Kaspa Genesis Proof

Tools for cryptographically verifying the integrity of the Kaspa blockchain, supporting both Go-based kaspad and Rust-based rusty-kaspa nodes.

Overview

This repository provides tools to cryptographically verify that the current UTXO set of Kaspa has naturally evolved from an empty UTXO set, validating that there was no premine.

Trusted Source Reference

Based on the original genesis proof by Shai Wyborski and Michael Sutton:

• Original Source: https://github.com/kaspagang/kaspad-py-explorer/blob/main/src/genesis_proof.ipynb
• Authors: Shai Wyborski, Michael Sutton

My Contribution: I have extended the original work to support Rust-based rusty-kaspa nodes while maintaining 100% of the original verification logic and cryptographic guarantees.

Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Fully synced Kaspa node (Rust or Go)
• Python 3.8+

1. Clone and Setup

git clone https://github.com/elldeeone/kaspa-genesis-proof
cd kaspa-genesis-proof

2. Install Dependencies

Recommended: Use a virtual environment:

python3 -m venv kaspa-genesis-env
source kaspa-genesis-env/bin/activate  # On Windows: kaspa-genesis-env\Scripts\activate

For Rust-based rusty-kaspa nodes:

pip install -r requirements.txt
# Or manually: pip install numpy pandas rocksdict tqdm notebook

For Go-based kaspad nodes:

pip install numpy pandas plyvel protobuf==3.20.0 tqdm notebook

3. Run Verification

Option A: Command-line script (recommended for quick verification)

# For Rust nodes:
python verify_kaspa_genesis.py --node-type rust --datadir ~/.rusty-kaspa/kaspa-mainnet/datadir

# For Go nodes:
python verify_kaspa_genesis.py --node-type go --datadir ~/.kaspad/kaspa-mainnet/datadir2

Option B: Interactive notebook (recommended for detailed exploration)

# Edit genesis_proof.ipynb cell 2 to update your database path
# Then run the verification:
jupyter notebook verification/genesis_proof.ipynb

Common database paths:

• Rust nodes: ~/.rusty-kaspa/kaspa-mainnet/datadir/consensus/consensus-003
• Go nodes: ~/.kaspad/kaspa-mainnet/datadir2

Repository Structure

kaspa-genesis-proof/
├── verify_kaspa_genesis.py           # Command-line verification script
├── verification/
│   ├── genesis_proof.ipynb           # Interactive verification notebook
│   ├── store_rust.py                 # RocksDB + Bincode support for Rust nodes
│   ├── store_checkpoint.py           # Optimized checkpoint data reader
│   ├── checkpoint_data.json          # Pre-extracted headers (avoids 1GB download)
│   └── store.py                      # LevelDB + Protobuf support for Go nodes
└── docs/
    ├── SETUP_GUIDE.md                # Detailed setup instructions
    └── TECHNICAL_NOTES.md            # Design decisions and implementation details

Verification Process

The verification follows these cryptographic steps:

1. Database Connectivity: Verify connection to Kaspa node database
2. Current Chain State: Read current DAG tips and headers selected tip
3. Genesis Header Verification: Load and verify current genesis block hash
4. Genesis Coinbase Transaction: Verify genesis transaction hash matches merkle root
5. Hash Chain Verification: Verify pruning chain from current tip to genesis
6. UTXO Commitment Analysis: Analyze genesis UTXO commitment (non-empty due to checkpoint)
7. Pre-Checkpoint Verification: Verify chain from checkpoint to original genesis with empty UTXO set

Node Compatibility

Node Type	Database	Serialization	Status
Go-based kaspad	LevelDB	Protobuf	Supported
Rust-based rusty-kaspa	RocksDB	Bincode	Supported

Documentation

• Setup Guide - Detailed installation and usage instructions
• Verification Notebook - Interactive step-by-step verification