Pairing an external asset against M1
The question a market builder asks first: can I pair my asset? The honest answer has two parts — what the primitives make possible for any chain, and what has actually been demonstrated. This page keeps them apart.
The mechanism is chain-agnostic
Native BTC ⇄ M1 is paired with two hashlocked, timelocked contracts — one on each chain — keyed to the same secret (→ Native BTC ⇄ M1). Nothing in that pattern is specific to Bitcoin. It needs, on the other chain, exactly two things:
- a hashlock — a script that pays only when a preimage is revealed;
- a timelock — a refund path after a deadline (
CLTV/CSVor equivalent).
Chains descended from Bitcoin's script (PIVX, DASH, Litecoin, Dogecoin, and many others) have both. So do most chains with a scripting layer. A chain that supports hashlocks and timelocks can be paired against M1 the same way — one HTLC there, one HTLC here, same preimage. No fork of the other chain, no permission from its developers, no bridge, no wrapped asset.
other chain BATHRON
┌────────────────┐ ┌────────────────┐
│ HTLC(H) + CLTV │◄── same secret ───►│ HTLC(H) + CSV │
└────────────────┘ └────────────────┘
X inventory M1 inventory
X / M1 — a market, if someone quotes it
Chains without a scripting layer (or with only signature-based scripts) need adaptor-signature constructions instead; that is a different piece of engineering and is not covered here.
What is demonstrated, and what is not
| Status | |
|---|---|
| M1 HTLC on BATHRON + P2WSH HTLC on a Bitcoin test network, same preimage, both legs claimed | components tested (public suites); run on a testnet, no published artifact |
| A general, atomic client service for BTC ⇄ M1 | not claimed — see Status & claims |
| Any pair other than BTC/M1 (PIVX, DOGE, LTC, …) | capability of the primitives — nothing shipped, nothing tested |
| Adaptor-signature pairing for script-less chains | not built |
You will not read on this site that BATHRON "supports" a given coin. It supports hashlocks and timelocks; the market decides which coins get paired.
Why pair against M1 rather than against BTC directly
Because of the hub (→ The settlement unit): with M1 as the common leg, a provider holds one inventory and quotes many pairs, and every pair inherits the depth of BTC/M1 instead of needing its own. And because M1 is what BATHRON's covenants can lock, release, hedge and net — a DOGE/M1 market can be extended into DOGE-against-delivery, DOGE escrow or a DOGE-denominated hedge without leaving the settlement layer.
What it costs a market builder
Inventory in the paired asset, inventory in M1, a node on each chain, and the willingness to quote first. That is the whole entry ticket. The delisting committee does not exist.
Next: Settlement patterns