Add RC3 Phase 4 planning documentation for developer ecosystem and mainnet preparation

[Copilot]

Creates comprehensive planning framework for RC3 Phase 4 epic covering developer tools, security hardening, production infrastructure, and mainnet launch preparation.

Documentation Suite (3,378 lines)

RC3_PHASE4_EPIC.md (1,595 lines)

• Task breakdown: 86+ tasks across Block Explorer (28), Smart Contract SDK (26), Documentation Portal (32), plus infrastructure and testing
• Critical path: Security audit (6-8 weeks) → Recursive SNARKs (6 weeks) → Testnet validation (4+ weeks)
• 5 milestones over 16-20 weeks (Jan 15 - Jun 2026)
• Risk assessment with mitigations for audit delays, SNARK performance, testnet stability

RC3_TASK_BREAKDOWN.md (300 lines)

• Priority distribution: P0 (64), P1 (18), P2 (4)
• Effort estimates: XS (<4h) to XL (80h+)
• Status tracking: 🔴 Not Started, 🟡 In Progress, 🟢 Complete, 🔵 Blocked
• Dependency mapping for parallel execution

RC3_IMPLEMENTATION_ROADMAP.md (711 lines)

• Week-by-week plan with team allocation (peak: 9-10 developers)
• Resource allocation: External audit ($50-150K), infrastructure ($10-25K/5mo)
• Definition of done per component
• Communication cadence: daily standups, weekly all-hands, monthly stakeholder updates

RC3_QUICK_REFERENCE.md (433 lines)

• Performance targets: ≥100 TPS, <10s proof gen, <5ms verify, <1KB proof size, <1min finality
• FAQ and troubleshooting
• Contact framework and learning resources

RC3_PLANNING_INDEX.md (339 lines)

• Navigation matrix for role-based access (PM, dev, stakeholder)
• Cross-reference diagram
• Quick lookup table

Scope Coverage

Per RELEASE_REQUIREMENTS.md RC3 requirements:

• RC3-001 (Security Audit), RC3-002 (Recursive SNARKs), RC3-003 (GPU Acceleration)
• RC3-004 (Block Explorer), RC3-006 (Contract SDK), RC3-009 (Docs Portal)
• RC3-007 (Light Client), RC3-008 (Finality Gadget), RC3-010 (Production Infra)

Critical Dates

• Jan 29, 2026: Security audit start (hard deadline for Q2 2026 release)
• Apr 9, 2026: 10-node testnet deployment
• Q2 2026: RC3 release target

Next Steps

1. Assign owners from task breakdown
2. Convert to GitHub issues
3. Week 0 kickoff (Jan 8-14)
4. Implementation start (Jan 15)

Original prompt

Phase 4: Final RC3 Push - Developer Ecosystem & Tools (Days 29-60+)

This epic encompasses the remaining work required to complete RC3 and prepare BitCell for mainnet launch, focusing on developer tools, ecosystem infrastructure, and final optimizations.

Objective

Complete all remaining RC3 requirements to achieve mainnet readiness, focusing on developer experience, production infrastructure, security auditing, and performance optimization.

Background

Per docs/RELEASE_REQUIREMENTS.md and docs/RC_OVERVIEW_ROADMAP.md, RC3 targets Q2 2026 with the theme "Mainnet Preparation." Phase 2 completes governance (#63), and this phase addresses all remaining RC3 deliverables.

Tasks

1. Developer Ecosystem Completion (Epic #78)

Block Explorer (RC3-004)

• Implement Block Explorer UI

  • Create block detail pages (header fields, transaction list, state root)
  • Implement transaction detail pages (sender/recipient, amount/fee, status)
  • Build account pages (balance history, transaction list, trust score)
  • Add search functionality (hash, address, block height)

• Tournament Visualization

  • Create grid visualization for CA battles
  • Implement step-by-step battle playback
  • Add winner highlighting and energy visualization
  • Link battles to block explorer

• Block Explorer Backend

  • Connect to RocksDB for historical data
  • Implement efficient query APIs
  • Add caching layer for performance
  • Create WebSocket subscriptions for real-time updates

• Testing and Deployment

  • Write integration tests for explorer
  • Load test with historical blockchain data
  • Deploy explorer to production infrastructure
  • Document explorer usage

Smart Contract SDK (RC3-006)

• Contract Templates

  • Create token standard template
  • Create NFT standard template
  • Create escrow pattern template
  • Document template usage and customization

• Development Tools

  • Build local testnet deployment scripts
  • Create contract deployment CLI tool
  • Implement testing framework for contracts
  • Add contract debugging utilities

• SDK Documentation

  • Write getting started guide
  • Create comprehensive API reference
  • Document best practices and patterns
  • Add example contracts with tutorials

Documentation Portal (RC3-009)

• Website Infrastructure

  • Set up documentation site (mdBook, Docusaurus, or similar)
  • Implement search functionality
  • Create mobile-responsive design
  • Add navigation and structure

• Content Migration

  • Migrate all /docs markdown files
  • Create RPC API reference from existing specs
  • Write node setup tutorials
  • Create wallet usage guides
  • Add contract development tutorials

• Content Creation

  • Write architecture overview
  • Document consensus mechanism (CA warfare)
  • Explain tournament protocol
  • Create ZK-SNARK explainer
  • Write economic model documentation

2. Security & Performance Optimization

Security Audit (RC3-001)

• Audit Preparation

  • Complete internal security review
  • Document all cryptographic primitives
  • Create threat model documentation
  • Prepare audit scope and requirements

• Engage Security Auditors

  • Select reputable blockchain security firm
  • Conduct cryptography audit
  • Conduct smart contract audit (ZKVM)
  • Conduct economic model validation
  • Perform penetration testing

• Remediation

  • Address all critical findings
  • Fix all high/medium severity issues
  • Document low severity issues for future work
  • Publish final audit report

Recursive SNARK Aggregation (RC3-002)

• Plonk Migration

  • Migrate circuits from Groth16 to Plonk
  • Implement universal setup (no trusted ceremony)
  • Verify same security level (128-bit)
  • Test compatibility with recursion

• Proof Aggregation Implementation

  • Implement recursive proof composition
  • Build aggregation of N proofs into constant-size proof
  • Optimize for <10s block proof generation
  • Verify constant verification time

• Performance Optimization

  • Profile proof generation bottlenecks
  • Optimize memory usage (<16GB target)
  • Implement parallel proof generation
  • Benchmark against targets (proof <10s, verify <5ms, size <1KB)

GPU CA Acceleration (RC3-003)

• CUDA Implementation

  • Write CUDA kernel for CA evolution
  • Support 4096×4096 grids
  • Verify identical results to CPU implementation
  • Achieve 10x+ speedup target

• OpenCL Fallback

  • Implement OpenCL version for AMD/Intel GPUs
  • Add automatic GPU detection
  • Implement graceful fallback to CPU
  • Test on multiple GPU vendors

3. Production Infrastructure (RC3-010)

Multi-Region Deployment

• Infrastructure Setup
  • Deploy nodes in 3+ geographic regions
  • Configure cross-region networking (<200ms latency)
  • Implement automatic failover
  • Set up load balancing

Monit...

This pull request was created from Copilot chat.

---

💬 We'd love your input! Share your thoughts on Copilot coding agent in our 2 minute survey.