Economic Model

Token Flow

All tokens flow through a PDA-owned vault. No admin key can drain it.

Action	Direction	Description
create_job	Creator → Vault	Reward deposited into vault on job creation
register_worker	Worker → Vault	Stake locked when worker registers
approve_result	Vault → Worker	Reward released to worker on approval
reclaim_expired (terminal)	Vault → Creator	Full reward returned when retries exhausted
reclaim_expired (retry)	Vault → Cranker	Slash share paid to cranker; reward stays in vault for next worker
resolve_dispute (worker wins)	Vault → Worker	Reward released to worker
resolve_dispute (worker loses)	Vault → Creator	Reward + slash share returned to creator

Slashing

When a worker fails to deliver before the deadline:

1. Slash amount = worker_stake * slash_rate_bps / 10,000
2. Crank reward = slash_amount * crank_reward_bps / 10,000
3. Creator share = slash_amount - crank_reward

Example

With slash_rate_bps = 1000 (10%), crank_reward_bps = 2000 (20% of slash):

Metric	Value
Worker stake	100 tokens
Slash amount	10 tokens
Cranker reward	2 tokens (20% of 10)
Creator share	8 tokens (remaining)
Creator also receives	Original reward back (if terminal expiry)

All calculations use u128 checked arithmetic to prevent overflow.

Retry Behavior

If retry_count < max_retries on expiry:

• Job re-opens as Open — reward stays in vault for the next worker
• Worker still gets slashed
• Cranker still gets paid

If retries are exhausted:

• Job goes to Expired (terminal)
• Full reward returned to creator

Dispute Resolution

The arbiter (designated at queue creation) resolves disputes:

Outcome	Reward	Slash	Status
Worker wins	Released to worker	None	Completed
Worker loses	Returned to creator	Full slash to creator	Expired

The arbiter should ideally be a multisig (e.g., Squads Protocol) so no single party can rule unilaterally.

Cost Comparison

Operation	AWS SQS	IronQ (Solana)
Send message	$0.40 / million	~$0.000005 (1 tx fee) + rent
Storage	Free (4-day retention)	~0.002 SOL rent per job (reclaimable)
Monthly (10k jobs)	~$0.01	~$0.10 (tx fees) + rent (reclaimable via close_job)

Rent is recoverable — the true cost is just transaction fees.