{"id":"kohaku","title":"Kohaku","content":"**Kohaku** is a privacy-focused research and development project initiated by the [Ethereum Foundation](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum-foundation-ef) designed to enhance user security and confidentiality on the [Ethereum](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum) network. It primarily consists of a set of primitives delivered through a software development kit (SDK) and a reference implementation wallet. The project's goal is to provide developers with the tools to build privacy features into their applications, rather than creating a mass-market consumer product. [\\[1\\]](#cite-id-CFtdSvlyCwDZrwWE) [\\[2\\]](#cite-id-Tra3BC87XWipZBP8)​\n\n## Overview\n\nKohaku is an end-to-end privacy solution for [Ethereum](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum) that aims to make privacy a standard, integrated feature of the ecosystem. [\\[3\\]](#cite-id-aBJ7vQ8XkKyOSk4M) [\\[4\\]](#cite-id-XTvOIDHXxo351KOE) The project's philosophy is encapsulated in the slogan, \"Privacy is normal. Privacy is for everyone.\" [\\[2\\]](#cite-id-Tra3BC87XWipZBP8) It addresses privacy vulnerabilities at every layer of user interaction, from local network activity to on-chain transactions, seeking to minimize the exposure of user metadata. [\\[4\\]](#cite-id-XTvOIDHXxo351KOE)​\n\nThe project delivers its technology in two main forms: the Kohaku SDK and the Kohaku reference wallet. The SDK is a modular toolkit with a plugin system, allowing wallet teams to select and integrate specific privacy and security features into their own products. The reference wallet, a browser extension forked from the [Ambire](https://iq.wiki/wiki/adex) wallet, serves as a demonstration vehicle for the SDK's capabilities and is targeted at developers and power users. [\\[1\\]](#cite-id-CFtdSvlyCwDZrwWE) [\\[4\\]](#cite-id-XTvOIDHXxo351KOE)​\n\nThe initiative is part of a broader, renewed focus on privacy by the [Ethereum Foundation](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum-foundation-ef), which aims to make confidentiality a \"first-class property\" of the blockchain. [\\[3\\]](#cite-id-aBJ7vQ8XkKyOSk4M) The project emphasizes a mainnet-first development approach, with plans to progressively support Layer 2 networks after the initial release. [\\[1\\]](#cite-id-CFtdSvlyCwDZrwWE)​\n\n## History\n\nThe Kohaku project was officially announced on October 9, 2025, through coordinated posts by the [Ethereum Foundation](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum-foundation-ef) and key project figures on the social media platform X. [\\[2\\]](#cite-id-Tra3BC87XWipZBP8) [\\[5\\]](#cite-id-jtz4PM8uplw5Whtw) Some outlets reported the official announcement date as October 10, 2025, although unofficial confirmations of the project had appeared in some channels as early as June 2025. [\\[4\\]](#cite-id-XTvOIDHXxo351KOE) The announcement was timed to occur shortly before [Devcon](https://iq.wiki/wiki/devcon), the annual [Ethereum](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum) developer conference. [\\[3\\]](#cite-id-aBJ7vQ8XkKyOSk4M)​\n\nThe introduction of Kohaku followed the [Ethereum Foundation](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum-foundation-ef)'s announcement on October 8, 2025, of the formation of the Privacy Cluster, a 47-member group of engineers, researchers, and cryptographers dedicated to integrating privacy across the [Ethereum](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum) ecosystem. Kohaku is a key project within this broader strategic push. A public demonstration of the Kohaku wallet and its SDK was released for testing at the Devcon conference in Argentina in November 2025. [\\[3\\]](#cite-id-aBJ7vQ8XkKyOSk4M)​\n\n## Name and Symbolism\n\nThe name \"Kohaku\" (琥珀) is the Japanese word for \"Amber.