Step 3. Register SPO as a candidate in the block producer committee

Requirements

🗹 Operate a Cardano SPO (Step 1) and have the following Cardano keys handy:

• The SPO cold.skey.
• A valid UTXO with associated payment.vkey and payment.skey.

note

Extended BIP32-Ed25519 keys are not supported at this time.

🗹 Partner-chain-dependencies are fully synced (Step 2):

• Ports to Ogmios, Kupo, and Postgres must be accessible.
• Cardano-node node.socket and cardano-cli must be accessible.

tip

It's easier to perform the registration on the same instance as the partner-chain-dependencies. Especially if you're using the provided compose files within this guide.

3a. Install Partner-chains.

info

Midnight Testnet currently uses Partner-chains version 1.2.0.

1. Download partner-chains

Partner-chains-cli is an open-source CLI tool to help interface with the Midnight partner-chain scripts that reside on the Cardano chain.

#!/bin/bash

# Create and enter partner-chains directory
mkdir partner-chains
cd partner-chains

# Download and set up partner-chains-cli (v1.2.0)
curl -L -o partner-chains-cli https://github.com/input-output-hk/partner-chains/releases/download/v1.2.0/partner-chains-cli-v1.2.0-x86_64-linux && chmod +x partner-chains-cli

# Download and set up partner-chains-node (v1.2.0)
curl -L -o partner-chains-node https://github.com/input-output-hk/partner-chains/releases/download/v1.2.0/partner-chains-node-v1.2.0-x86_64-linux && chmod +x partner-chains-node

# Download pc-contracts-cli (v6.2.2)
curl -L -o pc-contracts-cli.zip https://github.com/input-output-hk/partner-chains-smart-contracts/releases/download/v6.2.2/pc-contracts-cli-v6.2.2.zip

# Unzip the file
sudo apt install unzip
unzip pc-contracts-cli.zip

# Ensure pc-contracts-cli has executible permission
chmod +x pc-contracts-cli

# Define the JSON content
json_content=$(cat <<EOF
{
    "cardano": {
        "network": 2,
        "security_parameter": 432,
        "active_slots_coeff": 0.05,
        "first_epoch_number": 0,
        "first_slot_number": 0,
        "epoch_duration_millis": 86400000,
        "first_epoch_timestamp_millis": 1666656000000
    },
    "chain_parameters": {
        "chain_id": 47,
        "genesis_committee_utxo": "d8774f03b4d44eddca22554fbb24f06bde27f8b7c29c979d79058f76b1e3f604#0",
        "threshold_numerator": 2,
        "threshold_denominator": 3,
        "governance_authority": "93f21ad1bba9ffc51f5c323e28a716c7f2a42c5b51517080b90028a6"
    },
    "cardano_addresses": {
        "committee_candidates_address": "addr_test1wrtrt7v002utktsuhsnm3nlzrrxg94z32zhw4nmtseangrs5l5x9p",
        "d_parameter_policy_id": "51a8d059b9b3d831bad5640ed70c54b2c27f051e6eef3d6faa0be6f1",
        "permissioned_candidates_policy_id": "82b78bff2f2409c778e0faf2a36a7814b886ead316d5110387772f8c"
    },
    "native_token": {
        "asset": {
            "asset_name": "0x",
            "policy_id": "0x00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000"
        },
        "illiquid_supply_address": "addr_test1aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa"
    }
}
EOF
)

# Create the JSON config file
echo "$json_content" > partner-chains-cli-chain-config.json

# Check if the file was created successfully
if [ -f partner-chains-cli-chain-config.json ]; then
    echo "File 'partner-chains-cli-chain-config.json' has been created successfully."
else
    echo "Failed to create the file."
fi

This script:

• Creates a partner-chains directory.
• Downloads and sets excutible permissions.
• Creates and writes the JSON configuration file partner-chains-cli-chain-config.json with Midnight testnet parameters.`

2. Using Partner-chains-cli:

• Invoke ./partner-chains-cli within the partner-chains directory:

