards raw bytes in both directions until either side
+  closes. From this point the relay is a blind pipe.
+- If absent, it writes `0x00` to the caller and closes.
+
+Both sides connect *outbound* to the relay, so neither needs a public IP or an
+open inbound port. The relay never sees the identity of the caller (the caller
+sends no key of its own, only the target it wants).
+
+**Liveness.** A registration socket is idle by design and can outlive the network
+path that created it (a NAT drops the idle mapping, the relay restarts, a route
+changes) with no FIN and nothing readable. TCP keepalive was measured and does
+not reliably detect this. The service therefore imposes its own timeout on the
+wait for the pairing byte and re-registers on expiry. Expiring is not a failure;
+it costs one reconnect per interval and returns the loop to a known state.
+
+## 7. The encrypted channel
+
+Once paired through the relay, the caller and service run an end to end handshake
+and then exchange authenticated frames. The primitive is libsodium
+`crypto_box_curve25519xchacha20poly1305` (X25519 key agreement, XChaCha20-Poly1305
+AEAD), the same construction as Rust's `crypto_box` ChaChaBox.
+
+**Handshake (ephemeral to static).**
+
+1. The caller generates a fresh ephemeral X25519 keypair, computes
+   `shared = X25519(eph_sk, service_enc_pub)` reduced to a box key
+   (`crypto_box_beforenm`), and sends the 32 byte ephemeral public key over the
+   paired pipe.
+2. The service reads the ephemeral public key and computes the same
+   `shared = X25519(enc_sk, eph_pub)`.
+
+Because the caller uses a new ephemeral key per connection, each session has an
+independent key and forward secrecy against later compromise of the service
+encryption key.
+
+**Framing.** Every message is length prefixed:
+
+```
+frame = len[4]  (big endian, length of the body that follows)
+        body    = nonce[24] || ciphertext || mac[16]
+```
+
+The nonce is 24 random bytes per frame (XChaCha20), the MAC is 16 bytes
+(Poly1305). A body shorter than `nonce + mac` or larger than 1 MiB is rejected.
+Decryption that fails authentication drops the frame and tears the tunnel down.
+
+The tunnel is transparent: the application is handed a local socket pair end and
+reads and writes plaintext. Two pump threads move data between that socket and
+the relay socket, encrypting outbound and decrypting inbound.
+
+## 8. End to end connection flow
+
+To dial `X.btf`:
+
+1. Parse `X.btf` to the 32 byte identity key.
+2. Fetch and verify the descriptor over Nostr (kind 38501). Obtain
+   `meeting_node` and `enc`.
+3. Connect to `meeting_node`, send `'C' || X`, and wait for `0x01`.
+4. Generate an ephemeral X25519 key, derive the shared key against `enc`, send
+   the ephemeral public key.
+5. Exchange XChaCha20-Poly1305 frames. Hand the application a local socket that
+   speaks the ordinary peer protocol.
+
+A service, symmetrically: registers at a relay (`'S' || own_pubkey`), publishes a
+descriptor pointing at that relay, waits for `0x01`, reads the caller ephemeral
+public key, derives the shared key with its encryption secret, and serves the
+tunnel.
+
+## 9. Security properties
+
+- **Address unforgeability.** The address is the identity key and the descriptor
+  is Schnorr signed by it, and the Nostr event is signed by it. A relay or Nostr
+  operator cannot publish a working descriptor for an address it does not own.
+- **Relay confidentiality.** The relay forwards ciphertext and never holds the
+  channel key. It cannot read or modify traffic undetected; a tampered frame
+  fails the Poly1305 tag and the tunnel closes.
+- **Caller anonymity to the service and relay.** The caller presents no identity
+  key, only the target it wants to reach. It connects outbound, so its address is
+  not published anywhere.
+- **Forward secrecy.** The caller's per connection ephemeral key means a later
+  compromise of the service encryption key does not decrypt past sessions.
+- **IP privacy.** Neither side needs a public IP or an inbound port for
+  rendezvous. With a signed `.onion` endpoint, the reachable side exposes only a
+  Tor hidden service and the relay is not in the peer connection path.
+
+## 10. Threat model and limitations
+
+- **The relay is trusted for availability, not for confidentiality.** It can
+  refuse to pair, drop a connection, or go offline. This is why relays are
+  plural, auto discovered, and re-registration is periodic. It cannot read
+  traffic.
