> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.qwertycoin.org/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.qwertycoin.org/epose/admission-and-lifecycle.md).

# Admission and Lifecycle

> **Verified against:** the latest stable release; exact review revisions are recorded in [Pinned source and release revisions](/contribution-and-evidence/source-version-matrix.md).

> **Verified mainnet profile:** EPoSE protocol 2, admission target 18 leading RandomX zero bits.

After synchronization, the producer automatically:

1. creates or loads the bound keystore;
2. signs/relays the endpoint descriptor;
3. builds lifecycle state for the next eligible epoch;
4. performs bounded epoch-bound RandomX admission work;
5. submits/relays accepted lifecycle and admission envelopes;
6. renews descriptor and lease when required;
7. answers eligible canonical-object challenges.

For target epoch `E`, admission work binds the frozen member, target epoch, the block at `start(E-1)`, descriptor sequence, nonce, work hash and lease hash. The lease must be canonically included no later than `start(E)-61`. Mainnet freezes at most 100 identities.

A local successful search or accepted local submission is not enough: the record must become canonical before the inclusive cutoff. A byte-identical duplicate is idempotent; conflicting records are invalid. Descriptor changes have activation/warm-up rules and cannot rewrite an already frozen membership snapshot.

Legacy `register_service_node`, `get_service_node_registration_payload` enrollment, funded transactions and `--service-node*` flags are retired compatibility surfaces, not alternate EPoSe v2 setup methods.