Chain Configuration

Network Parameters

Parameter	Value
Chain ID	421 (0x1a5)
Network Name	Obsidian
Native Token	OBS
Decimals	18
Block Time	12 seconds
Fork Name	Silica
Architecture	Single canonical block per slot

Design Principles

• Execution Isolation: Data flow never slows down transactions

• Native Data Pathway: Messages are built into the protocol itself

• Ethereum Compatibility: Full EVM support with existing tools

Consensus

Parameter	Value
Mechanism	Proof of Stake
Slots per Epoch	Network-configured (see CL config; testnet-genesis uses 8)
Epoch Duration	SECONDS_PER_SLOT × SLOTS_PER_EPOCH (testnet-genesis: 12×8=96s)
Finality	2 epochs (testnet-genesis: ~192s)

Message Parameters

Parameter	Value
Lane Count	8 parallel message lanes
Max Message Size	8 KB
SM per Lane per Slot	2 MB (maxSmSidecarBytes)
PM per Lane per Slot	2 MB (maxPmSidecarBytes)
Total SM per Slot	16 MB (8 lanes × 2 MB)
Total PM per Slot	16 MB (8 lanes × 2 MB)
Combined Max per Slot	32 MB
Min PM Bid	0.001 OBS (1e15 wei)

Notes:

• Source of truth: testnet-genesis/el/genesis.json → config.messageConfig.

• Messages are submitted directly to lane committees (no global queue).

VDF Configuration

VDF anti-spam (when enabled) uses a checkpointed hash-chain (algorithm version 1).

On testnet, VDF is enabled for SM (Standard Messages) with:

• baseIterations = 10000

• scalingIterationsPerKB = 1000

• algVersion = 1

Clients should query eth_getMessageWork for the required iterations for a given payload size.

Committee Validation (Message-Layer Fast Finality)

Obsidian’s message-layer fast finality uses lane + micro-batch + QC (quorum certificates). Validators vote on micro-batches (not individual messages), producing QCs that can act as a fast signal.

See: how-it-works/committee-validation.md.

PM Bid Handling

In the current implementation, PM bids are burned (100% deducted from sender balance).

Planned fee distribution:

Parameter	Value	Purpose
proposerFeeShare	30%	Block proposer's share of PM fees
laneLeaderFeeShare	20%	Lane leader's share of PM fees
archiveFeeShare	50%	Archive pool's share of PM fees

Fee distribution will be enabled in a future upgrade.