Retract an etch
What retraction erases, what stays forever, and how to do it.
Retraction is the one change an author can make to an etch, and it can't be undone.
What it erases
The words and the salt — set to null in the database, not hidden. With the salt gone, the fingerprint can never be linked back to any words again, by Etch or anyone else.
What stays
The tombstone, forever: the fingerprint, the topic, the description, the date it was etched (the exact time only if it had been public), when it was revealed, if it was, and when it was retracted. There is no deletion of the record — the visible retraction is the point.
On the chain, the retraction is anchored in a batch of retractions with its time. A batch root is never revoked, because that would undo every other etch in it. An etch from before batching has its own attestation revoked instead. See How proof works.
If the etch had been public, anyone who saved its line can still check it. Etch erases its copy; the world keeps its receipts.
How
Only the author can retract, with a write key. Retracting an etch in a challenge does not free your slot in it.
# THERE IS NO UNDO. Content and salt are erased for good; the tombstone stays.
curl -X POST https://test.etch.so/api/v1/etches/$ETCH_ID/retract \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $ETCH_API_KEY"