./partner-chains-cli --help

Example output

Usage: partner-chains-cli <COMMAND>

Commands:
  generate-keys           This wizard generates the keys required for operating a partner-chains node, stores them in the keystore directory, and prints the public keys and keystore location
  prepare-configuration   Wizard to obtain the configuration needed for the partner-chain governance authority. This configuration should be shared with chain participants and used to create the chain spec json file
  create-chain-spec       Wizard for creating a chain spec json file based on the chain configuration (see `prepare-configuration`)
  setup-main-chain-state  Wizard for setting D-parameter and Permissioned Candidates list on the main chain. Uses 'chain config' obtained after running `prepare-configuration`
  start-node              Wizard for starting a substrate node in the environment set up by `generate-keys`, `prepare-config`, and `create-chain-spec`. It also assits in setting the `resources configuration`
  register1               The first step of registering as a committee candidate. Registration is split into three steps to allow the user to use their cold keys on a cold machine
  register2               The second step of registering as a committee candidate, using cold keys
  register3               The final step of registering as a committee candidate, not using cold keys
  help                    Print this message or the help of the given subcommand(s)

Options:
  -h, --help
          Print help (see a summary with '-h')


╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║                           Command groups by role                               ║
╠════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ The following sections outline the typical sequence of commands for each role. ║
║ The numbering indicates the recommended order of execution. Please note that   ║
║ this order may vary depending on specific deployment scenarios.                ║
╟────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╢
║ Governance Authority:                                                          ║
║   1. generate-keys         : generate necessary cryptographic keys             ║
║   2. prepare-configuration : set up the partner chain configuration            ║
║   3. create-chain-spec     : create the chain specification file               ║
║   4. setup-main-chain-state: configure the main chain parameters               ║
║   5. start-node            : start the validator node                          ║
╟────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╢
║ Registered Validator:                                                          ║
║   1. generate-keys         : generate validator keys                           ║
║   2. register1             : initiate the registration process                 ║
║   3. register2             : complete registration with cold keys              ║
║   4. register3             : finalize registration                             ║
║   5. start-node            : start the validator node                          ║
║                                                                                ║
║   Note: This sequence assumes that the chain-spec.json and                     ║
║         partner-chains-cli-chain-config.json files have been obtained from     ║
║         the Governance Authority and are present in the working directory.     ║
╟────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╢
║ Permissioned Validator:                                                        ║
║   1. generate-keys         : generate validator keys                           ║
║   2. start-node            : start the validator node                          ║
║                                                                                ║
║   Note: After executing 'generate-keys', the generated keys must be shared     ║
║         with the Governance Authority. The 'start-node' command can only be    ║
║         executed after the Governance Authority has established the partner    ║
║         chain on the main network. This sequence assumes that the              ║
║         chain-spec.json and partner-chains-cli-chain-config.json files have    ║
║         been obtained from the Governance Authority and are present in the     ║
║         working directory.                                                     ║
╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝

3b. Generate Partner-chain keys

The generate-keys wizard streamlines the setup for new partner chains node users by creating essential keys:

• ECDSA cross-chain key
• ED25519 Grandpa key
• SR25519 Aura key

It will prompt to overwrite if keys already exist and can generate a network key if required.

1. Generate Partner-chain keys:

   • Invoke ./partner-chains-cli generate-keys and follow the prompts to generate-keys:

Example output (generate-keys)

./partner-chains-cli generate-keys
This 🧙 wizard will generate the following keys and save them to your node's keystore:
→  an ECDSA Cross-chain key
→  an ED25519 Grandpa key
→  an SR25519 Aura key
It will also generate a network key for your node if needed.

> node base path ./data

⚙️ Generating Cross-chain (ecdsa) key
running external command: ./partner-chains-node key generate --scheme ecdsa --output-type json
💾 Inserting Cross-chain (ecdsa) key
running external command: ./partner-chains-node key insert --base-path ./data --scheme ecdsa --key-type crch --suri 'stool grace post demise peanut father town urban blast park drastic december'
💾 Cross-chain key stored at ./data/chains/partner_chains_template/keystore/637263680x022819ea59be6b9c88cb80855dc949f07eb572c8034780bb2e0829aa004c02f11c

