Governance Parameters & Rules
Governance Parameters & Rules define the boundaries within which ZK DAO operates. They ensure that private governance remains predictable, enforceable, and resistant to abuse, even though internal activity is not publicly visible.
In ZKFund, privacy does not mean flexibility without limits. All governance behavior is constrained by explicit, immutable parameters.
Purpose
Without clearly defined parameters:
Private governance becomes opaque
Abuse becomes hard to detect
Enforcement becomes ambiguous
Governance parameters exist to ensure that:
Every decision follows predefined rules
No participant has discretionary power
Privacy does not weaken accountability
Parameter Categories
Governance parameters in ZKFund are grouped into five categories:
Proposal Parameters
Voting Parameters
Execution Parameters
Treasury Parameters
Emergency Parameters
Each category governs a different stage of the lifecycle.
1. Proposal Parameters
Proposal parameters define who can propose and how often.
Typical parameters include:
Eligible proposer roles
Proposal cooldown periods
Maximum active proposals per role
Proposal expiration time
Proposal creation cost or stake requirement
These parameters prevent:
Governance spam
Proposal flooding
Strategic denial-of-service attacks
All checks are enforced without revealing proposer identity.
2. Voting Parameters
Voting parameters define how decisions are made.
They include:
Voting model (token / role / stake / hybrid)
Vote weight caps
Quorum thresholds
Approval thresholds
Voting window duration
ZKFund supports:
Hidden quorum
Hidden interim results
Deterministic finalization
Voting parameters are immutable per proposal once created.
3. Execution Parameters
Execution parameters define how approved proposals are enforced.
They include:
Required execution roles
Multisig thresholds (m/n)
Execution time windows
One-time execution guarantees
Replay protection rules
These parameters ensure that:
Execution cannot happen prematurely
Execution cannot be repeated
Execution cannot exceed proposal scope
4. Treasury Parameters
Treasury parameters define how capital can be moved and allocated.
Examples:
Maximum withdrawal limits
Allocation caps per strategy
Time-based execution constraints
Asset-type restrictions
Risk exposure ceilings
These rules are enforced:
At execution time
Inside settlement constraints
Without exposing balances or positions
Treasury safety is guaranteed by rules, not by oversight.
5. Emergency Parameters
Emergency parameters define what happens when assumptions fail.
They may include:
Emergency freeze authority
Elevated approval thresholds
Restricted execution modes
Temporary disclosure permissions
Emergency actions:
Require higher authorization
Are fully rule-bound
Leave cryptographic proof receipts
Emergency power exists—but cannot be abused silently.
Parameter Governance
All parameters are themselves governed by ZK DAO.
Parameter updates require proposals
Changes are subject to voting and execution rules
No parameter can be changed unilaterally
This ensures:
Governance predictability
Long-term protocol stability
Resistance to silent rule drift
Determinism & Auditability
Even though internal actions are private:
Parameters are publicly known
Enforcement is deterministic
Proofs confirm compliance
Auditors and observers can verify:
Which rules applied
That rules were followed
That no unauthorized override occurred
Without seeing private data.
Why Parameters Matter in Private Governance
Privacy without rules creates risk. Rules without privacy create exposure.
ZKFund combines both by ensuring:
Rules are public
Enforcement is private
Outcomes are verifiable
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