Dispute a resolution

After a market closes and the resolver posts the result, there’s a challenge window - 24 to 48 hours during which anyone can flag the result as wrong. This page explains when to flag, what happens when you do, and what to expect if you’re involved in a dispute. The protocol is designed so that no funds move during the challenge window. If a resolution is wrong, it can be corrected before any payouts are claimable.

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When to flag

You should flag a result when you have good reason to believe the resolver posted the wrong outcome. Real examples:

• The resolver said “YES” when the public record clearly shows “NO.”
• The resolver picked a MultiOutcome option that doesn’t match the actual event.
• The market closed before the underlying event happened, and the resolver posted an outcome anyway.

Flagging is intentionally easy - anyone can do it, and it pauses payouts immediately. The cost is just the transaction fee. So if you’re genuinely uncertain about a resolution, flagging it is the right move.

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How to flag

Open the market’s page in the app during the challenge window. If you see a Flag resolution button, you’re in the right phase.

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What happens after a flag

When a market is flagged, it enters the Disputed phase. The protocol admin gets a notification (or sees the flag in their dashboard) and investigates. Two outcomes:

• The flag is valid. The admin posts the correct outcome via an admin override. The market becomes claimable with the corrected result. Winners (under the corrected outcome) can claim.
• The flag is invalid. The admin posts the original outcome again as the corrected one. The market becomes claimable with the original result. The dispute just delayed payouts by a few hours.

Either way, the market always reaches claimable eventually. There’s no way for a dispute to permanently freeze funds.

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What it feels like as a bettor

If you bet on a market and someone flags the resolution:

• The market sits in Disputed for a few hours while the admin reviews.
• Your position is unchanged. Your stake, your side, your odds - all still recorded on chain.
• Once the admin resolves the dispute, the market becomes claimable. You can claim normally.

Disputes typically resolve within a day. The admin is monitoring for them.

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What it feels like as a market creator

If you created a market and someone flags your resolution:

• Your creator fees are still safe in the market account.
• Your bond is still held - neither released nor lost.
• The admin reviews the dispute. If your resolution was correct, you withdraw normally after the dispute is resolved. If it was wrong, the admin posts the correct outcome and you still get your bond back.

The flag itself doesn’t penalize you. Only a dispute that exposes a malicious resolution (admin override required) puts your reputation as a resolver at risk. Honest mistakes corrected quickly are fine.

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Why the challenge window exists

Cyphers uses an off-chain network to decrypt bets at settlement. That means the resolution flow has two sources of possible error:

• The resolver could pick the wrong outcome. Either by mistake or maliciously.
• The off-chain network could be tricked. Unlikely, but the protocol assumes it’s possible.

The 24–48 hour challenge window gives the community time to catch either kind of error before any payouts go out. It’s the protocol’s main safety net for resolution accuracy.

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What’s next

• Market lifecycle - where the challenge window fits in the overall timeline.
• Claim payout - what happens after a dispute resolves.
• FAQ - quick answers to dispute-related questions.