Tezos Bakers: Let’s Get Ready for Seoul!

Research and Development
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The Seoul protocol upgrade will activate at the end of cycle 997, just before block #10,279,489 – expected around September 19th, 12:48 UTC. Please note that timing may drift by a few hours as bakers and node operators update their infrastructure.

:magnifying_glass_tilted_left: What’s New in Seoul

  • Native multisig accounts – better support for institutions and multi-user setups.

  • Aggregated attestations – improve performance and reduce bandwidth/storage needs for bakers.

  • Open unstake finalization – unstake operations can be finalized by any user, enabling off-chain automation.

:backhand_index_pointing_right: See the full list of changes in the protocol’s Changelog.

:wrench: Upgrade to Octez v23

:backhand_index_pointing_right: See the Octez v23.2 announcement for full details and instructions.

:cook: Adopt the New Protocol-Independent Baker & Accuser

Octez v23 introduces unified binaries:

  • octez-baker

  • octez-accuser

These replace protocol-specific binaries and support both Rio (current) and Seoul (next).
This change has been a long-standing request from the baker community, making upgrades much smoother.

:warning: Do not run octez-baker alongside protocol-specific bakers (e.g. octez-baker-PsRiotum, octez-baker-PtSeouLo) — this could lead to double signing.

:gear: Hardware Requirements

Minimum configuration for rolling history mode:

  • 3 CPU cores (2 for the node, 1 for the baker).

  • 8 GB RAM + 8 GB swap (or 16 GB RAM).

  • 100 GB SSD storage.

  • Reliable low-latency internet connection.

:backhand_index_pointing_right: See the Octez v23 hardware specifications for full details.

:key: Remote Signer Compatibility

Seoul introduces new operations and encodings, so signers must be updated.

:backhand_index_pointing_right: See each signer’s documentation and announcements for instructions.

:handshake: Ledger Wallet Compatibility

  • Update to Tezos Ledger Wallet v3.0.8.

  • Bakers using Ledger must update to the Ledger Baking app v2.5.1.

  • Updates will be released just before the Seoul activation.

  • Keep current versions while Rio is active.

:warning: Without these updates, users will not be able to reveal new accounts or set new consensus/DAL keys.

Ledger Nano S deprecation: Ledger no longer supports the Nano S. These updates will not be available for it. After Seoul, the Nano S may still sign transfers but cannot reveal new keys — functionality will be severely limited. Please upgrade to a supported Ledger model or consider alternatives.

:technologist: Testing

Bakers and node operators are invited to test their infrastructure upgrades on Ghostnet and Seoulnet. Seoul has already been successfully activated on Ghostnet.

:white_check_mark: Get Ready

Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have questions or need support preparing for the upgrade.
Let’s go to Seoul!

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Do you have an idea of when the new Ledger baking app is being released?

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Hi, you recommend upgrading to a supported Ledger model. That’s fine with me, as my Ledger Nano S used for baking is already quite old.

I’m planning to buy a Ledger Nano S+. Is this model suitable for baking, and can I expect it to last a few more years? If not, could you recommend a model that will remain reliable for several years? This is important to me since I’m only a small baker and such investing costs should be small. Many thanks!

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A device like an RPI Zero with https://www.waveshare.com/2.13inch-touch-e-paper-hat-with-case.htm and Nomadic Labs / Tezos RPI BLS signer · GitLab will be needed for aggregated signatures.

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The new ledger baking app will be released on morning 9:00 AM 19 sept.
But you can download it even now from ledger live using experimental provider 4 in advanced settings. Make sure to update your Ledger live and Ledger device OS to latest version.

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Where is the explanation why is Ledger Baking app v2.5.1 required?

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Hi!
Thank you for reaching out.
We understand that cost and long-term reliability are important, especially for small bakers. The Ledger Nano S+ works well for baking today, and many bakers are already using it. That said, only Ledger - like other brands - defines the deprecation policy for its devices, and we unfortunately have no control or visibility over their product lifecycle.
For extra reassurance before purchasing, we recommend checking directly with Ledger.

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Regarding Seoul changes to baking app,

  1. Reveal operation has changed in Seoul , where revealing a public key requires a proof, although this proof is used only for tz4 addresses, the encoding has changed. Thus the Ledger baking app required to be updated.

  2. In case you dont upgrade to 2.5.1, you wont be able to reveal your key on the baking app, which is required when you are setting up the baking app.

  3. No other change is done in the baking app, so if your public key or signing key has not changed you might as well continue using the older version. We have verified that you can continue baking using v2.5.0 of the app on Rio → Seoul upgrade if you dont need to setup/reveal your key.

  4. The latest version of 2.5.1 is already available on Ledger live , (in experimental provider 4) and it will be published on the default provider on 19 Sept.

  5. The reason for short window is that, the changes are not backward compatible, if you download the latest baking app, you wont be able to reveal the public key of rio.

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Don’t know the solution. But I looks not to have any secure element or something similar. Doesn’t seem appropriate to me for key storage.

Plus, there is a huge disclaimer saying it is not production ready.

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Thx. I can live with the risk that Ledger might eventually deprecate it. However, I don’t want to invest this money only to find out that with T, U, etc., we’ll have to use tz4 or something else for baking.

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Ledger is likely going to deprecate with T. Not because of tz4 but because of low block time. Proposed 4 seconds may be too tight.

Btw there is another proposed ledger alternative - tezsign .

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There is no way in the world that we’ll still be using Ledgers to validate Tezos 1-2 years from now. Like @Val said, probably sooner.

You should still invest in a Ledger device imo. At first you can bake with it and later, when it’s time to retire it, you can use it as your manager baking address and bake with a consensus device, hopefully using TezSign :slight_smile:

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When using a signer such as the Trilitech one or the Tez Capital one, you should only entrust it with your consensus key. If compromised, the consensus key can only drain unstaked balance and/or double bake on purpose. The latter is not likely unless someone is looking to slash your balance without any financial benefit to themselves.

Once these new signers are production ready, the time it takes to rotate a consensus key will be less than a day, should the worst happen.

If someone grabs your TezSign SBC in the future, they’ll only get an encrypted version of your consensus key. The risk profile there is fairly low. On the other hand, using an enterprise grade HSM to bake Tezos, if you’re protecting less than say $50,000 in value, doesn’t really make sense. The cost of a cloud HSM provider will be more than the income from baking.

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