diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index 25458b82a3..d04c7b04f5 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -3030,7 +3030,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "minotari_app_grpc"
-version = "1.0.0-pre.8"
+version = "1.0.0-pre.9"
 dependencies = [
  "argon2",
  "base64 0.13.1",
@@ -3057,7 +3057,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "minotari_app_utilities"
-version = "1.0.0-pre.8"
+version = "1.0.0-pre.9"
 dependencies = [
  "clap 3.2.25",
  "dialoguer",
@@ -3079,7 +3079,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "minotari_chat_ffi"
-version = "1.0.0-pre.8"
+version = "1.0.0-pre.9"
 dependencies = [
  "cbindgen",
  "chrono",
@@ -3104,7 +3104,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "minotari_console_wallet"
-version = "1.0.0-pre.8"
+version = "1.0.0-pre.9"
 dependencies = [
  "blake2",
  "chrono",
@@ -3158,7 +3158,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "minotari_merge_mining_proxy"
-version = "1.0.0-pre.8"
+version = "1.0.0-pre.9"
 dependencies = [
  "anyhow",
  "bincode",
@@ -3197,7 +3197,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "minotari_miner"
-version = "1.0.0-pre.8"
+version = "1.0.0-pre.9"
 dependencies = [
  "base64 0.13.1",
  "borsh",
@@ -3233,7 +3233,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "minotari_mining_helper_ffi"
-version = "1.0.0-pre.8"
+version = "1.0.0-pre.9"
 dependencies = [
  "borsh",
  "hex",
@@ -3249,7 +3249,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "minotari_node"
-version = "1.0.0-pre.8"
+version = "1.0.0-pre.9"
 dependencies = [
  "anyhow",
  "async-trait",
@@ -3304,7 +3304,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "minotari_wallet"
-version = "1.0.0-pre.8"
+version = "1.0.0-pre.9"
 dependencies = [
  "argon2",
  "async-trait",
@@ -3354,7 +3354,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "minotari_wallet_ffi"
-version = "1.0.0-pre.8"
+version = "1.0.0-pre.9"
 dependencies = [
  "borsh",
  "cbindgen",
@@ -5562,7 +5562,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "tari_chat_client"
-version = "1.0.0-pre.8"
+version = "1.0.0-pre.9"
 dependencies = [
  "anyhow",
  "async-trait",
@@ -5588,7 +5588,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "tari_common"
-version = "1.0.0-pre.8"
+version = "1.0.0-pre.9"
 dependencies = [
  "anyhow",
  "blake2",
@@ -5615,7 +5615,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "tari_common_sqlite"
-version = "1.0.0-pre.8"
+version = "1.0.0-pre.9"
 dependencies = [
  "diesel",
  "diesel_migrations",
@@ -5629,7 +5629,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "tari_common_types"
-version = "1.0.0-pre.8"
+version = "1.0.0-pre.9"
 dependencies = [
  "base64 0.21.5",
  "blake2",
@@ -5649,7 +5649,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "tari_comms"
-version = "1.0.0-pre.8"
+version = "1.0.0-pre.9"
 dependencies = [
  "anyhow",
  "async-trait",
@@ -5698,7 +5698,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "tari_comms_dht"
-version = "1.0.0-pre.8"
+version = "1.0.0-pre.9"
 dependencies = [
  "anyhow",
  "bitflags 2.4.1",
@@ -5742,7 +5742,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "tari_comms_rpc_macros"
-version = "1.0.0-pre.8"
+version = "1.0.0-pre.9"
 dependencies = [
  "futures 0.3.29",
  "proc-macro2",
@@ -5757,7 +5757,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "tari_contacts"
-version = "1.0.0-pre.8"
+version = "1.0.0-pre.9"
 dependencies = [
  "chrono",
  "diesel",
@@ -5790,7 +5790,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "tari_core"
-version = "1.0.0-pre.8"
+version = "1.0.0-pre.9"
 dependencies = [
  "async-trait",
  "bincode",
@@ -5884,11 +5884,11 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "tari_features"
-version = "1.0.0-pre.8"
+version = "1.0.0-pre.9"
 
