> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.zama.org/protocol/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.zama.org/protocol/confidential-vault/readme.md).

# Overview

Hold a position in a public ERC-4626 vault while the amount stays encrypted, powered by Zama FHEVM.

Confidential Vaults connect confidential tokens to public ERC-4626 yield vaults. Users deposit encrypted amounts, the protocol pools them into a batch, and only the batch total is decrypted and settled against the vault. Observers see who participated and the batch total — never an individual amount. Batches settle once a day on mainnet, and one transaction can enter or exit many vaults.

The encrypted arithmetic runs on [Zama FHEVM](https://docs.zama.ai/protocol), which computes directly on ciphertexts on Ethereum. Balances and per-user amounts exist on-chain only as ciphertext handles, and each user can decrypt their own position.

Every step of a batch's lifecycle — dispatch, settlement, claim — is a permissionless contract call, and a user can always recover their funds with their own transactions.

## Understand the protocol

<table data-view="cards"><thead><tr><th></th><th></th><th data-hidden data-card-target data-type="content-ref"></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Architecture</strong></td><td>The contracts and how value moves between them.</td><td><a href="/protocol/confidential-vault/concepts/architecture.md">Architecture</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Batch Lifecycle</strong></td><td>How a batch moves from encrypted joins to settled claims.</td><td><a href="/protocol/confidential-vault/concepts/batch-lifecycle.md">Batch Lifecycle</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Confidentiality</strong></td><td>What stays encrypted, what is public, and the known limits.</td><td><a href="/protocol/confidential-vault/concepts/confidentiality.md">Confidentiality</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Trust Model</strong></td><td>Who can do what, and how users recover funds on their own.</td><td><a href="/protocol/confidential-vault/concepts/trust-model.md">Trust Model</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Multi-Vault Router</strong></td><td>Join several vaults in one transaction, with decoy legs hiding which one you chose.</td><td><a href="/protocol/confidential-vault/concepts/multi-vault-router.md">Multi-Vault Router</a></td></tr></tbody></table>

## Build on it

<table data-view="cards"><thead><tr><th></th><th></th><th data-hidden data-card-target data-type="content-ref"></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Getting Started</strong></td><td>Make a confidential deposit on Sepolia from a small script.</td><td><a href="/protocol/confidential-vault/getting-started.md">Getting Started</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Deposit into a Vault</strong></td><td>Integrate the deposit flow into an app.</td><td><a href="/protocol/confidential-vault/guides/deposit.md">Deposit into a Vault</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Contract Addresses</strong></td><td>Deployed contracts on mainnet and Sepolia.</td><td><a href="/protocol/confidential-vault/reference/addresses.md">Contract Addresses</a></td></tr></tbody></table>


---

# Agent Instructions
This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com.

## Querying This Documentation
If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter, and the optional `goal` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.zama.org/protocol/confidential-vault/readme.md?ask=<question>&goal=<endgoal>
```

`ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
`goal` is optional and describes the broader end goal you are ultimately trying to accomplish on behalf of the user. GitBook uses it to tailor the answer towards what is most useful for that goal.

The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.