PQ-SmSH · Depth-bound inference · Patent Pending

The buyer signs the limit. The provider signs proof of the path it took.

PQ-SmSH turns how deep an AI model works into something you can put in writing and enforce. You set a max depth band, a max token count, and a list of tools the model is allowed to use, all signed with ML-DSA-65 (the government's post-quantum signature standard). The provider sends back signed proof of the actual path it took, also signed with ML-DSA-65. If it goes over the limit, the server won't sign it. Anyone can check both receipts on their own computer. Patent Pending · Filed 2026-05-08

Try the live demo View band policy

Five depth bands. Five price multipliers.

The base price is $0.0030 per 1,000 tokens. The band changes how much you pay. A buyer asking for D0 retrieval pays 0.05x. A buyer signing off on D4 frontier pays 10x. A provider can't quietly switch to a deeper, pricier path. The server checks the declared band against what the buyer signed for and won't sign off if it goes over.

D0 · retrieval
Retrieval
0.05x
0 tokens out
No tools
No multistep
D1 · shallow
Shallow
0.20x
≤ 512 tokens
No tools
No multistep
D2 · standard
Standard
1.00x
≤ 4,096 tokens
Basic tools
No multistep
D3 · deep
Deep
3.00x
≤ 32,768 tokens
Full tools
Multistep
D4 · frontier
Frontier
10.0x
Unbounded
Frontier model
Multistep

Live demo. LIVE

Pick a limit the buyer signs off on. Pick what the provider actually did. This page calls the live endpoints, bind, attest, and verify, and shows you the combined Ed25519 and ML-DSA-65 receipt. Try picking a deeper provider band than the buyer agreed to, and watch the server refuse it.

What the server refuses to sign.

The attest endpoint runs five checks before it signs anything back. If even one check fails, you get an HTTP 409 error with the list of what went wrong. There's no partial signature, no co-signing around it, and no fake compliance record left behind.

Five limit checks

  • The actual depth band is at or under the agreed depth band
  • Tokens out stay at or under the band cap (or the buyer's own cap)
  • If the band forbids tools, no tools were used
  • If tools are allowed, every tool used is on the buyer's approved list
  • The amount charged stays at or under the buyer's signed price limit

What the receipt carries

  • The buyer's standard bind data, plus the buyer's Ed25519 signature (optional)
  • Hive's own Ed25519 signature on the bind
  • Hive's own ML-DSA-65 signature on the bind (3,309 bytes)
  • The provider's actual path, plus Hive's combined signature on that record
  • A savings number: what actually happened compared to what was agreed to

The bind envelope.

{ "scheme": "pq-smsh-v1", "phase": "bind", "bind_id": "21da9615a73fdf99…", "buyer_did": "did:hive:buyer-acme", "depth_band": "D2", // this is the limit "model_class": "claude-3-haiku", "tool_allowlist": ["search", "calc"], "corpus_hash": "sha256:abc123…", "expiry_ms": 1814400000, "price_table_hash": "…", "operator_ed25519_sig": "…64 B…", "operator_ml_dsa_65_sig": "…3309 B…" }

What happens when a provider goes over the limit.

If the provider claims anything that goes over what the buyer signed, the server sends back an HTTP 409 error and spells out exactly what went wrong. There's no receipt to fake here. Hive never produces one in the first place.

HTTP/1.1 409 Conflict { "attested": false, "reason": "ceiling_violation", "ceiling_violations": [ "depth_used D3 exceeds bound depth_band D2", "tokens_out 8000 exceeds band cap 4096", "tools not in allowlist: code" ] }

Why this matters.

You pay for what you asked for

A retrieval query costs 200 times less than a frontier run. PQ-SmSH gives the buyer the right, in writing, to refuse a bill for depth they never agreed to.

Pricing that can't be changed after the fact

The price table gets locked into the bind's fingerprint. A provider can't swap in a pricier table later. If they did, the bind would stop checking out.

Works together with SHOD and HAHS

PQ-SmSH locks in depth. HAHS locks in what an agent is hired to do. SHOD locks in the six payment checks. You get three layers, one envelope, and one way to check it all. Patent Pending · Filed 2026-05-08

Patent Pending · Filed 2026-05-08 · Steve Rotzin / Hive Civilization, Inc.