⚙️ Generating Grandpa (ed25519) key
running external command: ./partner-chains-node key generate --scheme ed25519 --output-type json
💾 Inserting Grandpa (ed25519) key
running external command: ./partner-chains-node key insert --base-path ./data --scheme ed25519 --key-type gran --suri 'brick major burden pencil vibrant original eager safe luxury black nominee clock'
💾 Grandpa key stored at ./data/chains/partner_chains_template/keystore/6772616e0x6759f8654a090cf97dcd2fce4c447d01de6c2656180a066c5a1174f7f81437e7

⚙️ Generating Aura (sr25519) key
running external command: ./partner-chains-node key generate --scheme sr25519 --output-type json
💾 Inserting Aura (sr25519) key
running external command: ./partner-chains-node key insert --base-path ./data --scheme sr25519 --key-type aura --suri 'permit market squirrel glance say volume special admit art reject thank jungle'
💾 Aura key stored at ./data/chains/partner_chains_template/keystore/617572610xe076f823767754eed012ffbbe80de0133d78d4875bdf79d627bcd86d0e934162

🔑 The following public keys were generated and saved to the partner-chains-public-keys.json file:
    {
      "sidechain_pub_key": "0x022819ea59be6b9c88cb80855dc949f07eb572c8034780bb2e0829aa004c02f11c",
      "aura_pub_key": "0xe076f823767754eed012ffbbe80de0133d78d4875bdf79d627bcd86d0e934162",
      "grandpa_pub_key": "0x6759f8654a090cf97dcd2fce4c447d01de6c2656180a066c5a1174f7f81437e7"
    }
You may share them with your chain governance authority
if you wish to be included as a permissioned candidate.

⚙️ Generating network key
running external command: ./partner-chains-node key generate-node-key --base-path ./data
command output: Generating key in "./data/chains/partner_chains_template/network/secret_ed25519"
command output: 12D3KooWSMEFnGDRmcUxyuf2fB4qQhGeq7ZYrifDhSYgL9phywzE

The partner-chains/ directory will now have a file structure like so:

~/partner-chains$ tree data/
data/
└── chains
    └── partner_chains_template
        ├── keystore
        │   ├── 6175728281...# sidechain key
        │   ├── 63726367cd...# aura key
        │   └── 677a322ca6...# grandpa key
        └── network
            └── secret_ed25519 # network (node) key

This data/ directory will be used for the Midnight-node in (Step 4).

• Let's move the keys from the generic partner chains directory to a keystore our node can find on a docker volume.

cp -R ./data/chains/partner_chains_template/ ./data/chains/testnet
ls -d ./data/chain/chains/testnet # verify it was successful 

3c. Register as a candidate in validator committee

important

As mentioned in requirements at the top of this page, the registration process will need

• the absolute path to SPO cold.skey,
• absolute path to payment.skey that has a valid UTXO that can be spent on transaction fee,
• absolute path to Cardano-node's node.socket, and
• accessible ports to Ogmios, Kupo, and Postgres-db-syc.

If using docker container for cardano-node, then you may need to copy secrets to the container so that cardano-cli can access them:

docker cp /home/priv/payment.vkey cardano-node:/data/payment.vkey
docker cp /home/priv/payment.skey cardano-node:/data/payment.skey
docker cp /home/priv/cold.skey cardano-node:/data/cold.skey

How to remove these secrets from the container:

docker exec cardano-node rm -f /data/payment.vkey
docker exec cardano-node rm -f /data/payment.skey
docker exec cardano-node rm -f /data/cold.skey

1. Create registration UTXO:

If using the provided docker-compose setup for partner-chain-dependencies, then the node.socket IPC path is available at docker exec cardano-node ls -l /ipc/node.socket.

