Frequently Asked Questions

Common Questions.
Direct Answers.

Everything you need to know about SOST Protocol — mining, tokenomics, the gold reserve, PoPC, and the protocol. Click any question to expand.

GENERAL

About SOST

What is SOST?

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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.

Was there a premine, ICO, or VC allocation?

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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.

What is the maximum supply?

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~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).

Is SOST pegged to gold?

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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.

When is the genesis block?

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

Mining & Technology

Can I mine SOST with a GPU or ASIC?

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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.

What are the system requirements?

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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

What is the block reward and emission schedule?

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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 × qepoch) 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.

How does difficulty adjustment work?

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

cASERT bitsQ (primary controller): since block 5175, bitsQ uses avg288 — comparing the average of the last 288 block intervals against the 600-second target. This replaced the earlier half-life exponential model (V1: 48h, V2: 24h — both historical only). Since block 5260, a dynamic cap scales the maximum per-block adjustment by deviation: 0%/0.5%/1.5%/2.5%/3.0%, with a median288 consistency check. bitsQ is the primary long-term calibration mechanism.

cASERT equalizer: emergency-only stability controller with a height-gated ceiling. Pre-V12 (#5,750..#7,349): H13 ceiling, 21 active E7–H13, 22 reserved H14–H35. V12 (#7,350+): H20 ceiling, 28 active E7–H20, 15 reserved H21–H35. H10+ profiles carry margin=115. This completes the cASERT equalizer calibration. If the chain runs too fast relative to the ideal schedule (genesis + height × 600s), the equalizer hardens ConvergenceX stability requirements. It eases back toward B0 only when the chain is genuinely running slow. 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 in emergency scenarios.

How does SOST resolve forks?

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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).

What is the smallest unit of SOST?

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

Metals Reserve

How does the gold reserve work?

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25% of every block reward flows to the Gold Funding Vault by consensus. The protocol 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.

Can anyone access or move the gold reserve?

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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 Protocol Execution Order. Neither party can act alone. Only two actions are permitted: E1 (rotate to other allowlisted metals) or E2 (liquidate-buy-redistribute).

When do gold purchases begin?

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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 + Protocol Execution Order.

Can I redeem SOST for gold?

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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.
PoPC

Proof of Personal Custody

What is PoPC?

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Proof of Personal Custody is a voluntary time-bound commitment protocol. The PoPC Pool funding mechanism launched at genesis (March 15, 2026) — 25% of every block reward accumulates in the pool. The custody contracts themselves (Model A + B) have a target activation of block 10,000+ (April 2027). 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 protocol, can make direct donations to the Perpetual Vault (Gold Funding Vault: sost11a9c6fe1de076fc31c8e74ee084f8e5025d2bb4d) to support the protocol and endow it with perpetual added value.

When does PoPC launch?

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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.

Timeline Flexibility Notice: The protocol reserves the right to accelerate or delay any committed timeline if it determines that the protocol can be implemented with maximum guarantees of technical reliability and security, or if additional development time is required to meet those standards.

Are PoPC rewards guaranteed?

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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.

What happens if I fail a PoPC audit?

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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.
GOVERNANCE

Protocol Governance

Can the protocol change the rules?

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

What happens if the chain dies?

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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.

Is SOST an investment product?

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

Technical Details

What consensus rules does SOST enforce?

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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.

What ports does SOST use?

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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.

Contact & Support

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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

What license is SOST released under?

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MIT License — fully open source Open source. Free to read, study, audit, and contribute. Free to use, modify, and deploy without any restriction. Source code is public at github.com/Neob1844/sost-core.

V13 & Beacon

What activates at block 12,000 (V13)?

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V13 is a coordinated hard fork that activates several non-controversial improvements at block 12,000:

  • Future-timestamp drift cap 60 s → 30 s. Blocks more than 30 s ahead of validator time are rejected. NTP is strongly recommended (not consensus-mandatory).
  • SbPoW hardening. The non-outsourceable signature now also binds timestamp, difficulty, merkle root, and a chain-specific genesis hash — closes timestamp-restamp, difficulty-fork, tx-set mutation, and cross-chain replay seams. See docs/V13_SBPOW_HARDENING.md.
  • cASERT E7-H35 active (all 43 profiles) and DTD lottery cooldown 5 → 6.
  • Beacon Phase II-A, II-B, and III all activate at V13_HEIGHT (advisory only — see Beacon questions below).

NOT activated in V13: PoPC automated lifecycle and Gold Vault spend-side governance — deferred to V14 / block 15,000.

What is Beacon? Does it affect mining or block validity?

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Beacon is an advisory notice system. It does not affect mining rewards, block validity, chain selection, transaction validation, wallet balances, PoPC, Gold Vault, or consensus.

Beacon lets the operator publish signed advisory notices (upgrade reminders, operational warnings, etc.) that nodes and miners display in their banners. Invalid, expired, malformed, or unsigned Beacon notices are simply ignored by the node.

  • Phase II-A. Local notices.json read on startup, single-signature ECDSA verification.
  • Phase II-B. Adds N-of-M threshold signatures (default 3-of-5), revocation, and an optional mirror_url metadata pointer (the node never fetches it).
  • Phase III. P2P gossip of valid signed notices. Active at V13_HEIGHT.

How does Beacon P2P actually work?

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Beacon P2P (Phase III) is gossip between SOST nodes — not users on Telegram. Each node receives BCNN messages and runs an ordered pipeline:

  • Reject if the notice exceeds 4 KB (size cap).
  • Reject if it fails to parse, or carries more than one notice per message.
  • Reject if the signature is invalid (or fails the 3-of-5 threshold check for II-B notices).
  • Reject if the network does not match (mainnet vs testnet).
  • Reject if the notice is expired or not yet activated.
  • Reject if the notice ID is already in the 32-entry LRU dedup cache.
  • Reject if the sending peer exceeds 8 new notices per minute.
  • Otherwise: cache the notice ID and relay it to all other version-acked peers.

Beacon P2P does not move coins, does not execute commands, does not fetch HTTP, does not restart software, and does not validate or invalidate blocks. Full design: docs/V13_BEACON_PHASE_III.md.

What is the difference between Beacon P2P and the OTC / P2P Board?

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They share the letters "P2P" but are different things.

  • Beacon P2P — node-to-node gossip of signed advisory notices. Lives inside the SOST node software. Advisory only, no money movement.
  • Community OTC / P2P Board — user-to-user discussion room inside SOST Talk. Users post voluntary buy/sell talk among themselves. SOST Protocol does not intermediate, custody, escrow, or guarantee any trade posted there. Users trade at their own risk.

Does SOST run an exchange, broker, or escrow service?

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No. SOST Protocol does not operate an exchange, broker, trading desk, market maker, escrow service, custody program, or official liquidity program. The OTC / P2P Board inside SOST Talk is a community discussion board only — SOST never holds buyer or seller funds.

Admins never DM first. Anyone claiming "official escrow", "guaranteed buyer/seller", "risk-free profit", or asking you to verify your wallet to trade is a scammer. Report and block. SOST Sentinel (the chat moderation bot) auto-flags these patterns.

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