Cardano Crisis? Charles Hoskinson Steps In as Glacier Airdrop Glitch Hits ADA Holders

Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson has publicly addressed the Glacier airdrop fiasco leaving some users empty-handed—proving once again that in crypto, 'free money' always comes with fine print.

When the airdrop froze mid-distribution, the community erupted. Hoskinson's intervention highlights the delicate balance between decentralization and damage control.

Meanwhile, traditional finance bros smirk behind their 401(k) statements—because nothing says 'secure asset distribution' like watching blockchain projects troubleshoot live on Twitter.

In Brief

• Charles reveals software limits are why some Cardano users with Ledger wallets can’t claim Glacier Airdrop.
• His team is deploying a temporary hack using a null transaction with claim data as metadata.
• Despite challenges, over 120 million NIGHT tokens have been claimed across all eight ecosystems, and the airdrop timeline continues.

Software Roadblock Hits Message Signing

The NIGHT token airdrop is a key part of the wider Midnight rollout, covering eight ecosystems to ensure fair access. While most wallets work without issues, cardano users with Ledger devices have run into problems because of message-signing limits.

To complete the claim, users must sign a message that follows the CIP-8 standard—a format used to confirm wallet ownership. However, Ledger devices currently cap message size at just 31 bytes. The Glacier Drop message, on the other hand, is 251 bytes long.

This mismatch means Ledger users can’t finish the verification step and are, for now, unable to access their NIGHT tokens.

Coordinated Fixes Rolled Out for Ledger Compatibility on Cardano

Charles Hoskinson noted that the Ledger issue was flagged in July, but with no official fix in sight, his team introduced a temporary workaround. The solution mirrors techniques already used in the NFT space. He stated,

This is a cardano specific issue with ledger’s software that we asked them to update in July and they haven’t given us a timeline for their update. In the meantime, we have a hack that we are deploying that is common in the NFT space by signing a null transaction with the 251 byte GD payload as metadata. 

In a separate update, Bob Blessing Hartley, Chief Technology Officer at Shielded Technologies—the team behind the Midnight Network—spoke about a different approach. He said they had tested hundreds of hardware and software wallet combinations during the development of the airdrop. 

They found that AdaBase claims through hardware wallets didn’t align with the security principles that the Glacier Drop program was built on. To address this, Hartley’s team created a new claim method tailored specifically for Ledger users.

Their solution also uses a zero-value transaction that includes the claim details as metadata. The data shows up clearly on the user’s Ledger screen so they can see exactly what they’re approving. Hartley confirmed the approach has been widely tested in the Cardano community and meets all required security standards.

Fahmi Syed, president of the Midnight Foundation, acknowledged the message-signing challenge. He stated that Ledger’s implementation approach to CIP-8 raises potential safety concerns and that protecting user assets remains a top priority. Both teams continue to work closely to monitor the situation and evaluate longer-term improvements.

Claim Process and Token Allocation Remain Unaffected

Despite the technical setback for Ledger users, the Glacier Drop distribution schedule remains unchanged. 

• NIGHT token allocations were based on a historical ADA snapshot—wallet amounts are already fixed.
• Claims can be made anytime during the 2-month window without affecting token amounts.
• A secure workaround ensures Ledger users can still claim tokens despite the message size limit.
• The revised claim path is undergoing final audit and should be live by the week of August 25.
• According to Syed, users snapped up over 120 million NIGHT tokens just hours into the launch, with strong engagement seen across all eight supported chains.

In the meantime, the team urges users to avoid unofficial or unverified platforms. There have already been attempts by fraudulent websites to mimic the Glacier Drop interface, potentially targeting Ledger users. Steps are being taken to detect and remove such threats to protect the community from scams.

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