Starknet: who orders transactions?

Who controls it

Transaction ordering

A small permissioned cluster of distributed sequencers orders transactions while staking validators attest. Fully permissionless sequencing is not yet live.

Escape hatch

Validity proofs and Ethereum data availability protect state integrity. A failure of the permissioned proposer can still freeze withdrawals until the proposer recovers.

Upgrade authority

Regular upgrades give about eight days’ notice, which leaves holders about seven days to withdraw. A Security Council can execute emergency upgrades without delay.

Halts and outages

The ZK proof system stops an invalid state transition from settling on Ethereum. The small operating set can still interrupt ordering or withdrawals. An emergency council action also gives users no notice.

Ketju assessment

Ketju approves Starknet with limits: Starknet announces a normal upgrade early enough for users to withdraw under the old rules, but sequencing is permissioned and the emergency council can act at once. The L2s with instant upgrades fail that test. Ethereum data availability and validity proofs also limit what a sequencer can do. The limits are real. Sequencing and proposing remain permissioned, emergency council action is immediate, and the maturity grade depends on reproducible source and verifier guarantees that need continuous monitoring.

Review triggers

• L2BEAT removes Stage 1 status or records a reproducibility-based maturity downgrade
• The window to withdraw before a regular upgrade falls below 7 days
• The Security Council threshold is lowered
• A proposer outage freezes withdrawals for 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?