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How it works

From a dripping tap to a paid invoice.

Trace turns an on-site job, from a repair to a deep clean, into a short contract a camera can check, then lets PayPal move the money only as each line is proved.

Run it yourself in the demo
  1. 01 / 04

    Scope it

    The tradesperson photographs the problem and describes it out loud. Trace drafts priced lines, each with a check a camera can make, and the prices are edited by hand.

    • One visible outcome per line
    • Must-show and must-not-show checks
    • Hidden work flagged for review
    9:41
    New job · draft
    12 Admiralty Way
    “Grout's cracked by the shower, tap won't stop…”
    L1Fix dripping tap$120.00
    Tap closed with a dry spout
    L2Reseal bath edge$90.00
    Continuous white sealant bead
    L4Regrout shower wall$110.00
    Continuous grout, no visible cracks
    Send for approval · $420.00
  2. 02 / 04

    Hold it

    The homeowner approves the scope inside PayPal. The total is authorized on their account, not charged, and the scope is frozen with a hash.

    • Orders v2 with intent AUTHORIZE
    • Held up to 29 days
    • Amounts come only from the agreed lines
    9:41
    Homeowner
    Approve and hold
    Held by PayPal
    $420.00
    Not charged until verified
    • PayPal holds it: nothing is charged now
    • Each line is paid only after its photos pass
    • Anything unfinished is released back
    ✓ Authorization created
    expires in 29 days · scope hash 7f1c…a2e4
  3. 03 / 04

    Prove it

    For each line, the tradesperson shoots an after-photo in the app, lined up with a ghost of the before-photo. Location, freshness and reuse are checked before the AI looks.

    • One-time camera token, 120 s
    • 150 m geofence
    • Verdict with a reason you can read
    9:41
    Prove it
    L4 · Regrout shower wall
    The same shower wall freshly regrouted, no cracks
    Crumbling shower grout with a crack above the soap dish
    Line up with the ghost
    ✓Taken here12 m from the job
    ✓Taken nowtoken 41 s old
    ✓Not reusednearest match 31 bits
    ✓Grout continuousno visible cracks
  4. 04 / 04

    Release it

    PayPal captures exactly the approved lines. Unfinished work stays held until it's fixed, or both sides drop it and the rest goes back.

    • Partial captures as lines pass
    • Final capture releases the remainder
    • Every step on the timeline
    9:41
    Bathroom repair
    12 Admiralty Way
    Released
    $310.00
    3 lines paid$110.00 still held
    L1Fix dripping tapPaid
    L2Reseal bath edgePaid
    L3Refit towel railPaid
    L4Regrout shower wallHeld
    ✓PayPal captured $310.00

The rules the money follows

Six rules, no exceptions.

These are enforced in code on the server, not by the app or the model. Each one has tests that run against a PayPal stand-in with the same rules.

Rule 01
The hold is the ceiling

Trace never captures more than PayPal authorized. Before every capture, the amount already captured plus the lines being released is checked against the hold.

Rule 02
Only approved lines are paid

A line is released when the homeowner approves it, or when its review window lapses and the AI verified it. A line marked Needs review is never released by silence.

Rule 03
A capture is final only when nothing is open

Captures go through with final_capture: false while any line is still being worked on. The last one is final, which tells PayPal to release whatever is left.

Rule 04
Dropped lines go back

When both sides agree to drop a line, its share of the hold is released to the homeowner, by the final capture or a void.

Rule 05
Recorded before sent

Every capture is written down with its own PayPal-Request-Id before it is sent. If the answer is lost, it is retried with the same ID and PayPal returns the original, never a second charge.

Rule 06
Renewed once if the job runs long

PayPal honours a hold best in its first 3 days. After that, Trace asks PayPal to renew it once. If PayPal refuses, both sides are told.

trace
Statement
Job 0420
12 Admiralty Way
  • Authorized
    Orders v2 · AUTHORIZE
    $420.00
    held
  • Capture 1
    L1 tap · L2 sealant · L3 rail
    $310.00
    paid
  • Held back
    L4 grout · crack above soap dish
    $110.00
    held
  • Capture 2 · final
    L4 grout · re-proved
    $110.00
    paid
Paid to the tradesperson$420.00
Paid before work was proved$0.00
Held by Trace, ever$0.00
✓ Every line proved

Questions

The fine print, plainly.

Up to 29 days. Trace is built for jobs that finish within a few days, and asks PayPal to renew the hold once if work runs past the 3-day honour period.

Nothing about money. It reports what it sees in the photos against the agreed checks. Code turns that into Verified, Needs review or Failed, and the homeowner decides anything uncertain.

Not silently. Sending the scope freezes it with a hash that goes into the PayPal order. A change is a new, separately approved hold.

Nothing is charged, the lines go back to approved, and both sides see what happened on the timeline.

Let's move some money

Try it with nothing at stake.

The demo runs a whole job in your browser. Play both sides and watch the hold turn into payments.

Try the demoSecurity
Held by PayPal · released on proof
Sandbox demo · no real money moves