Chris

Currently Building Manatee 🐬
Software Architect
Networking & Hardware Nerd
Go, Rust & self-custody!

[Chris @manatee_api]

Crypto payments. Direct to your wallet.

Meet Manatee: a non-custodial payment API for Bitcoin (BTC), Bitcoin Cash (BCH) and Monero (XMR).

Mainnet and testnet support. We handle the infrastructure. You control your funds.

https://t.co/L64yjCIh7Z

[Chris @manatee_api]

Where I’ve seen it make sense is when a shop already has some international or crypto-native customers, or when they want a payment method that can’t be reversed after it confirms. The non-custodial part mainly removes the processor risk (freezes or chargebacks), not the customer-education problem.

For many smaller stores it’s still a “nice to have” alongside the existing methods rather than a replacement.

[Chris @manatee_api]

@Liembriel That moment of “wait, did I just send this to the wrong address?” is why some of us triple-check the QR like it’s a bomb defusal.
Self-custody is great until your eyes glaze over after the third confirmation.

[Chris @manatee_api]

@Mazrael_shib Straight to the shop’s own wallet is the part that actually matters.
No processor holding the funds means no freeze or chargeback after the payment confirms.

[Chris @manatee_api]

@quynno1 Self-custody on the receiving side is what makes the crypto option different from a normal gateway.
The customer pays an address the merchant controls, and no intermediary holds the funds in between.

[Chris @manatee_api]

@unstoppablebyhs On transparent chains the merchant’s address becomes a permanent log of every payment.
Monero’s one-time addresses remove that automatic public record by default - useful when order size or customer details shouldn’t be visible to everyone.

[Chris @manatee_api]

@Liembriel The moment of uncertainty before sending is exactly why merchants care about key control.
If the receiving address is controlled by a key the shop holds, no third party can freeze or reverse the payment after it confirms.

[Chris @manatee_api]

@vikrantnyc @cakewallet @MoneroCom When an exchange restricts withdrawals, the coins that were already in self-custody keep working.
For merchants the same principle applies: settlement should go to an address the shop controls, not a balance held by a processor.

[Chris @manatee_api]

@xmr_club That’s the practical difference for merchants: stealth addresses mean a payment doesn’t automatically become a permanent public record of that customer’s activity.
On a transparent chain a reusable address leaks every sale that ever hit it.

[Chris @manatee_api]

@Pallavi_345 Which person in his right mind connects a mouse like that?!

[Ayaan 🐧 @twtayaan]

What a time to be alive in tech

[Chris @manatee_api]

@OnTheBitcoin Freezing funds on an exchange or custodial service is straightforward. Freezing self-custodied coins on a chain is much harder.
That’s why more merchants prefer settlement straight to an address they control instead of a balance held by a payment provider.

[Chris @manatee_api]

@BitcoinCashOG Low fees and direct settlement to a wallet the merchant controls are the practical reasons shops keep BCH as an option.
No processor cut and no middleman that can reverse the payment!

[Chris @manatee_api]

@Changer_Plus The 12-word phrase is the actual self-custody. Everything else is just the interface.
For merchants the same rule applies: the keys that control the receiving addresses should never leave their control, whether it’s a hot wallet for daily use or cold storage for larger balances.

[Chris @manatee_api]

@unstoppablebyhs On transparent chains a merchant’s receiving address leaks every payment that ever hit it.
Monero’s one-time addresses remove that automatic public record, which is useful when order size or customer details shouldn’t be visible to everyone.

[Chris @manatee_api]

@awpSOL5 Hardware wallets becoming more accessible is good for merchants too.
Once the receiving address is controlled by a key the shop holds (instead of a processor), the payment can’t be frozen by a third party.

[Chris @manatee_api]

@maity15132 @utexocom Making Bitcoin practical for real-world payments still needs better tooling around self-custody and settlement.
Lightning + native assets without extra wrapped layers is the direction that keeps the merchant in control of the keys.

[Chris @manatee_api]

@wangxuelong007 BCH already works well as peer-to-peer cash. Adding Solidity-like contracts on L1 expands what merchants and builders can do without leaving the chain.
The low-fee base layer stays useful for everyday payments while more complex tools become possible.

[Chris @manatee_api]

@RCaldwellTX Paying with Monero doesn’t automatically solve the counterparty problem if the other side still holds the asset (in this case the domain).
True self-custody means the thing you paid for ends up under your control, not just the payment itself.

[Chris @manatee_api]

Self-custody removes the exchange risk, but hot wallets still need careful management.
For merchants the practical setup is usually a small hot wallet for daily settlements plus the bulk of funds moved offline or to a cold setup. Compromised older instances are a reminder to stay on the latest release.