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MultiGov Architecture＃

MultiGov employs a hub-and-spoke model to enable cross-chain governance, utilizing Wormhole's interoperability infrastructure for secure cross-chain communication. This architecture allows coordinated decision-making across multiple blockchain networks while maintaining a central coordination point.

Key Components＃

Hub Chain Contracts＃

The hub chain is the central point for managing proposals, tallying votes, executing decisions, and coordinating governance across connected chains.

  • HubGovernor - central governance contract managing proposals and vote tallying
  • HubVotePool - receives aggregated votes from spokes and submits them to HubGovernor
  • HubMessageDispatcher - relays approved proposal executions to spoke chains
  • HubProposalExtender - allows trusted actors to extend voting periods if needed
  • HubProposalMetadata - helper contract returning proposalId and vote start for HubGovernor proposals
  • HubEvmSpokeAggregateProposer - aggregates cross-chain voting weight for an address and proposes via the HubGovernor if eligible

Spoke Chains Contracts＃

Spoke chains handle local voting, forward votes to the hub, and execute approved proposals from the hub for decentralized governance.

  • SpokeVoteAggregator - collects votes on the spoke chain and forwards them to the hub
  • SpokeMessageExecutor - receives and executes approved proposals from the hub
  • SpokeMetadataCollector - fetches proposal metadata from the hub for spoke chain voters
  • SpokeAirlock - acts as governance's "admin" on the spoke, has permissions, and its treasury

Spoke Solana Staking Program＃

The Spoke Solana Staking Program handles local voting from users who have staked W tokens or are vested in the program, forwards votes to the hub, and executes approved proposals from the hub for decentralized governance.

The program implements its functionality through instructions, using specialized PDA accounts where data is stored. Below are the key accounts in the program:

  • GlobalConfig - global program configuration
  • StakeAccountMetadata - stores user's staking information
  • CustodyAuthority - PDA account managing custody and overseeing token operations related to stake accounts
  • StakeAccountCustody - token account associated with a stake account for securely storing staked tokens
  • CheckpointData - tracks delegation history
  • SpokeMetadataCollector - collects and updates proposal metadata from the hub chain
  • GuardianSignatures - stores guardian signatures for message verification
  • ProposalData - stores data about a specific proposal, including votes and start time
  • ProposalVotersWeightCast - tracks individual voter's weight for a proposal
  • SpokeMessageExecutor - processes messages from a spoke chain via the Wormhole protocol
  • SpokeAirlock - manages PDA signing and seed validation for secure instruction execution
  • VestingBalance - stores total vesting balance and related staking information of a vester
  • VestingConfig - defines vesting configuration, including mint and admin details
  • Vesting - represents individual vesting allocations with maturation data
  • VoteWeightWindowLengths - tracks lengths of vote weight windows

Each account is implemented as a Solana PDA (Program Derived Address) and utilizes Anchor's account framework for serialization and management.

System Workflow＃

The MultiGov system workflow details the step-by-step process for creating, voting on, and executing governance proposals across connected chains, from proposal creation to final cross-chain execution.

EVM Governance Workflow＃

The EVM-based MultiGov workflow follows these steps:

  1. Proposal creation:
    1. A user creates a proposal through the HubEvmSpokeAggregateProposer, which checks eligibility across chains, or directly on the HubGovernor via the propose method
    2. The proposal is submitted to the HubGovernor if the user meets the proposal threshold
  2. Proposal metadata distribution:
    1. HubProposalMetadata creates a custom view method to be queried for use in the SpokeMetadataCollector
    2. SpokeMetadataCollector on each spoke chain queries HubProposalMetadata for proposal details
  3. Voting process:
    1. Users on spoke chains vote through their respective SpokeVoteAggregators
    2. SpokeVoteAggregators send aggregated votes to the HubVotePool via Wormhole
    3. HubVotePool submits the aggregated votes to the HubGovernor
  4. Vote tallying and proposal execution:
    1. HubGovernor tallies votes from all chains
    2. If a quorum is reached and there are more for votes than against votes, the vote passes and is queued for execution
    3. After the timelock delay, the proposal can be executed on the hub chain
    4. For cross-chain actions, a proposal should call the dispatch method in the HubMessageDispatcher, which sends execution messages to the relevant spoke chains
    5. SpokeMessageExecutors on each spoke chain receive and execute the approved actions through their respective SpokeAirlocks

Solana Governance Workflow＃

The Solana-based MultiGov workflow follows these steps:

  1. Proposal creation:

    1. A user creates a proposal on HubGovernor by calling the propose method, provided they meet the proposal threshold
    2. For the proposal to be executed on the Solana blockchain, a SolanaPayload must be generated and included in the calldata parameter of the propose function
    3. The SolanaPayload contains encoded details specifying which instructions will be executed and which Solana program is responsible for execution

  2. Proposal metadata distribution:

    1. A user queries getProposalMetadata from HubProposalMetadata via the Wormhole query system to create a proposal on the Spoke Solana Chain Staking Program
    2. The retrieved metadata is used in the AddProposal instruction in the Solana program
    3. The proposal data is verified to ensure it matches the expected format
    4. Guardian signatures are posted using the PostSignatures instruction
    5. Once validated, the proposal is stored on-chain

  3. Voting process:

    1. Users vote on proposals stored in the ProposalData account on Solana
    2. The CastVote instruction records their choice (for_votes, against_votes, or abstain_votes)
    3. Eligibility and vote weight are verified using historical voter checkpoint data
    4. A Query Wormhole request retrieves vote data from a Solana PDA
    5. The signed response from Wormhole guardians is submitted to the HubVotePool on Ethereum for verification
    6. The crossChainVote function in HubVotePool processes the validated response and forwards the aggregated vote data to the HubGovernor to finalize the decision

  4. Vote tallying and proposal execution:

    1. HubGovernor tallies votes from all chains
    2. If a quorum is reached with more for votes than against votes, the proposal passes and is queued for execution
    3. After the timelock delay, the proposal can be executed either on the hub chain or another chain
    4. For cross-chain execution involving Solana, the proposal calls the dispatch method in HubSolanaMessageDispatcher, which sends execution messages to Solana
    5. On Solana, the ReceiveMessage instruction processes the approved message, and the SpokeAirlock executes the corresponding instructions

Cross-Chain Communication＃

MultiGov relies on Wormhole's infrastructure for all cross-chain messaging, ensuring secure and reliable communication between chains. Wormhole's cross-chain state read system, known as Queries, is used for vote aggregation and proposal metadata. Additionally, cross-chain proposal execution messages are transmitted through Wormhole's custom relaying system, enabling seamless coordination across multiple blockchain networks.

Security Measures＃

  • Vote weight window - implements a moving window for vote weight checkpoints to mitigate cross-chain double voting
    • Proposal extension - HubProposalExtender allows for extending voting periods by a trusted actor in the case of network issues or high-stakes decisions
  • Timelock - a timelock period between proposal approval and execution allows for additional security checks and community review
  • Wormhole verification - all cross-chain messages are verified using Wormhole's secure messaging protocol

Detailed Architecture Diagram＃

This architecture ensures that MultiGov can operate securely and efficiently across multiple chains, allowing for truly decentralized and cross-chain governance while maintaining a unified decision-making process.

detailed multigov architecture diagram