mNIGHT to cNIGHT

MIPMIP-0023
MPS0033
StatusProposed
CategoryCore
AuthorsKarmoola
Created21-Aug-2026

Abstract

NIGHT exists in two representations: cNIGHT on Cardano, where most supply resides today, and NIGHT on the Midnight Network. There is no protocol-native path from NIGHT back to cNIGHT. Holders of NIGHT cannot realize value on Cardano.

This MPS states the problem of the missing return path and what a solution must guarantee.

Vision

A holder of NIGHT can convert it to cNIGHT using published open source tooling, with no third-party bridge operator in the path. Conservation across the two representations is verifiable from public chain data. A conversion that fails leaves the holder able to recover their funds.

Problem

NIGHT can move from Cardano to Midnight, but not back. There is no protocol-native way to convert NIGHT to cNIGHT.

The gap also makes movement into Midnight one-way. A holder converting cNIGHT to NIGHT is committing to a representation with no exit, which is a reason not to convert in the first place.

Use Cases

– Block producers paid in mNIGHT - which cannot be converted to cNIGHT.

– Holders who moved to Midnight. A holder who converted cNIGHT to NIGHT has no way back.

Goals

  1. Any holder of NIGHT on Midnight can initiate a conversion and receive the corresponding cNIGHT on Cardano, using published open source tooling (CLI or SDK), with no third-party bridge operator in the path.
  2. Each release of cNIGHT is authorized by an attestation from the Midnight committee, and the released amount is cryptographically bound to the amount locked or burned on the Midnight side. Any mismatch in amount, decimals, or unit is rejected on-chain, not merely by an off-chain signer.
  3. Conversions are replay-protected. A single Midnight-side lock or burn event can authorize at most one Cardano-side release, and attestations cannot be reused or split.
  4. Total cNIGHT released by the bridge never exceeds total NIGHT locked or burned through it. Conservation is independently verifiable from public chain data on both networks.
  5. Failure handling is defined and tested.
  6. Committee attestation thresholds, key rotation, and pause or halt procedures are documented, and a pause mechanism exists that can stop releases without loss of in-flight user funds.

This MPS is licensed under CC-BY-4.0.