+- **Traffic analysis is not addressed.** A network observer, or the relay, can
+  see connection timing and byte volumes. There is no padding or mixing.
+- **Single slot registration causes churn.** One waiting slot per key per relay
+  means a race or a stale registration can briefly make a service unreachable at
+  that relay. Multiple relays and the wait timeout bound the damage, but this is
+  a known source of connection churn.
+- **Descriptor freshness is best effort.** `created` is a self reported
+  timestamp; readers prefer the newest descriptor they have seen but there is no
+  global clock.
+- **Discovery depends on public Nostr relays.** If the relays a node uses are all
+  unreachable, discovery stalls until one is reachable again. Relay TLS is
+  verified, which closes a man in the middle path on discovery, but availability
+  still rests on the relay set.
+- **Direct onion needs Tor.** With `-managedtor`, Bitflash starts a Tor process,
+  writes a local hidden-service config, and advertises the generated onion
+  endpoint. With `-onionservice`, an operator can still run Tor manually and
+  provide the endpoint. In both cases Tor owns the hidden-service private key and
+  uptime.
+
+## 11. Wire reference
+
+| Item | Value |
+|---|---|
+| `.btf` Base32 alphabet | `abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz234567`, no padding |
+| Address payload | `pubkey[32] || checksum[2]`, 55 Base32 chars |
+| Address checksum | `SHA256(".btf-checksum-v1" || pubkey)[0..2]` |
+| Descriptor domain sep | `.btf-descriptor-v2`; optional onion sep `.btf-descriptor-v3-onion` |
+| Descriptor version | `2`; `3` when a signed onion endpoint is present |
+| Descriptor signature | BIP340 Schnorr, deterministic (no aux rand), v3 keeps `sig` plus `sig3` |
+| Nostr descriptor event | kind `38501`, `d = btf-descriptor-2` |
+| Nostr relay event | kind `38502`, `d = btf-relay-2` |
+| Nostr pool event | kind `38503`, `d = btf-pool-2` |
+| Rendezvous port (default) | `8434` |
+| Rendezvous header | `role[1] ('S'/'C') || pubkey[32]`, 33 bytes |
+| Rendezvous pairing byte | `0x01` paired, `0x00` no service |
+| Channel primitive | `crypto_box_curve25519xchacha20poly1305` |
+| Nonce / MAC / key sizes | 24 / 16 / 32 bytes |
+| Frame | `len[4 big endian] || nonce[24] || ct || mac[16]` |
+| Max frame body | 1 MiB |
diff --git a/docs/site.md b/docs/site.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9526a61
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/site.md
@@ -0,0 +1,115 @@
+# Public Site Contract
+
+The public Bitflash sites are generated from this repository. If a deployed
+page and the source disagree, the deployed page is stale.
+
+## Canonical Navigation
+
+Every public page should use the same top navigation:
+
+| label | target |
+|---|---|
+| home | `https://bitflash.network/` |
+| code | `https://git.bitflash.network/bitflash/bitflash` |
+| docs | `https://docs.bitflash.network/` |
+| downloads | `https://releases.bitflash.network/` |
+| explorer | `https://explorer.bitflash.network/` |
+| status | `https://status.bitflash.network/` |
+
+The `code` link intentionally points at the repository, not the Forgejo
+instance root. A visitor choosing "code" wants the source tree.
+
+## Documentation Pages To Publish
+
+The docs index should expose these source files:
+
+| page | source | why it matters |
+|---|---|---|
+| Manual | `README.md` | run, mine, recover, operate |
+| Key derivation and address format | `docs/derivation.md` | independent wallet recovery |
+| Release verification | `docs/release-verification.md` | pinned signing-key flow |
+| Dependencies | `docs/dependencies.md` | pinned secp256k1/RandomX supply chain |
+| Rendezvous and .btf addressing | `docs/rendezvous.md` | network design and caveats |
+| Tor mode | `docs/tor.md` | `-tor`, `-socks`, onion relay operation |
+| Fair launch verifier | `docs/fair-launch.md` | no-premine launch audit |
+| UTXO set commitment | `docs/utxo-commitment.md` | deterministic supply/root audit |
+| UTXO inclusion proofs | `docs/utxo-proofs.md` | proof for one unspent output |
+| Mining calculator | `docs/mining-calculator.md` | local WhatToMine-style estimates |
+| Public pool directory | `docs/pool-directory.md` | `pool_status.json`, `pools.json`, ranking |
+
+## Release Mirror Aliases
+
+Each release remains under its versioned directory:
+
+```text
+https://releases.bitflash.network/v1.2.19/SHA256SUMS
+https://releases.bitflash.network/v1.2.19/SHA256SUMS.asc
+```
+
+The release root should also alias the latest files:
+
+```text
+https://releases.bitflash.network/SHA256SUMS
+https://releases.bitflash.network/SHA256SUMS.asc
+https://releases.bitflash.network/Bitflash-latest-windows.zip
+https://releases.bitflash.network/Bitflash-latest-x86_64.AppImage
+https://releases.bitflash.network/bitflash-node-latest-x86_64
+```
+
+The aliases are convenience only. Verification must still require the pinned
+release key documented in `docs/release-verification.md`.
