Multisig is an established on-chain mechanism widely utilized in various applications, such as Lightning Network transactions and setups designed to mitigate the risks of single key loss or unauthorized signings. In contrast, Covenant Transaction Variant (CTV), although proposed for speculative use cases, has not yet been adopted for any specific application. The concerns regarding CTV include its potential to fall out of favor if alternative proposals gain traction, as well as the risks of a chain split during activation if consensus is not reached.

Despite the full utilization of Taproot trees in complex scripts being relatively low, there seems to be a premature rush towards implementing covenants. Covenants are designed to impose restrictions on where funds can be sent post-transaction, which shifts rather than resolves the key management issues faced pre-transaction. The supposed benefits of covenants, as advocated by some, may not be as clear-cut as they appear. Furthermore, if covenants are taken to extremes, they could lead to unintended consequences where funds become immobilized due to intricate covenant conditions.

Proponents of CTV acknowledge that the adoption of covenants is likely to extend beyond CTV itself, indicating an ongoing evolution of covenant applications. However, the best approach to understanding the implementation risks and determining the suitability of CTV for specific use cases involves building out those use cases and critically evaluating whether CTV offers the optimal solution. It is also suggested that repeated attempts to activate CTV without achieving broad consensus do not contribute to mitigating these risks.

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