get_deposit_root

Read the current deposit Merkle root from the deposit contract

Read the current deposit Merkle root from the Seismic deposit contract. The deposit root is used by the consensus layer to verify validator deposits.

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Overview

The Seismic deposit contract maintains a Merkle tree of all validator deposits. The root of this tree is used by the consensus layer to:

• Verify that deposits have been included

• Validate deposit proofs

• Track the deposit history

This method queries the current root hash.

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Signatures

Sync	Async
def get_deposit_root( *, address: str = DEPOSIT_CONTRACT_ADDRESS, ) -> bytes	async def get_deposit_root( *, address: str = DEPOSIT_CONTRACT_ADDRESS, ) -> bytes

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Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
address	str	DEPOSIT_CONTRACT_ADDRESS	Address of the deposit contract to query

The default address is the genesis deposit contract (DEPOSIT_CONTRACT_ADDRESS).

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Returns

Type: bytes (32 bytes)

A 32-byte hash representing the current Merkle root of all deposits.

# Sync
root = w3.seismic.get_deposit_root()
assert len(root) == 32

# Async
root = await w3.seismic.get_deposit_root()
assert len(root) == 32

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Examples

Sync Usage

from seismic_web3 import create_public_client

# Create public client
w3 = create_public_client("https://gcp-1.seismictest.net/rpc")

# Get deposit root
root = w3.seismic.get_deposit_root()

print(f"Deposit root: {root.hex()}")
print(f"Root length: {len(root)} bytes")

Async Usage

from seismic_web3 import create_async_public_client

# Create async public client
w3 = create_async_public_client("https://gcp-1.seismictest.net/rpc")

# Get deposit root
root = await w3.seismic.get_deposit_root()

print(f"Deposit root: {root.hex()}")

With Wallet Client

from seismic_web3 import create_wallet_client, PrivateKey

# Wallet clients also have access to public methods
w3 = create_wallet_client(
    "https://gcp-1.seismictest.net/rpc",
    private_key=PrivateKey(b"..."),
)

# Get deposit root
root = w3.seismic.get_deposit_root()
print(f"Deposit root: {root.hex()}")

Custom Contract Address

# Query a different deposit contract
root = w3.seismic.get_deposit_root(
    address="0x1234567890123456789012345678901234567890",
)

print(f"Custom contract root: {root.hex()}")

Monitoring Deposits

import time

# Monitor deposit root changes
previous_root = None

while True:
    root = w3.seismic.get_deposit_root()

    if root != previous_root:
        print(f"Deposit root changed: {root.hex()}")
        count = w3.seismic.get_deposit_count()
        print(f"New deposit count: {count}")
        previous_root = root

    time.sleep(12)  # Check every block (~12 seconds)

Comparing with Deposit Count

# Get both root and count
root = w3.seismic.get_deposit_root()
count = w3.seismic.get_deposit_count()

print(f"Deposit root: {root.hex()}")
print(f"Total deposits: {count}")

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Implementation Details

Contract Call

This method calls the deposit contract's get_deposit_root() function:

function get_deposit_root() external view returns (bytes32);

The call is made via eth_call with the contract address and encoded function selector.

Encoding

The SDK:

1. Encodes the function call using the deposit contract ABI

2. Calls eth_call to the deposit contract

3. Extracts the first 32 bytes of the response

4. Returns them as bytes

Genesis Contract

The default deposit contract address (DEPOSIT_CONTRACT_ADDRESS) is deployed at genesis on all Seismic networks.

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Merkle Tree Structure

Deposit Tree

The deposit contract maintains a Merkle tree where each leaf is:

hash(deposit_data)

The tree is built incrementally as deposits are made. The root is updated after each deposit.

Verification

The consensus layer uses the deposit root to:

1. Verify that a deposit is included in the tree

2. Validate the deposit count matches the tree size

3. Ensure deposit data hasn't been tampered with

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Use Cases

Validator Deposits

Before making a deposit, you might want to verify the current root:

# Get current state
root = w3.seismic.get_deposit_root()
count = w3.seismic.get_deposit_count()

print(f"Current root: {root.hex()}")
print(f"Current count: {count}")

# Make deposit
tx_hash = w3.seismic.deposit(
    node_pubkey=...,
    consensus_pubkey=...,
    # ... other params
    value=32 * 10**18,
)

# Wait for transaction
receipt = w3.eth.wait_for_transaction_receipt(tx_hash)

# Verify deposit was included
new_root = w3.seismic.get_deposit_root()
new_count = w3.seismic.get_deposit_count()

print(f"New root: {new_root.hex()}")
print(f"New count: {new_count}")
assert new_count == count + 1
assert new_root != root

Consensus Verification

Consensus clients can query the deposit root to ensure they have the latest deposit data:

# Query deposit root from execution layer
el_root = w3.seismic.get_deposit_root()

# Compare with consensus layer state
# (pseudocode - actual consensus client integration varies)
cl_root = consensus_client.get_deposit_root()

if el_root == cl_root:
    print("Deposit roots match")
else:
    print("WARNING: Deposit root mismatch!")
    print(f"Execution layer: {el_root.hex()}")
    print(f"Consensus layer: {cl_root.hex()}")

Monitoring Tools

Build monitoring tools that track deposit activity:

# Track deposits over time
deposits = []

for block_num in range(start_block, end_block):
    # Get root at specific block
    root = w3.seismic.get_deposit_root(
        # Note: would need block parameter support
    )
    count = w3.seismic.get_deposit_count()

    deposits.append({
        'block': block_num,
        'root': root.hex(),
        'count': count,
    })

# Analyze deposit rate
print(f"Total deposits: {deposits[-1]['count'] - deposits[0]['count']}")

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Notes

Public Method

get_deposit_root() is available on both:

• Public clients (create_public_client) — Read-only, no private key

• Wallet clients (create_wallet_client) — Full capabilities

Read-Only

This is a view function that does not modify state. It does not consume gas or require a transaction.

Deposit Contract

The deposit contract is a special system contract deployed at genesis. It is used for:

• Accepting validator deposits

• Tracking deposit history

• Providing deposit proofs to the consensus layer

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Error Handling

try:
    root = w3.seismic.get_deposit_root()
    print(f"Deposit root: {root.hex()}")
except Exception as e:
    print(f"Failed to fetch deposit root: {e}")
    # Possible causes:
    # - Node is offline
    # - Invalid contract address
    # - RPC error

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See Also

• get_deposit_count() — Read the total number of deposits

• deposit() — Submit a validator deposit

• Deposit Contract ABI — Full contract interface

• Validator Guide — Guide to making deposits