> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://quantixfinance.gitbook.io/quantixfinance-docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://quantixfinance.gitbook.io/quantixfinance-docs/security-and-operational-resilience/key-management-and-administrative-controls.md).

# Key management and administrative controls

Most severe failures in this industry are key failures, not code failures, and Quantix treats privileged keys as the controls that matter most.

Any capability that can move funds, upgrade a contract, change a parameter, or pause the protocol is privileged. These capabilities are held under multi-signature control, so no individual can act unilaterally, and the signing keys are held on hardware rather than in software wallets. The most sensitive actions — contract upgrades and changes to critical parameters — are additionally subject to a timelock, so they are announced on-chain and take effect only after a delay, giving participants time to see a change before it lands. The signer configuration and the timelock duration are verifiable on-chain.

The administrative functions that gate onboarding, permissioning, and the admission of pools and delegates are governed by the same access-control module that enforces roles across the protocol. These functions manage who may participate; they do not reach into existing lender positions, and they cannot reassign or withdraw a lender's deposited capital.