Docs · Concepts
Principal
A person inside an organization — and the three things it is not.
What it is
A principal is the stable identity of a person acting inside an organization. It holds roles, it is what an audit line attributes an action to, and it survives a password change, a new laptop and a new passkey.
Three things it is not
| Not the same as | Why the distinction matters |
|---|---|
| A passkey credential | A person may enrol several, and losing one must not lose the identity that approved things last month. |
| The Custody signer DID | The approval signature comes from a key Custody holds for that principal. Rotating it does not create a new person. |
| A chain account | A secp256k1 account holds a balance. Holding it grants no Trust authority at all. |
Account possession does not create Trust authority. Signing a transaction is not an approval, and a treasury balance is not permission to spend it.