07 · Who does what
Normative source: N-SPEC v0.7 §4.1, §7.1, §10.3; WHY-N §2, §7; APP-SPEC v1 draft §0.4, §ID, ID-1, §13, principle and rules 13-1–13-2, §R2P, R2P-1. This page explains; it does not restate rules or parameter values.
Producing a block and delivering an external asset carry different responsibilities. A registered identity participates in the production draw. A provider chooses when to deliver outside value under its own depth policy. Keeping those roles distinct helps a user understand what a service offer actually covers. N-SPEC v0.7 §4.1, §7.1; WHY-N §7
Production and services
A producer is a registered identity drawn to produce in a slot. Its active tickets determine its production weight. This role concerns the N engine, not approval of a commercial service. N-SPEC v0.7 §5.3, §7.1
A Settlement Provider (SP) handles BTC/M0 settlement. N-SPEC v0.7 keeps a historical application wording that was never adopted for any network. APP-SPEC v1 makes M0 the only settlement asset; its §13 differs from N-SPEC v0.7 §13 only in the asset. APP-SPEC v1 draft §0.4, §13, principle and rules 13-1–13-2, §ID, ID-1
A Liquidity Provider (LP) handles X/M0, where X denotes the external asset. Independent liquidity providers settle with each other on M0, without trusting one another. The specifications define no order book and no pool. APP-SPEC v1 draft §0.4, §R2P, R2P-1
SP and LP are service roles outside consensus. Neither role requires a registered identity or participation in block production. No provider is vetted by the protocol. These roles describe responsibility for settlement services, not a separate form of production authority. N-SPEC v0.7 §4.1, §7.1; APP-SPEC v1 draft §13, 13-1; WHY-N §7
Other responsibilities
Use these labels to distinguish responsibilities around a service:
| Role | Question it answers |
|---|---|
| Builder | Who creates the application or interface and explains its policy? |
| User | Who chooses the terms and authorizes the operation? |
| Observer | Who examines history or reports evidence? |
These are descriptive labels, not extra consensus roles. For each report, distinguish explicit data, local observations and model results. For each delivery, identify the party carrying the external exposure. N-SPEC v0.7 §1.1, §16.1; WHY-N §7
Depth belongs to the exposed party
The provider delivering outside value chooses its depth within the published domain. Inclusion alone does not determine that decision. The depth table supplies a conditional risk bound; the provider supplies the policy for its exposure. WHY-N §7; N-SPEC v0.7 §17.3
Read an offer as an offer
A quote is an offer from a provider, not an official protocol price. WHY-N §2, §7
Neither service role is a listing authority. Reputation is an interpretation of evidence, not a production right. A single organization may perform several roles; assess each responsibility separately. N-SPEC v0.7 §4.1; WHY-N §7
Protocol accountability for proven equivocation is a permanent ban of the registered identity under the proof rules. It does not evaluate a provider's service quality. N-SPEC v0.7 §10.1, §10.3
See also
Producers and tickets, Depth and statuses, The N engine, and Where trust lives.