Ink: who orders transactions?

Who controls it

Transaction ordering

A single permissioned operator sequences Kraken's OP Stack chain.

Escape hatch

Ethereum forced inclusion is available after a delay of up to 12 hours, and permissionless fault proofs limit invalid state transitions.

Upgrade authority

Regular and emergency upgrades need the Security Council and the Optimism Foundation together, but they have no on-chain delay and give users no window to withdraw.

Halts and outages

The normal path depends on one sequencer. L2BEAT recorded a twelve-hour anomaly in state updates in July 2026. That alone does not show a full transaction halt, but it is a reason to keep checking the chain’s operations.

Ketju assessment

Ketju does not approve Ink: the authorized co-signers can install regular or emergency upgrades at once, so a holder has no time to withdraw first. Ink inherits useful OP Stack protections: Ethereum data availability, forced transactions and permissionless fault proofs. Its proof system is sound, and the verdict rests on upgrade control. Stage 1 marks real progress toward decentralization, but it does not override Ketju’s rule on upgrade delays. A withdrawal route does not protect holders when privileged actors can change its contracts before holders can use it.

Review triggers

• Revisit when regular upgrades carry an enforceable on-chain delay of at least 7 days
• Fault proofs are disabled, made permissioned, or lose Stage 1 status
• The forced-inclusion window is extended beyond 12 hours
• A confirmed sequencer or state-proposal interruption lasts more than 12 hours

Each trigger names a fact anyone can observe. If one occurs, Ketju will review the assessment again. None is a forecast.

Questions before use

1. Does the client’s thesis require censorship resistance, or primarily low-cost settlement?
2. Can the client withdraw without help from the party that normally orders transactions?
3. Who can upgrade bridges or contracts, and what delay applies?
4. Does the asset introduce an issuer weaker than the chain grade?
5. What evidence will show a halt, censorship event, or governance change?