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Notes on owning names

Working notes from building a Handshake wallet: how the protocol actually behaves, what our software does and doesn’t verify, and the deadlines that cost people names. Every block number here is traceable to the consensus parameters our code runs on.

5 August 2026 · 6 min read

How to renew Handshake names (and what happens if you don't)

Handshake names expire 105,120 blocks — about two years — after their last renewal. What the RENEW transaction does, and what happens if the window passes.

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5 August 2026 · 7 min read

Handshake name auctions, explained from your phone

Handshake names sell by sealed-bid Vickrey auction: you pay the second-highest bid. The block windows, how blinds work, and why a lost nonce isn't fatal.

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5 August 2026 · 7 min read

What SPV actually verifies — and what it doesn't

Tilde checks proof-of-work headers and Urkel name-ownership proofs on your phone. The honest scope of that, including the parts we don't verify yet.

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5 August 2026 · 6 min read

Bob Wallet vs Tilde: an honest comparison

Bob Wallet is a mature desktop app with an integrated full node. Tilde is a native iPhone SPV wallet. Where each is genuinely better, and how to use both.

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Your names, your keys, in your pocket.

Tilde is a native iPhone wallet for Handshake — the full name lifecycle, verified on your device over encrypted P2P.