+
+## Static Explorer
+
+`scripts/build-explorer.py` writes a static explorer with no backend:
+
+```text
+index.html
+style.css
+explorer.js
+logo.png
+blocks.json
+block/<height>.json
+```
+
+Serve it with a strict content policy:
+
+```text
+default-src 'none';
+img-src 'self';
+style-src 'self';
+script-src 'self';
+connect-src 'self';
+base-uri 'none';
+form-action 'none';
+frame-ancestors 'none';
+```
+
+The viewer must never use `innerHTML` for chain data. A malicious transaction
+must be rendered as text, not interpreted as markup.
+
+## Cache Policy
+
+Recommended defaults:
+
+| path | cache |
+|---|---|
+| HTML pages | `public, max-age=0, must-revalidate` |
+| `status.json` | `no-store` |
+| `blocks.json`, `block/*.json` | `public, max-age=0, must-revalidate` |
+| release assets | `public, max-age=14400, must-revalidate` |
+| `SHA256SUMS`, signatures, keys | `public, max-age=0, must-revalidate` |
+
+## Security Headers
+
+Recommended for all static pages:
+
+```text
+Strict-Transport-Security: max-age=31536000; includeSubDomains
+X-Content-Type-Options: nosniff
+Referrer-Policy: no-referrer
+Permissions-Policy: interest-cohort=(), geolocation=(), camera=(), microphone=()
+```
+
+Forgejo has its own application headers and should not blindly inherit the
+static-site CSP.
diff --git a/docs/social.png b/docs/social.png
index 19e2a3b..9a08b02 100644
--- a/docs/social.png
+++ b/docs/social.png
diff --git a/docs/storage.md b/docs/storage.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c7de4e7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/storage.md
@@ -0,0 +1,159 @@
+# Bitflash Storage Inventory
+
+This document records the Berkeley DB surface that still exists in Bitflash.
+It is a migration map, not a promise that all stores should move at once.
+
+The immediate priority is `wallet.dat`: it holds spend authority and recovery
+metadata. `blkindex.dat` can be rebuilt from block files, so it is important for
+startup correctness but less dangerous than wallet storage.
+
+## Berkeley DB Environment
+
+All `CDB` stores use one Berkeley DB environment rooted at:
+
+```text
+<datadir>/database/
+```
+
+The environment creates log files such as:
+
+```text
+database/log.0000000001
+```
+
+Those logs are part of the legacy BDB risk model. They are not user-facing
+wallet files, but they can contain historical records while the environment is
+live. Wallet encryption already rewrites `wallet.dat` and purges BDB environment
+logs after the encrypted file is installed.
+
+## Common Records
+
+Every `CDB` file can carry:
+
+| Key | Value | Purpose |
+|---|---|---|
+| `"version"` | `int` | Database format version written when a DB is opened in create mode. |
+
+Keys and values are serialized with the existing `CDataStream` format. A future
+SQLite migration must preserve byte-for-byte value semantics until a higher
+level schema migration is intentionally introduced.
+
+## `wallet.dat`
+
+`wallet.dat` is accessed through `CWalletDB`.
+Read-only tooling should go through `ScanWalletRecords()` instead of opening a
+Berkeley DB cursor directly. That keeps migration checks, audits, and future
+backends behind one record-stream boundary. Wallet rewrite code should also use
+that boundary when it needs to copy existing records into a newly written
+wallet file.