• Invoke ./partner-chains-cli register1 and follow the prompts:

Example output (register1)

./partner-chains-cli register1
⚙️ Registering as a committee candidate (step 1/3)
> cardano cli executable docker exec cardano-node cardano-cli
> path to the cardano node socket file docker exec cardano-node ls -l /ipc/node.socket
⚙️ Set `CARDANO_NODE_SOCKET_PATH` environment variable to `docker exec cardano-node ls -l /ipc/node.socket`
> path to the payment verification file /data/payment.vkey
⚙️ Deriving address...
running external command: docker exec cardano-node cardano-cli address build --payment-verification-key-file /data/payment.vkey --testnet-magic 2
⚙️ Address: addr_test1vruy23mdu8fcdqnw02w72dxg6zt4hnhm2axv6tpjx6t893sygyqe7
⚙️ Querying UTXOs...
running external command: docker exec cardano-node cardano-cli query utxo --out-file /dev/stdout --address addr_test1vruy23mdu8fcdqnw02w72dxg6zt4hnhm2axv6tpjx6t893sygyqe7 --testnet-magic 2
> Select UTXO to use for registration 19a33eaebeedc476f680b98dcd24edef7070431f8280fb6d73aea6cef5a48776#1 (9991566037 l
ovelace)
Please do not spend this UTXO, it needs to be consumed by the registration transaction.

Run the following command to generate signatures on the next step. It has to be executed on the machine with your SPO cold signing key.

./partner-chains-cli register2 \
 --chain-id 47 \
 --threshold-numerator 2 \
 --threshold-denominator 3 \
 --governance-authority 0x93f21ad1bba9ffc51f5c323e28a716c7f2a42c5b51517080b90028a6 \
 --genesis-committee-utxo d8774f03b4d44eddca22554fbb24f06bde27f8b7c29c979d79058f76b1e3f604#0 \
 --registration-utxo 19a33eaebeedc476f680b98dcd24edef7070431f8280fb6d73aea6cef5a48776#1 \
 --aura-pub-key 0x882812d0e9b4f5ec59e39c15f463c223b1d0f1f8bdb9395d30dcbc30ce32446e \
 --grandpa-pub-key 0xa322ca606f93e95b3e0df14c53f033f3552098c9869d77b52bfd8efc4dd856be \
 --sidechain-pub-key 0x02ef7cdacc91046f70e77c9e247592be0ac720d14946f6106530efb474f96f74f9 \
 --sidechain-signature 291b0a681fc84628d16688455c088cb37ae37a03ce731421390178034d815e06140ef659588a5d7dce331ac55358b60f16b6555fac87d8280b95d0572cf6a504

Common Errors

1. Error: "⚠️ No UTXOs found for the given address"

   • Cause:
     • The address derived from payment.vkey has no unspent transaction outputs (UTXOs), meaning it hasn’t been funded with testnet Ada (tAda).
     • The Cardano node might not be fully synced, so it can’t retrieve the latest balance.
   • Solution:
     • Fund the Address: Send tAda to your payment address using a faucet (e.g., Cardano testnet faucet) or another funded wallet.
     • Check Node Sync: Verify the node is fully synced by running:

       docker exec cardano-node cardano-cli query tip --testnet-magic 2
       Ensure the syncProgress is 100%. If not, wait for it to sync.

2. Error: "Cannot connect to node socket" or "Socket path not found"

   • Cause: The path to node.socket (e.g., /home/stev/ipc/node.socket) is incorrect or inaccessible.
   • Solution:
     • Confirm the socket file exists:

       ls -l /home/YOUR_USER_NAME/ipc/node.socket
     • If it’s missing, ensure the cardano-node container is running (docker ps) and the path matches your setup. Adjust the path in the command if needed.

3. Error: "Permission denied" when accessing files"

   • Cause: The user running partner-chains-cli lacks permission to read payment.vkey or the socket file.
   • Solution:
     • Check file permissions:

       ls -l /home/payment.vkey
       ls -l /home/YOUR_USER_NAME/ipc/node.socket
     • Fix permissions (replace YOUR_USER_NAME with your actual username):

       sudo chown YOUR_USER_NAME /home/payment.vkey /home/YOUR_USER_NAME/ipc/node.socket

4. Error: "Command failed: docker exec cardano-node..."

   • Cause: The cardano-node container isn’t running or has a different name.
   • Solution:
     • Verify the container is active:

       docker ps -a
     • If it’s not running, start it:

       docker start cardano-node
     • If the container name differs (e.g., cardano-node-1), update the command:

       ./partner-chains-cli register1
       # Then input: docker exec cardano-node-1 cardano-cli

The register1 command will return the next command when invoking register2. You simply need to copy and paste this.

