Shielded Labs is transitioning Crosslink from its prototype phase into productization. As part of this next phase, we are introducing a series of incentivized testnets, which we call feature nets[1], where participants (including stakers, finalizers, and miners) can earn real ZEC[2]. We intend to provide a live environment where Crosslink can be tested under realistic conditions while continuing to refine its design, implementation, and user experience toward production readiness.
Rewards Structure
We refer to each successive feature net as a “season,” similar to a TV show. New seasons will effectively operate as new networks with new software and no shared ledger or consensus history. Participants can continue earning ZEC while transitioning to updated network configurations, and can port over their finalizer identities. The first season is scheduled to begin on April 15.
In total, we are allocating 500 ZEC to the incentivized feature nets. We’ll increase the amount distributed in each season as the network matures, with 25 ZEC, or 5% of the total allocation, designated for the first season.
For each season, participants earn cTAZ based on their activity, which is later used to allocate real ZEC. cTAZ rewards are allocated based on how rewards would be structured if Crosslink were adopted on mainnet: 40% to miners, 40% to stakers, and 20% to a Dev Fund. At the end of the season, real ZEC is distributed on a pro rata basis according to the amount of cTAZ each participant received in block rewards[3]. We may also introduce a separate discretionary rewards program to recognize other forms of contribution, such as useful feedback, testing, or development support, but that is still under consideration.
During the feature net, cTAZ allocated to the Dev Fund will be held in a wallet controlled by Shielded Labs and used to support broader participation, including enabling community members to stake and potentially funding a cTAZ faucet. Any cTAZ rewarded to the Dev Fund wallet is not eligible to receive ZEC, as Shielded Labs will not be a recipient of ZEC rewards.
Protocol Guardians
Stakers play a direct role in securing the network. When you delegate stake, you are not just earning rewards, you’re making a decision about which finalizers you trust to help run and secure the protocol. For that reason, we refer to stakers as Protocol Guardians. Stakers earn rewards for protecting the network by choosing where to delegate and holding finalizers accountable for their performance.
If Crosslink is adopted, this will become a normal part of the user experience. Wallets will need to support staking as a core feature, and the incentivized feature net provides an opportunity to test how that works in practice and gather feedback to improve it. It is also an early opportunity for participants to learn how to evaluate operators, where to stake, and how those choices impact the network, while earning rewards along the way.
A healthy ecosystem relies on the people and organizations that support and maintain the network. In Zcash, infrastructure operators, builders, and community groups contribute by running full nodes and lightwallet services, maintaining open-source tools, and providing education, documentation, and user support. As we introduce the incentivized feature net, we want to encourage a culture where stakers intentionally support these kinds of ecosystem contributors when deciding where to stake.
Over time, we may introduce things like badges to help delegators identify participants who provide meaningful support to the network. The goal is not to dictate how anyone should stake, but to make it easier for stakers to recognize and support the individuals and teams who strengthen the ecosystem. In practice, this means staking can also serve as a way to support the infrastructure, tools, and community efforts that keep the network running.
Development Approach
Earlier this month, @shielded-nate introduced a clearer way to think about the different types of networks used in Zcash development, distinguishing between mainnet, staging, feature networks, and upgrade candidate networks. A key idea is introducing upgrade candidate networks, which are fully working, production-like systems that bundle features together, just as Network Upgrades do. The main difference between an upgrade candidate network and staging is that upgrade candidate networks can be deployed and developed before there is consensus to activate them on mainnet. Feature and upgrade candidate networks give developers and the community something concrete to evaluate, which reduces ambiguity and makes it easier to assess trade-offs and readiness.
With Crosslink, we are applying these ideas by deploying feature networks in iterative “seasons” that progress from early prototypes to production-ready networks. Crosslink features can be tested, integrated, and evaluated in practice before the community makes any decision about mainnet activation.