+
+| Key shape | Value | Secret? | Meaning |
+|---|---|---:|---|
+| `("name", address)` | `string` | No | Address book label. |
+| `("tx", txid)` | `CWalletTx` | No | Wallet transaction state, including spend flags and metadata. |
+| `("key", pubkey)` | `CPrivKey` | Yes | Plain private key record for unencrypted wallets or old backups. |
+| `"defaultkey"` | `vector<unsigned char>` | No | Default public key shown by the wallet. |
+| `"hdmaster"` | `vector<unsigned char>` | Yes | Plain BIP32 master private key material. |
+| `"hdchaincode"` | `vector<unsigned char>` | Yes | Plain BIP32 chain code. |
+| `"hdnext"` | `unsigned int` | No | Legacy deterministic derivation next index. |
+| `"hdschema"` | `int` | No | Deterministic derivation schema (`legacy` or `bip44`). |
+| `"hdcointype"` | `unsigned int` | No | BIP44 coin type. Bitflash is `4346950`. |
+| `"hdreceivenext"` | `unsigned int` | No | BIP44 external receive-chain next index. |
+| `"hdchangenext"` | `unsigned int` | No | BIP44 internal change-chain next index. |
+| `("mkey", id)` | `CWalletMasterKey` | Sensitive | Encrypted wallet master-key metadata. |
+| `("ckey", pubkey)` | `vector<unsigned char>` | Yes | Private key encrypted under the wallet master key. |
+| `"cryptedhdmaster"` | `vector<unsigned char>` | Yes | Encrypted BIP32 master private key material. |
+| `"cryptedhdchaincode"` | `vector<unsigned char>` | Yes | Encrypted BIP32 chain code. |
+| `"walletminversion"` | `int` | No | Minimum wallet format version required to open this wallet safely. |
+| `("pool", index)` | `vector<unsigned char>` | No | Public key reserved in the key pool. The private key lives in `key`/`ckey`. |
+| `("setting", name)` | typed setting value | Usually no | Wallet/UI settings such as mining mode, fees, and backup timestamps. |
+
+### Wallet Migration Rules
+
+A future wallet backend must keep these properties:
+
+1. Unknown future wallet formats fail closed with a clear message.
+2. Encrypted wallets must encrypt private keys and HD seed material.
+3. A locked encrypted wallet may expose public keys and balances, but not
+   private keys or decrypted HD seed material.
+4. `-backupwallet` must produce a wallet file that opens in a different datadir
+   without copying `database/`, and must not leave a half-written final backup
+   path if the copy or install step fails.
+5. `-recoveryaudit` must distinguish:
+   - no recovery phrase installed;
+   - recovery phrase present;
+   - recovery phrase encrypted and locked, requiring unlock before coverage can
+     be audited.
+
+## SQLite Wallet Store
+
+Since v1.2.20 SQLite is the default wallet backend. It is a byte-preserving
+record store, not a new wallet format -- the same serialized `CDataStream` bytes
+`wallet.dat` uses:
+
+```sql
+CREATE TABLE wallet_records (
+  key BLOB PRIMARY KEY NOT NULL,
+  value BLOB NOT NULL
+);
+PRAGMA user_version=1;
+```
+
+A fresh data directory starts on `wallet.sqlite`. An existing `wallet.dat` keeps
+running on Berkeley DB until it is converted: the GUI offers a one-click
+conversion on first run, and `-walletbackend=sqlite` / `-walletbackend=bdb`
+(recorded in a plain-text `wallet-backend` marker file in the datadir) select a
+backend explicitly. Conversion never modifies `wallet.dat`; it stays as a
+fallback, and the change takes effect on restart.
+
+Every wallet operation runs on either backend: read, write, erase, key-pool and
+HD-seed writes (the two halves of the seed bracketed in one SQLite transaction),
+`-backupwallet` (checkpoint then copy the self-contained file), `-encryptwallet`
+(an atomic rebuild-and-swap in one transaction), and the `-walletstorageaudit` /
+`-walletstoragecheck` diagnostics, which read the active backend's file.
+
+The migration tooling remains available for scripted use. `-walletsqliteexport=FILE`
+streams every raw `wallet.dat` record through `ScanWalletRecords()` into a SQLite
+file in one transaction, refusing to overwrite. `-walletsqliteverify=FILE`
+compares the two streams and prints only counts. `-walletsqliteloadcheck=FILE`
+parses an export with the same record types the loader uses.
