Time to read: 1 min
Deploying a Multi-Signature Safe on Rootstock
For institutions and DAOs, private key management is the highest risk factor. Rootstock Safe provides a programmable, multi-signature interface that requires $M$-of-$N$ signatures to authorize any movement of funds.
Prerequisites
- Signer Wallets: At least two (ideally three or more) independent wallets (e.g., Ledger, Trezor, or MetaMask).
- Gas: A small amount of rBTC in one of the signer wallets to pay for the Safe deployment.
Getting Started
1. Initialize the Safe
Navigate to the Rootstock Safe Interface and connect your primary signer wallet.
- Click "Create New Safe".
- Name your Safe: This is a local identifier (e.g., "Treasury-Alpha").
- Add Signers: Input the addresses of your institutional co-signers. It is a best practice to use hardware wallets for all institutional signers.
2. Configure the Threshold
The threshold is the number of signatures required to broadcast a transaction.
- Recommended: 2-of-3 or 3-of-5.
- Warning: Never set a 1-of-$N$ threshold for institutional assets, as it restores the single point of failure.
3. Deployment
Review the configuration and click "Create". You will sign a transaction to deploy the Safe smart contract to the Rootstock blockchain. Once confirmed, you will receive a permanent Safe address.
Troubleshooting
- Transaction Stuck: Multi-sig transactions are executed in two steps: Proposal (off-chain) and Execution (on-chain). If a transaction is "pending," ensure the minimum number of signers have logged in to sign the proposal.
- Nonce Mismatch: If multiple transactions are proposed simultaneously, they must be executed in the order of their nonce. Ensure the oldest pending transaction is cleared first.