The Genesis Block
Shekyl NG launches from a clean genesis block with transparent founder allocations and a published strategy for continuity from the original CryptoNight chain.
The Original Chain
The original Shekyl blockchain launched in January 2018 using CryptoNight proof-of-work. The complete chain data has been preserved and independently verified. Each of the founding developers mined a variable amount of Shekyl over the chain's lifetime, keeping the network alive as a proof-of-concept.
168,947
Blocks mined
~2,745,081
SHEKYL emitted
34
Non-coinbase transactions
Verified Chain Statistics
Statistics verified from the original LMDB database using mdb_stat and the block_info cumulative emission field. The raw database is preserved and its SHA-256 hash will be published at mainnet launch for independent verification.
Why the original parameters were broken
The original chain launched with MONEY_SUPPLY = 2^32interpreted as atomic units (not whole coins) with 12-decimal precision. This meant the nominal supply ceiling was crossed almost immediately after genesis, and every block reward for the chain's entire lifetime was the minimum tail-emission subsidy. Furthermore, the intended supply of 232 whole coins with 12-decimal accounting would overflow a uint64_t. The chain was technically broken from its first block.
Genesis Allocation
Shekyl NG launches with a single, transparent genesis allocation to the five founding developers. There is no foundation allocation, no pre-mine, and no reserved pool. All five allocations are identical. Should a foundation be established in the future, it would be community-governed and voluntarily funded.
Denomination policy: chain accounting is canonical at 9 decimals (`1 SKL = 1,000,000,000 atomic`). Public website displays may use 6 decimals for readability, but on-chain and API values remain 9-decimal.
Founding Developers
5 founders × 20,000 SKL each
100,000 SKL
All allocations are equal. No tiered or preferential distribution among founders.
100,000 SKL out of 4,294,967,296 total supply. The bar above is scaled 400× for visibility — the actual proportion is 0.002328%.
% of Total Monetary Supply
Per founder (20,000 SKL): 0.000466%
Founders total (100,000 SKL): 0.002328%
Rough Block-Reward Equivalents
Per founder: ~2,500 blocks (~3.5 days)
Founders total: ~12,500 blocks (~17.4 days)
Assumes ~8 SKL/block at a 2-minute target.
Original chain context
On the original CryptoNight chain, the founding team collectively mined approximately 2,745,081 SHEKYL across 168,947 blocks over roughly eight years. Each founder mined a variable amount depending on their individual mining activity. The 100,000 SKL genesis allocation represents a deliberate reduction — roughly 3.6% of what a naive proportional interpretation of original mining rewards would imply.
Why a New Genesis
Shekyl NG uses a new-genesis reboot. Instead of carrying old runtime consensus and transaction rules indefinitely, the network starts clean at block 0 with modern design goals.
The founding team considered proportional snapshot airdrops and view-key submission schemes, but both were rejected: CryptoNote's privacy model makes wallet-level balances unextractable without private key cooperation, and the 34-transaction history means the UTXO set was de facto a small founder allocation by another name.
To preserve an auditable link to the original chain, the strategy includes embedding a UTXO snapshot Merkle commitment into genesis transaction metadata. This preserves economic continuity while allowing the rebooted network to run improved consensus and transaction formats.
Design Goal
Preserve what matters economically, modernize what matters technically.
How the Genesis Strategy Works
Phase 1: Snapshot Collection
Collect and verify a UTXO snapshot from the original chain and publish a commitment for independent verification.
Phase 2: New Genesis Block
Launch a fresh block 0 with network identity, fixed genesis nonce, and snapshot commitment.
Phase 3: Optional Balance Restoration
Optionally restore historical balances via a deterministic or claim-based migration mechanism selected before mainnet.
Phase 4: Reboot Activation
Run modern consensus and transaction standards, including RandomX and PQ-enabled transaction flows.
Transparency Principles
The founding team commits to the same standard of transparency that motivates the Shekyl name: trust through verifiability, not through authority.
The original chain database is preserved and independently verifiable. The parameter misconfiguration is documented precisely, not elided. The founding team's decision to accept reduced allocations is stated plainly, not dressed up as generosity.