thor

Thor Skill

CRITICAL RULES

1. Read reference files FIRST. When the user's request involves any topic in the reference table below, read those files before doing anything else. Briefly mention which files you are reading so the user can confirm the skill is active.
2. Information priority: (a) Reference files in this skill — always the primary source. (b) The thor repo source code at github.com/vechain/thor/v2 for implementation details. (c) Web search — only as a last resort for topics NOT covered in references.
3. Prefer working directly in the main conversation. Plan mode and subagents do not inherit skill context and may produce stale answers.
4. After compaction or context loss, re-read this SKILL.md to restore awareness of the reference table.

Scope

Use this Skill for anything related to the VeChainThor node (thor):

• Architecture and package structure of the Go codebase
• Consensus: PoA v1/v2, PoS (Galactica), BFT finality
• Built-in contracts: Authority, Energy, Staker, Params, Prototype, Executor, Extension
• REST API endpoints and WebSocket subscriptions
• Storage: LevelDB, SQLite logdb, trie, pruning, node types
• P2P networking: discovery, block/tx propagation
• Cross-cutting flows: block production, transaction lifecycle, reward distribution, staking/delegation, chain sync
• Solo mode for local development
• Contributing to the thor codebase: build, test, add endpoints, fork config

For application-level VeChain development, see the companion skills:

• vechain-core — SDK usage, fee delegation, multi-clause transactions, dual-token model
• vechain-kit — VeChain Kit hooks, components, wallet connection, social login
• smart-contract-development — Solidity, Hardhat, testing, security
• stargate — NFT staking, validator delegation, VTHO rewards

Operating procedure

1. Identify the question type

• PM/architecture question → read architecture.md + relevant flow files
• Contributor question → read contributing.md + relevant package reference
• "How does X work?" → read the matching flow file(s)
• API question → read api.md
• Node operations → read architecture.md (node types, flags, ports)

2. Read before answering

Load the matching reference files from the table below. Cross-cutting questions may need multiple files.

3. Answer with context

• Reference specific packages, types, and files from the thor codebase
• For flows, trace through the packages step-by-step
• For PM audiences, lead with the high-level summary before diving into implementation
• For contributors, include package paths and key type names

Reference files

Read the matching files BEFORE doing anything else. See Critical Rules above.

Topic	File	Read when user mentions...
Architecture	references/architecture.md	overview, packages, node types, ports, flags, fork config, tech stack
Consensus	references/consensus.md	PoA, PoS, BFT, finality, proposer, validator selection, VRF, Galactica
Built-in contracts	references/built-in-contracts.md	Authority, Energy, VTHO, Staker, Params, Prototype, Executor, native contracts
REST API	references/api.md	API, endpoints, routes, subscriptions, WebSocket, Swagger
Storage	references/storage.md	database, LevelDB, SQLite, logdb, trie, pruning, archive, disk
P2P networking	references/p2p.md	peers, discovery, discv5, propagation, sync protocol, bootstrap
Contributing	references/contributing.md	build, Makefile, tests, lint, add endpoint, fork config, PR, Go conventions
Solo mode	references/solo.md	solo, local dev, test chain, pre-funded accounts, auto-mine
Flow: block production	references/flow-block-production.md	block packing, scheduler, proposer, how blocks are created
Flow: transaction lifecycle	references/flow-transaction-lifecycle.md	tx flow, txpool, clause execution, receipts, tx validation
Flow: reward distribution	references/flow-reward-distribution.md	rewards, VTHO generation, validator rewards, gas rewards, burning
Flow: staking & delegation	references/flow-staking-delegation.md	staking, delegation, unstaking, Staker contract, validator lifecycle
Flow: chain sync	references/flow-sync.md	sync, catch-up, peer download, fork handling, reorg, propagation