\" This name was chosen because the project's reference wallet is a fork of the [Ambire](https://iq.wiki/wiki/adex) wallet. Coincidentally, \"Kohaku\" also refers to a well-known variety of red-and-white koi fish, and an illustration of a Kohaku koi was adopted as the project's logo. [\\[5\\]](#cite-id-jtz4PM8uplw5Whtw) [\\[4\\]](#cite-id-XTvOIDHXxo351KOE)\n\n## Technology and Architecture\n\nKohaku is designed to provide end-to-end privacy, implementing features that protect user data from the local device up to the on-chain transaction. Its architecture relies on a combination of existing and novel cryptographic techniques. [\\[3\\]](#cite-id-aBJ7vQ8XkKyOSk4M) [\\[4\\]](#cite-id-XTvOIDHXxo351KOE)​\n\n### Core Components\n\nThe Kohaku project consists of two primary deliverables:\n\n* **Kohaku SDK:** A software development kit designed with a modular plugin system. This allows wallet development teams to adopt the entire suite of privacy features or to select specific modules (e.g., private sends, social recovery) that fit their needs.\n* **Kohaku Reference Wallet:** A browser extension wallet, forked from [Ambire](https://iq.wiki/wiki/adex), that serves as a proof-of-concept and reference implementation for the SDK. It is targeted at power users and developers rather than the general public.\n\nThis two-part structure is intended to foster broad ecosystem adoption by providing flexible building blocks for existing wallet providers. [\\[1\\]](#cite-id-CFtdSvlyCwDZrwWE) [\\[4\\]](#cite-id-XTvOIDHXxo351KOE)​\n\n### On-Chain Privacy\n\nFor on-chain privacy, Kohaku integrates privacy pool protocols, with [Railgun](https://iq.wiki/wiki/railgun) being the first supported implementation. This allows users to obscure their transaction details, including the sender, receiver, and amount. The user experience for this feature typically involves three steps: [\\[4\\]](#cite-id-XTvOIDHXxo351KOE)​\n\n1. **Shield:** A user deposits [ERC-20](https://iq.wiki/wiki/erc-20) tokens or wrapped Ether into the privacy protocol's smart contract. This initial \"shield\" transaction is public on the blockchain.\n2. **Private Transactions:** Once assets are within the private pool, the user can privately transfer, swap, or interact with dApps. These transactions are verified on-chain using zero-knowledge proofs, which confirm the validity of the transaction without revealing its details. Observers of the blockchain can only see cryptographic updates to the pool's state.\n3. **Unshield:** The user withdraws funds from the private pool to a public address. This \"unshield\" transaction is also public. To maintain privacy, users are advised to withdraw to a new, unused address. [\\[4\\]](#cite-id-XTvOIDHXxo351KOE)\n\n### Network and Node Privacy\n\nKohaku implements several features to minimize metadata leakage at the network level, reducing reliance on trusted third parties like RPC (Remote Procedure Call) providers. [\\[1\\]](#cite-id-CFtdSvlyCwDZrwWE)​\n\n* **RPC Independence:** The wallet integrates the Helios light client, which runs as a WebAssembly (WASM) package in the browser. This allows the wallet to verify blockchain data locally without trusting a third-party RPC provider, which could otherwise log a user's IP address