temporal-parameter-staleness

TEMPORAL_PARAMETER_STALENESS Skill (Solana)

Trigger Pattern: interval|epoch|period|duration|delay|cooldown|lock_period|timelock|unbonding|claim_delay|withdraw_delay|maturity Inject Into: Breadth agents, depth-state-trace Finding prefix: [TPS-N] Rules referenced: R2, R8, R10, R13, R14

Cached parameters in multi-step operations become stale when authority changes them mid-operation. On Solana, timing has unique properties: 400ms slot time, Clock sysvar shared across all instructions in a transaction, Solana epoch boundaries (~2-3 days, 432k slots), and leader schedule predictability.

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Step 1: Enumerate Multi-Step Operations

Find all operations that span multiple transactions:

For each multi-step operation:

• What parameters are read/cached at Step 1 (stored in an account)?
• What parameters are re-read at Step N?
• What parameters are used but NOT re-read at Step N?
• Which clock source is used? (Clock::get()?.unix_timestamp, Clock::get()?.slot, Clock::get()?.epoch)

Solana Clock Semantics

Critical property: Within a single transaction, ALL instructions see the same Clock values. Unlike EVM where multi-block operations have timing variation per block, a Solana transaction's instructions share identical timing. Multi-step timing attacks require separate transactions.

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Step 2: Identify Cached Parameters

For each parameter used across steps:

Solana caching patterns:

• Config account cache: User's request account stores a snapshot of config params at initiation time (e.g., request.fee_rate = config.fee_rate)
• Inline cache: Parameter copied into instruction data or user PDA during Step 1
• Re-read pattern: Step N re-reads from the config/global account (no staleness possible for that param)
• Epoch snapshot: Protocol snapshots state at epoch boundary, uses snapshot until next epoch

Red flags: Parameter is cached in a user account at Step 1 AND authority can change the source account AND Step N does NOT re-read from source.

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Step 3: Model Staleness Impact

For each cached parameter that can become stale:

Scenario A: Parameter INCREASES between steps
1. User initiates at Step 1 - user PDA stores param = X (read from config account)
2. Authority updates config account: param = X + delta
3. User completes at Step N - uses cached X from user PDA
4. Impact: {what happens with stale value X when current is X + delta}

Scenario B: Parameter DECREASES between steps
1. User initiates at Step 1 - user PDA stores param = X
2. Authority updates config account: param = X - delta
3. User completes at Step N - uses cached X
4. Impact: {what happens with stale value X when current is X - delta}

BOTH directions are mandatory - increase and decrease often have different impacts.

Solana-Specific Staleness Vectors

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Step 3b: Update Source Audit

For each parameter updated from an external source (oracle account, other program's state):

• Is the source the correct representation of what this parameter tracks?
• Is the source account ownership validated? (Solana-specific: can a fake account be substituted?)
• Should this parameter be fixed for a period (e.g., per epoch, per cycle) rather than continuously refreshed?
• Which instructions update it? Which instructions SHOULD update it? Any mismatch?
• Is there a refresh or crank instruction? If yes, who calls it and when? Can staleness occur if the crank is not called?

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Step 4: Retroactive Application Analysis

For fee/rate parameters that apply to existing state:

Solana retroactive patterns:

• Global config update: Authority changes fee_bps in a global config account. All pending claims calculated at completion time using new rate - retroactively changes expected returns.
• Epoch-based rate: Protocol sets rate per epoch. Users who entered mid-epoch may have their partial-epoch calculation affected by next-epoch rate change.
• Account closure incentive: If close_fee changes, users with pending close requests pay different amount than expected.

Rule 2 direction check: Can the authority's parameter change make a user-facing instruction behave unexpectedly? (e.g., setting cooldown_slots = 0 removes timing protection, setting max_deviation = 0 disables oracle bounds). Does the change retroactively affect users in active positions?

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Step 5: Assess Severity

For each staleness issue:

• Who is affected? (single user, all users with pending operations, protocol)
• Is the impact bounded? (capped by fee range, max delay, etc.)
• Can it be exploited intentionally? (authority front-running via leader schedule knowledge)
• Is there a recovery path? (re-initiate, cancel instruction, admin override)
• Slot-level precision: Given Solana's ~400ms slots and predictable leader schedule, how precisely can an attacker time the exploitation?

Severity Assessment (Rule 10 - Worst-State)

Use worst realistic operational state, not current on-chain snapshot:

Severity assessed at: pending_claims=MAX_USERS, fee_delta=MAX_FEE-MIN_FEE, tvl=$XXM
Rationale: Protocol designed for up to {N} concurrent pending operations per documentation

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Key Questions (must answer all)

1. What multi-step operations exist? (request/claim, stake/cooldown/unstake, propose/vote/execute)
2. For each cached parameter: can authority change it between steps?
3. What happens if a delay DECREASES after initiation? (users locked longer than necessary vs original expectation)
4. What happens if a delay INCREASES after initiation? (users can claim too early relative to new policy)
5. Are fees applied retroactively to existing positions or only to new ones?
6. Is there a maximum parameter range that bounds the staleness impact?
7. Solana-specific: Does the protocol use slot or unix_timestamp for timing? If unix_timestamp, is the +-1-2s drift handled?
8. Solana-specific: Do any operations span Solana epoch boundaries? If so, what changes at the boundary?
9. Solana-specific: Is there a crank/refresh instruction? What happens if it is never called?

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Common False Positives

• Immutable config: If the config account has no update instruction or authority is revoked, no staleness
• Bounded ranges: If min/max bounds limit the change magnitude (enforced on-chain), impact may be Low
• User can cancel: If users can cancel pending operations and re-initiate with new parameters, reduced severity
• Timelock protection: If parameter changes require a Clockwork/Squads timelock, users have time to react
• Same-transaction operations: Operations that complete within a single transaction cannot have Clock staleness between steps
• Re-read at completion: If Step N re-reads the parameter from the source config account (not a cached copy), no staleness for that parameter

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Instantiation Parameters

{CONTRACTS}           - Programs to analyze
{MULTI_STEP_OPS}      - Identified multi-step operations
{CACHED_PARAMS}       - Parameters cached at initiation (stored in user PDAs/accounts)
{AUTHORITY_PARAMS}    - Authority-changeable parameters
{DELAY_PARAMS}        - Delay/cooldown parameters (in slots, timestamps, or epochs)
{FEE_PARAMS}          - Fee/rate parameters that may apply retroactively
{CLOCK_SOURCE}        - Clock field used (slot/unix_timestamp/epoch)

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Output Schema

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Step Execution Checklist (MANDATORY)

Cross-Reference Markers

After Step 2: If cached parameters are authority-changeable -> MUST complete Step 3 with BOTH increase and decrease scenarios.

After Step 4: Cross-reference with SEMI_TRUSTED_ROLES (Solana version) for authority functions that change these parameters.

After Step 3: If protocol uses unix_timestamp for comparisons tighter than 5 seconds -> FLAG clock drift concern.

After Step 1: If any operation spans Solana epoch boundaries -> cross-reference with staking/inflation rate changes.