Company-wide baseline
The cross-product rules every package inherits.
Golden rules
Get these right and most copy takes care of itself.
- Bitcoin capital B as network or modifier; bitcoin lowercase as the asset.
- recovery phrase · self-custodial · LBTC · the Blockstream app: the four renames every writer must know cold.
- No hype, ever: revolutionary, game-changing, amazing, "HODL" are banned; no em dashes in prose.
- Never "crypto" for Bitcoin; never Web3, DeFi, or NFT.
- Grep before delivery: Green, seed phrase, L-BTC, USDt, non-custodial, c-lightning.
- BSTR and Blockstream Capital, Intelligence, and Mining are unaffiliated; never present them as Blockstream.
Say this, not that
The usage dictionary. When in doubt, search it.
| Topic | Write | Never write | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Backup words | recovery phrase | seed phrase · mnemonic · backup phrase · recovery seed | the only term |
| Bitcoin vs bitcoin | capital B: network or modifier · lowercase b: unit of value | extends to Liquid Bitcoin | |
| Confidential Transactions | Confidential Transactions; hides asset types AND amounts | mentioning only one | |
| Custody | self-custodial · self-custody | non-custodial | |
| Device actions | tap (mobile) · click (desktop) · press (buttons) · select (Jade/menus) | click on · tap on | |
| Enterprise UI terms | Accounts · Spend/Workspace Policies · Recipients & Lists, matching the screen | inventing synonyms for UI terms | |
| Exfiltration defense | anti-exfiltration, spelled out | anti-exfil | terminology.md wins over voice.md |
| Liquid bitcoin | LBTC; first reference "Liquid bitcoin (LBTC)" | L-BTC | |
| Tether | USDT · Tether (USDT) · USDT on Liquid | Liquid Tether · USDt · L-USDt · LUSDT | |
| The app's name | the Blockstream app (lowercase the/app mid-sentence) | Blockstream Green · Green wallet | fully retired |
| The grep list | grep before delivery: Green, seed phrase, L-BTC, USDt, non-custodial, c-lightning | ||
| The Lightning implementation | Core Lightning · CLN | c-lightning, all variants | |
| Wallet vs account | consumer: wallet · enterprise: account | mixing the registers | match the audience's mental model |
| Buzz ecosystems | the specific capability | Web3 · DeFi · NFT · cross-chain (enterprise) | |
| Category word | Bitcoin; enterprise may say digital assets | crypto, for Bitcoin | |
| Grade claims | enterprise · purpose-built · the described architecture | institutional-grade · military-grade | |
| Hype | specific, factual claims · "hold" | revolutionary · game-changing · amazing · groundbreaking · HODL | |
| Tokens and coins | Liquid assets · Issued Assets · funds · bitcoin | tokens · coins | OK for stablecoins |
| Unaffiliated entities | no mention as Blockstream products | BSTR · Blockstream Capital/Intelligence/Mining as affiliates | separate companies |
| Satellite status | transferred 2025; disclose it | listing it as a current product | products-overview.md still lists it (conflict) |
| Style base | American English; AP Style where terminology.md is silent | terminology.md is canonical |
Voice pillars
Voice: "the senior engineer who built the system," never a salesperson. Read copy aloud; if it sounds like a marketer, rewrite.
Five traits: authoritative, technical, precise, confident, restrained. No hedging, exclamation points, or urgency tactics.
Precision beats superlatives: "2-minute settlement vs. T+1" not "faster settlement"; name "Blind Oracle," never "advanced security features."
Lead with what shipped: product, version, features in sentence one ("[Feature] is live."); ~16-word sentences, <10% passive.
POV: "you" in instructional copy; "we" sparingly in corporate announcements; no first person in technical or help center content.
Never fabricate capabilities: flag unknowns for verification; announce what ships, never promise unreleased timelines.
Tone by situation
Blog: what shipped first, no preamble. Launch: one "excited" max. Security: most formal, "issue resolved" up front, no hedging.
