CAT2 Intro and FAQ
CAT1 reached its end of life at block 2,311,760, which occurred on July 26, 2022 at around 17:00 UTC. This was the final block where CAT1 was valid. At this block height, a snapshot was taken of all CAT1 tokens, along with the addresses of where they were being held. CAT1 issuers are now able to issue new CAT2 tokens and airdrop them to the same addresses where the CAT1 tokens were held.
Chia version 1.5.0 was released on July 26, 2022. Since then, CAT1 tokens are not shown in the wallet. Users will only see the newly-issued CAT2 tokens, which will be identical in value to their CAT1 equivalents.
Check out the Snapshot Generation guide to get started with issuing your CAT2 tokens.
FAQ
General
What is a CAT?
A CAT is a Chia Asset Token. CATs are fungible tokens that are issued on the Chia blockchain. The CAT1 standard was finalized in January 2022. You can read more about the CAT primitive. Some examples of CATs include Stably USD (USDS), Spacebucks (SBX), and Marmot (MRMT).
Why were CATs transitioned to CAT2?
The CAT standard was upgraded to CAT2 based on a security vulnerability found by an outside security audit. This resulted in an upgrade to the latest Chia wallet app as well as updates that will require all original issuers of CAT1 tokens to reissue their tokens on the CAT2 standard and end-of-life support for CAT1. Chia is working with community members to make this process as seamless as possible.
Does this change impact Chia Network's security?
No. There is no threat to the security of Chia Network technology or the Chia Blockchain. The update patched the vulnerability to CAT1.
When does the end of life of CAT1 happen?
The end-of-life block height is 2,311,760
which is on July 26, 2022 at approximately 17:00 UTC. This is when the snapshot was taken.
How can I check my CAT1 balance at the time of the snapshot?
Go to cat1.chia.net and provide your pubkey to see the CAT balances that will be airdropped to you when they get re-issued.
Does everyone have to upgrade?
We recommend that all CAT (including USDS) holders upgrade to 1.5 as soon as is convenient. The CAT1s that are visible on 1.4 and earlier versions will no longer be supported after the end-of-life block (2,311,760). If you do not own any CATs (for example, if you are a farmer who does not exchange XCH for USDS or any other CAT), then you don't need to upgrade.
Do I need to upgrade my harvesters?
This update only affects the wallet software, so you don't need to update your harvesters.
Are my NFTs or XCH at risk?
No. NFTs and XCH are not affected by the vulnerability, so no changes are required for them.
Is there any risk that I'll lose money or my balance will be incorrect during the transition? If so, what do I do?
If you have any CATs in your wallet, you will want to upgrade to 1.5 as soon as convenient and be sure not to transact with any CATs after the end-of-life block height (2,311,760) has been reached and until you have upgraded to 1.5. This will help ensure that the balance you are expecting is what will be airdropped to you when the CATs are reissued. The CAT1 website accurately reflects the CAT1 balance of your wallet as of the end-of-life announcement. It will not dynamically update, but we expect the reissuance process to take approximately a week to fully complete, so the CAT2 balance in your wallet may differ from the CAT1 website balance until the process is complete.
Between the announcement and the end-of-life block height, what should I be doing as a user?
It is recommended that you:
- Cancel any open CAT offers on-chain in your wallet
- Do not accept any CAT offers in your 1.4 or lower wallet
- Make note of your current CAT1 balances
- Upgrade to the latest Chia wallet app (1.5.0 or higher) when it becomes available
How can I be sure that I've canceled all my open offers?
Most importantly, you will want to make sure there are no outstanding offers to trade your XCH for someone else's CATs. In addition to canceling the offers in your wallet, you can also send your total balance of XCH to yourself. Due to the Chia coinset model, this will ensure that all XCH coins will no longer be available should a rogue or forgotten offer be accepted.