What are Timelocks?

A Bitcoin timelock is a rule that prevents certain bitcoin from being spent until a specified time or block height has been reached.

In a Taproot Miniscript vault, which is what GuardBlock vaults use, timelocks are used to protect the recovery pathways for the vault. For example, your normal spending path may be available immediately, while an emergency recovery path only becomes available after a set delay.

This delay helps prevent competing recovery options from being used too early and gives the vault a clear, predictable order of access. Timelocks are enforced by the Bitcoin network, not by GuardBlock (or anyone else).