# Full Self-Custody User escrow is held in [Vaults of Individual Participant Escrow (VIPE)](/protocol/whitepaper/vault-of-isolated-participant-escrow.md) onchain so that 1. Funds cannot be co-mingled by the exchange 2. Each user can audit a dedicated proof of reserve 3. Full Self-Custody of funds is preserved at all times Pre-signed balance states are maintained by each user's [Virtual Node](/protocol/whitepaper/virtual-node.md) so that funds can be withdraw independently of VDEX and in spite of frontend outages. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.vdex.trade/introduction/core-features/full-self-custody.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.