> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://xai-foundation.gitbook.io/xai-network/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://xai-foundation.gitbook.io/xai-network/about-xai/sentry-keys-explained/referee-smart-contract.md).

# Referee Smart Contract

The Referee Smart Contract is a crucial component in the Xai ecosystem. It is responsible for managing and validating assertions made by the Sentry Nodes in the network. The contract has several key functionalities:

* submission of assertions
* claiming rewards
* creating assertion hash and checking payout