The first PQVM-native, post-quantum L1.
Quantum-safe before Q-Day. No migration required.
NIST ML-DSA-65 signatures, native account abstraction, and STARK signature aggregation — running today on a PQVM with EVM-familiar semantics.
Why now
The clock is no longer hypothetical.
Post-quantum cryptography is no longer a research topic — it is a federally-mandated transition with a published timetable.
| When | What | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-08 | NIST FIPS 203/204/205 finalized[1] | ML-KEM, ML-DSA and SLH-DSA become US federal post-quantum standards. |
| 2025 | NSA CNSA 2.0 enforcement window opens[2] | US National Security Systems begin mandatory PQ migration timetable. |
| 2030–2035 | CRQC (cryptographically-relevant quantum computer) maturity window[3] | NIST IR 8413 evaluation report: when classical asymmetric cryptography is expected to be at risk. |
| Today | “Harvest now, decrypt later” attacks already active[4] | Cloud Security Alliance: long-lived encrypted data is being collected today for future quantum decryption. |
Defensible technology
Three protocol-level designs — shipped, benchmarked, open-source.
Every claim below maps to code already in the public repository.
Native post-quantum signatures
ML-DSA-65 (FIPS 204) as primary; SLH-DSA-SHA2-256f (FIPS 205) as conservative fallback.
Native account abstraction (not ERC-4337)
Three protocol-level validation paths: first-use, default account, custom validator. Addresses are 32-byte native (0x + 64 lowercase hex) — fully distinct from Ethereum 20-byte addresses. Key rotation never changes the address — no bundler, no paymaster.
STARK signature aggregation
Winterfell STARK proofs aggregate all ML-DSA-65 signatures in a block into a single proof. The proving pipeline is fully asynchronous — it has never blocked consensus in benchmark or soak runs. Combined with Zstd and pubkey deduplication, the three-layer pipeline reduces a 7.76 MB worst-case block (30M gas / 2 s) to ~425 KB on disk after the proving window — an ~18× end-to-end reduction. STARK peak compression is 7.1× at batch=5 (4–7× sustained).
Traction
Code, not roadmaps.
Every shipped milestone links to a public release tag. Every number on this page links to a benchmark file, commit, or NIST document.
Winterfell prover: A3 STARK layer compresses Dilithium3 signatures 7.1× (batch=5). Combined A1+A2+A3 pipeline: ~18× end-to-end (7.76 MB raw → ~425 KB pruned).
- ShippedNative Account Abstraction
Protocol-level smart accounts; 32-byte native addresses (0x + 64 lowercase hex); key rotation without changing address.
- Shipped3-way block-storage pruning
Hot / warm / cold tiers; ZSTD compression for cold layer.
Single-flag node classification; P2P StorageCapability advertisement; auto back-fill of historical bodies.
Architecture re-split, consensus slashing wired in, network amplification fix, bounded mempool channels, supply-chain CI.
Batch transactions (0x7E tx type, atomic InnerCall execution), native paymaster (sponsored gas), storage profiles CLI, Prometheus metrics, /healthz + /readyz probes, witness verification RPC.
- ShippedPublic testnet live
Live RPC, faucet, explorer, and external validator onboarding.
- PlannedMainnet genesis
After audit close-out and 90-day stable testnet.
Tokenomics
Where value accrues.
SHELL is not a governance toy. Each PQ verification, each key rotation, each STARK proof directly consumes the token.
Gas token
All transaction fees denominated in SHELL with PQTx-native fee model with base fee + tip; base fee burned.
Validator stake
WPoA stake-weighted proposer selection; slash conditions cover double-sign and equivocation (live since v0.17).
Aggregator bond
STARK prover nodes post a SHELL bond and earn fees per accepted aggregation proof.
PQ verification services
Off-chain DID resolution and key-rotation attestation are settled in SHELL.
Detailed allocation, vesting, and treasury policy are covered in the investor memo (NDA-gated).
Risk disclosure
What we are not pretending.
We surface the five risks investors most often raise. Each one is paired with a concrete, shipped or scheduled mitigation.
A NIST PQ algorithm is later broken
STARK prover network centralisation
Inherited EVM vulnerabilities
Thin early ecosystem
Regulatory uncertainty
Investors
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