and transaction data. An RPC fallback with a killswitch is included for redundancy. [\\[1\\]](#cite-id-CFtdSvlyCwDZrwWE) [\\[4\\]](#cite-id-XTvOIDHXxo351KOE)\n* **P2P Transaction Broadcasting:** Users have the option to broadcast transactions directly to the [Ethereum](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum) peer-to-peer network. This practice bypasses centralized relayers and makes it more difficult to link a user's IP address to their on-chain activity. [\\[1\\]](#cite-id-CFtdSvlyCwDZrwWE)\n* **IP Leakage Prevention:** The architecture includes mechanisms designed to prevent the unnecessary leakage of user IP addresses during interactions with the blockchain. [\\[1\\]](#cite-id-CFtdSvlyCwDZrwWE)\n\n### dApp Interaction and State Reading\n\nKohaku introduces features to enhance privacy when interacting with decentralized applications (dApps) and reading blockchain state. [\\[1\\]](#cite-id-CFtdSvlyCwDZrwWE)​\n\n* **Private State Reading:** To prevent RPC providers from knowing which parts of the blockchain state a user is accessing, Kohaku implements a minimal execution client in the browser for private `eth_call` functions. The initial implementation uses an oblivious server combining a Trusted Execution Environment (TEE) with Oblivious RAM (ORAM). The long-term goal is to replace this with purely cryptographic methods like Private Information Retrieval (PIR). [\\[1\\]](#cite-id-CFtdSvlyCwDZrwWE) [\\[4\\]](#cite-id-XTvOIDHXxo351KOE)\n* **One Account Per dApp:** To prevent on-chain analysis firms from correlating a user's activity across different services, the wallet's default behavior is to prompt the user to create and use a new address for each new dApp they connect to. This compartmentalizes a user's on-chain footprint. [\\[1\\]](#cite-id-CFtdSvlyCwDZrwWE) [\\[4\\]](#cite-id-XTvOIDHXxo351KOE)\n\n### Account Security and Recovery\n\nBeyond transactional privacy, Kohaku incorporates advanced security and recovery features. [\\[1\\]](#cite-id-CFtdSvlyCwDZrwWE)​\n\n* **Social Recovery:** The project plans to offer standardized, intermediary-free social recovery options that leverage zero-knowledge proofs. This includes protocols like ZKemail, ZKpassport, and Anon Aadhaar, which allow users to recover accounts without publicly linking their real-world identities. [\\[1\\]](#cite-id-CFtdSvlyCwDZrwWE)\n* **Post-Quantum Killswitch:** To mitigate the future threat of quantum computers breaking current cryptographic standards, Kohaku includes an optional feature to enable Post-Quantum (PQ) secure accounts. This uses optimized [Solidity](https://iq.wiki/wiki/solidity) verifiers for PQ signature schemes such as Falcon and Dilithium. [\\[1\\]](#cite-id-CFtdSvlyCwDZrwWE) [\\[4\\]](#cite-id-XTvOIDHXxo351KOE)\n* **Spending Policies:** The wallet will allow users to create account-level policies, such as setting spending limits for different signers associated with an account. [\\[1\\]](#cite-id-CFtdSvlyCwDZrwWE)\n\n### Hardware and Wallet Integration\n\nThe Kohaku roadmap includes plans to foster a more open and interoperable hardware wallet ecosystem. [\\[1\\]](#cite-id-CFtdSvlyCwDZrwWE)​\n\n* **Universal Hardware Wallet App:** A reference implementation for a universal \"ethereum-app\" for hardware wallets is planned to support advanced features and reduce vendor lock-in. [\\[1\\]](#cite-id-CFtdSvlyCwDZrwWE)\n* **ZK Hardware Signer:** To ensure hardware wallet compatibility with ZK-based privacy protocols, the project includes support for elliptic curves like Jubjub and Bandersnatch, which are