Question 1

What is PROVE?

Accepted Answer

PROVE is the native ERC-20 token of the Succinct Prover Network and the unit of account for buying zero-knowledge proving services and providing economic security. Succinct coordinates two types of participants on Ethereum: applications or users request “a proof for a piece of software,” and provers run computing infrastructure to complete the proof. It is not the Gas token of an independent blockchain. The network handles frequent requests, auctions, and state execution in an off-chain verifiable application (vApp), then uses SP1 to generate state-transition proofs that are verified and settled on Ethereum; PROVE therefore connects request payments, prover compensation, and staking collateral.

Question 2

How does the Succinct Prover Network coordinate proof requests and settlement?

Accepted Answer

Succinct seeks to solve the supply-coordination problem of who can generate zero-knowledge proofs for arbitrary software in a verifiable and competitive way. A requester does not need to negotiate each job with one proving provider: it submits the program to prove, proof mode, deadline, and price constraints, and the network assigns the job to provers that can complete it. Zero-knowledge proofs separate expensive computation from verification: a limited number of provers perform the computation and produce a short proof, while others can verify the result at lower cost. Succinct’s SP1 zkVM makes ordinary code provable; its vApp records balances, requests, prover registration, and staking status. After state batches execute off-chain, SP1 proves the transition is correct, then the state root is updated on Ethereum and receipts such as deposits and withdrawals are processed. Off-chain speed and verifiable settlement on Ethereum are two stages of the same process.

Question 3

How does PROVE pay for proving services, and how is a user’s fee cap calculated?

Accepted Answer

Requesters pay for proving services in PROVE and may deposit PROVE in advance into the SuccinctVApp contract; unused balances can be withdrawn through the contract process. A request’s cost consists of a PROVE base fee and an auction-determined price per PGU (Prover Gas Unit, a unit of proving-computation resources). The requester also sets a maximum price per PGU and a gas_limit. Under this definition, the maximum cost can be written as: base fee + maximum price per PGU × min(actual PGU usage, gas_limit). This means the price cap limits the variable computing component; the actual fee still depends on actual resource use and the auction result. Once proving is complete and the vApp state-transition proof is verified on Ethereum, the relevant receipts execute payment; PROVE paid to the prover vault enters the iPROVE vault and is reflected by shares for that prover’s stakers.

Question 4

How do proof auctions work, and why does staking affect eligibility to take jobs?

Accepted Answer

Proof jobs are allocated through a “proof contest”: the network first checks whether a prover meets the staking conditions required by the request, then qualified provers submit reverse-auction bids, and the qualified prover with the lower quote receives the job. The requester can set a deadline, maximum acceptable fee, and minimum staking requirement; winning therefore depends not only on quoting low, but also on meeting the job constraints. After allocation, the prover must submit a valid proof by the deadline. On success, the request fee is distributed under the rules to the protocol vault, that prover’s stakers, and the prover owner; if it is not submitted on time, the job is cancelled, related stake may be slashed, and the requester can request again. Staked amount also affects how many auctions a prover can join at once: the higher the security requirement set by a request, the more only provers that can cover it are eligible to participate.

Question 5

After delegating PROVE, how are rewards and receipts created?

Accepted Answer

Holders can delegate-stake PROVE to a designated prover, providing economic security for that prover’s ability to take jobs and sharing part of the revenue it generates. Staking is not a guaranteed return: rewards depend on that prover actually winning and successfully completing jobs, its pre-set staker revenue-share rate, and whether additional incentives are distributed. The contract path is: PROVE is first deposited into the global ERC-4626 iPROVE vault, which mints iPROVE; iPROVE is then deposited into the selected prover-specific vault; the staker receives stPROVE as a receipt representing its share in that position. When prover revenue enters its vault, delegators benefit by share; additional Foundation incentives are injected as PROVE into the global iPROVE vault by a time-based dispenser, increasing the PROVE redeemable by shares. One address can stake to only one prover at a time; to switch, it must first fully exit the original position.

Question 6

How do unstaking and slashing affect recoverable PROVE?

Accepted Answer

Exiting staking does not immediately return PROVE to a wallet: the staker first calls requestUnstake(stPROVE), which creates an iPROVE snapshot at the then-current exchange rate and starts a waiting period. After that period ends, the exit completes, stPROVE is burned, iPROVE is redeemed from the prover vault, and then redeemed from the global vault for PROVE. New prover rewards during the waiting period no longer accrue to that exit request. Slashing is a risk tied to prover performance. The settlement layer can propose an iPROVE slash request against a prover based on evidence of misconduct; once completed, specified iPROVE is burned and the positions of all stakers in that prover’s vault decline proportionally. An exit request therefore does not exclude possible slashing risk during the waiting period; the final PROVE recoverable depends on the value of the vault share at that time.

Question 7

How does PROVE currently participate in governance?

Accepted Answer

PROVE governance rights are not exercised directly by unstaked PROVE; in the designed on-chain governance system, iPROVE staked in a prover vault carries voting power, and the prover participates in governance through its vault. A proposing account must meet the iPROVE proposal threshold, and after quorum is reached, a proposal passes with a simple majority of “for” votes. This does not mean the current key contracts are already fully controlled by token voting. Official documentation states that a Security Council governs initially; the community may discuss on the forum and vote through Snapshot, but that vote is advisory and the Security Council retains final authority to amend and execute. The Security Council multisig is deployed on Ethereum mainnet with a 3-of-6 signing threshold. Full on-chain governance will begin only after sufficient stake has been delegated and contract ownership transferred to SuccinctGovernor.

Question 8

What change did Succinct’s mainnet launch bring to PROVE’s usability?

Accepted Answer

On August 5, 2025, Succinct announced that the Succinct Prover Network was live on mainnet, and PROVE launched the same day as the ecosystem’s native token. The key change was that the network moved from its prior testnet participation stage to a deployed state where payments, staking, and settlement could occur on mainnet, rather than merely issuing a token or proposing a design. Mainnet launch joined two parts that previously had to be understood separately: provers could provide capacity on a live network, while PROVE could be used for proving-service payment and economic security. It does not guarantee demand for proofs, auction revenue, or staking returns; those still depend on actual requests, prover performance, fee parameters, and reward distribution.

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