Name bindings and the name log

A bWalletX name points to one identity key. The owner’s wallet signs that binding, and every change is written to a public, hash-chained log. Background: bwalletx.com/name-bindings. Proposal: bsv-blockchain/BRCs#329.

Look up a name

curl https://pay.bwallet.space/api/paymail/id/npg@bwalletx.com

The answer has pubkey and, once the owner’s wallet has signed, a binding with alias, seq, timestamp and signature.

Verify the signature

The signed message is the fields sorted by name, as key=value, after bwallet-paymail|v1|bind:

bwallet-paymail|v1|bind|alias=<alias>|identityKey=<key>|seq=<n>|timestamp=<ms>

It is signed with BRC-43 protocol [2, "bwallet paymail"], key ID "1", counterparty anyone. A complete script (node verify-binding.mjs npg@bwalletx.com, needs @bsv/sdk):

// Verify a bWalletX signed name binding from the public pki endpoint.
import { ProtoWallet, Utils } from '@bsv/sdk';

const handle = process.argv[2] ?? 'npg@bwalletx.com';
const r = await fetch(`https://pay.bwallet.space/api/paymail/id/${handle}`).then((x) => x.json());
const b = r.binding;
if (!b) throw new Error('This name has no signed binding yet');

// The signed text: bwallet-paymail|v1|bind|<fields sorted by name as key=value>
const fields = { alias: b.alias, identityKey: b.identityKey, seq: String(b.seq), timestamp: b.timestamp };
const message = ['bwallet-paymail', 'v1', 'bind', ...Object.keys(fields).sort().map((k) => `${k}=${fields[k]}`)].join('|');

const { valid } = await new ProtoWallet('anyone').verifySignature({
  data: Utils.toArray(message, 'utf8'),
  signature: Utils.toArray(b.signature, 'hex'),
  protocolID: [2, 'bwallet paymail'],
  keyID: '1',
  counterparty: b.identityKey,
});
console.log(handle, '->', b.identityKey.slice(0, 16) + '…', 'seq', b.seq);
console.log('pki pubkey matches binding:', r.pubkey === b.identityKey);
console.log('owner signature valid:', valid);

Output when we ran it (17 Oct 2026):

npg@bwalletx.com -> 026607f69e27c84e… seq 1
pki pubkey matches binding: true
owner signature valid: true

If binding is missing, the name has not been signed by its owner yet: treat it as unverified and say so to your user.

Read the log

curl https://pay.bwallet.space/api/paymail/name-log
curl "https://pay.bwallet.space/api/paymail/name-log?alias=npg"

Each entry has alias, identity_key, prev_identity_key, action, actor (owner, server or admin), seq, signature, note, created_at and its hash:

entry_hash = sha256(prev_hash|alias|identity_key|prev_identity_key|action|actor|seq|signature|note|created_at)

Empty strings for missing fields; created_at in UTC with microseconds (YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS.ffffffZ). The first entry’s prev_hash is 64 zeros. Add ?alias=npg for one name’s history.

This script re-computes every hash and checks each entry points at the one before:

// Re-compute the public name log's hash chain (each entry commits to the one before it).
import { createHash } from 'node:crypto';

const { log } = await fetch('https://pay.bwallet.space/api/paymail/name-log').then((x) => x.json());
const entries = [...log].sort((a, b) => a.id - b.id);
const ts = (s) => new Date(s).toISOString().replace(/\.(\d{3})Z$/, (_m, ms) => `.${ms}${s.match(/\.\d{3}(\d{3})/)?.[1] ?? '000'}Z`);
let ok = 0;
for (const e of entries) {
  const parts = [e.prev_hash, e.alias, e.identity_key ?? '', e.prev_identity_key ?? '', e.action, e.actor, e.seq ?? '', e.signature ?? '', e.note ?? '', ts(e.created_at)];
  const h = createHash('sha256').update(parts.map(String).join('|'), 'utf8').digest('hex');
  if (h === e.entry_hash) ok++;
  else console.log('mismatch at entry', e.id);
}
const linked = entries.every((e, i) => i === 0 || e.prev_hash === entries[i - 1].entry_hash);
console.log(`${entries.length} entries, ${ok} hashes recomputed OK, chain linked: ${linked}`);

10 entries, 10 hashes recomputed OK, chain linked: true

Handovers

A name moves only with two signatures: a release by the current owner and an accept by the new one. There is no server-side recovery for a lost key; the name stays bound to it.

Status

• ✓ Owner-signed bindings in the paymail pki answer
• ✓ Public hash-chained log, including admin edits
• ✓ Two-party handovers
• ◻ Daily on-chain anchor of the log head