 [[package]]
 name = "tari_hash_domains"
-version = "1.0.0-pre.8"
+version = "1.0.0-pre.9"
 dependencies = [
  "tari_crypto",
 ]
@@ -5943,7 +5943,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "tari_key_manager"
-version = "1.0.0-pre.8"
+version = "1.0.0-pre.9"
 dependencies = [
  "argon2",
  "async-trait",
@@ -5978,7 +5978,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "tari_libtor"
-version = "1.0.0-pre.8"
+version = "1.0.0-pre.9"
 dependencies = [
  "derivative",
  "libtor",
@@ -5993,7 +5993,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "tari_metrics"
-version = "1.0.0-pre.8"
+version = "1.0.0-pre.9"
 dependencies = [
  "anyhow",
  "futures 0.3.29",
@@ -6008,7 +6008,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "tari_mmr"
-version = "1.0.0-pre.8"
+version = "1.0.0-pre.9"
 dependencies = [
  "bincode",
  "blake2",
@@ -6027,7 +6027,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "tari_p2p"
-version = "1.0.0-pre.8"
+version = "1.0.0-pre.9"
 dependencies = [
  "anyhow",
  "clap 3.2.25",
@@ -6063,7 +6063,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "tari_script"
-version = "1.0.0-pre.8"
+version = "1.0.0-pre.9"
 dependencies = [
  "blake2",
  "borsh",
@@ -6080,7 +6080,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "tari_service_framework"
-version = "1.0.0-pre.8"
+version = "1.0.0-pre.9"
 dependencies = [
  "anyhow",
  "async-trait",
@@ -6097,7 +6097,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "tari_shutdown"
-version = "1.0.0-pre.8"
+version = "1.0.0-pre.9"
 dependencies = [
  "futures 0.3.29",
  "tokio",
@@ -6105,7 +6105,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "tari_storage"
-version = "1.0.0-pre.8"
+version = "1.0.0-pre.9"
 dependencies = [
  "bincode",
  "lmdb-zero",
@@ -6118,7 +6118,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "tari_test_utils"
-version = "1.0.0-pre.8"
+version = "1.0.0-pre.9"
 dependencies = [
  "futures 0.3.29",
  "futures-test",
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 2be0f65b07..a0e4ac8dcb 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ The recommended running versions of each network are:
 |-----------|-------------|
 | Stagenet  | ---         |
 | Nextnet   | 1.0.0-rc.5  |
-| Esmeralda | 1.0.0-pre.8 |
+| Esmeralda | 1.0.0-pre.9 |
 
 For more detail about versioning, see [Release Ideology](https://github.com/tari-project/tari/blob/development/docs/src/branching_releases.md).
 
diff --git a/applications/minotari_app_grpc/Cargo.toml b/applications/minotari_app_grpc/Cargo.toml
index 24ea0a9949..d23cefceb5 100644
--- a/applications/minotari_app_grpc/Cargo.toml
+++ b/applications/minotari_app_grpc/Cargo.toml
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ authors = ["The Tari Development Community"]
 description = "This crate is to provide a single source for all cross application grpc files and conversions to and from tari::core"
 repository = "https://github.com/tari-project/tari"
 license = "BSD-3-Clause"
-version = "1.0.0-pre.8"
+version = "1.0.0-pre.9"
 edition = "2018"
 
 [dependencies]
diff --git a/applications/minotari_app_utilities/Cargo.toml b/applications/minotari_app_utilities/Cargo.toml
index 75b05a53d9..b13da63ac9 100644
--- a/applications/minotari_app_utilities/Cargo.toml
+++ b/applications/minotari_app_utilities/Cargo.toml
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [package]
 name = "minotari_app_utilities"
-version = "1.0.0-pre.8"
+version = "1.0.0-pre.9"
 authors = ["The Tari Development Community"]
 edition = "2018"
 license = "BSD-3-Clause"
diff --git a/applications/minotari_console_wallet/Cargo.toml b/applications/minotari_console_wallet/Cargo.toml
index 234e9a5bdf..7e212f5fea 100644
--- a/applications/minotari_console_wallet/Cargo.toml
+++ b/applications/minotari_console_wallet/Cargo.toml
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [package]
 name = "minotari_console_wallet"
-version = "1.0.0-pre.8"
+version = "1.0.0-pre.9"
 authors = ["The Tari Development Community"]
 edition = "2018"
 license = "BSD-3-Clause"
diff --git a/applications/minotari_merge_mining_proxy/Cargo.toml b/applications/minotari_merge_mining_proxy/Cargo.toml
index db2c050d1a..d36666bb48 100644
--- a/applications/minotari_merge_mining_proxy/Cargo.toml
+++ b/applications/minotari_merge_mining_proxy/Cargo.toml
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ authors = ["The Tari Development Community"]
 description = "The Tari merge mining proxy for xmrig"
 repository = "https://github.com/tari-project/tari"
 license = "BSD-3-Clause"
-version = "1.0.0-pre.8"
+version = "1.0.0-pre.9"
 edition = "2018"
 