As the feature net matures, we may integrate Crosslink with other mature candidate features and deploy them together as an upgrade candidate network, in collaboration with their developers. Rather than relying on abstract proposals, this shifts the process toward working systems that can be explored, tested, and improved. It also allows engineering, product, and ecosystem contributors to validate that the full stack works as intended, while reducing both technical and governance uncertainty. This enables more precise decision-making, such as whether to activate a given candidate on mainnet or request specific changes. Because these networks are permissionless to deploy, multiple candidates can be developed and tested in parallel, which allows progress to continue without blocking on early consensus while still maintaining a high bar for safety and coordination.
As the design stabilizes, any decision to activate Crosslink on mainnet will follow Zcash’s existing governance process, which is based on rough consensus across the community and coinholders. Testnets and upgrade candidate networks are tools to improve clarity and reduce uncertainty, but they do not determine outcomes. Ultimately, protocol changes only occur if there is broad support and the ecosystem chooses to adopt them.
Roadmap
Crosslink development progresses through a series of maturity phases. The following provides a high-level roadmap. Work is delivered through regular milestones, approximately every six weeks, while advancement between phases depends on meeting defined readiness criteria.
Phase 1: Prototype (Target: April 14)
Objective: Focuses on proving the core design in a working vertical stack, including end-user UX demos. The system may still have performance, security, or UX limitations, but should demonstrate that all key components work together.
Success Criteria: Crosslink ZIPs are in draft status with early review underway, and the network maintains high availability throughout the testnet.
Phase 2: Feature Production Readiness (Target: Q3 2026)
Objective: Transitions the prototype into a production-ready system, with a focus on completeness, performance, and security.
Success Criteria: Proposed ZIPs, full consensus implementation in Zebra, working finalizers, APIs and indexing, a mobile wallet with staking and delegation, and third-party audits of design and implementation.
Phase 3: Upgrade Candidate (Target: Q1 2027)
Objective: Introduces a production-like network that bundles Crosslink with other mature features as a candidate for a future network upgrade. This provides a concrete system for testing and evaluation without implying activation.
Success Criteria: Broad consensus from coinholders and community panels.
Phase 4: Staging Deployment (Requires broad consensus)
Objective: With broad consensus from the community and coinholders, a candidate can be deployed to a staging network as a final step before mainnet.
Success Criteria: External vendor integration testing is completed.
Phase 5: Mainnet Deployment and Follow-Through (TBD)
Objective: Activation on mainnet, followed by ongoing support and ecosystem integration to ensure Crosslink works as intended in practice.
Get Involved
We believe Crosslink is one of the most important upgrades for improving the long-term security and sustainability of the Zcash network. This feature net is an opportunity to get involved early, understand how it works, and help shape its development by running infrastructure, staking, or providing feedback.
We expect this to be a collaborative and engaging process, with a lot to test and refine. Participation at this stage will directly influence how Crosslink evolves, and you can also earn some ZEC along the way.
If you’re interested in getting involved or staying up to date, we have a Signal group where we share Crosslink updates and coordinate with participants. If you would like to join, feel free to DM me your Signal contact information and I will add you to the group.
Acknowledgements
Thanks to @shielded-nate and @zooko for their insights, contributions, and feedback, and to @shieldedmark and @azmr for their helpful input and review.
Footnotes
[1] The term “feature net” follows a terminology proposal for different kinds of Zcash networks.
[2] Participation in the incentivized feature net may have tax implications depending on your jurisdiction. Any ZEC received may be treated as taxable income. Shielded Labs does not provide any tax advice, and participants are responsible for determining and complying with their own tax obligations. Participation in the feature net does not create any employment, consulting, or other formal relationship with Shielded Labs.
[3] Our motivation to reward based on block rewards is to match the ZEC reward incentives precisely to the structure of the Crosslink design as a means of evaluating the incentive design.
The term “feature net” follows a terminology proposal for different kinds of Zcash networks. ↩︎
Participation in the incentivized feature net may have tax implications depending on your jurisdiction. Any ZEC received may be treated as taxable income. Shielded Labs does not provide any tax advice, and participants are responsible for determining and complying with their own tax obligations. Participation in the feature net does not create any employment, consulting, or other formal relationship with Shielded Labs. ↩︎
Our motivation to reward based on block rewards is to match the ZEC reward incentives precisely to the structure of the Crosslink design as a means of evaluating the incentive design. ↩︎
