Starknet is one of the few chains where half the stack is already post-quantum. The FRI proof system is hash-based and PQ-safe, and native account abstraction makes each user's signature a per-account upgrade rather than a hard fork. The gap is the user signature layer itself, still on Stark curve ECDSA with no shipped PQ scheme.
Summary
Starknet is structurally PQ-advantaged: its STARK/FRI proof system is hash-based (PQ-safe) and its native account abstraction makes signature migration a per-account upgrade, not a hard fork. The gap is user signatures (Stark curve ECDSA) remain classical with no shipped PQ signature scheme. Upside: Coinbase PQ board recognition, PQ-safe proofs already in production — among the best structural posture in L2.
What the gates say
- Hybrid: COND. FRI proof layer is PQ-safe; user sig layer still classical
- Evidence: PASS. Sources reconstructable by third party.
- Primitive naming: PASS. Named primitives at every scored sub-level.
Burn-vs-rescue policy on file
AA-rescue likely (per-account rotation native); no ratified policy
Seven dimensions
Each dimension scores 0-100 internally; the weighted roll-up produces the QRI on the left. Open a row to read the sub-score detail.
1 Cryptographic Exposure 62 / 100
Stark curve distinct from secp256k1; proof system is FRI-based (hash-only).
Stark curve ECDSA (user signatures) · Pedersen hash (Stark-native) · Poseidon (Stark-native, ZK-friendly) · FRI (STARK proof system, hash-based) · Keccak-256 (EVM interop)Proof system (FRI) is PQ-safe; user signatures (Stark curve ECDSA) are Shor-breakable.
FRI is hash-based and PQ-safe; represents one PQ family on proof layer. User signature layer still classical.
FRI proof system meets NIST PQ category 1 security by hash hardness.
2 HNDL Exposure 42 / 100
Native AA from day one: no EOAs. User keys inside smart accounts; can rotate. Reduces active HNDL.
Chain is ~36 months old. Smaller dormant surface than L1.
Historical Stark curve signatures are Shor-breakable but AA allows key rotation; inclusion is enforced by FRI proofs (PQ-safe).
Standard TLS; no PQC KEM in RPC layer.
3 Metadata & Privacy Exposure 35 / 100
Transparent ledger; L2 tx graph visible via sequencer and explorers.
Starkware-operated sequencer (centralized). Decentralized sequencing on roadmap.
Native Ethereum bridge correlates addresses L1<->L2.
No shielded pool on Starknet; retroactive de-anon risk limited to tx graph inference, not PQ-amplified.
4 Migration Architecture 82 / 100
Native AA since genesis. Cairo VM supports arbitrary signature validation. No hard fork needed to add ML-DSA or Falcon verifiers.
Full AA: every account is a contract. Per-account signature scheme, per-account rotation, multisig, social recovery — deployed from day one. Strongest AA in evaluated set.
Cairo v1 migration (2023-2024) completed; Regenesis coordinated. Sequencer upgrades smooth. No contested forks.
Proof system already PQ-safe (FRI). Hybrid path = pair AA-rotatable user sigs with existing STARK proofs. No mainnet hybrid signature yet; Starkware has acknowledged PQ trajectory.
5 Deployment Execution 35 / 100
Proof layer (FRI) is already PQ-safe and is ~50% of chain crypto burden. User signature layer (Stark curve ECDSA) is not PQ; counted partially.
STARK/FRI proving code in Stone/Stwo provers is shipped PQ-safe code. No ML-DSA signature code in client yet.
Single sequencer (Starkware). N/A for validator adoption.
Milestones: (1) STARK provers shipped PQ-safe, (2) Coinbase PQ board recognition, (3) Stwo next-gen prover.
Low: claims match shipped FRI code; no user-signature PQC yet.
6 Supply Chain Vendor Readiness 15 / 100
7 Governance & Coordination 45 / 100
Single Starkware sequencer; decentralization in progress.
Regenesis and Cairo v1 migration demonstrate coordination capacity.
Named: Eli Ben-Sasson (founder), Starkware team, Starknet Foundation.
STRK airdrop controversy 2024; foundation governance immature.
The X + Y vs Z inequality
X (data shelf life): 3-8 (rotatable via AA)
Y (migration time): 2-5 (AA substrate already live)
Z10 (10% CRQC year): 2036 · Z50 (50%): 2041
Verdict: X+Y < Z (safe).
Four-scenario grid
| Scenario | Value preserved | Privacy preserved |
|---|---|---|
| quantum never | 100% | 100% |
| arrives suddenly pre migration | 55% | 40% |
| arrives slowly post migration | 85% | 60% |
| arrives slowly mid migration | 70% | 50% |
Peers in the rollup-L2 profile
Order-book view of the 9 chains closest to Starknet by QRI.
Public artifacts used for this scorecard
Each entry below is a sub-score citation. Clicking the link takes you to the public source. A third party should be able to reconstruct every number on this page from these URLs in 48 hours.
Stark curve distinct from secp256k1; proof system is FRI-based (hash-only).
Proof system (FRI) is PQ-safe; user signatures (Stark curve ECDSA) are Shor-breakable.
Supply chain snapshot
A chain's supply chain cannot migrate faster than its slowest dependency. Zero PQC roadmaps in any of the four categories is a structural blocker, not a lagging indicator.
Analyst notes on the scoring
Highest QRI in batch. Unique double advantage: PQ-safe proof system + native AA. Migration Architecture (82) is top-tier. Deployment Execution partial credit for FRI layer. Gates: primitive-naming PASS; hybrid CONDITIONAL (half the stack is PQ).
Scorecard metadata
- Profile: rollup-L2
- Scored: 2026-04-17 by
layerqu-v2-scoring-agent-5 - v1 reference:
chainscreen-v1-archive - QRI raw: 50 · after caps: 46
- Confidence interval: ±7
- PQC washing ratio: 1.5x
- Burn-vs-rescue: AA-rescue likely (per-account rotation native); no ratified policy
Caps triggered
- mosca_cap_60 (user sig layer 5a<50%)
- aaronson_cap_preserved (FRI PQ-safe proof layer)