Execution Guarantees & Security Model

Cross-chain execution introduces a natural question: what happens when something goes wrong?

EtherlinkDAO is designed with the assumption that execution across multiple environments must be safe by default, not optimistic. The protocol does not rely on best-effort routing or partial settlement. Execution is treated as a single logical operation, even when it spans multiple chains.

At the core of EtherlinkDAO’s security model is the concept of atomic execution.

An intent is only considered fulfilled if all required execution steps succeed according to the conditions defined at intent creation. If execution cannot be completed as specified, the intent is reverted or fails gracefully, preventing partial fills or inconsistent states across chains.

This model ensures:

• no partial execution across domains

• no stranded assets due to failed routes

• no silent degradation of execution quality

Rather than introducing new trust assumptions, EtherlinkDAO minimizes risk through standardization and coordination. By relying on ERC-7683, execution semantics are explicit and verifiable across environments, reducing ambiguity and protocol-specific edge cases.

EtherlinkDAO deliberately avoids accumulating bridge-like risk. The protocol does not:

• custody user funds

• lock assets in proprietary contracts

• rely on opaque relay or messaging layers

Execution is resolved through existing execution environments, with Etherlink acting as a coordinator rather than an intermediary.

Failure handling is a first-class concern. If market conditions change, liquidity disappears, or execution constraints cannot be met, the intent simply does not execute. This protects users from unintended outcomes and preserves deterministic behavior.

Security in EtherlinkDAO is not achieved by adding more layers. It is achieved by limiting responsibility.

The protocol focuses on execution coordination, leaving settlement and custody to the environments best suited to handle them. This separation of concerns allows EtherlinkDAO to offer strong execution guarantees while remaining modular, extensible, and resilient as the multi-chain ecosystem evolves.