TYPE 0x0101 · TIMELOCK FAMILY

CSV

Relative timelock in blocks (BIP 68 / BIP 112). Checks that sufficient blocks have been mined since the UTXO was confirmed.

Timelock Invertible

Ladder Diagram

Fields

Field	Data Type	Size	Side	Description
sequence_value	NUMERIC	1-4 B	Conditions	BIP 68 sequence value in blocks

No witness fields required — evaluation uses the input sequence number from the transaction context.

Wire Format Breakdown

0x0101 0 1 NUMERIC · 3B Conditions = 4 + 5 = 9 bytes

0x0101 0 0 Witness = 4 bytes (empty block)

Total 15 bytes

Evaluation Logic

1.Read sequence_value from NUMERIC field. Negative → ERROR

2.If SEQUENCE_LOCKTIME_DISABLE_FLAG is set → SATISFIED (disabled)

3.CheckSequence(value). If fails → UNSATISFIED

4.Pass → SATISFIED

Return Values

Condition	Result
Missing NUMERIC field	ERROR
Negative sequence value	ERROR
SEQUENCE_LOCKTIME_DISABLE_FLAG set	SATISFIED
Sufficient blocks elapsed (CheckSequence passes)	SATISFIED
Insufficient blocks elapsed	UNSATISFIED

JSON Wire Format

Conditions (relative locktime of 144 blocks)

{
  "type": "CSV",
  "inverted": false,
  "fields": [
    { "type": "NUMERIC", "value": 144 }
  ]
}

This requires 144 block confirmations (~1 day) since the UTXO was created before it can be spent.

Use Cases

Lightning Commitment Delay

Revocation paths in Lightning commitment transactions use CSV to enforce a dispute window. The broadcaster must wait N blocks before claiming their output, giving the counterparty time to penalize old states.

Vault Cooling Period

Hot wallet spends are routed through a vault UTXO that requires a cooldown period in blocks before it can be swept, limiting damage from key compromise and allowing time for clawback.

Rate-Limiting Covenant Spends

Each UTXO in a covenant chain requires a minimum number of block confirmations before the next spend, throttling the rate at which funds can be extracted from a contract.

← KEY_REF_SIG CSV_TIME →