> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.heaa.xyz/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.heaa.xyz/concepts-of-heaa-dark-pool/notes-and-the-encrypted-stash.md).

# Notes & the Encrypted Stash

When someone sends you funds privately, they don't just appear as a number. They arrive as **notes** — private, claimable pieces of value waiting in your encrypted stash.

### What a note is

A note is a private record that value was sent to your encrypted account. Each private transfer you receive creates a note. Think of it like a sealed envelope of funds addressed to you: it's yours, but you open it (claim it) to fold it into your spendable encrypted balance.

### The Encrypted Stash

The app has a section called **Your Encrypted Stash**. This is where your incoming notes appear, each showing the amount you received. A badge shows how many notes are waiting to be claimed.

### Claiming

To turn received notes into usable balance, you **claim** them. You can:

* **Claim** a single note, or
* **Claim All** to sweep everything waiting at once.

Claiming is a quick action you approve in your wallet. Once claimed, the funds are part of your spendable encrypted balance and can be sent, swapped, or unshielded like anything else.

### Why claiming exists

Keeping received funds as separate notes until you claim them is part of what keeps transfers private — there's no automatic, observable link between a sender's action and your balance updating. You decide when to fold received value into your balance.

### Keeping the stash accurate

The app checks the blockchain to confirm which notes have already been claimed, so your stash shows only what's genuinely still waiting. After you claim, the stash updates to reflect what's left.