Arborist Call #98 | Zcash R&D Updates
The Zcash Arborist Calls are bi-weekly protocol development meetings focused on tracking upcoming protocol deployment logistics, consensus node implementation issues, and protocol research.
This summary focuses on the last call that took place on 04/03/2025
Marek highlighted new RPC extensions like getblock, getrawtransaction, and getpeering, Plus, invalidateblock & reconsiderblock RPCs were added! Bug fixes which also helped the Zaino team.
Great news! The internal miner is back in Zebra, making it easier to generate blocks on testnet. Also, Coinbase transaction outputs now follow zcashd order to avoid confusion for block explorers.
Shoutout to Str4d and Teor for pushing the Equihash PR through, helping enable the internal miner! Big thanks to everyone improving #Zcash! Stay updated & get involved at.
Big strides in Zallet! Now syncing the chain using Zingo resource.
Post-quantum security update from Daira-Emma! A proposed change to node construction could enable a smooth transition to post-quantum cryptography without disrupting consensus. Future-proofing Zcash privacy & security!
QEDIT: Focus has been on responding to ZIP editors’ feedback. Progress on refining proposals continues behind the scenes.
@ShieldedLabs (NSF) shared they`re waiting on Zebra PRs #93000 & #9256. Good news → #9256 was merged! This unblocks progress on ZIP 233 implementation.
Compact block fetching by hash is live — needed for Zallet! Also prepping PRs for remote restart service. Updates on continuation of grant posted on the forum.
Nate (Shielded Labs): Milestone Two of Crosslink underway — using Malachite (Rust-based BFT) to build a network thatagrees onproof-of-work blocks. Draft docs & diagnostics in progress.
@ShieldedLabs demo shows a cool new visualizer for Crosslink. Interactive, whiteboard - styleGUImakeschain comparisons intuitive!
Nate (Shielded Labs): Milestone 2 goal - connectMalachite to Zebra to read PoW state (no modifications yet). Milestone 3 will modify PoW headers, and Milestone 4 will introduce staking rules.
Shielded Labs is developing a diagnostic tool to visualize chain state. ‘‘Mainnet ShadowingMode’’ coming soon — lets nodes validate PoW blocks in a read-only BFT network.
Natalie (Zcash Foundation) on FROST: Audit from Least Authority is almost done. Discussions ongoing about future work on FROST, with a shift towards welcoming PRs from others.
Post-quantum resilience changes will impact FROST key generation. New approach ensures commitments are binding under post quantum. Public diagram coming soon!.
Jason McGee (ZCG): Discussed a grant proposal for Zenith Zebra Wallet to add FROST multisig & Keystone hardware wallet support. Seeking input from ecosystem developers on its usefulness.
Daira-Emma: Diversified addresses may not be needed if a more interactive protocol is used fornote transmission. This could improve scalability by reducing note scanning.