2. Generate registration signature:

note

SPO's cold.skey will be needed for register2 and ideally performerd on an offline machine for mainnet.

• Copy and paste the register2 command generated from the previous step:

Example output (register2)

./partner-chains-cli register2 \
 --chain-id 47 \
 --threshold-numerator 2 \
 --threshold-denominator 3 \
 --governance-authority 0x93f21ad1bba9ffc51f5c323e28a716c7f2a42c5b51517080b90028a6 \
 --genesis-committee-utxo d8774f03b4d44eddca22554fbb24f06bde27f8b7c29c979d79058f76b1e3f604#0 \
 --registration-utxo 19a33eaebeedc476f680b98dcd24edef7070431f8280fb6d73aea6cef5a48776#1 \
 --aura-pub-key 0x882812d0e9b4f5ec59e39c15f463c223b1d0f1f8bdb9395d30dcbc30ce32446e \
 --grandpa-pub-key 0xa322ca606f93e95b3e0df14c53f033f3552098c9869d77b52bfd8efc4dd856be \
 --sidechain-pub-key 0x02ef7cdacc91046f70e77c9e247592be0ac720d14946f6106530efb474f96f74f9 \
 --sidechain-signature 291b0a681fc84628d16688455c088cb37ae37a03ce731421390178034d815e06140ef659588a5d7dce331ac55358b60f16b6555fac87d8280b95d0572cf6a504
⚙️ Register as a committee candidate (step 2/3)
  This command will use SPO cold signing key for signing the registration message.
> Path to mainchain signing key file /home/stev/cardano-keys/cold.skey
To finish the registration process, run the following command on the machine with the partner chain dependencies running:

./partner-chains-cli register3 \
--chain-id 47 \
--threshold-numerator 2 \
--threshold-denominator 3 \
--governance-authority 0x93f21ad1bba9ffc51f5c323e28a716c7f2a42c5b51517080b90028a6 \
--genesis-committee-utxo d8774f03b4d44eddca22554fbb24f06bde27f8b7c29c979d79058f76b1e3f604#0 \
--registration-utxo 19a33eaebeedc476f680b98dcd24edef7070431f8280fb6d73aea6cef5a48776#1 \
--aura-pub-key 0x882812d0e9b4f5ec59e39c15f463c223b1d0f1f8bdb9395d30dcbc30ce32446e \
--grandpa-pub-key 0xa322ca606f93e95b3e0df14c53f033f3552098c9869d77b52bfd8efc4dd856be \
--sidechain-pub-key 0x02ef7cdacc91046f70e77c9e247592be0ac720d14946f6106530efb474f96f74f9 \
--sidechain-signature 291b0a681fc84628d16688455c088cb37ae37a03ce731421390178034d815e06140ef659588a5d7dce331ac55358b60f16b6555fac87d8280b95d0572cf6a504 \
--spo-public-key d5f8d2a11f95ffa5bd2a7983f7143ccc94f53d303ab7daa4554b3d143a3b9dc1 \
--spo-signature ebf97a6f4d2c73ef0d523aef8fc8b2799db07d733de05ee5104525552a50b714243853ff349adb5b79b576de5748680f1ef5e56f56155b73b914b109ae0df009

The register2 command will return the register3 command that you may simply copy and paste.

2. Submit registration:

note

Kupo, Ogmios, and Postgres-db-sync ports will be needed for register3.

• Simply copy and paste the register3 command and follow the prompts to submit registration:

warning

There is a known issue with the register3. Upon your first try, you will get an error such as "command output: Invalid option --atms-kind'". There is an easy workaround, just run the register3` command with the error and continue following the guide.

