> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://hub.bsvblockchain.org/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://hub.bsvblockchain.org/wiki/economics-and-payments/payments-in-bitcoin/paymail.md). # Paymail Paymail is a practical implementation of the family of related protocols collectively referred to as BSVAlias. In brief, it is an identity protocol that removes Bitcoin addresses from the user experience. Instead of addresses, Paymail uses human-readable names that look exactly the same as email addresses. Paymails are much easier to type into a device than Bitcoin addresses and can be used to identify an individual via the Paymail identifier. The protocol describes a procedure where a wallet provider will be able to be discovered and contacted, and can respond to payments and payment requests in real time so that payment receivers don’t have to re-use their Bitcoin addresses, thereby maintaining privacy. As a simplified example, in order for Alice to send some bitcoin to Bob, Alice sends the payment to . The paymail protocol implemented by Bob's wallet will provide a Bitcoin script to pay to for the actual Bitcoin transaction creation rather than relying on the concept of the Bitcoin address which is actually just a compact encoding of a script, but limits the form of the script to one particular type. This is done behind the user experience. Note that the security will rely on a public key infrastructure. At the time of writing, the protocols cover: * BRFC Specifications * Service Discovery * Public Key Infrastructure * Payment Addressing For more information visit the [BSVAlias specification repository](https://github.com/bitcoin-sv-specs/brfc-paymail). An implementation of these protocols can be used for access delegation in a similar fashion to OAuth. Paymail is the name for the implementation of the following protocols: * Service Discovery * Public Key Infrastructure * Basic Address Resolution from the Payment Addressing protocol group The Paymail brand is reserved for products and services that, at a minimum, implement each of the above protocols. For more information, see the [BRC-28: Paymail Payment Destinations](https://bsv.brc.dev/payments/0028) specification. --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com. ## Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter, and the optional `goal` query parameter: ``` GET https://hub.bsvblockchain.org/wiki/economics-and-payments/payments-in-bitcoin/paymail.md?ask=&goal= ``` `ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. `goal` is optional and describes the broader end goal you are ultimately trying to accomplish on behalf of the user. GitBook uses it to tailor the answer towards what is most useful for that goal. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.