How It Works

ZeroK uses zero knowledge cryptography to break the on chain link between what you deposit and what you later spend. It works the same way for native SOL and for stablecoins such as USDC. Here is the idea, in plain language.

The flow

1. Deposit

You deposit any amount of SOL or USDC into ZeroK. It joins one shared, shielded vault for that asset, alongside everyone else’s funds. In return you get private notes, which are simply your right to spend that value later. They are encrypted and saved on chain for you, so your own wallet can always recover them.

2. Blend

The more people use the vault, the larger the crowd you hide in. This crowd is your anonymity set: the group of deposits that any given payment could plausibly belong to. A bigger crowd means stronger privacy, and every new deposit makes the whole pool harder to untangle.

3. Spend

When you pay someone, your device builds a zero knowledge proof that says, in effect, “I own funds in here”, without revealing which funds are yours. A relayer submits that proof and pays the gas, so the recipient can be a fresh, empty wallet, and nothing on chain ties the payment back to you.

Your payments also leave in fixed, standard denominations, so one looks exactly like the next. This is the quiet superpower. Amounts are how most privacy tools get broken: an odd deposit and a matching withdrawal give you away. With fixed denominations there is no unusual amount to match, so the trail from your deposit to your payment simply does not exist. The unlinkability is a property of the cryptography, not a guess about the crowd.

What is a zero knowledge proof?

A zero knowledge proof lets you prove something is true without revealing the information behind it. In ZeroK:

• What you prove: you own valid funds in the vault
• What stays hidden: which funds are yours

Think of showing that you hold a valid concert ticket without revealing the seat number. The venue knows you belong inside. It just cannot tell which ticket is yours.

ZeroK uses Groth16 proofs, a fast and well established proof system, generated right on your device in a few seconds.

Your note, handled for you

When you deposit, ZeroK creates your note and encrypts it with a key derived from your wallet signature, then stores it on chain as part of the deposit. That means your private balance is tied to your wallet, not to any file on your computer.

Reconnect the same wallet and ZeroK finds your encrypted notes, decrypts them locally, and shows your balance. The note itself never leaves your device. It is only ever used locally to build a proof.

Privacy is collective

Privacy here is a team sport. Every deposit grows the crowd, and every payment further blurs the path from past deposits to future spends. Your activity strengthens everyone else’s privacy, and theirs strengthens yours. The more ZeroK is used, the stronger it gets for all of us.

Built on solid ground

Under the hood, ZeroK rests on battle tested cryptography: zero knowledge proofs for unlinkability, and a hardened on chain program that verifies every spend and makes double spending impossible. All proving happens on your device, so your secrets never travel.