> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://guardian.hedera.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://guardian.hedera.com/docs/3.5.1/guardian/tokens/retirement-contract/trustchain-representation-of-token-retirement.md).

# TrustChain representation of token retirement

Guardian TrustChain represents token retirement operations as special card groups which are positioned following the ‘Token Minted’ card in the trust chain sequence. Each such group consists of a main card and several instance cards connected to it. Main card displays information about the token, the retirement contract used in the retirement operation, and the number of instances retired. Instance cards contain information about the “Instance ID” of the retired instances, retirement transaction IDs, user IDs which retired the tokens, and provide access to the retirement confirmation VC files.

<figure><img src="https://content.gitbook.com/content/EvaEsaNo09Ib5tjr1yj1/blobs/pUN7M327sec9GfjvJUPi/image%20(1)%20(1)%20(1)%20(1)%20(1)%20(1)%20(1).png" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

The alternative trustchain view presents the retirement operation as an ordered (by time) sequence of cards featuring the corresponding Contract and User details.

<figure><img src="https://content.gitbook.com/content/EvaEsaNo09Ib5tjr1yj1/blobs/B5H67lBr7KomXyX9Ol10/image%20(1)%20(1)%20(1)%20(1)%20(1)%20(1)%20(1)%20(1).png" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

Guardian needs access to an Indexer instance for information to put on the cards. When Indexer is not available the information scope is reduced. In such cases Guardian trustchain may also lack information about retirements performed by 3rd party applications directly (without Guardian involvement).

<figure><img src="https://content.gitbook.com/content/EvaEsaNo09Ib5tjr1yj1/blobs/49pVgkJAb6I8k9CSSfuT/image%20(2)%20(1)%20(1)%20(1)%20(1)%20(1).png" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

Guardian displays “No data from the indexer. Connect it and click Refresh for full details.” warning when Indexer access is not configured.


---

# Agent Instructions
This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com.

## Querying This Documentation
If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the following URL with the `ask` and `goal` query parameters:

```
GET https://guardian.hedera.com/docs/3.5.1/guardian/tokens/retirement-contract/trustchain-representation-of-token-retirement.md?ask=<question>&goal=<user_goal>
```

`ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
`goal` is what the user is ultimately trying to achieve, the reason they need the answer. Sharing it helps GitBook give you a better, more relevant answer. A goal is most helpful when it describes the outcome the user wants rather than restating the question. For example, with `ask=how do I create an API token`, a goal like `automate deployments from our CI pipeline` lets GitBook tailor the answer to that use case.

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.