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aere-docs/AERE-STARK-DOC-CAVEAT-SWEEP.md
Aere Network e4cead319d Initial public release 
Aere Network public source. Everything here can be checked against the live
chain (chain id 2800, https://rpc.aere.network).

Scope note, stated up front rather than buried: consensus on chain 2800 is
classical secp256k1 ECDSA QBFT. The post-quantum work in this repository is at
the signature, precompile, account and transport layers. Nothing here makes the
consensus post-quantum, and no document in it should be read as claiming so.
2026-07-20 01:01:36 +03:00

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STARK-verifier doc-accuracy sweep: Hypercube / retarget caveat

Date: 2026-07-19. Scope: docs only. No contract, precompile, or code touched. The source-of-truth finding lives in aerenew/docs/AERE-STARK-SP1-RECURSION-AIR-PORT-SPEC-SUMMARY.md (and the fuller AERE-STARK-SP1-RECURSION-AIR-PORT-SPEC.md), which were already correct and were NOT edited.

The correct framing applied everywhere

Aere has a real, conformance-confirmed native BabyBear + FRI STARK verifier skeleton (all 6 generic components validated byte-for-byte against the pinned Plonky3 0.4.3-succinct crates). It verifies BabyBear + FRI STARKs, for example Aere's own Plonky3 zk-circuits. It does NOT verify SP1 6.1.0 proofs: the pinned SP1 (facade = "=6.1.0", internals sp1-hypercube 6.3.1) is Hypercube (KoalaBear multilinear: BaseFold + Jagged/Stacked PCS + sumcheck-zerocheck + LogUp-GKR with a septic-curve digest), a different stack, so FRI and DEEP-ALI (the two biggest confirmed pieces) do not apply to it at all. Replacing the BN254 Groth16 wrap on real SP1 proofs is a separate ~22 to 32 person-week retarget (a founder decision). The real achievement is kept stated; only the scope is corrected.

Files changed (20) and the overclaim fixed in each

Explicit task files

  1. aerenew/docs/AERE-STARK-VERIFIER-PORT-SPEC.md

    • Overclaim: framed the whole ~11-16 person-week port as building a verifier for "an SP1 v6.1.0 INNER hash-based STARK proof: a Plonky3 ShardProof over the BabyBearPoseidon2 config" that "removes the BN254 Groth16 wrap ... from the SP1 trust chain"; called 0x0AE8 "the post-quantum replacement being built."
    • Fix: prominent SCOPE CAVEAT block at the very top; corrected Section 0 non-claims bullet; corrected the Section 1 target paragraph; added a scoped conclusion after Section 9 (the effort table is the cost of a BabyBear+FRI verifier, not an SP1 6.1.0 verifier).

  2. aerenew/docs/AERE-BUILD-LOOP-SUMMARY-2026-07-19.md

    • Overclaim risk: STARK row (item 2) could read as progress toward verifying SP1 proofs.
    • Fix: expanded the row with the scope caveat; explicitly states "does NOT let us verify SP1 proofs now," six generic components verify BabyBear+FRI (Aere's own circuits), retarget is separate.

  3. Per-component summaries (one-line scope caveat added at top of each; not rewritten wholesale):

    • AERE-STARK-BABYBEAR-FIELD-SUMMARY.md
    • AERE-STARK-POSEIDON2-SUMMARY.md
    • AERE-STARK-POSEIDON2-CONSTANTS-CONFIRMED.md
    • AERE-STARK-MMCS-SUMMARY.md
    • AERE-STARK-FRI-SUMMARY.md (notes SP1 6.1.0 uses BaseFold, not FRI)
    • AERE-STARK-TRANSCRIPT-SUMMARY.md
    • AERE-STARK-AIR-QUOTIENT-SUMMARY.md (notes the "six generic components confirmed" claim means a BabyBear+FRI skeleton, NOT an SP1 6.1.0 verifier; sumcheck-zerocheck not DEEP-ALI in SP1 6.1.0)
    • AERE-STARK-CORE-ADVANCE-SUMMARY.md
    • Overclaim in each: framed as a component of the "SP1/Plonky3 inner STARK-verify port."