 [features]
diff --git a/applications/minotari_miner/Cargo.toml b/applications/minotari_miner/Cargo.toml
index 7ebfa7e3db..cfaa453b18 100644
--- a/applications/minotari_miner/Cargo.toml
+++ b/applications/minotari_miner/Cargo.toml
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ authors = ["The Tari Development Community"]
 description = "The tari miner implementation"
 repository = "https://github.com/tari-project/tari"
 license = "BSD-3-Clause"
-version = "1.0.0-pre.8"
+version = "1.0.0-pre.9"
 edition = "2018"
 
 [dependencies]
diff --git a/applications/minotari_node/Cargo.toml b/applications/minotari_node/Cargo.toml
index 3a06385e32..7ef8bda9d7 100644
--- a/applications/minotari_node/Cargo.toml
+++ b/applications/minotari_node/Cargo.toml
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ authors = ["The Tari Development Community"]
 description = "The tari full base node implementation"
 repository = "https://github.com/tari-project/tari"
 license = "BSD-3-Clause"
-version = "1.0.0-pre.8"
+version = "1.0.0-pre.9"
 edition = "2018"
 
 [dependencies]
diff --git a/base_layer/chat_ffi/Cargo.toml b/base_layer/chat_ffi/Cargo.toml
index 9ead283484..c97745c7b3 100644
--- a/base_layer/chat_ffi/Cargo.toml
+++ b/base_layer/chat_ffi/Cargo.toml
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ name = "minotari_chat_ffi"
 authors = ["The Tari Development Community"]
 description = "Tari cryptocurrency chat C FFI bindings"
 license = "BSD-3-Clause"
-version = "1.0.0-pre.8"
+version = "1.0.0-pre.9"
 edition = "2018"
 
 [dependencies]
diff --git a/base_layer/common_types/Cargo.toml b/base_layer/common_types/Cargo.toml
index f14b9c4e8e..8750214376 100644
--- a/base_layer/common_types/Cargo.toml
+++ b/base_layer/common_types/Cargo.toml
@@ -3,13 +3,13 @@ name = "tari_common_types"
 authors = ["The Tari Development Community"]
 description = "Tari cryptocurrency common types"
 license = "BSD-3-Clause"
-version = "1.0.0-pre.8"
+version = "1.0.0-pre.9"
 edition = "2018"
 
 [dependencies]
 tari_crypto = { version = "0.20" }
 tari_utilities = { version = "0.7" }
-tari_common = {  path = "../../common", version = "1.0.0-pre.8" }
+tari_common = {  path = "../../common", version = "1.0.0-pre.9" }
 
 
 chacha20poly1305 = "0.10.1"
diff --git a/base_layer/contacts/Cargo.toml b/base_layer/contacts/Cargo.toml
index 4aec77399c..0caa749b03 100644
--- a/base_layer/contacts/Cargo.toml
+++ b/base_layer/contacts/Cargo.toml
@@ -3,19 +3,19 @@ name = "tari_contacts"
 authors = ["The Tari Development Community"]
 description = "Tari contacts library"
 license = "BSD-3-Clause"
-version = "1.0.0-pre.8"
+version = "1.0.0-pre.9"
 edition = "2018"
 
 [dependencies]
-tari_common = { path = "../../common", version = "1.0.0-pre.8" }
-tari_common_sqlite = { path = "../../common_sqlite", version = "1.0.0-pre.8" }
-tari_common_types = {  path = "../../base_layer/common_types", version = "1.0.0-pre.8" }
-tari_comms = {  path = "../../comms/core", version = "1.0.0-pre.8" }
-tari_comms_dht = { path = "../../comms/dht", version = "1.0.0-pre.8" }
+tari_common = { path = "../../common", version = "1.0.0-pre.9" }
+tari_common_sqlite = { path = "../../common_sqlite", version = "1.0.0-pre.9" }
+tari_common_types = {  path = "../../base_layer/common_types", version = "1.0.0-pre.9" }
+tari_comms = {  path = "../../comms/core", version = "1.0.0-pre.9" }
+tari_comms_dht = { path = "../../comms/dht", version = "1.0.0-pre.9" }
 tari_crypto = { version = "0.20" }
-tari_p2p = {  path = "../p2p", features = ["auto-update"], version = "1.0.0-pre.8" }
-tari_service_framework = {  path = "../service_framework", version = "1.0.0-pre.8" }
-tari_shutdown = {  path = "../../infrastructure/shutdown", version = "1.0.0-pre.8" }
+tari_p2p = {  path = "../p2p", features = ["auto-update"], version = "1.0.0-pre.9" }
+tari_service_framework = {  path = "../service_framework", version = "1.0.0-pre.9" }
+tari_shutdown = {  path = "../../infrastructure/shutdown", version = "1.0.0-pre.9" }
 tari_utilities = { version = "0.7" }
 
