zkSNARKs SNARKLIST: applications closed, approvals continue

If you applied to SNARKLIST, or missed it, here is the short answer: the application window closed at 00:00 UTC on September 11, but the project says approvals are still going out. There is also one route the project has left open for people who never applied.

This article covers where to check your status, how the list works and that remaining route. zkSNARKs has not yet published a mint date, price or supply anywhere.

If you applied: check your status

1. Open zksnarks.net/status. Make sure the address matches the one shared by the official account.
2. Enter the X handle you applied with. According to the page itself, the register is read-only and holds only your handle and your standing.
3. Follow @snarklist. The SNARKLIST page says passes are announced from this account as they are issued.

The status page also prints the full list: every handle holding a pass. In its own words it publishes nothing else, with no statements, proofs or wallet addresses.

At the time of writing (September 13) the list held 435 handles and the highest pass number was #0450. A day earlier it was 407 handles and #0420: the list keeps growing as approvals go out. Set against the 41,655 applications announced two hours before the close, that is about 1 percent. The two figures belong to different moments.

How SNARKLIST works

According to zkSNARKs, applying is the only way to earn a zkSNARK. Early posts set out the terms: an accepted application receives a zkSNARK allocation, and standout applications also receive a $ZEC grant.

The list moved in two phases. The project says the first phase was open only to Zcash developers, contributors and privacy advocates. A pinned post dated September 2 then announced the public SNARKLIST.

Turnout was large. Before the close the project reported 36,145 applications, and two hours before the close it reported 41,655.

One detail stands out: an older post from the project says "no whitelist no allowlist", while today's SNARKLIST page is titled "allowlist protocol". The project has not commented on the change.

If you did not apply: getting nominated

The application form is closed. The SNARKLIST page says nothing new is accepted.

The project's September 12 announcement still leaves a door open: a SNARKLIST member who is already on the list can nominate you. None of the sources reviewed say which channel nominations go through, how many people a member can put forward, or whether a nomination turns into an approval.

Official channels and fake mint links

The project listed its official channels in a single post:

• Web: zksnarks.net and zilkroad.com
• X: @zkSNARKS_ and @snarklist

The same post carries two warnings: verify every address before connecting, and the project will never send you a mint link by DM. No mint page or contract address has been published yet, so any mint link circulating today sits outside that list.

What the project is

In its X bio, zkSNARKs describes itself as a collection of encrypted identities stored on the Zcash blockchain. The project states its aims in three points: create a cultural moment on Zcash, reward contributors and increase the surface area of privacy.

Ahead of launch the project is revealing honorary identities called "LUMINARY" day by day. The latest at the time of writing was LUMINARY_017, assigned to @zooko, known as the founder of Zcash. The site also has a trait archive, and zilkroad.com shows a countdown with its time hidden.

None of the sources reviewed explain how the collection will technically be minted on Zcash.

What to watch

• New pass announcements from @snarklist and the handle count on the status page.
• How the nomination route will work.
• Mint date, price and supply. None of the three has been announced.
• What the zilkroad.com countdown points to.
• What the project's September 12 post reading only "09.15.26_" refers to. The project has not explained it.
• How the collection will be minted on Zcash.

Conclusion

SNARKLIST is no longer taking applications. At the time of writing about 1 percent of applicants were on the list, and the project says approvals continue and members can nominate. The mint date, price and how the collection will work on Zcash have still not been announced.