---
title: "Citing a ceremony without naming the branch and index"
description: "Long-running ceremonies can fork: a contribution chain splits and only one branch is continued, so \"we used the public powers of tau\" does not identify which…"
type: "failure-mode"
url: "https://zkpick.com/ceremony/failure-modes/citing-a-ceremony-without-naming-the-branch-and-index/"
section: "04 Running or reusing a trusted setup"
authors:
  - "MarketComp"
publisher: "MarketComp"
version: "1.3"
updated: "2026-09-12"
license: "CC-BY-4.0"
json: "https://zkpick.com/data/ceremony/failure-modes/citing-a-ceremony-without-naming-the-branch-and-index.json"
---

*By MarketComp. Updated 2026-09-12. Version 1.3. CC BY 4.0.*

# Citing a ceremony without naming the branch and index

Long-running ceremonies can fork: a contribution chain splits and only one branch is continued, so "we used the public powers of tau" does not identify which parameters were adopted. Artefacts derived from a discontinued branch may not be compatible with those from the live one, and the claim cannot be independently checked.

**Mitigation:** Record the exact ceremony, branch, contribution index, file and hash you adopted, publish them, and verify that specific chain yourself rather than relying on the ceremony's overall reputation.