Reference, in detail.
Documentation for the Synova system — beyond the homepage and the architectural overview. Operational mechanics, an honest risk discussion, on-chain endpoints for developers, and the questions skeptics actually ask.
All system data is publicly verifiable on-chain via Algorand and Vestige public APIs.
Read what you need.
Quickstart
Four steps to participate in the system. None require KYC or permission. You can sell NOVA back to ALGO at any time, subject to available liquidity and slippage.
Mechanism in detail
The System page describes the four components at a high level. This section is the same machine examined more closely — how vaults are created, how the LP token sits inside them, and what happens when the lock expires.
Vault creation
A vault is a Vestige Vault contract created by depositing an LP token (the share representing a position in a Tinyman pool) into a time-lock for a fixed duration. The duration and unlock date are stamped at creation and cannot be changed. The LP token sits in the vault for the full term, accumulating fee value as long as there's volume in the pool.
LP composition
Each NOVA pool on Tinyman is a constant-product AMM holding equal USD value of NOVA and the paired asset at the moment liquidity was added. As trading happens, the pool ratio shifts based on net buy/sell pressure — but the LP share's percentage of the pool stays constant. The LP token's underlying composition shifts with the pool; the LP token's claim on the pool does not.
Lock enforcement
Vestige Vault contracts enforce lock duration at the Algorand virtual machine level. There is no admin key, no early-withdrawal function, no upgrade path. Once the LP token is in the vault, it can only be released by calling the unlock function after the unlock timestamp has passed. The lock is a property of the contract's state, not a policy promise.
Unlock execution
At unlock, the vault's owner (the wallet that created the vault) can call the unlock function and reclaim the LP token. They are not contractually obligated to do anything specific — the LP token returns to their control. The renewal policy described next is Synova's stated approach to that decision; it is not enforced by the contract.
Renewal cycle
At each unlock, Synova's stated policy is:
- Burn 5% of the LP position by sending it to a verifiably-unspendable Algorand address. This is permanent depth — liquidity that nobody, including Synova, can ever withdraw.
- Re-lock 95% of the LP position in a new four-year vault.
Compounded over multiple cycles, the system shifts from temporary lockup toward permanent depth. After five renewal cycles, roughly a quarter of the original deposit has become permanent. Continue the cycle long enough and a substantial portion of the original liquidity is permanently locked. The renewal is a discretionary action — see Risks.
Fee accumulation
Tinyman's 0.36% pool fee is retained by the pool and distributed proportionally across LP shareholders. A vaulted LP token's share of fees accumulates inside the LP token's value rather than being paid out — meaning the vaulted position grows over time relative to its initial deposit, and the accumulated value is realized at unlock or renewal.
Risks
The system has structural strengths but is not riskless. Below are the risks the team considers material, in plain terms. This list is not exhaustive — it covers the categories most likely to affect a holder's outcome.
Developer reference
All Synova data is queryable from public APIs and verifiable on-chain. No keys, no auth, no rate limits beyond each provider's standard quotas. Endpoints below are the same ones this site uses to build its live state.
Asset metadata — Algorand Indexer
Total supply, decimals, manager / freeze / clawback addresses, creator. Source of truth for the ASA's static parameters.
Holders — Algorand Indexer
Paginated list of every Algorand address with a non-zero NOVA balance. Use the next-token field to paginate.
Asset summary — Vestige
Live price (denominated in USDC), TVL across all NOVA pairs, market cap, total token lockup, and vault lockup. The page-level "vaulted liquidity" stat is computed as tvl × (vault_lockup / total_lockup) from this response.
Active vaults — Vestige
List of every NOVA vault on Vestige's vault protocol, including vault id, LP token id, creation timestamp, unlock timestamp, and initial deposit amount.
Current block — Algorand Node
Returns the current Algorand round. Useful as a "this snapshot was taken at block X" anchor.
Example: fetch live summary in JavaScript
FAQ
Different questions from the homepage's FAQ. These are the ones a sophisticated reader asks before they put money in.
Why Algorand specifically?