Example output (register3)

./partner-chains-cli register3 \
--chain-id 47 \
--threshold-numerator 2 \
--threshold-denominator 3 \
--governance-authority 0x93f21ad1bba9ffc51f5c323e28a716c7f2a42c5b51517080b90028a6 \
--genesis-committee-utxo d8774f03b4d44eddca22554fbb24f06bde27f8b7c29c979d79058f76b1e3f604#0 \
--registration-utxo 19a33eaebeedc476f680b98dcd24edef7070431f8280fb6d73aea6cef5a48776#1 \
--aura-pub-key 0x882812d0e9b4f5ec59e39c15f463c223b1d0f1f8bdb9395d30dcbc30ce32446e \
--grandpa-pub-key 0xa322ca606f93e95b3e0df14c53f033f3552098c9869d77b52bfd8efc4dd856be \
--sidechain-pub-key 0x02ef7cdacc91046f70e77c9e247592be0ac720d14946f6106530efb474f96f74f9 \
--sidechain-signature 291b0a681fc84628d16688455c088cb37ae37a03ce731421390178034d815e06140ef659588a5d7dce331ac55358b60f16b6555fac87d8280b95d0572cf6a504 \
--spo-public-key d5f8d2a11f95ffa5bd2a7983f7143ccc94f53d303ab7daa4554b3d143a3b9dc1 \
--spo-signature ebf97a6f4d2c73ef0d523aef8fc8b2799db07d733de05ee5104525552a50b714243853ff349adb5b79b576de5748680f1ef5e56f56155b73b914b109ae0df009
⚙️ Register as a committee candidate (step 3/3)
This command will submit the registration message to the mainchain.
To proceed with the next command, a payment signing key is required. Please note that this key will not be stored or communicated over the network.
> Path to mainchain payment signing key file /home/stev/cardano-keys/payment.skey
Partner Chains Smart Contracts require access to Kupo and Ogmios. Please provide their configuration.
> Kupo protocol (http/https) http
> Kupo hostname localhost
> Kupo port 1442
> Ogmios protocol (http/https) http
> Ogmios hostname localhost
> Ogmios port 1337
running external command: ./pc-contracts-cli register --network testnet --sidechain-id 47 --genesis-committee-hash-utxo d8774f03b4d44eddca22554fbb24f06bde27f8b7c29c979d79058f76b1e3f604#0 --threshold-numerator 2 --threshold-denominator 3 --governance-authority 0x93f21ad1bba9ffc51f5c323e28a716c7f2a42c5b51517080b90028a6 --atms-kind plain-ecdsa-secp256k1 --registration-utxo 19a33eaebeedc476f680b98dcd24edef7070431f8280fb6d73aea6cef5a48776#1 --sidechain-public-keys 0x02ef7cdacc91046f70e77c9e247592be0ac720d14946f6106530efb474f96f74f9:0x882812d0e9b4f5ec59e39c15f463c223b1d0f1f8bdb9395d30dcbc30ce32446e:0xa322ca606f93e95b3e0df14c53f033f3552098c9869d77b52bfd8efc4dd856be --sidechain-signature 291b0a681fc84628d16688455c088cb37ae37a03ce731421390178034d815e06140ef659588a5d7dce331ac55358b60f16b6555fac87d8280b95d0572cf6a504 --spo-public-key d5f8d2a11f95ffa5bd2a7983f7143ccc94f53d303ab7daa4554b3d143a3b9dc1 --spo-signature ebf97a6f4d2c73ef0d523aef8fc8b2799db07d733de05ee5104525552a50b714243853ff349adb5b79b576de5748680f1ef5e56f56155b73b914b109ae0df009 --ada-based-staking --kupo-host localhost --kupo-port 1442  --ogmios-host localhost --ogmios-port 1337  --payment-signing-key-file /home/stev/cardano-keys/payment.skey
command output: Invalid option `--atms-kind'
command output: 
command output: Usage: pc-contracts-cli register (-k|--payment-signing-key-file /absolute/path/to/payment.skey)
command output:                                  [-K|--stake-signing-key-file /absolute/path/to/stake.skey]
command output:                                  (-i|--sidechain-id 1)
command output:                                  (-c|--genesis-committee-hash-utxo TX_ID#TX_IDX)
command output:                                  (-g|--governance-authority PUB_KEY_HASH)
command output:                                  --threshold-numerator INT
command output:                                  --threshold-denominator INT
command output:                                  --sidechain-public-keys SIDECHAIN_KEY:AURA_KEY:GRANDPA_KEY
command output:                                  --sidechain-signature SIGNATURE
command output:                                  --registration-utxo TX_ID#TX_IDX
command output:                                  (--ada-based-staking
command output:                                  --spo-public-key PUBLIC_KEY
command output:                                  --spo-signature SIGNATURE |
command output:                                  --native-token-based-staking)
command output:                                  [--ogmios-host localhost]
command output:                                  [--ogmios-path some/path] [--ogmios-port 1234]
command output:                                  [--ogmios-secure] [--kupo-host localhost]
command output:                                  [--kupo-path some/path] [--kupo-port 1234]
command output:                                  [--kupo-secure] --network NETWORK
command output:   Register a committee candidate
Running executable failed with status exit status: 1
Error: Failed to run command