  4. aerenew/pqc-fork/pq-stark/README.md

    • Overclaim: title + opening claimed it "verifies SP1's INNER hash-based Plonky3/FRI STARK directly ... removes the one quantum-vulnerable link in the SP1 proof chain."
    • Fix: prominent SCOPE CAVEAT block at top; retitled to "BabyBear/Plonky3 FRI/STARK verify skeleton"; rescoped the opening paragraph to Aere's own Plonky3 circuits, not SP1 6.1.0.

Sweep: docs tree

  1. aerenew/docs/AERE-ENGINEERING-SECURITY-SPEC.md (Section 1.3 ZK-verification, quantum bullet)

    • Overclaim: "direct hash-based STARK verifier (verifying SP1's inner Plonky3 / FRI proof ...)".
    • Fix: replaced the parenthetical with the scope caveat (BabyBear+FRI targets Aere's own circuits; SP1 6.1.0 is Hypercube; removing the SP1 Groth16 wrap is a separate founder-gated retarget).
    • Note: A-9 ("BN254 is honest until replaced") and the guarantees table correctly state on-chain ZK verifiers are classical BN254 today; left TRUE and unchanged (points to the corrected 1.3).

  2. aerenew/docs/AERE-BENCHMARK-REPORT.md (Section B.3)

    • Overclaim: "a native precompile at 0x0AE8 that verifies SP1's INNER Plonky3 / FRI STARK directly."
    • Fix: rescoped to "a BabyBear / Plonky3 FRI STARK"; added a dedicated scope-caveat paragraph and adjusted the honest-status paragraph ("not a working verifier for SP1 proofs"; SP1 target is a different Hypercube system; retarget is separate).

  3. aerenew/docs/PQ-STARK-VERIFIER-PRECOMPILE-2026-07-18.md (design + spec, dated pre-finding)

    • Overclaim: whole premise, incl. title "direct SP1/Plonky3 inner FRI/STARK verification" and "The precompile verifies an SP1 v6.1.0 inner STARK proof - a Plonky3 ShardProof over the BabyBearPoseidon2 config."
    • Fix: prominent UPDATE / SCOPE CORRECTION banner at top stating the premise is incorrect for the pinned SP1 (Hypercube), directing readers to read "SP1 inner STARK / ShardProof" as "a BabyBear + FRI STARK, i.e. Aere's own Plonky3 circuits." Body left as the historical design record.

  4. aerenew/docs/PQ-STARK-VERIFIER-ACTIVATION-2026-07-18.md

    • Overclaim: P0 gate assumes activating a verifier of "a real SP1 v6.1.0 inner-STARK."
    • Fix: UPDATE / SCOPE CORRECTION banner at top (skeleton verifies Aere's own Plonky3 STARKs, not SP1 6.1.0; a founder-gated Hypercube retarget must precede any SP1-proof activation).

  5. aerenew/docs/AERE-AIP-PROCESS-AND-INDEX.md (AIP-16)

    • Overclaim: Decision said 0x0AE8 "verifies an SP1 inner-STARK (FRI over a Poseidon2 commitment)."
    • Fix: corrected the Decision to "verifies a hash-based STARK directly"; added a scope-caveat paragraph immediately below (BabyBear+FRI targets Aere's own circuits; SP1 6.1.0 is Hypercube; retarget is separate).

  6. aerenew/docs/AERE-EIP-COMPATIBILITY-MATRIX.md (0x0AE8 row)

    • Overclaim: name column "SP1 inner STARK verify."
    • Fix: relabeled "BabyBear/FRI STARK verify (skeleton)"; added the scope caveat to the notes cell.

