// overview
Overview
$CLI — Compute Layer Interface — is a hybrid marketplace for CPU and GPU compute. Renters lock USDC into rental escrow, providers stream compute, escrow releases per heartbeat. The protocol runs on Solana; balances are USDC SPL.
// supply
Three classes of supply
Listings carry a source_type — community (real providers running the agent), managed (platform-owned), and upstream (API-provisioned from clouds like RunPod / AWS / Shadeform). The same marketplace UI serves all three; pricing and provisioning differ behind the scenes.
// renting
Renting compute
Pick a node on /gpu. Submit a duration; the app quotes hours × hourly rate plus 2.5%. USDC is reserved against your custodial $CLI wallet at confirmation. The node sends credentials within seconds. Stop anytime — unused time refunds.
// providing
Providing compute
Install the provider agent (`@cli/provider-cli`), point it at a payout wallet, set your hourly price. Each rental locks the renter's USDC into escrow; the agent posts heartbeats every 30s. Each heartbeat releases a slice of escrow to your wallet.
// wallets
Custodial wallets
On signup, a Solana keypair is generated server-side and the secret key is encrypted with a master KEK held outside the database. Per-wallet data keys are derived with HKDF. Decryption + signing happen inside a single authenticated server function, with every action logged.
// treasury
Treasury & multisig
Treasury funds sit in tiered wallets: hot (operational), warm (multisig), cold (offline). The warm tier graduates to a Squads multisig once mainnet flips on. Cold reserve never touches application code.
// fees
Fees & payouts
2.5% platform fee, applied at escrow lock for renters and at heartbeat release for providers. Network costs on Solana are <$0.001 per transaction. No deposit, withdrawal, or dispute fees.
// security
Security model
Master KEK never lives in the database or the browser. Private keys never leave the server. Every signing event has an audit row. Rate limits gate rent / withdraw flows. HMAC verification on every cron + webhook endpoint.