# Add a verification topic

Source: https://docs.settlemint.com/docs/operators/compliance/verification-topics
Add, edit, and delete verification topics in DALP organisation settings so trusted issuers can sign identity claims your compliance policy accepts.



A verification topic names a kind of identity claim, such as a professional licence or an accreditation check. Issuers sign claims against a topic, and your compliance rules require those claims before an investor can hold or transfer an asset. DALP ships a set of system topics for common checks; add your own custom topic when none of the built-in topics describe the claim you need to verify.

The System tab is a full management surface. As a claim policy manager you add topics, change a topic's claim signature, and delete topics your organisation owns. Only topics inherited from the shared global directory stay read-only here.

## Prerequisites [#prerequisites]

* The **claim policy manager** role for the organisation. Without it, the page is read-only and the add control is hidden.
* A signing wallet ready for the PIN-authenticated on-chain transaction. Registering a topic writes to the on-chain topic registry.
* A clear definition of the claim data the topic should carry: which values an issuer attests, and their types.

## How verification topics work [#how-verification-topics-work]

Every claim is tagged with a topic and a typed data signature. The signature is a comma-separated list of Solidity ABI types that describes the shape of the claim data, for example `string` for a single text value or `address,uint256` for a wallet and an amount. When an issuer signs a claim, the data must match the topic's signature, and compliance checks only count a claim when its topic is one your policy requires and the issuer is trusted for that topic.

DALP groups topics on two tabs in organisation settings:

| Tab    | What it contains                                                                                                                                                                           |
| ------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| System | Topics available to your organisation: seeded system topics plus the custom ones you add. You manage all of your custom and system topics here.                                            |
| Global | Topics in the shared directory that every organisation inherits. Browsing and searching the global directory requires directory-admin access; without it the tab shows a read-only notice. |

You add and manage your organisation's topics on the System tab. Custom topics you create appear there alongside the seeded system topics.

## Add a verification topic [#add-a-verification-topic]

<Steps>
  <Step>
    ### Open the Verification topics page [#open-the-verification-topics-page]

    In the console, go to Organisation settings > Verification topics. The System tab lists every topic available to your organisation. Select Add verification topic to start.
  </Step>

  <Step>
    ### Name the topic [#name-the-topic]

    Enter a unique, human-readable topic name, such as `Professional licence`. The name must be unique within your organisation; a duplicate name is rejected.
  </Step>

  <Step>
    ### Define the verification fields [#define-the-verification-fields]

    Add one or more fields that describe the claim data. For example, a `Professional licence` topic might carry one Text field for the licence category. Each field has a data type and an optional variable name:

    | Data type      | Use it for                                  |
    | -------------- | ------------------------------------------- |
    | Text           | Free-form text, such as a licence category. |
    | Number         | A whole number, such as a tier or limit.    |
    | Yes/No         | A true or false flag.                       |
    | Wallet address | An on-chain address tied to the claim.      |

    A verification topic needs at least one field. The fields you define become the topic's claim signature, in the order you list them.
  </Step>

  <Step>
    ### Review and submit [#review-and-submit]

    Review the topic name and the fields on the confirmation screen, then confirm. The platform registers the topic on chain after you authenticate the transaction. Once the transaction settles, the topic appears on the System tab and can be assigned to trusted issuers.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Manage an existing topic [#manage-an-existing-topic]

Each topic your organisation owns has an options menu on the System tab. Open it from the … button at the end of the row to edit the topic's signature or delete it. Both operations require the claim policy manager role and a PIN-authenticated on-chain transaction. Topics inherited from the global directory show "Managed globally" instead and cannot be changed here.

### Edit a topic signature [#edit-a-topic-signature]

Use this when the claim data an issuer attests has to change shape, for example to add a field.

<Steps>
  <Step>
    ### Open the topic's options menu [#open-the-topics-options-menu]

    On the System tab, find the topic and select Edit signature from its options menu. The edit form opens with the current signature pre-filled for reference.
  </Step>

  <Step>
    ### Edit the fields [#edit-the-fields]

    The topic name is fixed and cannot be changed; only the fields are editable. DALP loads the topic's current fields into the same field builder you used to create it, so you edit the signature one field at a time rather than typing raw ABI types. Add or remove fields and set each field's data type and optional variable name. The four data types are the same as the add flow: Text, Number, Yes/No, and Wallet address. The current signature is shown for reference, and your edited signature must differ from it before you can continue.
  </Step>

  <Step>
    ### Review and submit [#review-and-submit-1]

    Confirm the new signature against the previous one, then authenticate the transaction. Once it settles, the topic carries the updated signature and new claims must match it.
  </Step>
</Steps>

Some topics open in a read-only view instead of the field builder. This happens when the topic's signature uses data types the builder does not offer, such as a fixed data-feed signature or an ABI type outside Text, Number, Yes/No, and Wallet address. DALP shows the current signature without editable fields so it cannot rewrite the topic to a different type by mistake. To change a read-only signature, update the topic through the API with [PUT /api/v2/system/claim-topics/{name}](/docs/developers/compliance/configure-trusted-issuers), where you submit the replacement signature as a comma-separated ABI type list.

Changing a signature affects claims signed afterwards. Existing claims keep the signature they were signed with, so plan a signature change alongside any issuer who signs for the topic.

### Delete a topic [#delete-a-topic]

Remove a topic your organisation no longer requires. Before deleting, confirm that no active compliance rule still references it.

<Steps>
  <Step>
    ### Open the topic's options menu [#open-the-topics-options-menu-1]

    On the System tab, find the topic. Select **Delete topic** from its options menu to open the deletion confirmation.
  </Step>

  <Step>
    ### Confirm the deletion [#confirm-the-deletion]

    The confirmation dialog warns that deletion cannot be undone and that existing verifications using the topic may become invalid. Before deleting, check that no active compliance rule still requires the topic, so you do not leave a rule pointing at a topic that no longer exists. Authenticate the transaction to delete the topic.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## After you add a topic [#after-you-add-a-topic]

A registered topic does nothing on its own. To put it to work:

1. Assign a [trusted issuer](/docs/operators/compliance/configure-trusted-issuers) for the topic, so the issuer's claims count toward verification.
2. Reference the topic in the compliance rules that should require it, such as [identity verification](/docs/operators/compliance/identity-verification).

## What you cannot change here [#what-you-cannot-change-here]

| Limit                       | What it means                                                                                                            |
| --------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Unique names                | Two topics in the same organisation cannot share a name.                                                                 |
| Global topics are inherited | Topics from the shared global directory are read-only on the System tab; you cannot edit or remove them here.            |
| Global tab needs admin      | Browsing and searching the global directory requires directory-admin access; otherwise the tab shows a read-only notice. |

## Related guides [#related-guides]

* [Configure trusted issuers](/docs/operators/compliance/configure-trusted-issuers): let an issuer's claims count for the topics you require.
* [Identity verification](/docs/operators/compliance/identity-verification): require verified identity before holding or transferring an asset.
* [Compliance overview](/docs/operators/compliance/overview): how verification topics, issuers, and compliance modules fit together.
* [Claims and identity](/docs/architecture/concepts/claims-and-identity): the wallet, OnchainID, claim-topic, and issuer model behind verification.