+`-walletsqliterestore=FILE` rebuilds a `wallet.dat` from an export in an empty
+data directory. Failed exports and restores remove their incomplete output.
+
+## `blkindex.dat`
+
+`blkindex.dat` is accessed through `CTxDB`.
+
+| Key shape | Value | Rebuildable? | Meaning |
+|---|---|---:|---|
+| `("tx", txid)` | `CTxIndex` | Yes | Transaction disk position and spent-output index state. |
+| `("owner", hash160, CDiskTxPos)` | `int height` | Yes | Legacy owner transaction index cursor range. |
+| `("blockindex", blockhash)` | `CDiskBlockIndex` | Yes | Block index entry. |
+| `"hashBestChain"` | `uint256` | Yes | Current best-chain tip hash. |
+
+`blkindex.dat` can be rebuilt from `blk*.dat` plus consensus validation. A
+future migration may therefore prefer a rebuild path over a byte-preserving
+conversion path.
+
+## Other Legacy Stores
+
+None. Upstream still documents `reviews.dat` (`CReviewDB`) and `market.dat`
+(`CMarketDB`) here; this fork deleted the 2009 marketplace outright, along
+with `CReviewDB`, `market.cpp` and `market.h`, so neither file is opened or
+created by this tree. A datadir carrying them from an older build is simply
+ignored.
+
+The old IP address database (`addr.dat`) has been removed. Peer discovery is
+handled by Nostr, `.btf`, rendezvous relays, and direct onion peers.
+
+## Migration Order (shipped in v1.2.20)
+
+1. Storage self-tests were added around Berkeley DB behavior first.
+2. The SQLite backend landed behind an explicit flag, then behind a
+   `wallet-backend` marker and a GUI conversion wizard.
+3. BDB-to-SQLite migration is a one-way copy that leaves `wallet.dat` as a backup.
+4. SQLite became the default for new wallets only after cross-version restore,
+   encryption, backup, and recovery-audit tests passed -- and a live coin-proof
+   of receive, spend, restart, and encrypt on real mainnet funds.
+5. Treat `blkindex.dat` separately; it is safer to rebuild than to migrate under
+   pressure.
diff --git a/docs/tor.md b/docs/tor.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0016f8b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/tor.md
@@ -0,0 +1,231 @@
+# Tor mode
+
+Bitflash can route outbound discovery traffic through a local Tor SOCKS5 proxy.
+This is transport plumbing only: it does not change consensus, wallet keys,
+mining, `.btf` addresses, or the encrypted rendezvous protocol.
+
+## Client mode
+
+Start Tor locally, then start Bitflash with:
+
+```bash
+bitflash -tor
+```
+
+`-tor` is shorthand for:
+
+```bash
+bitflash -socks=127.0.0.1:9050
+```
+
+If Tor listens somewhere else:
+
+```bash
+bitflash -tor=127.0.0.1:9150
+bitflash -tor=[::1]:9050
+```
+
+For a SOCKS5 proxy that is not Tor, use `-socks` directly:
+
+```bash
+bitflash -socks=127.0.0.1:9050
+bitflash -socks=[::1]:9050
+```
+
+If both `-tor` and `-socks` are present, Tor mode wins and the node prints a
+warning. That keeps a command line with `-tor` from silently becoming a custom
+proxy route.
+
+## Managed Tor mode
+
+`-managedtor` starts a Tor process for this node, writes a local `torrc`, creates
+a v3 hidden service for the normal Bitflash P2P listener, routes outbound
+discovery through that Tor instance, and signs the generated `.onion:8433`
+endpoint into the node's `.btf` descriptor.
+
+```bash
+bitflash -managedtor
+```
+
+Without a value, Bitflash looks for Tor in this order:
+
+1. `tor/tor.exe` or `tor/tor` beside the Bitflash binary;
+2. `tor.exe` or `tor` beside the Bitflash binary;
+3. `tor.exe` or `tor` on `PATH`.
+
+Windows releases can also be built as `Bitflash-*-windows-with-tor.zip`. That
+package includes the official Tor Expert Bundle under `tor/`, so the first path
+above exists immediately after extraction and `bitflash -managedtor` needs no
+separate Tor install.
