The Foundation executes operational actions within immutable constitutional boundaries. It cannot modify consensus rules, alter the emission schedule, redirect coinbase allocations, or access reserve assets outside of Emergency Catastrophe.
These constraints apply to the base PoW consensus layer. PoPC participation is opt-in — bond and escrow mechanics are constitutionally defined but voluntarily accepted.
| Action | Status |
|---|---|
| Modify consensus rules | Immutable |
| Alter emission schedule | Immutable |
| Change coinbase split | Immutable |
| Redirect coinbase allocations | Immutable |
| Increase supply beyond hard cap | Immutable |
| Access reserve assets (normal operation) | Immutable |
| Override slash mechanics (PoW consensus layer) PoPC bond/escrow penalties are opt-in — you choose to participate. Your UTXOs outside PoPC are always yours and cannot be touched. | Immutable |
| Create a governance token or DAO | Immutable |
| Add admin key, pause, or upgrade proxy to chain | Immutable |
The Foundation's operational scope is exhaustive — nothing beyond the following is permitted.
| Operation | Constraint |
|---|---|
| Gold Vault conversion | Execute SOST→XAUT/PAXG purchases. Every batch attested on-chain. |
| 50/50 split adjustment | Change XAUt/PAXG acquisition split for future purchases only. Disclosed in batch reports. |
| Purchase pause | May pause gold purchases without consensus. Disclosed via batch reports. |
| Purchase redirection | Redirect future purchases between issuers (e.g., if issuer risk increases). |
| PoPC contract management | May pause new PoPC contracts for critical bugs. Existing contracts unaffected. |
| Dissolution declaration | Only after dead-man switch triggers (90 days zero blocks). 60-day public timelock. |
| Source | Rate | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Model A protocol fee | 5% of reward | Infrastructure, watcher, security audits, development |
| Model B protocol fee | 10% of reward | Same destination, higher rate due to greater operational burden |
| Fee destination | Foundation operational wallet (publicly auditable) | |
| Fee changes | 30-day advance public notice, apply only to new contracts |
The Foundation is the first PoPC participant — a protocol validation commitment to demonstrate the system end-to-end before opening to external participants. Same rules apply. No exceptions.
| Field | FOUND-001 | FOUND-002 |
|---|---|---|
| Model | A (bond + audit) | A (bond + audit) |
| Asset | XAUT | PAXG |
| Amount | 0.4 oz | 0.4 oz |
| Duration | 3 months | 3 months |
| Start | 2026-03-28 | 2026-03-28 |
| Expiry | 2026-06-28 | 2026-06-28 |
| Protocol fee | 5% (standard) | 5% (standard) |
| Status | PENDING | PENDING |
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Foundation ETH wallet | 0xd389...C7a6 |
| XAUT contract | 0x6874...2F38 |
| PAXG contract | 0x4580...Af78 |
| Verification method | balanceOf(wallet) ≥ committed amount, checked against Ethereum mainnet |
| Audit entropy | ConvergenceX block entropy (block_id, commit, checkpoints_root) |
| Last verified | — |
The Foundation commits to progressive decentralization and full automation of all operational processes as soon as technically viable. Manual operations during Phase 1 are transitional by design, not permanent. Every manual process — PoPC verification, reward payouts, vault conversions, batch reporting — has a planned automation path documented in the protocol roadmap.
This is a constitutional commitment, not a discretionary goal. The Foundation exists to bootstrap operations that the protocol will eventually execute autonomously. As each operational process is automated, the Foundation's scope shrinks — by design.
| Process | Phase 1 (Manual) | Target (Automated) |
|---|---|---|
| PoPC verification | verify_popc_balance.py | On-chain smart contract |
| Reward payouts | popc_reward_payout.py | sost-popc-daemon |
| Vault conversions | Manual batch execution | Deterministic execution stack |
| Audit scheduling | ConvergenceX entropy (already automated) | Already automated |
Encoded at genesis. Unchangeable. These rules define the boundaries within which the entire protocol — including the Foundation — must operate.
| Rule | Provision |
|---|---|
| C1 | Total supply upper-bounded by ~4,669,201 SOST by construction. Only issuance is subsidy(height). |
| C2 | Coinbase split immutable: q=reward//4, gold=q, popc=q, miner=reward-gold-popc. |
| C3 | Gold Vault destination immutable. Reserve Vault Heritage sealed. Emergency dual gate only. |
| C4 | Reserve shall not be sold except under Emergency Catastrophe (E2) or Dissolution. |
| C5 | Dissolution requires 90 days zero blocks + 60-day public timelock. |
| C6 | Dissolution is one-way and irreversible. |
| C7 | Slash is automatic. No human can override once triggered. |
| C8 | Slash split 50/50 (PoPC Pool / Gold Vault). No burn. Immutable. |
| C9 | Dynamic bond table: 12% to 30% based on SOST/gold ratio. |
| C10 | No admin key, pause function, or upgrade proxy on PoW chain. |
| C11 | ConvergenceX parameters fixed at genesis for epoch 0. |
| C12 | All consensus arithmetic is integer-only. Zero floating-point. |
| C13 | Model B escrow: non-upgradeable, no admin, withdraw only by depositor after expiry. |
| C14 | Default 50/50 XAUt/PAXG split; adjustable operationally for future purchases only. |
| C15 | Emergency dual gate: ≥75% miner signaling (W=144, YES≥108) + Foundation Execution Order. The Foundation may propose increasing this threshold to 90% or 95% if deemed appropriate for the long-term security of the protocol. |
| C16 | Progressive decentralization: all manual operations are transitional by design with documented automation paths. Constitutional commitment, not discretionary. |
The only mechanism to move previously purchased reserve assets. Requires dual authorization — no single party can act alone.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Miner signaling window | 144 blocks (~24 hours) |
| Threshold | ≥75% (108 out of 144 blocks) |
| Foundation alone | Cannot move reserves |
| Miners alone | Cannot move reserves |
| Consensus rules affected | None — only external reserve assets |
The Reserve Vault remains sealed by default. No outbound transfers occur in normal operation. The gold tokens remain a permanent, publicly verifiable reserve record. Heritage is the default — the absence of consensus activity cannot authorize reserve movements.
If the chain becomes permanently inactive, the dissolution process follows a state-based timeline: