Elements copy guide
Open source, sidechain-capable blockchain platform with Confidential Transactions and Issued Assets
- Likely folds into the "Blockstream Enterprise Blockchain Solution" framing.
- Compliance/KYT grouped under Data & Analytics, kept degrees away from the master brand.
- Elements-vs-Liquid separation rules under review.
Golden rules
Get these right and most copy takes care of itself.
- Elements is the platform, Liquid is one instance; never the reverse.
- Write like a maintainer: named authors, why over what, no marketing, no unshipped promises.
- Community-driven open source: Blockstream is the primary contributor, never the owner.
- Capitalize the feature names: Confidential Transactions, Confidential Assets, Issued Assets, Federated Two-Way Peg, Signed Blocks.
- Bitcoin's testbed framing: SegWit and Relative Lock Time proved here; propose, never pressure Bitcoin.
Who you're writing for
Meet the reader before touching the rules.
Write for a maintainer, not a buyer: Bitcoin devs and sidechain builders who read code; explain why over what, cut marketing.
Never assume the Blockstream app: the reader may use Sparrow, Electrum, or custom tools; never route an Elements step through one.
Shift register for secondary readers: enterprises, financial institutions, researchers; lead with governance and auditability.
Names
The product names and exactly how to write them.
Write "Elements": capital E, always a proper noun; the daemon binary is lowercase "elementsd".
Write "Elements Core" for the node software; never "Elements QT" (retired).
Elements is the platform, Liquid is one instance: the open-source sidechain platform vs its production deployment, never the reverse.
Never call Elements Blockstream-only: it is community-driven open source; say Blockstream is the primary contributor.
Capitalize the feature names: Confidential Transactions, Confidential Assets, Issued Assets, Federated Two-Way Peg, Signed Blocks.
Write "Strong Federation": capitalize both words; never "strong federation" or "Strong federations".
Cite an ELIP as a proposal, not endorsement: Elements Improvement Proposal; a number signals clear writing, not approval.
Say this, not that
The usage dictionary. When in doubt, search it.
| Topic | Write | Never write | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blinding | blinding (docs) · hiding (marketing only) | masking | |
| Confidential Assets | Confidential Assets (capitalized) | multiple assets, blinded identifiers and amounts | |
| Confidential Transactions | Confidential Transactions; hides asset types AND amounts | mentioning only one of the two | |
| Issued Assets | Issued Assets (capitalized) | three operations: issuing, reissuing, destroying | |
| Layer-2 | layer-2 (lowercase, hyphenated, numeral) | Layer 2 · layer two | |
| Liquid bitcoin | LBTC | L-BTC | renamed in Elements 23.3.0 |
| Peg mechanics | peg-in (noun/adjective) · "peg in" (verb) | pegged in · pegging in | |
| Range proofs | range proofs, two words | rangeproofs | |
| Reissuance | reissuance · reissuance token (lowercase, no hyphen) | Re-issuance · Reissuance Token | |
| Strong Federation | Strong Federation (both capitalized) | strong federation · Strong federations | signed blocks replace PoW mining |
| The node software | Elements Core; the daemon is lowercase "elementsd" | Elements QT | |
| Asset vocabulary | Liquid assets · Issued Assets | tokens · coins, except specific types | |
| The base chain | the Bitcoin mainchain · the mainchain | use "mainnet" near "on-chain" | |
| The old name | Elements Core | Elements QT | retired |
| Block Signers | flag it: capitalization conflicts across docs | canonical terminology.md mandates lowercase (open question) | |
| ELIP | Elements Improvement Proposal (BIP-style) | citing a number as endorsement | numbering is not endorsement |
| Functionaries | flag it: capitalization conflicts across docs | elements.md capitalizes; terminology.md lowercases (open question) | |
| Schnorr in Elements | research phase, clearly unshipped | phrasing it as shipped | |
| The peg | Federated Two-Way Peg (capitalized) | overseen by Watchmen | |
| Watchmen | Watchmen (capitalized role) | oversee the Federated Two-Way Peg |
Voice & tone
How the copy sounds, and where the register switches.
Write like a maintainer's release notes: technical precision by default, explain why over what, assume the reader reads code.
No marketing in developer content: no hype, no simplifying into inaccuracy, no omitted versions, no unshipped-feature promises.
Attribute to named authors, not the corporate voice; developer credibility rides on named authorship.
Frame testbed work as proposals: never call Bitcoin's consensus "slow" or "broken"; Blockstream proposes, cannot merge into Bitcoin.
Format code-first: inline code for commands and config, pre blocks for CLI and JSON, external links carry ?ref=blog.blockstream.com.
Write versions without a "v": "5.2.0" or "(5.2.0+)", never "v5.2.0".
Capital B for the network, lowercase b for the asset; same split for Liquid Bitcoin (concept) vs Liquid bitcoin (asset).
Use ↔ only for bidirectional swaps ("Liquid ↔ Lightning swap"), never when merely listing layers.
Headings Title Case (H1-H4); Rigid Square headings, Inter body, never a monospace family on Blockstream surfaces.
Positioning
What to lead with, what to always pair, what never to claim.
These points are an amalgamation of what has been learned so far, from product docs, launches, and reviewer feedback. They are not definitive or authoritative positioning from anyone. Product marketing still needs to clearly define positioning for this product, which will happen in a follow-up.
Lead with platform flexibility: Elements builds any Bitcoin-pegged sidechain or standalone chain with arbitrary assets.
Sell the on-ramp: bitcoind API compatibility lets Bitcoin devs build working chains cheaply, minimal learning curve.
Frame Elements as Bitcoin's testbed: SegWit and Relative Lock Time were proven on Elements, then merged into Bitcoin.
Pair any Liquid claim with production proof: Liquid is the live Elements sidechain, so Elements features are production-tested.
When writing Liquid's tech capabilities, credit Elements: those capabilities come from the platform underneath.
Place Elements as the sidechain-platform layer of Blockstream's Bitcoin stack, alongside Liquid and Simplicity.
Claims
What a page or post may cite. Confirm, correct, or kill each row; an unconfirmed claim does not ship.
| Claim | As of | Status |
|---|---|---|
| SegWit and Relative Lock Time were proven on Elements, then merged into Bitcoin | historical | approved |
| Liquid is the production Elements deployment, live since 2018 | current docs | approved |
Open questions
Unresolved tensions for review. Don't resolve these in copy; flag them.
- Role-caps conflict: elements.md capitalizes Block Signers/Watchmen/Functionaries; canonical terminology.md mandates lowercase "block signers", "Liquid functionaries".
- No brand-docs product page: no products-elements.md; absent from portfolio/naming/hierarchy tables; no boilerplate; company boilerplate product list omits Elements.
- product-brands.md gives Elements colors only, no typography; whether graphics inherit Rigid Square/Inter or own fonts is undocumented.
- terminology.md lists only plural "Strong Federations" as Use form; elements.md uses singular throughout; canonical row ambiguous.
Notepad
Scribble anything: loose thoughts, questions, things that don't fit a pin or a highlight. Saves automatically with the review feedback.