what is metaproof
Metaproof posts a 32-byte fact on Solana with a timestamp. After that, nobody can say the fact didn't exist at that moment.
Think about a coat check. You hand over your coat and get a ticket. Later, the ticket proves the coat is yours. Nobody argues with the ticket.
Metaproof does that for information. Take any fact you want to stand behind. A file. A promise. A score. A prediction. Squeeze it down to 32 bytes and post it on Solana. Now there is a timestamped public record that says this exact thing existed at this exact moment, and someone stood behind it.
That's the whole trick. It sounds small. It is not small.
why would I want that?
Because "trust me" is the weakest sentence on the internet. Some things you might want a receipt for:
- Calling your shot. Post the hash of a prediction today. Reveal it next week. Everyone can check you didn't change it.
- Proving a file existed. Hash a document and post the hash. The proof's timestamp shows the document existed by that date.
- Deals between programs. One program leaves a proof, another one verifies it. Receipts for robots.
the three moves
Metaproof has three moves:
- Prove. Post your 32 bytes. A proof account appears on chain with a small deposit inside it.
- Verify. Close the proof. The deposit goes back to the beneficiary named at creation, and the program leaves a permanent receipt behind. That receipt is a metaproof.
- Expire. Every proof has a timer. If nobody verifies it in time, anyone can sweep it up and the deposit goes to the protocol treasury instead. The cleanup crew.
Every proof ends one of two ways. Someone verifies it, or it runs out of time and someone expires it. Either way the explorer records the whole history, and you can read it here.