# a16z/jolt

The simplest and most extensible zkVM. Fast and fully open source from a16z crypto and friends. ⚡

Repository: https://github.com/a16z/jolt
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/a16z-jolt
Homepage: https://jolt.a16zcrypto.com
Language: Rust
License: Apache-2.0
License Family: permissive
Topics: arkworks, cryptography, snark, zk, zk-snarks, zkp, crypto, zkvm
Last push: 2026-09-03T01:54:19+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 80/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 100, release rhythm 50, longevity 85
- inputs: {"age_days": 1203, "days_push": 0, "days_rel": 336, "gap_med": 7, "n_releases_24m": 6}
- flags: prerelease_only
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1021, forks 330 (observed 2026-09-03T02:15:08.734205+00:00)

## What it is
Jolt is a zero-knowledge virtual machine (zkVM) for RISC-V (RV64IMAC) that generates cryptographic proofs of arbitrary program execution, built around sumcheck and lookup arguments for speed and simplicity. It ships as a Rust library plus a CLI for scaffolding projects where 'guest' Rust functions annotated with a macro are compiled to RISC-V and proven by 'host' code.

## Use cases
- generate zero-knowledge proofs of Rust program execution
- prove correctness of offchain computation for blockchain verification
- build verifiable computation applications with a RISC-V zkVM
- benchmark and research state-of-the-art SNARK proving systems
- wrap Rust functions in zk proofs via an AI coding agent skill
- compile and prove RISC-V guest programs from a host

## When to choose
- you need fast CPU-based zk proving of general-purpose Rust/RISC-V programs
- you want a simple, extensible, fully open-source zkVM to build on or contribute to
- you're doing zero-knowledge proof research involving lookup arguments and sumcheck protocols

## When to avoid
- you need a production-hardened zkVM - Jolt is explicitly in alpha and not production-ready
- you need GPU-accelerated proving or a stable long-term API
- you only need simple signature or hash verification rather than full program proving

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: experimental
- function: cryptography, sdk, cli, compiler
- domain: blockchain, developer-tools, security
- platform: rust, cli
- tags: zkvm, zero-knowledge-proofs, zk-snarks, risc-v, sumcheck, lookup-arguments, prover, verifier, rust-guest-programs, blockchain-proofs, cryptography, linux, macos

## Member repositories
- a16z/jolt (main) score 80

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-09-03T02:15:08.734205+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T07:11:10.323273+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/a16z/jolt (fetched 2026-09-03T02:15:08.734205+00:00, sha 285aec245ca9)
  - homepage: https://jolt.a16zcrypto.com (fetched 2026-08-29T13:10:01.043533+00:00, sha 222fcb2adb66)
  - site_page: https://jolt.a16zcrypto.com/usage/quickstart.html (fetched 2026-08-29T13:10:01.052790+00:00, sha 5b0bc9d51b5d)
  - site_page: https://a16zcrypto.com/posts/article/faqs-on-jolts-initial-implementation (fetched 2026-08-29T13:10:01.055004+00:00, sha 3a370fe0b444)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.