+
+The bundled-Tor package is created by:
+
+```bash
+make windows-tor
+```
+
+The packaging script verifies a pinned SHA256 for the downloaded Tor Expert
+Bundle before copying it into the release directory. When `gpg` is available it
+also verifies the matching `.asc` signature against the pinned Tor Browser
+Developers signing-key fingerprint. Release builds should use
+`TOR_VERIFY_GPG=required make windows-tor` to make that second check mandatory.
+The Tor binary is bundled; the runtime data directory, hidden-service key, and
+control cookie are still created under the user's Bitflash data directory.
+
+To point at a specific Tor executable:
+
+```bash
+bitflash -managedtor=/opt/tor/bin/tor
+bitflash -managedtor=C:\Tor Browser\Browser\TorBrowser\Tor\tor.exe
+```
+
+Managed Tor writes its state under the Bitflash data directory:
+
+```text
+managed-tor/
+  torrc
+  data/
+  onion-service/
+```
+
+The private key for the onion address lives in `managed-tor/onion-service/`.
+Back up that directory if you want the same onion address after moving the node.
+Delete it only if you intentionally want a fresh onion endpoint.
+
+`-managedtor` takes precedence over `-tor` and `-socks`, because it must choose
+the local SOCKS port it starts. Diagnostics report the current managed Tor
+state, including the SOCKS port and onion endpoint once Tor has generated it.
+
+When Tor mode is enabled:
+
+- outbound Nostr relay dials use Tor;
+- outbound `.btf` rendezvous relay dials use Tor;
+- outbound direct peer dials prefer signed `.onion` endpoints when a peer
+  advertises one;
+- destination names are sent to Tor as SOCKS5 domain-name CONNECT requests, so
+  the local DNS resolver does not see them;
+- direct `.onion` dials are refused unless a SOCKS5/Tor proxy is enabled;
+- plain HTTP external-IP probes are skipped.
+
+Tor mode affects outbound discovery and relay dials. It does not encrypt
+`wallet.dat`, hide mining rewards on-chain, or change the `.btf` identity. A
+relay still sees the TCP client that connected to it; with Tor mode that client
+is the Tor exit or onion circuit endpoint instead of the user's direct IP.
+
+## What to test
+
+Use the public status page only as a rough health check. To prove the local node
+is using Tor/SOCKS, test from the node machine:
+
+```bash
+bitflash -tor -debug
+```
+
+Then confirm in `debug.log` that Nostr and rendezvous dials report the proxy
+path. A DNS leak test should show no local resolver lookup for relay hostnames:
+the SOCKS5 request uses the domain-name form and asks the proxy to resolve it.
+
+## Onion rendezvous relay
+
+An operator can expose a Bitflash rendezvous relay as a Tor hidden service. The
+node does not create hidden services itself; Tor owns that configuration.
+
+Example `torrc`:
+
+```text
+HiddenServiceDir /var/lib/tor/bitflash-rendezvous/
+HiddenServicePort 8434 127.0.0.1:8434
+```
+
+After restarting Tor, read the generated onion name:
+
+```bash
+sudo cat /var/lib/tor/bitflash-rendezvous/hostname
+```
+
+Then run the relay on localhost/VPS as usual and announce the onion endpoint from
+nodes that use Tor:
+
+```bash
+bitflash -tor -rvrelay=exampleexampleexampleexampleexampleexampleexampleexample.onion:8434
+bitflash -tor -announcerelay=exampleexampleexampleexampleexampleexampleexampleexample.onion:8434
+```
+
+For a pool operator that wants the pool descriptor to point at an onion
+rendezvous relay, use both:
+
+```bash
+bitflash -operator -tor \
+  -rvrelay=exampleexampleexampleexampleexampleexampleexampleexample.onion:8434 \
+  -announcerelay=exampleexampleexampleexampleexampleexampleexampleexample.onion:8434
+```
+
+## Manual direct full-node hidden service
+
+Managed Tor is the preferred path for ordinary nodes. Operators can still expose
+the P2P listener through a separately managed Tor service:
+
+```text
+HiddenServiceDir /var/lib/tor/bitflash-node/
+HiddenServicePort 8433 127.0.0.1:8433
+```
+
+After restarting Tor, read the generated onion name:
+
+```bash
+sudo cat /var/lib/tor/bitflash-node/hostname
+```
+
+Then start Bitflash with Tor outbound enabled and advertise that hidden service:
+
+```bash
+bitflash -tor \
+  -onionservice=exampleexampleexampleexampleexampleexampleexampleexample.onion:8433
+```
+
+That onion endpoint is signed into this node's self-certifying `.btf`
+descriptor. New peers that resolve the descriptor and also run with `-tor` try
+the `.onion:8433` P2P connection first. If it fails, they fall back to the
+ordinary encrypted rendezvous path. Older nodes ignore the onion field and still
+use the rendezvous relay because the descriptor keeps the legacy signature too.
