Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: How transparent and safe is the AI decision-making?

A: All vault actions on Stratos are on-chain and auditable. The AI’s strategy, including weightings and triggers, is derived from user-configured parameters and is effectively deterministic once set. Stratos will publish audit logs of AI-scheduled transactions to enhance transparency. To further boost transparency, our AI models will be open-source or verifiable, allowing users to inspect the code and even run simulations. Moreover, Stratos implements explainability tools and human overrides to ensure unexpected AI moves can be reviewed and corrected.

Q: How does Stratos fit with Cosmos/IBC’s vision?

A: Stratos is built on Cosmos and IBC, not solely on Ethereum, fully leveraging Cosmos Hub and IBC for interoperability. This aligns with Cosmos’s ethos of sovereign chains cooperating via open standards. IBC Eureka, recently launched by Interchain Labs, is Stratos’s chosen bridge technology.27 By utilizing light-client bridges (IBC v2 + Skip:Go), Stratos contributes to the network effect of the Cosmos ecosystem while ensuring secure and fast interoperability.27 Stratos enhances the usability of Cosmos zones by bringing high-value Ethereum and multi-chain DeFi into the Cosmos Hub’s orbit.

Q: What are the security assumptions?

A: Stratos’s cross-chain trust model relies on IBC light clients. This means each transfer is secured by the consensus of the source blockchain, eliminating reliance on centralized operators. Stratos does not use wrapped assets or manual bridges. Smart contracts are audited and permissioned only by a multi-sig of known team keys. Oracles are decentralized and redundantly sourced. The design assumes that, at worst, some external component (e.g., a relayer) might fail; in such cases, Stratos has fail-safes like pausing activity or rerouting. In summary, Stratos assumes an honest-majority in the underlying chains and oracles, not trusted intermediaries.

Q: How exactly does IBC (Eureka) work in Stratos?

A: Stratos integrates IBC v2 and Skip:Go as the backbone for cross-chain asset movements.27 When the AI decides to shift assets (e.g., move DAI from Cosmos to Ethereum), Stratos constructs an IBC transfer packet and sends it through the Cosmos Hub using Eureka.27 Eureka’s light-client design, which involves an Ethereum client on Cosmos and vice versa, means the transaction is verified by the consensus of both chains.27 The Skip:Go contracts handle gas payments and relaying.27 This entire process occurs automatically in one action, so users do not need to manually initiate separate bridges. Essentially, users keep assets in their Stratos vault on one chain, and Stratos uses IBC to reposition them under the hood.

Q: What about competing solutions?

A: Most existing vaults, such as Yearn and Beefy, operate on a single chain and require manual bridging for cross-chain use.28 Cross-chain platforms like THORChain primarily focus on swaps rather than maximizing yield. Stratos is unique in combining AI-driven yield optimization with native IBC multi-chain support. Currently, no other project offers an autonomous, parameterized "set-and-forget" yield strategy spanning both Cosmos and Ethereum. In essence, Stratos is the first to automate DeFi yield across chains using advanced machine learning, providing a significant edge as DeFi trends toward AI-driven models.

Q: What is the long-term vision?

A: Stratos envisions itself as a foundational DeFi primitive on the Interchain. Long-term, the vault framework will become community-governed, allowing token holders to vote on adding new strategies or chains. Stratos plans to open-source its core AI logic, enabling third parties to plug in custom models. As more chains and rollups join Cosmos via IBC, Stratos will automatically expand to optimize yields in these new markets. In five years, the vision is a fully decentralized network of Stratos vaults, where any user or developer can deploy specialized strategies. This aligns with the broader DeFi trend away from inflationary token rewards toward "real yield" strategies and AI assistance. Ultimately, Stratos aims to make cross-chain yield farming as seamless as using a single bank account, thereby fueling the adoption of both Cosmos and AI-driven DeFi.