Skip to main content

Change Operator Set and Reshare Validator Key Shares

Use this flow when a validator was created with DKG and you need to move it to a different operator set without recreating the validator from scratch.

Keep these files​

Before you start, make sure you still have the original ceremony artifacts, especially:

  • the top-level proofs.json
  • the operator information you need for the new ceremony
  • access to the wallet that signed the original ceremony as the owner

Without proofs.json, you cannot complete this reshare flow.

Why this flow exists​

DKG never creates the full validator private key in one place. That is good for security, but it also means you cannot simply re-export the validator key and split it again later.

The reshare flow creates new key shares for a new operator set by using the original ceremony proofs and a new DKG ceremony.

1. Select the new operators​

Choose the new operator set and prepare the required operator information as described in Generate Key Shares.

2. Generate the message to sign​

To prove that the same owner is authorizing the reshare, use the original proofs.json file to generate a message that the owner wallet must sign.

Required inputs​

  • proofs.json
  • newOperatorIDs
  • owner wallet access

Command​

docker run --rm -v <PATH_TO_FOLDER_WITH_CONFIG_FILES>:/ssv-dkg/data/ \
    -it "ssvlabs/ssv-dkg:latest" generate-reshare-msg --configPath ./data/config/config.yaml
warning

Provide proofsFilePath and newOperatorIDs either in the YAML file or as command-line flags.

Example YAML:

validators: 10
operatorIDs: [1, 2, 3, 4]
withdrawAddress: 0xaA184b86B4cdb747F4A3BF6e6FCd5e27c1d92c5a
owner: 0xa1a66CC5d309F19Fb2Fda2b7601b223053d0f7F5
nonce: 0
tlsInsecure: true 
network: "hoodi"
operatorsInfoPath: /data/initiator/operators_info.json
proofsFilePath: ./output/ceremony-2024-11-18--16-04-55.529/proofs.json
newOperatorIDs: [5, 6, 7, 8]

See Commands and Config for YAML, binary, and flag details.

Sign the generated message​

Sign the generated message with the wallet that matches the original ceremony owner address.

The resulting signature is required for the next step.

3. Start the reshare ceremony​

Run the reshare command to generate the new key shares.

Required inputs​

  • proofs.json
  • newOperatorIDs
  • the owner signature from the previous step
  • the rest of the normal DKG configuration

Expected output​

  • a new ceremony-... folder
  • new keyshares.json
  • new proof artifacts for the new ceremony

Command​

docker run --rm -v <PATH_TO_FOLDER_WITH_CONFIG_FILES>:/ssv-dkg/data/ \
    -it "ssvlabs/ssv-dkg:latest" reshare --configPath ./data/config/config.yaml
warning

Provide proofsFilePath, newOperatorIDs, and signatures either in the YAML file or as command-line flags.

Example YAML:

validators: 10
operatorIDs: [1, 2, 3, 4]
withdrawAddress: 0xaA184b86B4cdb747F4A3BF6e6FCd5e27c1d92c5a
owner: 0xa1a66CC5d309F19Fb2Fda2b7601b223053d0f7F5
nonce: 0
tlsInsecure: true 
network: "hoodi"
operatorsInfoPath: /data/initiator/operators_info.json
proofsFilePath: ./output/ceremony-2024-11-18--16-04-55.529/proofs.json
newOperatorIDs: [5, 6, 7, 8]
signatures: 111886aa25a07bbd9cb64e50e3237f98a6ecabad6f448bc9c4736ccebcacb45c56ecac273b076a5d0b1f19619bf808741dff2d8019c728e16a953d3a0b5ff4771b

See Commands and Config for the full option reference.

4. Use the new ceremony output​

After the reshare succeeds:

  1. Review the generated files in the new ceremony-... folder.
  2. Keep the new proof artifacts for future maintenance.
  3. Use the new keyshares.json to register the validator with the new operator set.

To understand the generated artifacts, see Ceremony Output Summary.