 chrono = { version = "0.4.19", default-features = false, features = ["serde"] }
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ tari_test_utils = {  path = "../../infrastructure/test_utils" }
 tempfile = "3.1.0"
 
 [build-dependencies]
-tari_common = { path = "../../common", version = "1.0.0-pre.8" }
+tari_common = { path = "../../common", version = "1.0.0-pre.9" }
 
 [package.metadata.cargo-machete]
 ignored = ["prost"] # this is so we can run cargo machete without getting false positive about macro dependancies
diff --git a/base_layer/contacts/src/chat_client/Cargo.toml b/base_layer/contacts/src/chat_client/Cargo.toml
index 6f2ad3e2a4..6957dc331f 100644
--- a/base_layer/contacts/src/chat_client/Cargo.toml
+++ b/base_layer/contacts/src/chat_client/Cargo.toml
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ name = "tari_chat_client"
 authors = ["The Tari Development Community"]
 description = "Tari cucumber chat client"
 license = "BSD-3-Clause"
-version = "1.0.0-pre.8"
+version = "1.0.0-pre.9"
 
 edition = "2018"
 
diff --git a/base_layer/core/Cargo.toml b/base_layer/core/Cargo.toml
index bfb3842e41..9659fbf0ea 100644
--- a/base_layer/core/Cargo.toml
+++ b/base_layer/core/Cargo.toml
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ repository = "https://github.com/tari-project/tari"
 homepage = "https://tari.com"
 readme = "README.md"
 license = "BSD-3-Clause"
-version = "1.0.0-pre.8"
+version = "1.0.0-pre.9"
 edition = "2018"
 
 [features]
@@ -26,26 +26,26 @@ benches = ["base_node"]
 metrics = ["tari_metrics"]
 
 [dependencies]
-tari_common = { path = "../../common", version = "1.0.0-pre.8" }
-tari_common_types = { path = "../../base_layer/common_types", version = "1.0.0-pre.8" }
-tari_comms = { path = "../../comms/core", version = "1.0.0-pre.8" }
-tari_comms_dht = { path = "../../comms/dht", version = "1.0.0-pre.8" }
-tari_comms_rpc_macros = { path = "../../comms/rpc_macros", version = "1.0.0-pre.8" }
+tari_common = { path = "../../common", version = "1.0.0-pre.9" }
+tari_common_types = { path = "../../base_layer/common_types", version = "1.0.0-pre.9" }
+tari_comms = { path = "../../comms/core", version = "1.0.0-pre.9" }
+tari_comms_dht = { path = "../../comms/dht", version = "1.0.0-pre.9" }
+tari_comms_rpc_macros = { path = "../../comms/rpc_macros", version = "1.0.0-pre.9" }
 tari_crypto = { version = "0.20", features = ["borsh"] }
-tari_metrics = { path = "../../infrastructure/metrics", optional = true, version = "1.0.0-pre.8" }
-tari_mmr = { path = "../../base_layer/mmr", optional = true , version = "1.0.0-pre.8"}
-tari_p2p = { path = "../../base_layer/p2p", version = "1.0.0-pre.8" }
-tari_script = { path = "../../infrastructure/tari_script", version = "1.0.0-pre.8" }
-tari_service_framework = { path = "../service_framework", version = "1.0.0-pre.8" }
-tari_shutdown = { path = "../../infrastructure/shutdown", version = "1.0.0-pre.8" }
-tari_storage = { path = "../../infrastructure/storage", version = "1.0.0-pre.8" }
-tari_test_utils = { path = "../../infrastructure/test_utils", version = "1.0.0-pre.8" }
+tari_metrics = { path = "../../infrastructure/metrics", optional = true, version = "1.0.0-pre.9" }
+tari_mmr = { path = "../../base_layer/mmr", optional = true , version = "1.0.0-pre.9"}
+tari_p2p = { path = "../../base_layer/p2p", version = "1.0.0-pre.9" }
+tari_script = { path = "../../infrastructure/tari_script", version = "1.0.0-pre.9" }
+tari_service_framework = { path = "../service_framework", version = "1.0.0-pre.9" }
+tari_shutdown = { path = "../../infrastructure/shutdown", version = "1.0.0-pre.9" }
+tari_storage = { path = "../../infrastructure/storage", version = "1.0.0-pre.9" }
+tari_test_utils = { path = "../../infrastructure/test_utils", version = "1.0.0-pre.9" }
 tari_utilities = { version = "0.7", features = ["borsh"] }
 tari_key_manager = { path = "../key_manager", features = [
   "key_manager_service",
-], version = "1.0.0-pre.8" }
-tari_common_sqlite = { path = "../../common_sqlite", version = "1.0.0-pre.8" }
-tari_hash_domains = { path = "../../hash_domains", version = "1.0.0-pre.8" }
+], version = "1.0.0-pre.9" }
+tari_common_sqlite = { path = "../../common_sqlite", version = "1.0.0-pre.9" }
+tari_hash_domains = { path = "../../hash_domains", version = "1.0.0-pre.9" }
 
