This week, we released the Nockchain wallet and details about our planned genesis block. If you missed any announcements on X, this newsletter will provide all the information you need to know! (You can also follow us on X, but this newsletter will continue to update all important information).

As of writing this article, we still plan to launch the Nockchain dummy network on Monday, May 19.

Nockchain Wallet is Live

On Wednesday, we released the first version of the Nockchain wallet, now live in the GitHub repository. Developers can immediately pull the latest updates to generate keys and connect to their Nockchain instances.

Our wallet is modeled after the Bitcoin hierarchical deterministic wallet, equipped with standard tools for importing and exporting BIP39 seed phrases. But some modifications have been made.

  • Curve Adaptation: Our wallet replaces the standard secp256k1 curve with the Cheetah curve. The Cheetah curve is a prime-order 255-bit curve optimized for STARK-friendly proofs (eprint.iacr.org/2022/277). This replacement makes verifying Schnorr signatures in zero-knowledge proofs (ZKP) extremely fast while maintaining compatibility with standard HD wallet tools.
  • SLIP-10 Integration: We borrowed from SLIP-10 to extend the mature user experience of BIP-32, achieving seamless integration with Cheetah without breaking standard derivation paths or hardened/unhardened key branching. Users retain the familiar xpub-style read-only addresses, simplifying key auditing and security oversight.

For a detailed walkthrough of the commands, see the article or the GitHub repository.

Nockchain's Genesis Block: Ensuring Verifiable Fair Launch

This morning, we announced details on how to ensure the launch of Nockchain is verifiably fair. Transparency and fairness in the genesis phase are obviously foundational, so they must be proven, not just claimed.

Therefore, our genesis block will include some important features:

  • The genesis block will not issue any Coinbase rewards. This ensures that the entire supply of $NOCK tokens will be fairly distributed to miners who legitimately win subsequent blocks.
  • The genesis block will specify a specific Bitcoin block height. We will publicly announce this block height before Bitcoin goes live, so anyone can independently verify the time. At launch, the genesis block will embed the exact Bitcoin block header (hash) corresponding to that height to prove that no block was mined before that height.
  • The genesis block will contain a secret message. All nodes paying attention to the genesis block have the hash of this message, so they can verify if the genesis block contains the correct message.
  • The genesis block will contain a zero-knowledge proof of work, where the block commitment commits to all of the above.

In summary, these commitments should ensure that the launch of Nockchain is fair, transparent, and publicly verifiable—without anyone needing to trust us.

As our anticipated release date of May 19 approaches, we will continue to keep you updated!