# Validators

See how Polyester Chain validators secure blocks and how other approval roles remain separate.

Polyester Chain validators use **CometBFT consensus** to agree on the order of transactions and the resulting public Chain state. They secure Polyester Chain blocks, contract execution, receipts, and event logs.

Polyester also uses other validators, approvers, and signers for specific product actions. Those roles have separate responsibilities and do not replace Chain consensus.

> **12 validators, with broader participation ahead**
>
> Polyester Chain starts with 12 validators. The validator set will grow as the Network matures, with broader participation across independent operators, organizations, geographic regions, and infrastructure providers. Increasing operator diversity is part of the progressive decentralization plan.

## Separate approval roles

| Role                           | Responsibility                                                                                             |
| ------------------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Polyester Chain validators** | Secure CometBFT blocks, transaction ordering, and canonical Chain state.                                   |
| **Zipper validators**          | Approve supported external deposits and withdrawals.                                                       |
| **Guard Signer**               | Approves protected changes to the selected account’s external withdrawal and internal transfer whitelists. |
| **Cubist vault signing**       | Applies TEE-backed signing policies before external vault assets can move.                                 |
| **Safe owner**                 | Authorizes actions for the user's smart account.                                                           |

An approval in one layer does not grant authority in another. For example, a Zipper validator approves a cross-chain request but does not produce Polyester Chain blocks or control a user's Safe.

> **Zipper quorum and Chain consensus are different**
>
> Zipper validators review deposit and withdrawal requests. Polyester Chain validators secure blocks through CometBFT. Each system has its own responsibility and approval rules.

## Verifier nodes and Trading recovery

The [Escape Hatch](https://testnet.polyester.com/docs/user-docs/polyengine/escape-hatch) adds a validator-controlled recovery path for the Trading Gateway. Validators assigned this responsibility run [verifier nodes](https://testnet.polyester.com/docs/user-docs/polyengine/verifiers), assess matching and ledger evidence, and vote to enter exit-only mode or resume normal operation under the configured quorum rules.

Polyester Chain continues processing valid emergency withdrawals while matching is halted. Private balance checkpoints support verification without publishing the complete account ledger.

Running a public verifier is open to anyone. Voting rights belong to the authorized validator set; a verifier instance does not automatically receive consensus or recovery authority.

## Layered protection

Polyester combines several security boundaries:

- Your owner credential and Safe rules authorize smart-account actions
- Protocol contracts enforce their account, balance, and asset rules
- Polyester Chain validators secure the resulting public state
- Zipper validators and Cubist protect cross-chain asset movement
- Guard approvals provide optional, opt-in protection for selected account-control changes
- PolyEngine keeps private trading execution and settlement separate from public Chain consensus.

No single signer controls every layer.

## View public consensus activity

Use **[Polyester Scan](https://testnet.polyester.com/docs/user-docs/polyester-scan/overview)** to browse blocks, transactions, receipts, contracts, token activity, and Zipper events recorded on Polyester Chain.

Scan displays the public result of consensus. It does not participate in consensus, approve transactions, or change Chain state.

See **[Zipper Security](https://testnet.polyester.com/docs/user-docs/zipper/security)** for request validation and vault signing, and **[Smart Account](https://testnet.polyester.com/docs/user-docs/polyester-chain/smart-account)** for account authorization.