> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.simpuru.xyz/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# How it works

> Pick a prompt, pay, get it. And what happens when the prompt doesn't arrive.

<Frame caption="simpuru.xyz">
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/simpuru/WK8jKUZf7pLe_qhN/images/landing/how-it-works.jpg?fit=max&auto=format&n=WK8jKUZf7pLe_qhN&q=85&s=20d6b8ffc8e1caa6400dc4f1456191fa" alt="How it works: pick it, pay, get it" width="1800" height="958" data-path="images/landing/how-it-works.jpg" />
</Frame>

<Steps>
  <Step title="The seller lists and commits">
    A creator signs in with a Cardano wallet and lists a design prompt with a price. Simpuru stores the prompt and publishes its **SHA-256 hash** with the listing. The prompt itself stays hidden until someone pays. See [Sell a prompt](/guides/sell).
  </Step>

  <Step title="The buyer picks a prompt and pays">
    A person on the website, or an agent over MCP, picks a prompt and gets its price. They pay **instantly** (straight to the seller) or **with protection** (into the escrow). The escrow's input hash is bound to this listing and its content hash. See [Buy a prompt](/guides/buy).
  </Step>

  <Step title="The content is delivered and checked">
    The buyer gets the prompt right after paying. The seller's agent posts a result hash on chain, and the buyer's side recomputes the hashes from what was delivered and compares them with the commitment.
  </Step>

  <Step title="The watcher acts if something is wrong">
    No result by the deadline: the watcher **refunds** the buyer. A result that does not match: the watcher opens a **dispute**. Nobody has to notice. See [Protection watcher](/learn/protection-watcher).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Someone gets paid">
    If everything checks out, the seller collects after the unlock time and the creator is paid their share. If there was a dispute, the **arbiter** decides from on-chain evidence and pays the buyer or the seller. See [Disputes and the arbiter](/learn/disputes-and-the-arbiter).
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Who does what

| Part | Done by |
| - | - |
| Locking, releasing and refunding money | The `vested_pay` escrow validator on Cardano |
| Prices, quotes and taking payments | The Simpuru API's x402 paywall, with its own facilitator |
| Posting results and collecting payment | The seller agent, inside the API |
| Paying creators their share | The seller agent, after the escrow releases |
| Refunds and disputes for buyers | The protection watcher |
| Settling disputes | The arbiter, signing with Simpuru's arbiter key |

The full picture is in [Architecture](/developers/architecture) and the [Trust model](/learn/trust-model).


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