  7. aerenew/docs/AERE-PROTOCOL-SPECIFICATION.md (Section 4.8.3, precompile table, intro list, recap)

    • Overclaim: 4.8.3 "direct on-chain verification of an SP1 (Plonky3) inner hash-based FRI/STARK proof ... remove the only quantum-vulnerable link (the BN254 Groth16 outer wrap) from the SP1 proof chain"; table row "SP1 inner STARK verify | Plonky3 FRI/STARK"; two label mentions (Section 4.6 list at line ~45 and the non-live recap at line ~670).
    • Fix: retitled 4.8.3 to "hash-based STARK verify," added the scope caveat to its body; relabeled the table row and both list mentions to "hash-based STARK verify (BabyBear/FRI, targets Aere's own Plonky3 circuits, NOT SP1 6.1.0 which is Hypercube; see 4.8.3)."

  8. aerenew/docs/AERE-PQ-FINALITY-CERTIFICATE.md

    • Overclaim: "SP1's core proof system is a FRI-based STARK" (factually wrong for SP1 6.1.0), and tying the AerePQStarkVerifier line to keeping SP1 proof verification quantum-safe.
    • Fix: corrected the clause (hash-based hence Shor-resistant reasoning kept; "FRI" label corrected: SP1 6.1.0 is Hypercube/BaseFold), and added that the 0x0AE8 BabyBear+FRI skeleton verifies Aere's OWN Plonky3 aggregation STARK, not an SP1 6.1.0 proof.

  9. aerenew/docs/AERE-XMSS-AGGREGATION-CIRCUIT.md

    • Overclaim: native-STARK-vs-Groth16 tradeoff implied the AerePQStarkVerifier line verifies the SP1-zkVM aggregation proof.
    • Fix: appended a scope caveat (AerePQStarkVerifier is BabyBear+FRI for Aere's own STARKs; the native-STARK option means an Aere-native BabyBear/FRI proof or a Hypercube retarget, not verifying an SP1 6.1.0 zkVM proof directly).

  10. aerenew/docs/AERE-QUANTUM-SAFE-NETWORKING.md (layer-3 quantum-layer map)

    • Overclaim: cell "PQ STARK verify, off BN254 | building" implied an imminent SP1-path replacement.
    • Fix: annotated the cell ("scope-corrected") and added a note under the table (skeleton is BabyBear+FRI for Aere's own circuits, does NOT yet verify SP1 6.1.0, retarget is separate, on-chain zk verifiers remain classical BN254 today).

  11. aerenew/docs/AERE-ARCHITECTURE-MAP.md (cross-cutting ZK-verification section)

    • Was already honest ("A post-quantum STARK verifier is roadmap"; on-chain verifiers classical BN254 today). Added a scope caveat for precision (0x0AE8 skeleton is BabyBear+FRI for Aere's own circuits; does NOT yet verify SP1 6.1.0; retarget separate; "not done or imminent"). The BN254-today statement was TRUE and left unchanged.

  12. aerenew/docs/AERE-QA-CONSOLIDATION-REPORT.md (precompile-consistency item 2)

    • The consistency snapshot propagated the "SP1 inner STARK verify" label.
    • Fix: relabeled 0x0AE8 to "hash-based STARK verify" and appended the scope caveat.

Sweep: pqc-fork tree

  1. aerenew/pqc-fork/pq-stark/spec-mmcs-babybear.md

    • Overclaim: "the exact SP1 inner config" / "which MMCS Plonky3/SP1 use."
    • Fix: top scope caveat ("Plonky3/SP1" means Plonky3 0.4.3-succinct, Aere's own BabyBear+FRI stack, not SP1 6.1.0 Hypercube; confirmed for a BabyBear+FRI verifier, not an SP1 6.1.0 one).

  2. aerenew/pqc-fork/pq-stark/spec-fri-babybear.md

    • Overclaim: "the exact FRI low-degree test Plonky3/SP1 use."
    • Fix: top scope caveat (SP1 6.1.0's inner recursion uses BaseFold not FRI; FRI does not apply to SP1 6.1.0; confirmed for Aere's own Plonky3 circuits).

