Specter Blockchain Overview

Specter is a privacy-focused blockchain built on the Cosmos SDK with full EVM compatibility. It combines CometBFT consensus with an integrated Ethereum Virtual Machine, enabling Solidity smart contracts to operate alongside native Cosmos modules — including the custom x/ghostmint module that powers native-asset privacy.

Chain Parameters

Parameter	Value
Chain ID	5446 (0x1546)
Chain ID (Cosmos)	umbraline_5446-1
Native Token	GHOST
Smallest Unit	aghost (1 GHOST = 10^18 aghost)
Decimals	18
Consensus	CometBFT (Tendermint)
Block Time	~5 seconds
Framework	Cosmos SDK + EVM (Ethermint-derived)
Bech32 Prefix	umbra
Address Format	Both umbra1... (Cosmos) and 0x... (EVM)

Genesis Allocation

The total genesis supply of GHOST is 1,000,000,000 (1 billion), distributed as follows:

Allocation	Amount (GHOST)	Percentage	Purpose
Treasury	900,000,000	90%	Protocol development, ecosystem grants, long-term sustainability
Operator	50,000,000	5%	Operational expenses, infrastructure, team
Faucet	49,000,000	4.9%	Testnet distribution, developer onboarding
Validator	1,000,000	0.1%	Initial validator stake for genesis block production
Total	1,000,000,000	100%

Architecture

Specter's architecture layers EVM execution on top of the Cosmos SDK, giving it access to both ecosystems:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│              EVM Smart Contracts             │
│    (Solidity, ERC-20s, Privacy Contracts)    │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│           EVM Module (Ethermint)             │
│         JSON-RPC / Web3 Interface           │
├──────────────┬──────────────────────────────┤
│  x/ghostmint │  x/bank  │  x/staking  │ ...│
│  (native     │  (token  │  (PoS       │    │
│   minting)   │  xfers)  │  consensus) │    │
├──────────────┴──────────┴─────────────┴────┤
│              Cosmos SDK Core                │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│          CometBFT Consensus Engine          │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Key Design Decisions

• CometBFT Consensus: Provides instant finality (no block reorganizations), which is critical for privacy protocols where reorgs could leak information.
• EVM Compatibility: Allows deployment of standard Solidity contracts, making the privacy protocol accessible to the existing Ethereum developer ecosystem.
• Custom x/ghostmint Module: Bridges EVM contract execution with Cosmos-native token minting, enabling privacy-preserving transactions at the protocol level rather than as a token wrapper.
• Bech32 umbra Prefix: Cosmos-side addresses use the umbra prefix (e.g., umbra1qypqxpq9qcrsszg2pvxq6rs0zqg3yyc5a5dkq), while EVM-side addresses use standard 0x format. Both address formats refer to the same underlying account.

Network Endpoints

Testnet

Service	URL
JSON-RPC (EVM)	https://testnet.specterchain.com
JSON-RPC (EVM, alt)	https://testnet.umbraline.com
Tendermint RPC	https://testnet.specterchain.com:26657
REST API (Cosmos)	https://testnet.specterchain.com:1317
gRPC	testnet.specterchain.com:9090

Connecting with MetaMask

To add the Specter testnet to MetaMask:

Field	Value
Network Name	Specter Testnet
RPC URL	https://testnet.specterchain.com
Chain ID	5446
Currency Symbol	GHOST
Block Explorer URL	(coming soon)

Connecting with Cosmos Tooling

For Cosmos-native tooling (e.g., umbralined CLI, Keplr wallet), use the Tendermint RPC and REST API endpoints. The chain ID in Cosmos format is umbraline_5446-1.

Token Denomination

GHOST follows the standard 18-decimal convention used by Ethereum:

Unit	Relation	Typical Use
GHOST	1 GHOST = 10^18 aghost	Display unit, staking, governance
aghost	Smallest indivisible unit	Gas prices, raw transaction amounts

When interacting via the Cosmos CLI, amounts are specified in aghost. When interacting via EVM/Web3, amounts are in wei-equivalent (also aghost).

# Cosmos CLI — send 1 GHOST
umbralined tx bank send <from> <to> 1000000000000000000aghost --chain-id umbraline_5446-1

# EVM — 1 GHOST in wei
const amount = ethers.parseEther("1.0"); // 1000000000000000000n

What Makes Specter Different

Specter is not a general-purpose L1. It is purpose-built for privacy-preserving asset transfers using zero-knowledge proofs. The chain exists to support the GHOST privacy protocol, which allows users to deposit GHOST tokens into a shielded pool and withdraw them to a fresh address with no on-chain link between deposit and withdrawal.

The key enabling technology is the x/ghostmint module, which allows EVM smart contracts to trigger native Cosmos-level minting of GHOST tokens. This means the privacy protocol operates on the native gas token itself — not on a wrapped or synthetic asset — providing the strongest possible privacy guarantees. See GhostMint Module for the full technical deep dive.