The basics
What is SPECTER in one sentence?
What is SPECTER in one sentence?
A private receiving system that gives you a fresh stealth address for every payment, using post-quantum cryptography so the privacy holds up even against future quantum computers.
Is it a blockchain? A token?
Is it a blockchain? A token?
Neither. SPECTER is a privacy layer that works on top of existing chains (Ethereum, Sui). No new chain, no token.
What is a stealth address?
What is a stealth address?
A one-time destination that the sender derives from your public profile. It’s never been used before and can’t be linked back to you without your private keys.
What is a meta-address?
What is a meta-address?
Your public SPECTER profile. It contains your spending and viewing public keys. Share it (or link it to your ENS name) so people can pay you privately.
Do I need to understand cryptography to use this?
Do I need to understand cryptography to use this?
No. The product flow is: generate keys, share your profile, receive payments, scan to find them. The crypto runs in the background.
Post-quantum stuff
What does post-quantum mean?
What does post-quantum mean?
It means the cryptography is designed to resist attacks from quantum computers. SPECTER uses ML-KEM-768, a NIST-standardized algorithm based on lattice math that no known quantum algorithm can break.
Is SPECTER fully post-quantum?
Is SPECTER fully post-quantum?
The receiving/discovery layer is. The spending path still uses secp256k1 for Ethereum wallet compatibility. Read Security Boundaries for the full picture.
When will quantum computers actually be a threat?
When will quantum computers actually be a threat?
Estimates vary from 10-15 years for cryptographically relevant quantum computers. But the data SPECTER protects is permanent and public on-chain. An adversary can collect it now and attack it later. That’s why using PQ crypto today matters.
Why not just wait until quantum computers exist?
Why not just wait until quantum computers exist?
Because blockchain data can’t be deleted. Every payment made with classical crypto today is permanently vulnerable to future quantum attacks. Migrating later doesn’t protect historical data.
Security
Can someone still see that a transaction happened?
Can someone still see that a transaction happened?
Yes. SPECTER improves recipient privacy and unlinkability. It doesn’t make the blockchain itself private. Observers can see a transaction to a stealth address, but they can’t determine who the recipient is.
Why is receiving called 'stronger' than spending?
Why is receiving called 'stronger' than spending?
The receiving path uses ML-KEM-768 (post-quantum). The spending path uses secp256k1 (classical) for wallet compatibility. The receiving data lives on-chain permanently and needs stronger protection.
Does the API return sensitive material?
Does the API return sensitive material?
Yes. The scan endpoint returns
eth_private_key and stealth_sk for discovered payments. Treat these like seed phrases. Never log them.Product
Where is the live app?
Where is the live app?
Where is the live API?
Where is the live API?
https://backend.specterpq.com - check health endpointWhat chains does SPECTER support?
What chains does SPECTER support?
Ethereum and Sui today. Arbitrum, Base, and Optimism are on the roadmap.
What is Yellow in this project?
What is Yellow in this project?
Yellow Network integration for private trading channels. SPECTER stealth addresses hide the counterparty relationship in state channels. Read Yellow Private Channels.
Is Yellow settlement fully working?
Is Yellow settlement fully working?
The create and discover flows are live. Fund and close endpoints exist as scaffolding but don’t submit real L1 settlement transactions yet.
Is SPECTER open source?
Is SPECTER open source?
Still confused?
Start with these three pages:- How SPECTER Works - Plain-language explanation
- Protocol Flow - Step-by-step technical walkthrough
- Security Boundaries - What’s protected and what isn’t
Need help?
Email us
GitHub Issues
Bug reports and feature requests.
SPECTER on X
Follow @specter_PQ for updates. Creator: @pranshurastogii.