Common Questions.
Direct Answers.

SOST is a CPU-friendly proof-of-work cryptocurrency built on ConvergenceX, a mining algorithm that requires 8 GB RAM per mining thread (4 GB dataset + 4 GB scratchpad) and 100,000 sequential rounds per attempt. Running a node requires only ~500 MB RAM. Every block automatically allocates 25% to a Gold Funding Vault (for purchasing XAUT/PAXG) and 25% to a PoPC Pool (for Proof of Personal Custody rewards). These splits are hardcoded at genesis and immutable.

No. Zero premine, zero ICO, zero VC tokens. The only way to create SOST is to mine a valid block via ConvergenceX proof-of-work. Any block that mints more than the subsidy for its height is invalid by consensus.

~4,669,201 SOST (Feigenbaum δ × 10⁶). This is a hard cap enforced by construction — the emission formula mathematically converges to this upper bound. No tracking of cumulative supply is needed. ~95% will be mined in approximately 30 years (~12 epochs).

No. SOST is not pegged to gold and does not promise price stability. The Metals Reserve is an observable metric (reserve_value / circulating_supply), not a redemption right. SOST holders have no claim on the gold reserve. Markets price this information as they see fit.

March 15, 2026, 18:00:00 UTC. This is mainnet v2 — a clean regenesis following security and custody improvements.

ConvergenceX is designed to be CPU-friendly. Each attempt requires 8 GB RAM (4 GB dataset + 4 GB scratchpad) and 100,000 strictly sequential rounds — intra-attempt parallelism is eliminated by state dependency. GPUs and ASICs cannot speed up a single attempt. The only parallelism available is running multiple independent attempts, which is what CPU cores already do. Preliminary estimates suggest low ASIC advantage multiples compared to >1000× for SHA-256.

Full Node (verify, send, receive): ~500 MB RAM. Any modern CPU. Verifies blocks using Transcript V2 in ~0.2ms per block. A 2 GB VPS is sufficient. No PoW computation — only cryptographic verification of proofs.

Miner (find new blocks): 8 GB RAM minimum per thread (4 GB dataset + 4 GB scratchpad). Modern multi-core CPU recommended. 16 GB total system RAM recommended. Each thread runs an independent attempt, so 4 threads need ~32 GB RAM.

Why the difference: The miner builds the full 4 GB dataset + 4 GB scratchpad to solve ConvergenceX. The node only verifies the compact Transcript V2 proof in each block — SHA256 hashes and merkle checks, no dataset needed. Mining is memory-hard (ASIC resistant), but verification is lightweight (anyone can run a node).

Build dependencies: build-essential cmake libssl-dev libsecp256k1-dev

SOST emission follows a smooth epoch-based decay governed by the mathematical constant q = e^-1/4 ≈ 0.7788007830714049:

• Initial reward R₀ = 7.85100863 SOST/block (785,100,863 stocks)
• Each epoch is exactly 131,553 blocks (~2.502907875095892 years — the Feigenbaum alpha constant α)
• Decay: reward(height) = floor(R₀ × q^epoch) where epoch = height ÷ 131,553
• No halvings, no cliffs — continuous ~9.03% annual decay
• Asymptotic maximum supply: ~4,669,201 SOST (Feigenbaum δ × 10⁶, strict limit by mathematical construction)
• ~95% mined in ~30 years (~12 epochs)
• Split: 50% miner · 25% Gold Funding Vault · 25% PoPC Pool
• All arithmetic is deterministic integer-only (Q16.16 fixed-point). No floating-point operations — that would be a consensus failure.

SOST uses cASERT, a unified difficulty adjustment system with two components:

cASERT bitsQ (primary controller): adjusts the actual difficulty block by block based on chain speed, with a 12-hour half-life. It is the primary long-term calibration mechanism.

cASERT equalizer: acts as a bidirectional stability controller on emission speed. If the chain is running too fast relative to the ideal schedule (genesis + height × 600s), the equalizer hardens ConvergenceX stability requirements (up to H9). It eases back toward B0 only when the chain is genuinely running slow (6+ hours at B0 required before entering easing profiles E1–E4). If mining stalls for 2+ hours, a zone-based decay mechanism gradually reduces the level to prevent chain halt. bitsQ corrects speed; the equalizer protects emission.

SOST uses best-chain-by-cumulative-work selection, not longest-chain. Each block contributes work = floor(2^256 / (target + 1)). The chain with the highest total accumulated work wins. This prevents attacks using many easy blocks to outpace a shorter chain with more real work — the same approach used by Bitcoin.

Fork resolution is atomic: if a better chain is found, the node disconnects current blocks, connects the new chain, and recovers orphaned transactions to the mempool. If any block in the new chain fails validation, the entire reorganization is aborted and the original chain is fully restored. Maximum reorganization depth: 500 blocks (~3.5 days).

