---
title: "Running a ceremony you did not need"
description: "Substantial cost, schedule risk and a permanent trust assumption are taken on because the proof system was chosen without regard to its setup requirement, or…"
type: "failure-mode"
url: "https://zkpick.com/ceremony/failure-modes/running-a-ceremony-you-did-not-need/"
section: "04 Running or reusing a trusted setup"
authors:
  - "MarketComp"
publisher: "MarketComp"
version: "1.3"
updated: "2026-09-12"
license: "CC-BY-4.0"
json: "https://zkpick.com/data/ceremony/failure-modes/running-a-ceremony-you-did-not-need.json"
---

*By MarketComp. Updated 2026-09-12. Version 1.3. CC BY 4.0.*

# Running a ceremony you did not need

Substantial cost, schedule risk and a permanent trust assumption are taken on because the proof system was chosen without regard to its setup requirement, or because a ceremony was assumed to be a prerequisite for credibility.

**Mitigation:** Settle the setup question as part of §01, not afterwards. If a setup-free system meets the constraints, the entire workstream and its residual risk disappear.