 async-trait = { version = "0.1.50" }
 bincode = "1.1.4"
@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ toml = { version = "0.5" }
 quickcheck = "1.0"
 
 [build-dependencies]
-tari_common = { path = "../../common", features = ["build"], version = "1.0.0-pre.8" }
+tari_common = { path = "../../common", features = ["build"], version = "1.0.0-pre.9" }
 
 [[bench]]
 name = "mempool"
diff --git a/base_layer/core/src/blocks/genesis_block.rs b/base_layer/core/src/blocks/genesis_block.rs
index 5dca13f990..af798f9ec3 100644
--- a/base_layer/core/src/blocks/genesis_block.rs
+++ b/base_layer/core/src/blocks/genesis_block.rs
@@ -304,7 +304,7 @@ pub fn get_esmeralda_genesis_block() -> ChainBlock {
 
 fn get_esmeralda_genesis_block_raw() -> Block {
     // Set genesis timestamp
-    let genesis_timestamp = DateTime::parse_from_rfc2822("08 Dec 2023 08:01:00 +0200").expect("parse may not fail");
+    let genesis_timestamp = DateTime::parse_from_rfc2822("20 Feb 2024 08:01:00 +0200").expect("parse may not fail");
     // Let us add a "not before" proof to the genesis block
     let not_before_proof =
         b"as I sip my drink, thoughts of esmeralda consume my mind, like a refreshing nourishing draught \
diff --git a/base_layer/key_manager/Cargo.toml b/base_layer/key_manager/Cargo.toml
index 6d4648baa7..67620f2c91 100644
--- a/base_layer/key_manager/Cargo.toml
+++ b/base_layer/key_manager/Cargo.toml
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ authors = ["The Tari Development Community"]
 description = "Tari cryptocurrency wallet key management"
 repository = "https://github.com/tari-project/tari"
 license = "BSD-3-Clause"
-version = "1.0.0-pre.8"
+version = "1.0.0-pre.9"
 edition = "2021"
 
 [lib]
@@ -13,9 +13,9 @@ crate-type = ["lib", "cdylib"]
 [dependencies]
 tari_crypto = { version = "0.20" }
 tari_utilities = { version = "0.7" }
-tari_common_sqlite = { path = "../../common_sqlite", version = "1.0.0-pre.8" }
-tari_common_types = {  path = "../../base_layer/common_types", version = "1.0.0-pre.8"}
-tari_service_framework = {  path = "../service_framework", version = "1.0.0-pre.8" }
+tari_common_sqlite = { path = "../../common_sqlite", version = "1.0.0-pre.9" }
+tari_common_types = {  path = "../../base_layer/common_types", version = "1.0.0-pre.9"}
+tari_service_framework = {  path = "../service_framework", version = "1.0.0-pre.9" }
 
 async-trait = {version = "0.1.50"}
 chrono = { version = "0.4.19", default-features = false, features = ["serde"] }
diff --git a/base_layer/mmr/Cargo.toml b/base_layer/mmr/Cargo.toml
index 27d4ee3430..63c9efabda 100644
--- a/base_layer/mmr/Cargo.toml
+++ b/base_layer/mmr/Cargo.toml
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ authors = ["The Tari Development Community"]
 description = "A Merkle Mountain Range implementation"
 repository = "https://github.com/tari-project/tari"
 license = "BSD-3-Clause"
-version = "1.0.0-pre.8"
+version = "1.0.0-pre.9"
 edition = "2018"
 
