> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.useprivatus.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.useprivatus.com/using-privatus/privatus-handles.md). # Privatus Handles A Privatus handle is a human-readable name, `@yourname`, that maps to your account. It's how money finds you: no one ever needs to see or type a raw base58 address again. *** ## Claiming a handle Handles are claimed during signup and can be changed later from **Settings → Handle**, subject to availability. * 3 to 20 characters * Letters, numbers, and underscores * Case-insensitive for lookup, but your chosen casing is preserved for display *** ## How handles work Handles on Privatus are more than a lookup table. At the protocol level, `@yourname` corresponds to the name `yourname.privatus`, and your account's on-chain address is a program-derived address (PDA) deterministically derived from that handle at account creation. Think of it as an IBAN you actually chose. When someone sends to your handle: 1. The app resolves `@yourname` to your Solana address 2. The transfer is built and signed as normal, addressed to your actual on-chain account 3. What settles on Solana is a standard address-to-address transfer; the handle itself is never revealed in the transaction In other words, a handle is pure convenience, not a new trust assumption. The underlying transfer carries the exact same confidentiality guarantees described in [Confidential Transfers Explained](/privacy-and-confidential-transfers/confidential-transfers.md). Readability for humans, cryptography underneath. *** ## Agent handles Agent accounts get a namespaced handle under their parent account: `@yourname/agent-name`. In an economy where software spends money, provenance matters: the namespace makes it immediately clear, both in the sender's UI and in your own feed, when a payment involves an autonomous agent rather than a human. See [Agent Accounts Overview](/agents-and-automation/agent-accounts-overview.md). *** ## Handle changes and history If you change your handle, your old handle is released after a short holding period and becomes available for others to claim. Previously sent request links tied to your old handle will stop resolving after the change. Your on-chain address is fixed at account creation (it was derived from the handle you first claimed), so it never changes with a rename; the new handle simply resolves to the same address, and any direct address-based payment history remains valid. Names can move; the chain remembers. *** ## Next * [Sending & Receiving](/using-privatus/sending-and-receiving.md) * [Transaction Feed & History](/using-privatus/transaction-history.md) --- # 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://docs.useprivatus.com/using-privatus/privatus-handles.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.