1 stock = 0.00000001 SOST (10^-8), analogous to Bitcoin's satoshi. All internal arithmetic uses stocks (integer-only, zero floating-point).

25% of every block reward flows to the Gold Funding Vault by consensus. The Foundation periodically converts accumulated SOST to XAUT/PAXG via a rule-based TWAP execution policy (rate-limited, anti-momentum, publicly auditable). Purchased tokens are deposited into a Heritage Reserve on Ethereum mainnet — sealed by default, intended to remain perpetual.

Not under normal operation. The Heritage Reserve is sealed by default. Moving previously purchased reserve assets requires Emergency Catastrophe dual-gate authorization: ≥75% miner signaling (108 out of 144 blocks) AND a Foundation Execution Order. Neither party can act alone. Only two actions are permitted: E1 (rotate to other allowlisted metals) or E2 (liquidate-buy-redistribute).

No earlier than 8 months after public launch (February 2027, per rule G4 — public launch June 16, 2026), subject to sufficient SOST market liquidity. Gold purchases require converting accumulated SOST from the Gold Funding Vault into XAUT/PAXG. This requires SOST to have sufficient market liquidity for execution. If liquidity conditions are not met by Q2 2027, purchases will begin as soon as conditions allow. The vault continues accumulating SOST regardless.

First purchases target a 50/50 split between XAUt and PAXG. A rotation proposal between allowlisted metals (E1) can also be submitted following the same dual-gate process: ≥75% miner signaling + Foundation Execution Order.

No. The Metals Reserve does not represent a claim on gold by SOST holders. There are no redemption rights. The reserve is a structural property of the protocol — an observable metric, not a financial product.

Proof of Personal Custody is a voluntary time-bound commitment protocol launched at regenesis (March 15, 2026). Participants prove custody of precious metals (XAUT/PAXG) and are rewarded from the PoPC Pool. It is not tokenization, not staking, and not yield farming. There are two models: Model A (self-custody bonds — you keep gold in your wallet, lock a SOST bond) and Model B (timelocked escrow — deposit gold into immutable escrow, receive SOST immediately).

Any user, including the Foundation, can make direct donations to the Perpetual Vault (Gold Funding Vault: sost11a9c6fe1de076fc31c8e74ee084f8e5025d2bb4d) to support the protocol and endow it with perpetual added value.

Target activation: April 2027 (Phase 2). By that time, the PoPC Pool will have accumulated approximately 103,160 SOST from coinbase allocations. The escrow contract will be published and verified on explorer. Independent audit planned before activation.

No. Reward rates are operational reference parameters, not guaranteed. They may be adjusted, budgeted per epoch, or paused for security without changing consensus rules. They do not constitute interest, promised yield, or a financial obligation of the protocol.

Model A only: your SOST bond is automatically slashed — 50% goes to the PoPC Pool, 50% to the Gold Funding Vault. Your address is permanently blacklisted. No human can reverse the slash or remove the blacklist once triggered. The protocol has no appeal mechanism.

Model B: immutable escrow deposit — you recover 100% of your metals at maturity, with no slash risk.

No. No entity — including the Foundation — can modify consensus rules after genesis. SOST has no DAO, no voting token, and no multisig with authority over consensus or monetary parameters. The Foundation can only execute a narrow set of operational actions (gold conversion, purchase pauses, PoPC management) under constitutional constraints and public attestation.

If the chain produces zero blocks for 90 consecutive days, the dead-man switch triggers and a 60-day Dissolution notice begins. Critical constraint: if no Emergency Catastrophe was authorized before the chain stopped (no blocks = no miner signaling possible), the reserve remains in Heritage state. Dissolution is a network lifecycle event, not a reserve liquidation mechanism.

No. SOST is a protocol. It is not an investment product, security, or financial instrument. The Foundation makes no representations about future price, utility, or availability. Participants should seek independent legal and financial advice before participating in any cryptocurrency system.

Full validation includes rules R1-R14 (block structure), S1-S12 (script/signature), and CB1-CB10 (coinbase). All consensus arithmetic is 100% integer — zero floating-point in any consensus path. The emission schedule, coinbase split, and difficulty algorithm are immutable at genesis. 15 constitutional rules (C1-C15) define the boundaries.

P2P: port 19333 (default). RPC: port 18232 (default). The node connects to seed.sostcore.com:19333 automatically. RPC requires authentication via --rpc-user and --rpc-pass.

To create your RPC credentials, choose any username and password when starting the node with --rpc-user=<youruser> --rpc-pass=<yourpass>. These are set by you — there is no central registration. The seed node at seed.sostcore.com:19333 connects automatically on first launch.

GitHub: github.com/Neob1844/sost-core/issues
For security vulnerabilities, use the private contact form at sostcore.com/sost-contact.html. Do NOT open a public GitHub issue for security disclosures.
General Contact

MIT License. Use, modify, and distribute freely. Source code is public at github.com/Neob1844/sost-core.