Limitations & Sharp Edges

While the system offers powerful Bitcoin-native smart contract capabilities, it comes with important constraints and behavioral differences that developers must understand.

Latency

• Execution depends on Bitcoin block confirmation

• Transactions are not instantaneous, expect multiple-minute delays

• User-facing dApps should design for asynchronous flows and optimistic UI updates

No Synchronous Bitcoin State

• Contracts cannot query Bitcoin state in real-time

• All operations are based on indexed, confirmed inscriptions

• Any assumptions of instant UTXO or balance visibility might lead to incorrect logic

Indexer Determinism Assumptions

• Contract state is reconstructed by deterministic replay of inscriptions

• Indexers must process inscriptions in order and handle reorgs gracefully

• For developers, this means contracts should not assume simultaneous or out-of-order execution

• Conceptually similar to Ethereum replay tests, but the underlying chain is Bitcoin