Pure proof-of-stake consensus with instant finality, transaction costs measured in fractions of a cent, and a mature Algorand Standard Asset (ASA) primitive. Algorand also has a credible ongoing development roadmap without the governance volatility of larger chains. Vault contracts run cheaply enough that 4-year locks don't accumulate meaningful operational cost.
Why these particular paired assets?
Each pair is chosen for low correlation with NOVA and durable long-term value. Wrapped BTC and ETH represent the largest stores of value in crypto. Stables (USDC, EUR) provide ballast against pure crypto drawdowns. Metals (gold, silver) hedge against monetary debasement. Newer assets (SOL, AVAX, LINK, others) extend the basket into adjacent ecosystems. The basket evolves — new vaults can use new pairs.
Why a 4-year lock specifically?
Long enough that fee compounding is meaningful (four years of trading volume on a thin pool builds substantial value relative to the initial deposit). Short enough that the renewal cycle gives the system a regular review point, and that holders have visibility into when liquidity becomes redirectable. Most existing vaults use four years; some experimental vaults use shorter terms.
Why 5% burn at renewal?
Burning a slice converts temporary lockup into permanent depth — liquidity that nobody can ever withdraw, including Synova. The 5% rate is calibrated to be meaningful (after several renewal cycles, a substantial portion of the original deposit becomes permanent) but not so large that renewal becomes a tax. The exact rate is the founder's policy choice and could be adjusted based on system performance.
Can the vaults be rugged?
The vaulted LP positions cannot be withdrawn early — Vestige's contracts enforce this at the Algorand VM level, with no admin key. What can change is the renewal decision at unlock. If the founder chose not to renew (or to reclaim the full LP position rather than burn 5% and re-lock), that would be visible on-chain immediately and would trigger rug.ninja's bond. The deterrent is reputational and contractual, not technical.
What if Tinyman shuts down?
Tinyman is non-custodial — pool funds sit in user-controlled smart contracts on Algorand, not Tinyman-controlled wallets. If Tinyman's frontend went offline tomorrow, LP positions could still be redeemed by interacting with the pool contracts directly using goal, the Algorand SDK, or any compatible interface. The vaults themselves are independent of Tinyman.
What if Vestige shuts down?
Vestige's vault contracts are similarly non-custodial — once a vault is created, the contract enforces the lock and the unlock function works whether Vestige's frontend exists or not. A motivated user could call the contract directly. New vaults would need a different custodian; existing vaults continue to operate.
What does the founder gain?
The founder holds a NOVA position separate from the vaults. The vaults themselves are public Vestige contracts that nobody — including the founder — can withdraw early. The founder benefits from NOVA price appreciation if the system works, and bears reputational and legal risk via the rug.ninja bond if it doesn't.
Why no DAO or governance?
Governance adds attack surface — vote-buying, time-delay exploits, capture by capital concentrations — without solving the core problem the system is designed to solve. Synova's parameters are immutable once set. The only intervention point is renewal, which is appropriate for a single decision-maker bonded against bad behavior. A DAO could be added later if the renewal cycle stabilizes and the design space narrows.
How do I exit?
Sell NOVA on Tinyman whenever you want. The vaults don't restrict your individual exit — they restrict total liquidity. If pool depth is thin relative to your position size, slippage will be higher; this is a function of how much of NOVA's circulating liquidity has been vaulted. The Vaults page shows current depth.
Whitepaper
The Synova whitepaper is the canonical reference document — the statement of intent, on the record. The system it describes is fully verifiable on-chain; this page mirrors the document for accessibility. Most of its content is summarized across this site (System for the architecture, this Docs page for operational detail). What follows is the material unique to the whitepaper, plus a downloadable PDF for offline reading or sharing.
Highlights from the whitepaper
Download
The full whitepaper, formatted for offline reading or print. Clicking the button below opens a print dialog — choose "Save as PDF" as the destination to save it locally.
Synova is a utility token on the Algorand blockchain. Crypto assets are volatile and can lose value. Nothing on this page constitutes investment, financial, or legal advice. Do your own research before purchasing. The risks section is not exhaustive — readers are responsible for their own evaluation.
© Synova. All rights reserved.