# Order Modes

Black Pearl Market offers two settlement experiences: **Bot-Assisted Orders** and **Human-Confirmed Orders**.

Both use the same OTC escrow contract. The difference is the amount of automation available during execution.

## Bot-Assisted Orders

Bot-Assisted Orders can settle faster because the Telegram Bot can help automate eligible session steps when wallet, gas, UTXO, and indexer readiness checks pass.

The bot is an automation layer, not a custody layer. It does not persist user private keys or seed phrases, and it does not replace the smart contract lifecycle.

## Human-Confirmed Orders

Human-Confirmed Orders use the same on-chain protocol, but some actions may wait for a user or counterparty to manually confirm. This is not less secure, it is simply more manual.

## What Is The Same

| Feature         | Bot-Assisted     | Human-Confirmed  |
| --------------- | ---------------- | ---------------- |
| Escrow contract | Same             | Same             |
| Custody model   | Non-custodial    | Non-custodial    |
| Buyer USDC      | Locked in escrow | Locked in escrow |
| Recovery        | Same lifecycle   | Same lifecycle   |
| Fee model       | Same             | Same             |

## Simple Lifecycle

1. Buyer creates or takes an order.
2. USDC is locked in the escrow contract.
3. Seller completes the PEARL-side step.
4. The swap becomes claimable.
5. Seller claims USDC, or buyer may refund after timeout if the flow expires.


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