Documentation

Overview

ZKV-3EAD is a memecoin whose name is encrypted. The token trades on-chain under the ticker $3EAD with the name ████████. The real name is hidden behind a three-day puzzle. One "door" opens each day, and each door gives one piece. With all three pieces, the name can be recovered.

Half of the token's creator fees go into a public pot. The first player to recover the name and claim it correctly receives the entire pot. Playing and winning are free: no purchase, no wallet connection, no sign-up.

Timeline

Fairness design

A puzzle with a prize only works if players can be sure the answer wasn't changed after the fact and the winner wasn't picked in secret. Every part below exists for that reason.

1 · The answer is committed before launch

Before door 01, we published a SHA-256 commitment to the name, combined with a secret random salt:

The salt makes the name impossible to guess from the hash. You can't just try words until one matches. At the reveal, we publish the salt, and anyone can recompute the hash. If we had changed the name, it would not match. The ticker 3EAD is simply the first four characters of this commitment.

2 · Every puzzle file is fixed before launch

The signed manifest lists the SHA-256 fingerprint of every file for doors 02 and 03, plus the door 01 image. The files go online one per day, but their contents were locked before the hunt started. Download any door file and hash it. It must match the manifest.

3 · Every official message is signed

Announcements are signed with PGP key 74F3 9C72 E1C5 6C46 D43F 15CB 2606 38A7 FB4D 1844. Anything unsigned, including a post that looks like ours, should be treated as fake.

4 · Claims use commit-then-reveal

Posting an answer directly would let anyone copy it. Instead, players first post a hash that ties the answer to their own handle, then reveal the answer. A copied hash is worthless because it's bound to the original handle. See claiming.

5 · The lock is the calendar, not a trick

The key needed for the final step doesn't exist in public until door 03. Before that, the name can't be recovered, however skilled the player or however good their tools. Any tools are allowed, AI included.

Verify it yourself

Check a signature

# import the project key, then verify any signed file
curl -sO https://zkv3ead.xyz/zkv.asc
gpg --import zkv.asc
curl -sO https://zkv3ead.xyz/manifest.txt
gpg --verify manifest.txt
# expect: Good signature from "ZKV-3EAD (shielded)"
# fingerprint 74F3 9C72 E1C5 6C46 D43F 15CB 2606 38A7 FB4D 1844

Check a door file against the manifest

curl -s https://zkv3ead.xyz/hello.png | shasum -a 256     # macOS
curl -s https://zkv3ead.xyz/hello.png | sha256sum         # Linux
# compare with the hash listed in manifest.txt

Check the answer at the reveal

echo -n "NAME:SALT" | shasum -a 256
# must equal 3eada8f8612415c819796fe13c20578ebe3993e2e856d39aba5b36a71c15ca35

No terminal? Any online SHA-256 tool gives the same result. Paste the exact text with no spaces or line breaks.

Claiming

1. Open the claim tool. Enter the name and your X handle. It computes sha256(NAME:@handle) in your browser. Nothing is sent anywhere.
2. Post ZKV-3EAD commit <hash> on X.
3. Reply to your own post with the name.

Token

The pot

• 50% of creator fees earned from launch until the solve go to the pot wallet (). The other 50% go to the dev, and we say so openly.
• Fees are moved to the pot wallet daily, and each transfer is posted on X with its transaction link. The pot balance is always visible on-chain.
• The pot wallet has one job: pay the winner. After the solve, half of new fees start a season 2 pot.
• The pot's size depends on trading volume, and it may be small. We make no promise about its value.

Security

• This site is static: no accounts, no logins, no database, no wallet connection. It never asks for a signature, a transaction or a seed phrase.
• Pages are served with strict security headers, including a content security policy and anti-framing, over HTTPS behind Cloudflare.
• Door 02 is encrypted in the browser with AES-256-GCM, using a key derived with PBKDF2 (250,000 iterations). Reading the page source doesn't open it. Only the right word does.
• Official channels are the ones listed on the main page, and every announcement is PGP-signed. We never DM first.

Risks

$3EAD is a memecoin. It has no intrinsic value, no roadmap beyond this puzzle and its sequels, and its price can drop to zero. Only use money you can afford to lose. You never need to buy the token to play or to win.

Nothing on this site is financial advice. Prize rules may be subject to local laws where you live, and you are responsible for any taxes on winnings.