To workaround the error, remove the --atms-kind plain-ecdsa-secp256k1 argument from the register3 command. You can find the register3 command right before the error. For example:

> Kupo port 1442
> Ogmios protocol (http/https) http
> Ogmios hostname localhost
> Ogmios port 1337
running external command: ./pc-contracts-cli register --network testnet --sidechain-id 47 --genesis-committee-hash-utxo d8774f03b4d44eddca22554fbb24f06bde27f8b7c29c979d79058f76b1e3...# The rest of the register 3 command.

Run register3 without the atms-kind argument to complete registration:

./pc-contracts-cli register --network testnet --sidechain-id 47 --genesis-committee-hash-utxo d8774f03b4d44eddca22554fbb24f06bde27f8b7c29c979d79058f76b1e3...# The rest of the register 3 command.

3d. Verifying registration

The registration is valid in n + 2 mainchain epochs. Get the current epoch after registering:

curl -L -X POST -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{
      "jsonrpc": "2.0",
      "method": "sidechain_getStatus",
      "params": [],
      "id": 1
    }' https://rpc.testnet-02.midnight.network | jq

Example output:

curl -L -X POST -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{
      "jsonrpc": "2.0",
      "method": "sidechain_getStatus",
      "params": [],
      "id": 1
    }' https://rpc.testnet-02.midnight.network | jq
  % Total    % Received % Xferd  Average Speed   Time    Time     Time  Current
                                 Dload  Upload   Total   Spent    Left  Speed
100   297  100   193  100   104    395    213 --:--:-- --:--:-- --:--:--   608
{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "result": {
    "sidechain": {
      "epoch": 239830,
      "slot": 287797102,
      "nextEpochTimestamp": 1726783200000
    },
    "mainchain": {
      "epoch": 695,
      "slot": 60126536,
      "nextEpochTimestamp": 1726790400000
    }
  },
  "id": 1
}

• Query validator commitee for n + 2 epochs.

curl -L -X POST -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{
      "jsonrpc": "2.0",
      "method": "sidechain_getAriadneParameters",
      "params": [697],
      "id": 1
    }' https://rpc.testnet-02.midnight.network | jq

Look for your registration under "candidateRegistrations": {). Ensure you see your Partner-chain keys in the registration and "isValid": true

🥳 At this point you are now registered as a candidate in the validator committee! Now, it's time to run a midnight-node in validator mode to produce Midnight blocks.

Deregister

Deregistration can be performed using the ./pc-contracts-cli binary that's packaged with the partner-chain-cli. Deregister function will soon be included as part of partner-chain-cli in a near update.`.

1. Submit deregistration:

   • Invoke ./pc-contracts-cli deregister

   ./pc-contracts-cli deregister \
   --payment-signing-key-file payment.skey \
   --sidechain-id 47 \
   --sidechain-genesis-hash 0x2b191cf0c368b79b4c7b4665f3d0b096b2d8c9a152f6f4904a76a1aa94a49831 \
   --genesis-committee-hash-utxo f44d20261bd3e079cc76b4d9b32b3330fea793b465c490766df71be90e577d8a#0 \
   --governance-authority 0x93f21ad1bba9ffc51f5c323e28a716c7f2a42c5b51517080b90028a6 \
   --atms-kind plain-ecdsa-secp256k1 \
   --threshold-numerator 2 \	
   --threshold-denominator 3 \
   --ada-based-staking \
   --spo-public-key 53b0d8c9f… \
   --ogmios-host localhost \
   --ogmios-port 1337 \
   --kupo-host localhost \
   --kupo-port 1442 

important

The payment-signing-key-file has to be the same one used for the registration.