chore: add CPU features check during install and start of celestia-appd

Makefile

@@ -69,13 +69,15 @@ endif
 ## install-standalone: Build and install the celestia-appd binary into the $GOPATH/bin directory. This target does not install the multiplexer.
 install-standalone:
 	@echo "--> Installing celestia-appd"
+	@bash scripts/check_cpu_features.sh
 	@go install $(BUILD_FLAGS_STANDALONE) ./cmd/celestia-appd
 .PHONY: install-standalone
 
 ## install: Build and install the multiplexer version of celestia-appd into the $GOPATH/bin directory.
 # TODO: Improve logic here and in goreleaser to make it future proof and less expensive.
 install: download-v3-binaries download-v4-binaries download-v5-binaries
 	@echo "--> Installing celestia-appd with multiplexer support"
+	@bash scripts/check_cpu_features.sh
 	@go install $(BUILD_FLAGS_MULTIPLEXER) ./cmd/celestia-appd
 .PHONY: install
 

cmd/celestia-appd/cmd/cpu_features.go

@@ -0,0 +1,85 @@
+package cmd
+
+import (
+	"os"
+	"runtime"
+	"strings"
+
+	"cosmossdk.io/log"
+	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
+)
+
+const FlagTestingEnvironment = "testing-environment"
+
+// checkCPUFeatures checks if CPU supports GFNI and SHA_NI extensions.
+func checkCPUFeatures(command *cobra.Command, logger log.Logger) error {
+	const (
+		warning = `
+CPU Performance Warning: Missing hardware acceleration features
+
+Your CPU does not support one or more of the following hardware acceleration features:
+- GFNI (Galois Field New Instructions)
+- SHA_NI (Secure Hash Algorithm New Instructions)
+
+These features significantly improve cryptographic performance for blockchain operations.
+
+Note: These features are not required for the 32MB/6s block configuration but will become
+essential when the network transitions to 128MB/6s blocks. Validators should prepare by upgrading
+their hardware to ensure optimal performance during future network upgrades.
+
+To check what features your CPU supports:
+grep -o -E 'sha_ni|gfni' /proc/cpuinfo
+
+Modern Intel CPUs (10th gen+) and AMD CPUs (Zen 4+) typically support these features.
+If you are running this node, consider upgrading to a CPU with these features.
+
+This node will continue to run, but may experience reduced performance for cryptographic operations.
+If you need to bypass this check, use the --testing-environment flag.
+`
+	)
+
+	testingEnvironment, err := command.Flags().GetBool(FlagTestingEnvironment)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	if testingEnvironment {
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	// Only check on Linux where /proc/cpuinfo is available
+	if runtime.GOOS != "linux" {
+		// Skip check silently for non-Linux OSes (e.g., macOS, Windows, BSD)
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	file, err := os.ReadFile("/proc/cpuinfo")
+	if err != nil {
+		logger.Warn(warning)
+		// TODO: enable when we want to start enforcing the new CPU features.
+		// return fmt.Errorf("failed to read file '/proc/cpuinfo' %w", err)
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	cpuInfo := string(file)
+	hasGFNI := strings.Contains(cpuInfo, "gfni")
+	hasSHANI := strings.Contains(cpuInfo, "sha_ni")
+
+	if !hasGFNI || !hasSHANI {
+		missingFeatures := []string{}
+		if !hasGFNI {
+			missingFeatures = append(missingFeatures, "GFNI")
+		}
+		if !hasSHANI {
+			missingFeatures = append(missingFeatures, "SHA_NI")
+		}
+		logger.Warn(warning, "missing_features", strings.Join(missingFeatures, ", "))
+	}
+
+	if !hasGFNI {
+		// TODO: enable when we want to start enforcing the new CPU features.
+		// return fmt.Errorf("missing GFNI")
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}

cmd/celestia-appd/cmd/root.go

@@ -136,7 +136,7 @@ func initRootCommand(rootCommand *cobra.Command, capp *app.App) {
 	modifyRootCommand(rootCommand)
 
 	// Add hooks run prior to the start command
-	if err := addPreStartHooks(rootCommand, checkBBR); err != nil {
+	if err := addPreStartHooks(rootCommand, checkBBR, checkCPUFeatures); err != nil {
 		panic(fmt.Errorf("failed to add pre-start hooks: %w", err))
 	}
 }
@@ -155,6 +155,7 @@ func addStartFlags(startCmd *cobra.Command) {
 
 	startCmd.Flags().Duration(DelayedPrecommitTimeoutFlag, 0, "Override the DelayedPrecommitTimeout to control block time. Note: only for testing purposes.")
 	startCmd.Flags().Bool(FlagForceNoBBR, false, "bypass the requirement to use bbr locally")
+	startCmd.Flags().Bool(FlagTestingEnvironment, false, "bypass CPU feature checks for testing environments")
 }
 
 // replaceLogger optionally replaces the logger with a file logger if the flag

scripts/check_cpu_features.sh

@@ -0,0 +1,73 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+# Script to check CPU features for celestia-app
+# Checks for GFNI and SHA_NI CPU features that improve cryptographic performance
+
+check_cpu_features() {
+    local warning="
+CPU Performance Warning: Missing hardware acceleration features
+
+Your CPU does not support one or more of the following hardware acceleration features:
+- GFNI (Galois Field New Instructions)
+- SHA_NI (Secure Hash Algorithm New Instructions)
+
+These features significantly improve cryptographic performance for blockchain operations.
+
+Note: These features are not required for the 32MB/6s block configuration but will become
+essential when the network transitions to 128MB/6s blocks. Validators should prepare by upgrading
+their hardware to ensure optimal performance during future network upgrades.
+
+To check what features your CPU supports:
+grep -o -E 'sha_ni|gfni' /proc/cpuinfo
+
+Modern Intel CPUs (10th gen+) and AMD CPUs (Zen 3+) typically support these features.
+If you are running this node in production, consider upgrading to a CPU with these features.
+
+This node will continue to run, but may experience reduced performance for cryptographic operations.
+"
+
+    # Only check on Linux where /proc/cpuinfo is available
+    if [[ "$OSTYPE" != "linux-gnu"* ]]; then
+        # Skip check silently for non-Linux OSes (e.g., macOS, Windows, BSD)
+        return 0
+    fi
+
+    # Check if /proc/cpuinfo exists and is readable
+    if [[ ! -f /proc/cpuinfo ]] || [[ ! -r /proc/cpuinfo ]]; then
+        echo "Warning: Could not read /proc/cpuinfo to check CPU features"
+        return 0
+    fi
+
+    # Check for CPU features
+    local cpu_features
+    cpu_features=$(grep -o -E 'sha_ni|gfni' /proc/cpuinfo 2>/dev/null | sort -u)
+
+    local has_gfni=false
+    local has_sha_ni=false
+    local missing_features=()
+
+    if echo "$cpu_features" | grep -q "gfni"; then
+        has_gfni=true
+    else
+        missing_features+=("GFNI")
+    fi
+
+    if echo "$cpu_features" | grep -q "sha_ni"; then
+        has_sha_ni=true
+    else
+        missing_features+=("SHA_NI")
+    fi
+
+    # If any features are missing, show warning
+    if [[ ${#missing_features[@]} -gt 0 ]]; then
+        echo "$warning"
+        printf "Missing features: %s\n\n" "$(IFS=', '; echo "${missing_features[*]}")"
+    fi
+
+    return 0
+}
+
+# Run the check if script is executed directly
+if [[ "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}" == "${0}" ]]; then
+    check_cpu_features
+fi