You Won't believe but....
i Went through the actual TBV testnet flow instead of just reading about it, and got stuck on a step I wasn't expecting — right after repaying, unlocking my BTC back wasn't just a Bitcoin-side action. It needed a signature from my Ethereum wallet first, confirming the loan was actually closed, before the Bitcoin unlock path would even go live.
That's not how I presumed self-custody worked here. I figured holding my Bitcoin key meant I held the whole thing.
Reminded me of a joint safety deposit box my uncle once had with his bank — his key alone couldn't open it, the branch manager had to turn theirs too, at the same time, in the same room. Two keys, one box, neither one worth anything on its own.
Here's the part that surprised me: my actual Bitcoin private key never lost any power. It's still fully mine. But the vault won't release to it until Ethereum confirms the loan's closed — so if I ever lost access to that Ethereum wallet, my BTC key would be sitting there, valid, and still useless.
Makes sense once you think about why. Bitcoin has no way of knowing on its own whether my loan got repaid — that state only exists on Ethereum. So the "self" in self-custody quietly became two selves that both have to show up.
Curious how many people testing this actually clocked that self-custody here means custody split across two keys, not one — is that stronger security, or just twice the ways to lock yourself out?
@BabylonLabs_io $BABY #baby
i Went through the actual TBV testnet flow instead of just reading about it, and got stuck on a step I wasn't expecting — right after repaying, unlocking my BTC back wasn't just a Bitcoin-side action. It needed a signature from my Ethereum wallet first, confirming the loan was actually closed, before the Bitcoin unlock path would even go live.
That's not how I presumed self-custody worked here. I figured holding my Bitcoin key meant I held the whole thing.
Reminded me of a joint safety deposit box my uncle once had with his bank — his key alone couldn't open it, the branch manager had to turn theirs too, at the same time, in the same room. Two keys, one box, neither one worth anything on its own.
Here's the part that surprised me: my actual Bitcoin private key never lost any power. It's still fully mine. But the vault won't release to it until Ethereum confirms the loan's closed — so if I ever lost access to that Ethereum wallet, my BTC key would be sitting there, valid, and still useless.
Makes sense once you think about why. Bitcoin has no way of knowing on its own whether my loan got repaid — that state only exists on Ethereum. So the "self" in self-custody quietly became two selves that both have to show up.
Curious how many people testing this actually clocked that self-custody here means custody split across two keys, not one — is that stronger security, or just twice the ways to lock yourself out?
@BabylonLabs_io $BABY #baby