+
+If the node has `-onionservice` but has not registered at any rendezvous relay
+yet, it can still publish an onion-capable descriptor with
+`meeting_node = rendezvous-pending`. Tor-capable peers can dial the hidden
+service directly from that descriptor. Rendezvous becomes a fallback, not a
+precondition for being discoverable.
+
+This means rendezvous relays stop being the only way to reach a node that has
+published a hidden service. They remain useful bootstrap/fallback infrastructure,
+but an already-discovered onion-capable peer can be reached directly over Tor.
+
+Tor owns the private key under `HiddenServiceDir`; back it up if you want the
+onion name to stay stable.
+
+## Release smoke test
+
+After building a Windows binary with managed Tor support, run the two-node smoke
+test before cutting a release:
+
+```powershell
+powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File scripts\smoke-managed-tor-onion.ps1 `
+  -Bitflash .\src\bitflash.exe `
+  -Tor C:\path\to\tor.exe
+```
+
+The script creates two temporary datadirs, starts node A with `-managedtor`,
+waits for it to publish its `.btf` identity and generated `.onion` endpoint,
+then starts node B with its own `-managedtor`, `-oniononly`, and
+`-connectbtf=<node-a>`. It passes only when node B logs that it connected to
+node A `via direct onion`; rendezvous fallback cannot satisfy the test.
+
+By default the script waits 120 seconds after node A's descriptor self-resolves
+before it starts node B. Tor can create the local `hostname` before the hidden
+service descriptor is visible enough for client circuits, and early dials often
+fail with SOCKS5 reply `0x01`. Override this with `-OnionWarmupSec N` when
+testing a slow or already-warmed Tor environment.
+
+This test still uses Nostr for descriptor discovery, because that is how nodes
+learn each other's signed `.btf` descriptors. It does not require a Bitflash
+rendezvous relay to carry the P2P connection: once the descriptor includes the
+signed onion endpoint, the actual node connection goes directly through Tor.
diff --git a/docs/utxo-commitment.md b/docs/utxo-commitment.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ab43deb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/utxo-commitment.md
@@ -0,0 +1,125 @@
+# Bitflash UTXO-set commitment
+
+`scripts/verify-utxo-set.py` reconstructs a deterministic commitment to the
+current UTXO set from local `blk*.dat` files.
+
+This is intentionally not a consensus rule yet. It is an audit tool: independent
+operators can run it against the same chain prefix and compare the resulting
+root and canonical JSON hash.
+
+```bash
+python3 scripts/verify-utxo-set.py --max-blocks 1000 --out utxo-report.json --json
+```
+
+Use `--max-blocks 0` or omit the option to scan every available block file:
+
+```bash
+python3 scripts/verify-utxo-set.py --out utxo-report.json --json
+```
+
+## What It Verifies
+
+The verifier:
+
+- parses Bitflash block files directly with the shared Python chain parser;
+- streams `blk*.dat` records instead of loading full block files into memory;
+- reconstructs the best chain rooted at the Bitflash genesis block;
+- ignores side blocks that may also be present in `blk*.dat`;
+- verifies every scanned block merkle root;
+- applies spends and creates outputs in deterministic order;
+- reports current UTXO count, current supply, mined coinbase total, fees, and
+  historical duplicate-output overwrites;
+- computes a deterministic UTXO root.
+
+## Commitment Algorithm
+
+The UTXO map is keyed by:
+
+```text
+txid:vout
+```
+
+Keys are sorted lexicographically. Each leaf is:
+
+```text
+SHA256("BTFUTXO1|" || outpoint || "|" || value_satoshis || "|" ||
+       script_pub_key_hex || "|" || created_height || "|" || created_txid)
+```
+
+The tree is then reduced pairwise. If a level has an odd number of hashes, the
+last hash is duplicated. Each parent is:
+
+```text
+SHA256("BTFNODE1|" || left_hash || right_hash)
+```
+
+The final hash is the UTXO-set root.
