Methodology
What the tools actually do, the heuristics behind the Brief, and where the limits are. Stated plainly, because the whole point is to be verifiable rather than authoritative.
Radar
The radar fetches the list of recent blocks from mempool.space/api/blocks, then downloads the
full transaction summary of each covered block via /api/v1/block/{hash}/summary — every
transaction, not a sample. It keeps the ones whose total output value is at or above the chosen threshold
(10, 50, 100, or 500 BTC) and fetches BTC/USD from CoinGecko for the approximate dollar column.
Each block is scanned once; a poll every minute checks whether a new block arrived. Everything runs in your browser, in memory only.
For each displayed row the radar also fetches the transaction detail and checks its input and output addresses against the open label directory — exact match only, the same rule the Brief uses. The BTC column is the sum of outputs, so it includes change returning to the sender; read reading large transactions before quoting numbers. Not trading signals.
Brief heuristics
Given a transaction id, we fetch mempool.space/api/tx/{txid} and apply structural rules:
| Pattern | Rule (simplified) | Typical certainty | Known failure modes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Consolidation | inputs ≫ outputs (esp. many → 1) | Probably | CoinJoin-like shapes; internal exchange shuffles |
| Distribution | 1 → many outputs | Possibly | Dust to famous addresses; change misread as payout |
| Simple transfer | 1 → 1 (+ change) | Medium | Change output indistinguishable without wallet knowledge |
| Labeled touch | Exact address match in labels.json | Per label confidence | Stale tags; label on dust output only |
| Ambiguous | None of the above clearly | High uncertainty | Complex smart-contract or non-standard scripts |
The summary carries explicit certainty qualifiers and shows decision logic step by step. See worked cases on Examples.
Worked example (logic only)
txid: 61b5cc645177843e8514e18a19faf162a19247c8bb4f25519b57c166e9df302c
- Fetch tx → 147 inputs, 1 output.
- Classify shape → consolidation (many → one).
- Sum input values → ~22,024 BTC total moved.
- Match labels on inputs → Bitfinex (high confidence) on input side.
- Emit summary with probably — structural match strong; intent not stated.
Labels
The directory is exact-address-match against a manually curated list. Each entry records a category, a confidence level, and a public source. It is intentionally small and conservative. We do not cluster addresses or infer ownership. Contribution criteria: Labels page and Contact.
Limits, honestly
- Real ownership and intent are not knowable from public chain data alone.
- Address reuse and exchange internals mean labels can be stale or partial.
- The dollar values are approximate and depend on a live price feed that can fail.
- The radar covers only the most recent blocks (about the last 80 minutes) — it is a window, not an archive.
- A transaction's output total includes change; "X BTC moved" on-chain is an upper bound on what changed hands.
- None of this is financial advice or trading signals.
Sources
mempool.space REST API, CoinGecko simple price, and the per-entry sources cited in the label directory. Code is open on GitHub. API availability is not guaranteed.