Starknet Privacy SDK and Wallet API Now Live for Builders

The official Starknet account announced the release around 12:01 UTC on July 15. Shielded balances and private swaps already run on mainnet. Now any team can build on top of them.

According to Starknet, the launch closes a gap. Until today, private DeFi lived inside the protocol and a few wallets. From now on, outside developers get the same tools through the “Push to Private” release.

Two Ways to Build With the Starknet Privacy SDK

Starknet ships two integration paths, and each one targets a different builder. So teams can pick the level of control they actually need.

The first path is the SDK itself. Starknet wrote it in TypeScript and licensed it under Apache 2.0. In short, it gives wallets and advanced integrators full control over proving and note management.

The second path is the Wallet API, which plugs into starknet.js. Here, apps never touch viewing keys or zero-knowledge proofs. Instead, the wallet handles that work through Starknet’s native account abstraction.

Also, no new wallet is required. The system works with existing signing keys, according to the announcement. As a result, a user can keep their current setup and still transact privately.

What Already Runs on Mainnet

Private DeFi is not a promise here. It has run on Starknet mainnet since the STRK20 privacy framework launched around June 9, 2026.

Since then, users can hold shielded balances and move funds through private transfers. They can also run anonymous swaps against existing liquidity on venues like Ekubo.

Moreover, the design supports multi-call privacy. For example, one transaction can unshield, swap, repay, and reshield in a single atomic step. So a full DeFi action stays private from start to finish.

The June launch drew coverage from The Block, The Defiant, and CryptoBriefing. The July 15 developer release, by contrast, has little secondary coverage yet.

The stack also builds on earlier steps. In April, Starknet added protocol changes for STRK20. Then in May, strkBTC, a Bitcoin-backed privacy asset, went live. So the SDK caps a run that started months ago.

How the Starknet Privacy Pool Works

At the core sits a note-based Privacy Pool smart contract. Users deposit any ERC-20 into one unified pool, and shielded assets share that pool.

In return, a depositor receives an encrypted note, or commitment, that represents their balance. As a result, ownership and amounts stay hidden through cryptography.

Private actions then consume old notes and create new ones. Meanwhile, a ZK proof confirms each action. Wallets generate the proof off-chain, and Starknet verifies it on-chain to block any double-spend.

To keep wallets fast, a discovery service indexes the encrypted storage. So a wallet can find only its own notes instead of scanning the whole chain. Still, early users report mobile sync of roughly four to six seconds.

The pool also leaves an on-chain trail. The repo references a Privacy Pool class hash starting 0x52107f, and readers can trace live instances on Starkscan or Voyager. As a result, the design stays verifiable even while balances stay private.

Compliance Built Into the Design

Starknet frames this as “privacy that works for crypto.” In practice, that means privacy by default with a disclosure path.

For instance, the system screens deposits before they enter the pool. In addition, viewing keys derive from a user’s signing keys, which allows selective disclosure when required.

This is where the Starknet privacy SDK differs from a classic mixer like Tornado Cash. The pool is protocol-native, not bolted on, and it plugs into live DeFi liquidity rather than isolated pools.

Where Privacy Meets Pushback

The main tension is privacy versus compliance. Because of the Tornado Cash precedent, some observers stay wary of any shielded pool, even one with screening.

On the other side, some privacy advocates argue the opposite. They suggest built-in screening and a discovery service could weaken real privacy or add central points of control.

For now, the reaction among builders skews positive. Ecosystem accounts such as ForgeYields amplified the thread. Starknet also lists teams like AVNU, Vesu, Xverse, and Endur.fi as integrating or exploring the stack.

What Comes Next for Starknet Privacy

The open questions are mostly about adoption. Starknet does not yet break out shielded balances, so a clean usage metric is still missing.

For context, Starknet’s total value locked sits near $175 million, according to DefiLlama. Ekubo holds about $18.25 million and Vesu about $14.37 million, and both are named among the privacy integrators.

The repo, starkware-libs/starknet-privacy, tagged its latest release candidate, 0.14.3-RC.3, on July 8. Next, watch developer traction, audit updates, and the first production apps that ship on the Starknet privacy SDK. None of this is financial advice.