Change Milestone Status

Phase 3 — Change Milestone Status (Signaling Progress)

Once the escrow is funded, the work begins. This phase is where the Service Provider (or Milestone Marker) communicates progress to everyone else — by signing an update that changes the milestone’s status.

It’s how the escrow “breathes.” Each update becomes a traceable, on-chain proof of what’s happening off-chain.

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🧱 What “Change Milestone Status” Means

Every milestone in an escrow has two types of information:

1. Structural data — defined at deployment (title, receiver, amount).

2. Dynamic status — updated as work evolves.

The Change Milestone Status action updates that dynamic state. It’s not limited to pre-set words like pending or done — your platform defines the vocabulary.

A milestone could move through any flow you design:

• “Design Started” → “Ready for Review” → “Approved”

• “Product Packed” → “In Transit” → “Delivered”

• “Pull Request Opened” → “Code Merged” → “Deployed”

💬 Trustless Work doesn’t impose statuses. It only ensures that the update comes from the correct role — the Service Provider — and that every change is signed and recorded.

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✍️ Who Can Perform This Action

Only the Service Provider (Milestone Marker) can sign milestone status updates. This preserves accountability: progress always originates from the party doing the work.

Once signed, the update is broadcast on-chain, and the contract records:

• The new status label (a text string defined by your platform)

• An optional evidence field

Other participants — Approver, Release Signer, Platform — can view the update but cannot alter it.

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🧾 Adding Evidence

Each update can include an evidence input, typically a URL or reference pointing to external proof of progress.

This could be:

• A link to a code repository, pull request, or merge commit

• A delivery receipt, tracking page, or signed document

• A file stored on decentralized storage like IPFS, Filecoin, or Arweave

📎 Note: Trustless Work doesn’t store media or documents. It only stores the reference — keeping the escrow lightweight and privacy-respectful. Platforms decide where evidence lives, and how much they want to display publicly.

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🔁 How Platforms Can Use This

Platforms can build their own workflows on top of this mechanism:

• Display a real-time progress feed on dashboards

• Require specific evidence types before allowing “Approve” actions

• Automate milestone transitions based on external data (e.g., an API confirming delivery)

Each status update becomes part of the escrow’s event history — a transparent, auditable record of progress.

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⚙️ What Changes On-Chain

Every signed update triggers:

• A Milestone Status Event, visible on Stellar explorers and in the Escrow Viewer

• A refreshed view of the milestone’s metadata (status, evidence, and timestamp)

It doesn’t release funds — it just advances the state. The Approval Phase that follows decides whether payment moves forward or the milestone is disputed.

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📦 Outcome of the Change Milestone Status Phase

By the end of this phase:

• The Service Provider has submitted a new, verifiable progress update.

• The escrow now reflects the most recent milestone status and evidence.

• All participants can see the change on-chain and in the Escrow Viewer.

This phase transforms subjective progress into verifiable data — one signed update at a time.