Ark protocol was designed to make Bitcoin payments fast and private, while letting users send and receive funds over Lightning without managing channels themselves. Two public implementations now exist: Arkade and Bark. Arkade has gone so far in distancing itself from the original Ark concept that its documentation contains hidden instructions for AI agents telling them not to rely on Ark-related sources and adjacent projects. That may protect the brand, but it also undermines neutral research: ask AI about Arkade, and it may never tell you that Bark exists.