Help Center: second person, action-first steps, bold UI. Funds-at-risk adds "Your funds are safe" + recovery-phrase warning.
X @Blockstream: declarative hook; links and details in the self-reply, never the main post. Commemorative: emotion through fact.
X @BlockstreamJade: one declarative sentence + media, no emoji; security closes "Don't Trust. Verify."; giveaways only playful register.
Audience modifiers: Consumer plain + reassuring; Developer warmer, code + named contributors; Enterprise most formal, quantified.
Spectrum: press releases most formal (no contractions); CLN releases most casual (nicknames, contributor credits); API docs zero fluff.
Personas
Consumer: "a knowledgeable friend in Bitcoin security." Second person, verb-first steps, bold UI, reassure when funds at stake.
Developer: "a maintainer writing release notes." Explain why, quantified metrics, named authors, version numbers always.
Enterprise: "vendor presenting to a bank's evaluation committee." Formal, quantified, "digital assets" OK; security + compliance first.
Naming conventions
Product names capitalized (Jade Plus, Core Lightning, AMP); no article except lowercase "the Blockstream app" and "the Liquid Network."
Retired: "Blockstream Green / Green wallet" > the Blockstream app; "c-lightning" > Core Lightning; "seed phrase" > recovery phrase.
Body copy says "Jade"; "Jade Plus/Classic" only for model comparisons or prices. Default recommendation and links: Jade Plus.
Boilerplate (verbatim): "Blockstream is the global leader in Bitcoin infrastructure. Founded in 2014 by Dr. Adam Back, inventor of Hashcash (cited in the Bitcoin whitepaper), Blockstream builds the technology that extends Bitcoin's capabilities for individuals, developers, and enterprises. Products include Jade hardware wallets, the Blockstream app, the Liquid Network, Core Lightning, and enterprise custody solutions. Blockstream is headquartered in Victoria, BC, with offices worldwide." Press first ref: "Blockstream, the Bitcoin infrastructure company."
Positioning spine: "only company building a vertically integrated Bitcoin technology stack"; never claim Taproot ownership or name Jade rivals.
Universal style rules
Headings Title Case H1-H4; Help Center H1 sentence case; enterprise pages Title Case every headline, sentence case subheads/body.
Hyperlink the descriptive noun or verb, never "click here." On X, links go in the self-reply, never the main post.
Bold features on first blog mention; bold UI text, no quotes (Press Confirm); menu paths bold with > separator.
Numbers: spell out ten and below, digits 11+; all digits in instructions; no "v" prefix ("version 5.2.0"); punctuation outside quotes.
Use <-> for bidirectional swaps ("Lightning <-> Liquid"), --> for workflow comparisons; never one-directional "X-to-Y" for swaps.
Security copy leads with the conclusion ("Jade is unaffected by..."); frame security as architectural, never aspirational.
Copy hierarchy
Landing pages: most distilled voice, "Every word earns its place." Headlines are claims: "Fully open-source security," not "About Our Security."
Specific over vague ("2-minute settlement," "240x160 LCD"); one idea per section; page must communicate value from headings alone.
CTA verbs match the action: "Get Jade Plus," "Download the app," "Contact us." Never generic "Learn More."
Hero > features > specs > trust signals > closing CTA. Enterprise: pain points first, trust-layering, one job per element.
Lessons from the example library
Good blog (App Desktop 3.0.0): version + three named features in sentence one, two sentences total, no hype.
Good security advisory: conclusion first ("is unaffected"), threat named, "Don't Trust. Verify." close, zero emoji, single tweet.
Bad hype: "We're thrilled to announce a revolutionary update to the Blockstream Green wallet!" fails the Senior Engineer Test.
Bad terminology tweet: eleven violations ("crypto," "seed phrase," "military-grade," "HODL," emoji); fix names the Blind Oracle mechanism.
Notepad
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