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  "id": "oracle-heartbeat-deviation",
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  "title": "Oracle heartbeats and deviation thresholds: when prices update",
  "description": "Understand price-feed heartbeat and deviation triggers, including why a feed still needs timestamp, unit and application-specific freshness checks.",
  "aliases": [],
  "dates": {
    "published": "2026-10-02",
    "modified": "2026-10-02",
    "verified": "2026-10-02T18:15:18.493Z",
    "dataAsOf": "2026-10-02"
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  "authorship": {
    "publisher": "Degrees of Satoshi editorial project",
    "process": "AI-assisted research and drafting with a separate automated source-verification pass; no external expert or named human review is implied."
  },
  "quickAnswer": {
    "text": "A push-based price feed may update when a price deviation threshold is crossed or a heartbeat interval is reached. These triggers do not make the value a continuous live quote or guarantee zero delay. Consumers must check the feed’s units, timestamp and suitability for their application, using the exact chain and feed configuration.",
    "claimId": "oracle-heartbeat-deviation-quick-answer",
    "sourceIds": [
      "chainlink-feeds"
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  "keyFacts": [
    {
      "label": "Deviation",
      "value": "A configured price change can trigger a new update round.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "chainlink-feeds"
      ],
      "id": "deviation",
      "claimId": "oracle-heartbeat-deviation-fact-deviation"
    },
    {
      "label": "Heartbeat",
      "value": "An elapsed interval can trigger an update even during low volatility.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "chainlink-feeds"
      ],
      "id": "heartbeat",
      "claimId": "oracle-heartbeat-deviation-fact-heartbeat"
    },
    {
      "label": "Consumer check",
      "value": "Chainlink recommends checking updatedAt or the relevant timestamp for freshness.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "chainlink-feeds"
      ],
      "id": "consumer-check",
      "claimId": "oracle-heartbeat-deviation-fact-consumer-check"
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  ],
  "prerequisites": [
    "blockchain-oracles"
  ],
  "sections": [
    {
      "id": "example",
      "heading": "Triggering a round differs from publishing it instantly",
      "sourceIds": [
        "chainlink-feeds"
      ],
      "paragraphs": [
        "Consider an illustrative feed with a 1% deviation trigger and a one-hour heartbeat. A small price change may not trigger an immediate deviation update, while reaching the heartbeat initiates the update process.",
        "Network congestion or operational delays can affect when the result appears on-chain. The example parameters are not asserted for any particular live feed."
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "freshness",
      "heading": "Use a threshold suited to the actual application",
      "sourceIds": [
        "chainlink-feeds"
      ],
      "paragraphs": [
        "A lending protocol, a displayed chart and a settlement contract may tolerate different levels of staleness. The consumer must decide when to reject a value, pause or use another defined path.",
        "Check decimals, quote currency and feed identity as well as age. A fresh answer from the wrong asset pair is still the wrong input."
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "versions",
      "heading": "The same asset can have different feed settings",
      "sourceIds": [
        "chainlink-feeds"
      ],
      "paragraphs": [
        "Heartbeat and deviation settings can differ across chains and between underlying and wrapped assets. Documentation or a value copied from another deployment may therefore be inappropriate.",
        "Record the feed address, chain and configuration observation date when auditing an integration. Do not treat a generic product label as a complete oracle specification."
      ]
    }
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "question": "Does a heartbeat guarantee an update exactly at that second?",
      "answer": "No. It is a trigger condition for the update process; publication can be delayed by network and operational conditions. Consumers still need freshness checks.",
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        "notes": [
          "Read the exact Chainlink section Check the timestamp of the latest answer: heartbeat initiates a round, congestion can delay publication, updatedAt/latestTimestamp consumer checks remain necessary.",
          "Source explicitly allows different wrapped-asset and cross-chain thresholds. One percent/one hour are marked illustrative, and the article does not turn the trigger into a deadline guarantee."
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          "Read the exact Chainlink section Check the timestamp of the latest answer: heartbeat initiates a round, congestion can delay publication, updatedAt/latestTimestamp consumer checks remain necessary.",
          "Source explicitly allows different wrapped-asset and cross-chain thresholds. One percent/one hour are marked illustrative, and the article does not turn the trigger into a deadline guarantee."
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          "Read the exact Chainlink section Check the timestamp of the latest answer: heartbeat initiates a round, congestion can delay publication, updatedAt/latestTimestamp consumer checks remain necessary.",
          "Source explicitly allows different wrapped-asset and cross-chain thresholds. One percent/one hour are marked illustrative, and the article does not turn the trigger into a deadline guarantee."
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          "Read the exact Chainlink section Check the timestamp of the latest answer: heartbeat initiates a round, congestion can delay publication, updatedAt/latestTimestamp consumer checks remain necessary.",
          "Source explicitly allows different wrapped-asset and cross-chain thresholds. One percent/one hour are marked illustrative, and the article does not turn the trigger into a deadline guarantee."
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  "citation": "Degrees of Satoshi editorial project. “Oracle heartbeats and deviation thresholds: when prices update.” Published 2026-10-02; updated 2026-10-02. https://degreesofsatoshi.com/encyclopedia/oracle-heartbeat-deviation/"
}