commonly used in ZK circuits. [\\[1\\]](#cite-id-CFtdSvlyCwDZrwWE)\n\n## Future Developments and Research\n\nThe Kohaku roadmap outlines several ambitious long-term goals aimed at building a more deeply integrated private-by-default environment for [Ethereum](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum) users. [\\[1\\]](#cite-id-CFtdSvlyCwDZrwWE)\n\n* **Native Ethereum Browser:** The project contributors envision a native [Ethereum](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum) browser as a logical next step. This would bring wallet security closer to the operating system level, enabling stronger security for dApp interfaces (e.g., those hosted on IPFS) and deeper P2P integration. [\\[1\\]](#cite-id-CFtdSvlyCwDZrwWE)\n* **Local AI for Transaction Scoring:** Research is underway to develop on-device AI models that can assess transaction risk without leaking private user data to third-party analysis services. [\\[1\\]](#cite-id-CFtdSvlyCwDZrwWE)\n* **Privacy-Preserving Account Abstraction:** A key research area is the development of privacy-preserving account abstraction, which would allow a single wallet to seamlessly control both public and private funds. This requires advances like client-side ZK-EVM or ZK-RISC-V provers. The team plans to work toward native account abstraction on [Ethereum](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum) through 2026. [\\[1\\]](#cite-id-CFtdSvlyCwDZrwWE)\n* **Private Data Recovery:** The project is exploring new social recovery schemes specifically for private data, such as wallet secrets or private ZK POAPs (Proof of Attendance Protocol NFTs). [\\[1\\]](#cite-id-CFtdSvlyCwDZrwWE)\n\n## Ecosystem and Collaboration\n\nKohaku is a collaborative effort led by the [Ethereum Foundation ](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum-foundation-ef)and involves numerous teams and individuals from across the [Ethereum](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum) ecosystem. [\\[1\\]](#cite-id-CFtdSvlyCwDZrwWE)​\n\n### Key Figures\n\n* **Nicolas Consigny (@ncsgy):** A developer at the Ethereum Foundation and one of the public faces of the Kohaku project. [\\[5\\]](#cite-id-jtz4PM8uplw5Whtw)\n* [**Vitalik Buterin**](https://iq.wiki/wiki/vitalik-buterin)**:** Co-founder of [Ethereum](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum), who was presented alongside Nicolas Consigny as a public face of Kohaku, signifying the project's importance. [\\[5\\]](#cite-id-jtz4PM8uplw5Whtw)\n* **`@niard`:** The credited author of the technical roadmap for Kohaku, indicating a lead role in the project's technical architecture and development. [\\[2\\]](#cite-id-Tra3BC87XWipZBP8)\n\n### Collaborating Organizations and Teams\n\n* [Ethereum Foundation (EF)](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum-foundation-ef)\n* Privacy and Scaling Explorations (PSE)\n* [Ambire](https://iq.wiki/wiki/adex)\n* [Railgun](https://iq.wiki/wiki/railgun)\n* Wonderland\n* Helios (a16z)\n* Oblivious Labs\n* ZKnox\n* Walletbeat (expected collaboration)\n\nMany individual contributors are also involved in the project's development. [\\[1\\]](#cite-id-CFtdSvlyCwDZrwWE)​","summary":"Kohaku, an Ethereum Foundation privacy project with a wallet and SDK, enables private transactions, secure dApp interactions, and trust-minimized operations to make privacy a standard on