Zcash developers have proposed “Ironwood,” a new shielded pool designed to restore full supply verification following a flaw identified in the existing Orchard pool. The plan would close Orchard to new activity and require funds to pass through a turnstile before entering the new pool, aiming to re-establish end-to-end auditability of ZEC supply.
What the Ironwood proposal does
The Ironwood proposal outlines a migration that:
- Closes the current Orchard shielded pool to new transactions.
- Routes existing funds through a “turnstile,” a controlled migration mechanism used to reconcile value before entering a new shielded pool.
- Introduces a replacement pool intended to preserve privacy while enabling independent verification of total supply.
Why supply verification matters
Zcash is a privacy-focused cryptocurrency that uses zero-knowledge proofs to enable shielded transactions. While shielded pools protect user privacy, they also require careful design to ensure that the total supply remains verifiable. A flaw that undermines verification can create uncertainty about whether hidden inflation could occur or go undetected within a pool.
Turnstile migrations are a known approach in Zcash’s history, previously used when moving funds between shielded pools to help confirm that value entering a new pool matches value exiting the old one. This mechanism helps restore confidence in the integrity of the supply without sacrificing privacy in the long term.
Context and next steps
Orchard, introduced in a prior network upgrade to improve performance and usability of shielded transactions, is the latest in a sequence of Zcash shielded pools. The Ironwood plan would require a network upgrade and ecosystem coordination, including updates by wallets, exchanges, and infrastructure providers.
The proposal is subject to community and technical review. Implementation details, timelines, and any required audits would be determined through the project’s standard governance and development processes.