ark-expert

A Claude Code slash command plus a set of technical notes that turn Claude into an Ark-protocol domain expert -- one that answers questions about Ark mechanics by reading the actual source code of the two public implementations, never from memory.

Ark is a Bitcoin Layer 2 that batches many users into shared UTXOs via pre-signed transaction trees (VTXOs). Because the protocol is subtle and fast-moving, an LLM answering from training data gets details wrong. This command forces a code-first, cite-everything discipline: every claim is labeled [VERIFIED] / [INFERRED] / [UNVERIFIED] and carries a file:line reference.

The command is grounded in the two open-source Ark implementations, which you clone yourself:

• Arkade (Go) -- Ark Labs' implementation: github.com/arkade-os/arkd
• Bark (Rust) -- Second's implementation: gitlab.com/ark-bitcoin/bark

This repo also ships four summarized protocol notes in docs/ (Arkade spec, Bark implementation, V2 revocation mechanics, and an implementation comparison) for orientation. They are neutral technical explainers of the public protocol -- always confirm any load-bearing claim against the source checkouts.

Install

# 1. Clone the two public Ark implementations wherever you keep checkouts.
#    Point <your-clones-dir> at that location.
git clone https://github.com/arkade-os/arkd   <your-clones-dir>/ark
git clone https://gitlab.com/ark-bitcoin/bark <your-clones-dir>/bark

# 2. Install the command into a Claude Code project (project-level shown; use
#    ~/.claude/commands/ instead for a user-level command available everywhere).
mkdir -p .claude/commands
cp commands/ark-expert.md .claude/commands/ark-expert.md

Paths in angle brackets are placeholders. Open .claude/commands/ark-expert.md after copying and set the two <your-clones-dir>/ark and <your-clones-dir>/bark paths to wherever you cloned the repos.

Usage

Invoke the command in Claude Code with a question:

/ark-expert How does the sweep of expired VTXOs work?
/ark-expert How do Arkade and Bark differ on forfeit construction?
/ark-expert Check whether docs/ark-v2-mechanics.md matches the source on connector atomicity.

Claude reads the relevant source files, then answers with [VERIFIED] / [INFERRED] / [UNVERIFIED] labels and a code-reference table. See commands/ark-expert.md for the full rules and output format.

License

MIT. See LICENSE.