Jeremy Rubin on Char: The Infrastructure Bet Underneath Every Bitcoin L2

— Char is a layer two consensus mechanism for rollups that decentralizes sequencing, a function currently controlled by single operators or small committees in most layer two projects.

— The protocol uses proof of stake built on Bitcoin, where stakers risk their locked Bitcoin as collateral; equivocation (signing conflicting messages) results in slashing, creating economic disincentives without requiring proof-of-work.

— Char recently implemented EVRF (exponent verifiable random function) via the Purify primitive (from Blockstream's MuSigDN paper), which dramatically simplified signature attestation and context tracking in the protocol.

— The staking mechanism works through anchor outputs and lock-timed outputs on-chain; enforcement of slashing is probabilistic and miner-dependent, relying on miners' incentive to sweep funds from misbehaving stakers.

— Char avoids trust assumptions down the stack by using Bitcoin's existing primitives rather than introducing new cryptographic assumptions.

— The broader vision is to support high-throughput, decentralized layer two settlement for Bitcoin without sacrificing security to a single trusted operator.

— Layer two users and developers should evaluate whether their chosen protocol has a centralized sequencer; Char represents a research direction to eliminate that bottleneck, though the protocol is still in development.

— The use of slashing-based staking (burning staked Bitcoin for misbehavior) differs fundamentally from Ethereum's approach and avoids long-range attack vectors that plague pure proof-of-stake chains, making it worth monitoring as a security model for Bitcoin-native layer twos.

— Char's recent EVRF implementation and simplified protocol stack suggest the team is moving toward publication and integration; tracking their releases and code review may offer early insight into a novel sequencing solution.