Arborist Call | Zcash Protocol Updates (02/19/2026)
Core Team Updates, Research & Implementation Updates, Open Announcements & Discussion.
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 02/19/2026.
Recent maintenance work includes:
Fixes addressing RPC compatibility differences between zcashd and Zebra
Introduction of guidelines for reviewing AI-generated code contributions
As AI-assisted development grows, clearer review standards help maintain code quality and security.
Zebra 4.1.0 Improvements
The Zebra team shared updates around enhancements included in v4.1.0, focusing on node performance and observability:
Improved Prometheus metrics
Updated Grafana dashboards
Standard mempool transaction tests (ported from zcashd)
Steady progress toward a more robust Rust-based Zcash node.
Zebra RPC modernization continues
Zebra is moving away from OpenAPI toward OpenRPC, aligning with Zallet’s documentation framework.
New addition:
rpc.discover endpoint now available
This improves developer experience and makes RPC interfaces easier to explore and integrate.
New functionality merged into Zebra:
gettransactionout RPC method added (community requested)
New state request: AnyChainBlock (requested by Zaino team)
Plus fixes for compatibility gaps between zcashd and Zebra RPC behavior.
Work in progress:
Shielded Coinbase support PR advancing (pending Zcash Script release)
New Zcash integration test repository underway
This will replace legacy Python QA tests and modernize Zebra testing infrastructure.
🎥
Zallet development continues (Zodl team)
Work over the past weeks focused on advancing Zallet alongside backend infrastructure improvements.
A new integration test framework is now functional, allowing contributors to
Write tests for new features, Validate changes across the Zcash stack, Testing foundations are now actively usable.
New integration testing workflow emerging
The new test framework can now run passing tests, with remaining cases to be migrated gradually.
Future Zallet contributors will validate features through unified tests rather than legacy setups.
Goal: standardized testing across the Zcash ecosystem.
Core library improvements underway
Fixes for long-standing edge-case bugs in incremental & shard tree handling
Ongoing reviews of third-party Zallet contributions
Meanwhile, discussions continue around the Extensible Transaction Format, refining how multiple bundles safely affect shared global state.
Shielded voting research discussions ongoing
R&D meetings explored approaches for enabling voting proposals using existing wallets without exposing seed phrases.
Early stage design conversations are underway, with contributors invited to join ongoing research discussions.
ZSA wallet compatibility design progress
ZIP Sync discussions explored how to preserve indistinguishability of Orchard v6 transactions between:
wallets supporting ZSAs
wallets that do not
Key outcome: ZEC-only wallets will still recognize ZEC notes sent via custom asset bundles removing a major potential adoption barrier
🎥
Zaino updating to latest Zebra crates
The Zaino team is upgrading dependencies to support Zebra v4.1.0, with the update process now being documented to make maintenance tasks more accessible across the team. Updates progressing smoothly. No major breaking issues observed.
🎥
Community contributions increasing.
The contributors board is being actively curated to highlight:
Low-hanging tasks for newcomers
Opportunities for community participation
More contributors are engaging as Zcashd deprecation work continues.
🎥
Shielded Labs: NSM development update
After in-person planning sessions in Mexico City focused on 2026 strategy, work continues on the Network Sustainability Mechanism (NSM).
Engineering updates include refinements to ZIP-234 & ZIP-235 implementation PRs, with recent changes now awaiting review and merge into Zebra.
🎥
Crosslink development moving toward production-style testing
Shielded Labs plans to shift from short-lived milestone testnets to long-running “seasonal testnets.”
Goals include:
Simulating real deployment conditions earlier
MVP-first iterations
Migration paths between testnet versions
Exploring incentive mechanisms aligned with Crosslink design
Crosslink design refined through audits & research
Early game-theoretic audit feedback is being incorporated alongside ongoing roadmap planning for 2026.
Development approach:
Start with simplified, feature-complete models
Validate through review & testing
Gradually reintroduce complexity with stronger assurances
Broader ecosystem feedback expected as plans mature.
🎥
Zcash Script release coordination discussed
Developers reviewed versioning challenges around dependency management across the Rust stack.
Key takeaway:
Patch releases and backporting preferred over breaking upgrades
Avoid version history conflicts across interconnected crates
Highlights the complexity of maintaining consistency across the Zcash core stack.
Feature Gating & Development Workflow
Compilation flags enable safer development
Discussion clarified that experimental features (like NSM-related work) can be merged safely when placed behind compilation flags.
This allows ongoing iteration without introducing breaking changes into main builds during active development.
NU7 Memo Bundles & Real-World Use Case
Memo bundle support discussed for NU7
Developers highlighted real-world demand from privacy-focused applications like zcat, aiming to enable secure asynchronous messaging in sensitive environments.
Memo functionality seen as important for specialized privacy communication tools.