+
+## Inclusion Proofs
+
+After a root has been computed, `scripts/prove-utxo.py` can create a compact
+inclusion proof for one unspent output:
+
+```bash
+python3 scripts/prove-utxo.py TXID:VOUT --out utxo-proof.json --json
+python3 scripts/verify-utxo-proof.py utxo-proof.json
+```
+
+The verifier does not need local block files. It recomputes the target leaf,
+walks the sibling path, and compares the result with the expected root. See
+[UTXO inclusion proofs](utxo-proofs.md).
+
+## Deterministic Output
+
+`--json` and `--out` write canonical JSON with sorted keys, fixed separators,
+ASCII escaping, and one trailing newline. It contains no local path and no
+generation timestamp, so two auditors scanning the same chain prefix should
+produce byte-identical reports.
+
+```bash
+python3 scripts/verify-utxo-set.py --out utxo-report.json --json
+sha256sum utxo-report.json
+```
+
+## OpenTimestamps
+
+The canonical JSON can be timestamped in Bitcoin without adding any dependency
+to Bitflash consensus:
+
+```bash
+ots stamp utxo-report.json
+ots verify utxo-report.json.ots
+```
+
+## Historical Duplicates
+
+Bitflash inherited early Bitcoin behavior around duplicate transaction IDs.
+The verifier reports duplicate-output overwrites as warnings and uses
+last-write-wins semantics for the UTXO map, matching the legacy index model.
+Those warnings are part of the report so auditors can see the historical debt
+instead of relying on a polished summary.
+
+For synthetic chains or future clean consensus ranges, auditors can make
+duplicates a hard failure:
+
+```bash
+python3 scripts/verify-utxo-set.py --strict-duplicates
+```
+
+The default remains compatible with the current historical chain because it has
+known legacy duplicate-output overwrites.
+
+## Shared Parser
+
+The audit scripts share `scripts/bitflash_chain.py` for block parsing,
+main-chain selection, UTXO application, canonical JSON, and genesis
+reconstruction. That keeps `verify-utxo-set.py`, `verify-fair-launch.py`,
+`prove-utxo.py`, and the explorer on the same serialization rules.
+
+## Future Consensus Path
+
+This tool is the low-risk first step toward consensus commitments. A future
+hard-fork design can commit this root, or a Utreexo-style accumulator root, in
+coinbase or block headers after a fixed activation height. Until then this
+script provides reproducible supply and state commitments without changing what
+nodes accept.
diff --git a/docs/utxo-proofs.md b/docs/utxo-proofs.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4947c3c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/utxo-proofs.md
@@ -0,0 +1,61 @@
+# Bitflash UTXO inclusion proofs
+
+`scripts/prove-utxo.py` creates a deterministic inclusion proof for one
+currently unspent output. `scripts/verify-utxo-proof.py` verifies that proof
+against the UTXO root produced by `scripts/verify-utxo-set.py`.
+
+This is intentionally outside consensus. It turns the audit root into something
+useful for a specific coin without changing what nodes accept.
+
+## Create A Proof
+
+Use an unspent output in `txid:vout` form:
+
+```bash
+python3 scripts/prove-utxo.py TXID:VOUT --out utxo-proof.json --json
+```
+
+The proof contains:
+
+- the target UTXO;
+- its sorted leaf index;
+- the leaf hash;
+- the Merkle sibling path;
+- the UTXO root and chain tip used to create it.
+
+It does not contain the full UTXO set.
+
+## Verify A Proof
+
+Verify against the root embedded in the proof:
+
+```bash
+python3 scripts/verify-utxo-proof.py utxo-proof.json
+```
+
+Or verify against a root copied from another machine, dashboard, block explorer,
+or future node export:
+
+```bash
+python3 scripts/verify-utxo-proof.py utxo-proof.json \
+  --root ROOT_FROM_REPORT_OR_EXPORT
+```
+
+The verifier does not need local `blk*.dat` files. It only needs the proof and
+the expected root.
+
+## Scope
+
+This first proof format supports inclusion only. Absence and range proofs are
+left for a later design because they require a more careful commitment scheme
+and are easier to get subtly wrong.
+
+The proof uses the exact same leaf and node domains as the UTXO commitment:
+
+```text
+BTFUTXO1
+BTFNODE1
+```
+
+That keeps the verifier language-neutral and gives future implementations a
+small, stable target.