Post-Quantum (PQ) Interop #39, May 13, 2026

Protocol Calls & happenings
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Agenda

Meeting Time: Wednesday, May 13, 2026 at 14:00 UTC (60 minutes)

GitHub Issue

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Meeting Summary:

The Post-Quantum Interop meeting #39 focused on client updates and DevNet 5 progress. Gajinder reported that Zoom is working on multi-subnet network issues and plans to scale validators to 128, with the DevNet 5 spec PR expected soon. Shariq completed integration of the lean spec test to Hive and reported running multiple clients in devnets, finding and fixing issues along the way. Various clients including Lantern, Pablo’s team, and Gean reported progress on integrating new features and passing spec tests. Thomas discussed recent ZK Summit activities and emphasized the need for a stabilization phase before introducing new consensus mechanisms like Goldfish. The team debated whether to include execution integration in the stabilization phase, with Gajinder arguing for full validator lifecycle including deposits and exits to achieve proper stability. T reported progress on LeanVM implementation, noting performance issues with Goldilocks but continued work on multisig functionality. Parthasarathy shared findings from multi-client subnet testing, noting aggregation issues and performance problems with some clients taking up to 3-4 seconds to complete aggregation within a slot interval.

Click to expand detailed summary

The team discussed updates on client implementations and DevNet 5 specifications. Gajinder reported progress on multi-subnet network issues with Zoom and plans to scale validators to 128, with the DevNet 5 spec PR expected soon. Shariq shared that the Lean spec test has been added to Hive and most clients have integrated the spec test runner, with ongoing bottom-up testing of multiple clients showing stability up to 4700 slots. The team is working towards testing all 8 clients to ensure interoperability.

The team discussed progress on various development tasks. Mihir reported integrating a new version of LibPDP into the engine to improve gossip player functionality and noted the urgent priority of increasing Hive test coverage. Pablo announced they integrated with the Hive Spectre suite, passing almost all tests, and added new endpoints and metrics. Shaaibu mentioned running DevO and fixing hive tests, as well as integrating the spec test runner and reviewing the DevNet 5 proposal.

The team discussed plans for stabilization and development of their protocol. Mercy reported on CPU issue fixes and upcoming releases, including an intentional failure of 11 tests due to missing database functionality. Thomas shared insights from the ZK Summit in Rome, highlighting progress in formal verification using Lean language and post-quantum cryptography efforts. The team debated the timing of execution integration, with Gajinder advocating for including it in the stabilization phase to enable a public DevNet launch, while Thomas suggested increasing validator counts to 1K or 10K first. They agreed to discuss validator targets asynchronously and prioritize the new DevNet 5 spec PR once current work is complete.

The team discussed performance issues with Goldilocks, which is 2X slower than Coleber, though it offers security benefits. Thomas announced the availability of the DevNet 5 online multisig branch and invited feedback on any missing functionality. Thomas also introduced a new repository called Cryptographic specs, which aims to formalize cryptographic specifications in Lean for verification, though the implementation timeline and scope remain uncertain. Parthasarathy reported ongoing issues with multi-attooed subnet devnet, including crashes and aggregation problems taking up to 4 seconds in some cases.

Next Steps:

  • Gajinder: Publish the DevNet 5 spec PR by tomorrow (or today if possible)
  • Gajinder: Scale validator count to 128 in the multi-client subnet and debug/fix issues found
  • Gajinder: Upstream relevant performance metrics/mattresses to Lean Spec if found relevant
  • Shariq: Continue bottom-up multi-client interop testing, adding a 4th client to the mix (since Grandine’s image is not ready, substitute another client)
  • Shariq: Report and create PRs for any issues found during bottom-up client interop testing
  • Mihir (Lantern): Post an update in the Telegram chat once the new LibP2P library integration image is ready
  • Pablo: Publish a new DevNet 5 tag image later this week
  • Grandine (Mercy): Release a new image addressing the CPU issue within a couple of hours
  • Grandine (Mercy): Make a release for Hive test features (with ~11 intentional failures noted due to missing dB)
  • Thomas: Review the new DevNet 5 spec PR as top priority once it is published
  • Thomas/Gajinder: Discuss async in the group to agree on a target validator count milestone (e.g., 1K or 10K) before moving to execution integration
  • Emil: Ensure the DevNet 5 online multisig branch of LeanVM is usable with the new Type 1/Type 2 API, and add any missing functions needed by other teams
  • Parthasarathy: Finish analysis of aggregation performance issues (aggregations taking 3–4 seconds) across clients and share findings with the group
  • All clients: Integrate the Hive spec test runner if not already done (urged by Shariq)

Recording Access:

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YouTube recording available: https://youtu.be/qoQGBWRP9rQ