Budget Allocation
Once funds are deposited into escrow, the operator assigns a portion of the budget to each approved streamer. This is the allocation step — it commits a specific amount to a specific streamer under defined terms.
What Happens During Allocation
The operator selects a deposit and specifies:
- Which streamer receives the allocation (identified by wallet address)
- How much of the deposit to allocate
- How many streaming slots the allocation covers (e.g. 4 weekly streams)
- Per-slot amounts — either equal (e.g. 250 USDC per slot) or variable
- Deadline — the date after which unclaimed slots become refundable
The contract verifies the operator has sufficient unallocated funds and records the allocation on-chain
A unique Allocation ID is generated as the permanent reference
Custody Implications
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Can the operator redirect allocated funds? | No. Once allocated, funds are committed to the specified streamer's payout schedule |
| Can the operator cancel an allocation? | Not directly. The operator must wait for the deadline, then reclaim only the unclaimed portion |
| Can the streamer access funds before completing work? | No. The release proof (preimage) is withheld until the operator approves the delivery |
| What happens if the operator allocates to the wrong streamer? | The allocation is permanent until the deadline. Funds cannot be reassigned before then |
| Is the allocation publicly visible? | Yes. The commitment is recorded as a blockchain transaction |
Payout Schedules
Equal Payouts
All slots pay the same amount. For a 1,000 USDC allocation across 4 slots:
| Slot | Amount |
|---|---|
| Week 1 | 250 USDC |
| Week 2 | 250 USDC |
| Week 3 | 250 USDC |
| Week 4 | 250 USDC |
Variable Payouts
Each slot can have a different amount, allowing for performance-based or tiered structures:
| Slot | Amount |
|---|---|
| Week 1 | 100 USDC |
| Week 2 | 300 USDC |
| Week 3 | 200 USDC |
| Week 4 | 400 USDC |
The sum of all slot amounts always equals the total allocation. This is enforced at the time the allocation is created.
The Deadline (Timelock)
Every allocation includes a deadline. This serves two purposes:
- Before the deadline: approved slots can be released. Allocated funds cannot be reclaimed by the operator.
- After the deadline: unspent slot amounts become refundable to the campaign pool.
The deadline is not a hard cutoff for the creator. A release stays valid after the timelock passes — the timelock only opens the door to a refund, and remaining slots become unreleasable once a refund is actually executed. See Payout Release.
The deadline is set by the operator at allocation time and recorded immutably on-chain. Neither party can extend or shorten it afterwards.
How Payout Commitments Are Secured
Per-slot payout amounts are committed using a cryptographic structure (Merkle tree) where:
- The full schedule is computed off-chain and a single compact fingerprint (the Merkle root) is stored on-chain
- When a slot is released, the contract mathematically verifies that the amount matches the original commitment
- This means the operator cannot retroactively change what was promised for any slot
This gives the creator a cryptographic guarantee that the terms — amount per slot, and the receiving address — cannot be altered after the allocation is created, by the operator or by Verifluence.
The preimages behind those hashes are generated in the operator's browser and held by the platform until approval; the creator never receives them. See Payout Release.