  3. aerenew/pqc-fork/pq-stark/spec-poseidon2-constants.md

    • Overclaim: constants framed as those "Plonky3/SP1 use."
    • Fix: top scope caveat (these are BabyBear constants; SP1 6.1.0 is KoalaBear/Hypercube and uses different constants; confirmed for a BabyBear+FRI verifier).

  4. aerenew/pqc-fork/pq-stark/export-inner-stark-vector.md

    • Overclaim: whole premise "export the SP1 inner hash-based FRI/STARK proof (the shrink/compress Plonky3 shard proof over BabyBear + Poseidon2 + FRI) from the pinned SP1 v6.1.0 toolchain."
    • Fix: prominent SCOPE CORRECTION banner (SP1 6.1.0 exports a Hypercube/KoalaBear ShardProof, not a BabyBear+FRI ShardProof, which this skeleton does not verify; a real corpus for the current skeleton must come from Aere's own Plonky3 BabyBear+FRI provers; an SP1 6.1.0 corpus needs the Hypercube retarget first). Rescoped the opening paragraph accordingly.

Files reviewed, NO change needed (no overclaim found)

  • AERE-STARK-SP1-RECURSION-AIR-PORT-SPEC-SUMMARY.md, AERE-STARK-SP1-RECURSION-AIR-PORT-SPEC.md: source of truth; already document the Hypercube finding and the ~22-32 wk retarget correctly.
  • WHITEPAPER-V2.md, wp2-sections/02-architecture.md: their "verifies SP1 ... proofs" references are to the LIVE BN254 SP1 Groth16 gateway (0x9ca479...) via SP1VerifierGateway. Correct and TRUE; no native-STARK-verifies-SP1 claim. No change.
  • wp2-sections/04-zk.md, 06-mev-interop.md, 07-compliance.md: no 0x0AE8 / native-STARK-replaces- SP1 claim (only live-BN254 references). No change.
  • AERE-PQ-FINALITY-CERTIFICATE-SUMMARY.md (line ~53): "native hash-based STARK proof" is generic and honestly marked [VERIFY]/design-only; hash-based remains true for Hypercube; no FRI/SP1-verification overclaim. No change (parent certificate doc already caveated).
  • AERE-MIGRATION-TOOLKIT.md, AERE-NIST-VALIDATION-STATUS.md: only mention 0x0AE8 as testnet/non- live; no verification-capability claim. No change.
  • PQ-CONSENSUS-LIVE-READINESS-2026-07-18.md, ZK-PQ-FINALITY-2026-07-18.md, ZK-ANCHOR-FIXES-2026-07-17.md, PROVEN-RESULTS-2026-07-11.md, FRONTIER-PROGRAM-2026-07-12.md, VALIDITY-ROLLUP-SEQUENCER-PLAN.md, AUDIT-REPORT-2026-07-14.md: matched only the broad initial grep via live-BN254 SP1 gateway references; no native-STARK-verifies-SP1 / BN254-replacement claim. No change.

Guardrails honored

  • Docs only. No contract, precompile (0x0AE8 stays fail-closed), or other code touched.
  • Real achievement kept stated accurately (BabyBear+FRI skeleton is real and conformance-confirmed); only scope corrected. No overclaim in the other direction.
  • No em-dashes and no prose "--" introduced (verified; pre-existing em-dashes elsewhere left as-is).
  • Brand: "Aere Network" / "Aere" title case; token TICKER "AERE" uppercase; addresses/URLs untouched.

Confirmation

After the sweep, no doc implies the 0x0AE8 STARK verifier verifies SP1 6.1.0 proofs, replaces the BN254 Groth16 gateway for SP1, or is a "native PQ STARK verifier for SP1," without the Hypercube / retarget caveat. The on-chain ZK verifiers are still correctly stated as classical BN254 today.