Ethereum.","images":[{"id":"Qmdaxmt2xezF2AmBAc1ZcYL5TpQR7bdCJvLgc7MgRM7QNF","type":"image/jpeg, image/png"}],"categories":[{"id":"dapps","title":"dapps"}],"tags":[{"id":"Protocols"},{"id":"Ethereum"}],"media":[{"id":"QmbwNgPeFuvR1eAV3SSxWT16A4gNQT6NC7UjYnVQp4PLmb","type":"GALLERY","source":"IPFS_IMG"},{"id":"Qmdaxmt2xezF2AmBAc1ZcYL5TpQR7bdCJvLgc7MgRM7QNF","type":"GALLERY","source":"IPFS_IMG"},{"id":"QmWQRPFtDXeqwY8Nc3N1KqNLLPFap2kF82wjJiKD86VuBL","type":"GALLERY","source":"IPFS_IMG"},{"id":"QmbcHuDPd3suDeBR5YgrzsYvFHRjv6kRGhs5FAoLQ2ZzeD","type":"GALLERY","source":"IPFS_IMG"},{"id":"Qmf29rhuiLK3jNJQpe6RrPLNJmLm96DDR5FWXbRd9BkVnF","type":"GALLERY","source":"IPFS_IMG"}],"metadata":[{"id":"references","value":"[\n  {\n    \"id\": \"CFtdSvlyCwDZrwWE\",\n    \"url\": \"https://notes.ethereum.org/@niard/KohakuRoadmap\",\n    \"description\": \"Kohaku technical roadmap\",\n    \"timestamp\": 1763392884035\n  },\n  {\n    \"id\": \"Tra3BC87XWipZBP8\",\n    \"url\": \"https://x.com/ethereumfndn/status/1976319896570261568\",\n    \"description\": \"Ethereum Foundation Kohaku announcement\",\n    \"timestamp\": 1763392884035\n  },\n  {\n    \"id\": \"aBJ7vQ8XkKyOSk4M\",\n    \"url\": \"https://cryptoslate.com/ethereum-doubles-down-on-privacy-with-new-kohaku-wallet-ahead-of-devcon/\",\n    \"description\": \"CryptoSlate article on Kohaku and EF's privacy push\",\n    \"timestamp\": 1763392884035\n  },\n  {\n    \"id\": \"XTvOIDHXxo351KOE\",\n    \"url\": \"https://www.panewslab.com/en/articles/5030306a-3995-4ed7-bee2-0b90cb4e6130\",\n    \"description\": \"Panews Lab article on Kohaku's features\",\n    \"timestamp\": 1763392884035\n  },\n  {\n    \"id\": \"jtz4PM8uplw5Whtw\",\n    \"url\": \"https://x.com/ncsgy/status/1976200237929881848\",\n    \"description\": \"Nico's announcement of Kohaku\",\n    \"timestamp\": 1763392884035\n  }\n]"},{"id":"website","value":"https://notes.ethereum.org/@niard/KohakuRoadmap"},{"id":"github_profile","value":"https://github.com/ethereum/kohaku"},{"id":"commit-message","value":"\"Added Kohaku wiki page\""}],"events":[{"id":"5d961f72-de14-4051-8bb3-4167ff18a44d","date":"2025-10","title":"Kohaku Project Officially Announced","type":"CREATED","description":"The Ethereum Foundation and developer Nicolas Consigny announced Kohaku, a privacy-focused wallet framework and SDK, on October 9, 2025.","link":"https://x.com/ncsgy/status/1976200237929881848","multiDateStart":null,"multiDateEnd":null,"continent":null,"country":null},{"id":"fb022963-5111-4f9a-98e9-79293a38a8c8","date":"2025-10","title":"Ethereum Foundation Forms Privacy Cluster","type":"DEFAULT","description":"The Ethereum Foundation announced the formation of the Privacy Cluster, a 47-member group dedicated to integrating privacy across the Ethereum ecosystem, setting the stage for projects like Kohaku.","link":"https://cryptoslate.com/ethereum-doubles-down-on-privacy-with-new-kohaku-wallet-ahead-of-devcon/","multiDateStart":null,"multiDateEnd":null,"continent":null,"country":null},{"id":"dd743eee-7763-42a3-9b63-aa7c3ccc4b0f","date":"2025-11","title":"Planned Public Demo at Devcon","type":"DEFAULT","description":"A public demo of the Kohaku wallet and its SDK was scheduled to be released for testing at the Devcon conference in Argentina.","link":"https://cryptoslate.com/ethereum-doubles-down-on-privacy-with-new-kohaku-wallet-ahead-of-devcon/","multiDateStart":null,"multiDateEnd":null,"continent":null,"country":null}],"user":{"id":"0x8af7a19a26d8fbc48defb35aefb15ec8c407f889"},"author":{"id":"0x8af7a19a26d8fbc48defb35aefb15ec8c407f889"},"operator":{"id":"0x1E23b34d3106F0C1c74D17f2Cd0F65cdb039b138"},"language":"en","version":1,"linkedWikis":{"blockchains":["ethereum"],"founders":["vitalik-buterin"],"speakers":[]}}