# 5. Protocol-Level Guarantees

RouterLink's guarantees are enforced by **protocol design**, not promises.

## What RouterLink Guarantees

1. **Verifiable Usage Measurement** — Every request generates a PoTU receipt as canonical record
2. **No Unilateral Control** — No single participant can define routing outcomes alone
3. **Deterministic Settlement Inputs** — PoTU and PoLP signals act as immutable inputs to settlement
4. **Explicit Role Separation** — No role controls the full lifecycle of an AI request
5. **Designed for Imperfect Participants** — Network may degrade locally but not systemically

## Scope of Guarantees

RouterLink does **not** guarantee the lowest cost, fastest model, or uninterrupted availability. What it guarantees:

> **AI requests are routed, measured, and settled according to verifiable protocol rules rather than discretionary control.**