How It Works
Core Components
đź”— SovaEVM: Bitcoin-Native Smart Contracts
SovaEVM is the first Ethereum-compatible execution layer with native access to Bitcoin Core. Through custom precompiles and the REVM inspector, smart contracts can directly:
Read from the Bitcoin network (e.g., check txids, block headers)
Broadcast real Bitcoin transactions
React to Bitcoin finality events
This enables a new class of decentralized applications where Bitcoin is no longer just a wrapped asset—it’s a programmable first-class citizen.
đź‘· Validators: Cross-Chain Enforcers
Sova validators maintain the integrity of both the Sova and Bitcoin state. They are responsible for:
Synchronizing execution with Bitcoin finality
Locking and reverting state changes based on BTC confirmations
Broadcasting Bitcoin transactions on behalf of users
Validators are subject to slashing penalties for misbehavior, ensuring honest participation. Their actions are cryptographically auditable and anchored to Bitcoin block hashes.
🛡️ Restaking: Security Bootstrapped from Ethereum
Sova leverages restaking to inherit economic security from established networks. This provides:
Battle-tested validator incentives from Ethereum or other AVS platforms
High economic cost for malicious actors
Interoperable security with existing decentralized infrastructure
Restaking allows Sova to launch with robust protection from day one—without compromising on decentralization.
Bitcoin Interactions
⚡ Deposits: Native Bitcoin Peg
Users initiate a deposit by signing both a Bitcoin and Sova (EVM) transaction.
Validators broadcast the Bitcoin transaction and tentatively mint uBTC on Sova.
Sentinel, Sova’s finality oracle, locks the affected contract state until the Bitcoin transaction is confirmed (default: 6 blocks).
Once finalized, uBTC becomes fully transferable and backed 1:1 by real BTC.
🔓 Withdrawals: Trustless Bitcoin Redemption
Users burn uBTC and specify a Bitcoin address for withdrawal.
Sova’s Signing Service generates and broadcasts the Bitcoin transaction using MPC or threshold signatures.
All BTC withdrawals are verifiable against Sova's internal ledger and the Bitcoin blockchain.
If validators act dishonestly, AVS operators can submit fraud proofs and trigger slashing.
Transaction Flow
Sova abstracts away the complexity of cross-chain interactions by integrating Bitcoin directly into the EVM runtime. When a user initiates a transaction—whether it's a deposit, a withdrawal, or a smart contract call involving Bitcoin—the process unfolds seamlessly across several internal components:
Web3 Wallets and dApps serve as the user interface. Users interact with familiar tools like MetaMask to send transactions, including those that interact with real Bitcoin.
The Sova Mempool collects and orders these transactions, ensuring proper sequencing and validation before block inclusion.
Once included in a block, the SovaEVM Execution Engine interprets and executes the transaction. If the transaction involves Bitcoin (e.g. minting uBTC or initiating a withdrawal), the engine communicates with Sova's custom precompiles and finality logic.
The Inspector and Sentinel modules determine whether the Bitcoin transaction associated with the operation has reached the required confirmation threshold. During this window, the related state is locked and cannot be mutated or reused.
For withdrawals, the Signing Service securely generates and broadcasts the corresponding Bitcoin transaction, ensuring that BTC is released to the correct address once uBTC is burned.
After Bitcoin confirmation, the contract state on Sova is finalized and fully unlocked, completing the transaction lifecycle.
Throughout this flow, users remain on the Sova network. Everything happens transparently, securely, and natively, with Bitcoin serving as the final arbiter of truth.
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