Why This Matters

BLS (Boneh-Lynn-Shacham) withdrawal credentials, identified by the 0x00 prefix, were designed during Ethereum's early development when the beacon chain was purely a proof-of-stake consensus layer. At that time, withdrawals to the execution layer weren't possible- validators deposited ETH but had no mechanism to retrieve it.

These credentials fundamentally differ from execution-layer credentials (0x01 or 0x02) because they rely on validator keys rather than Ethereum addresses. While this design made sense before the Shanghai upgrade, it now creates significant security and operational challenges.

Validators still using BLS withdrawal credentials face a critical problem: migrating to PQ signatures requires the original mnemonic seed phrase. For early validators who have lost access to these mnemonics, the upcoming PQ hard fork could permanently lock their staked ETH—not due to security breaches, but due to credential incompatibility.

The risk horizon is measured in years, not decades. This creates urgency for developing recovery mechanisms that respect security principles while preventing permanent loss of legitimately staked funds.

Our dashboard tracks the real-time state of all validators still using BLS credentials. The breakdown includes:

• Active validators currently performing duties
• Inactive validators temporarily offline
• Exited validators that have completed withdrawal process
• Confirmed lost validators with verified ownership proofs

Each category represents different migration paths and urgency levels. Active validators should migrate immediately, while confirmed lost validators require the community-driven recovery mechanism.

Early validators took significant risks to secure Ethereum during its most vulnerable phase. They deposited 32 ETH without guarantees of withdrawals, trusting in the community's commitment to eventually enable fund recovery.

The loss of a mnemonic should not result in permanent fund loss—especially when validator keys can prove legitimate ownership. This project represents the community's commitment to honoring the contribution of early validators while maintaining the security and integrity of the network.

By implementing transparent verification mechanisms and leveraging existing validator keys, we can recover legitimate balances without compromising security principles or creating precedents for unauthorized fund access.