 [features]
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ default = []
 [dependencies]
 tari_utilities = { version = "0.7" }
 tari_crypto = { version = "0.20" }
-tari_common = { path = "../../common", version = "1.0.0-pre.8" }
+tari_common = { path = "../../common", version = "1.0.0-pre.9" }
 thiserror = "1.0"
 borsh = "1.2"
 digest = "0.10"
diff --git a/base_layer/p2p/Cargo.toml b/base_layer/p2p/Cargo.toml
index 078577bb73..722c1fe7dc 100644
--- a/base_layer/p2p/Cargo.toml
+++ b/base_layer/p2p/Cargo.toml
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [package]
 name = "tari_p2p"
-version = "1.0.0-pre.8"
+version = "1.0.0-pre.9"
 authors = ["The Tari Development community"]
 description = "Tari base layer-specific peer-to-peer communication features"
 repository = "https://github.com/tari-project/tari"
@@ -10,13 +10,13 @@ license = "BSD-3-Clause"
 edition = "2018"
 
 [dependencies]
-tari_comms = {  path = "../../comms/core", version = "1.0.0-pre.8" }
-tari_comms_dht = {  path = "../../comms/dht", version = "1.0.0-pre.8" }
-tari_common = {  path = "../../common", version = "1.0.0-pre.8" }
+tari_comms = {  path = "../../comms/core", version = "1.0.0-pre.9" }
+tari_comms_dht = {  path = "../../comms/dht", version = "1.0.0-pre.9" }
+tari_common = {  path = "../../common", version = "1.0.0-pre.9" }
 tari_crypto = { version = "0.20" }
-tari_service_framework = {  path = "../service_framework", version = "1.0.0-pre.8" }
-tari_shutdown = {  path = "../../infrastructure/shutdown", version = "1.0.0-pre.8" }
-tari_storage = {  path = "../../infrastructure/storage", version = "1.0.0-pre.8" }
+tari_service_framework = {  path = "../service_framework", version = "1.0.0-pre.9" }
+tari_shutdown = {  path = "../../infrastructure/shutdown", version = "1.0.0-pre.9" }
+tari_storage = {  path = "../../infrastructure/storage", version = "1.0.0-pre.9" }
 tari_utilities = { version = "0.7" }
 
 anyhow = "1.0.53"
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ clap = "3.2"
 tempfile = "3.1.0"
 
 [build-dependencies]
-tari_common = {  path = "../../common", features = ["build"], version = "1.0.0-pre.8" }
+tari_common = {  path = "../../common", features = ["build"], version = "1.0.0-pre.9" }
 
 [features]
 test-mocks = []
diff --git a/base_layer/service_framework/Cargo.toml b/base_layer/service_framework/Cargo.toml
index 4fc591cc4e..1d3a91cea5 100644
--- a/base_layer/service_framework/Cargo.toml
+++ b/base_layer/service_framework/Cargo.toml
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [package]
 name = "tari_service_framework"
-version = "1.0.0-pre.8"
+version = "1.0.0-pre.9"
 authors = ["The Tari Development Community"]
 description = "The Tari communication stack service framework"
 repository = "https://github.com/tari-project/tari"
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ license = "BSD-3-Clause"
 # See more keys and their definitions at https://doc.rust-lang.org/cargo/reference/manifest.html
 
 [dependencies]
-tari_shutdown = {  path = "../../infrastructure/shutdown", version = "1.0.0-pre.8" }
+tari_shutdown = {  path = "../../infrastructure/shutdown", version = "1.0.0-pre.9" }
 
 anyhow = "1.0.53"
 async-trait = "0.1.50"
diff --git a/base_layer/tari_mining_helper_ffi/Cargo.toml b/base_layer/tari_mining_helper_ffi/Cargo.toml
index 65aa2219b4..a9d3d34e5b 100644
--- a/base_layer/tari_mining_helper_ffi/Cargo.toml
+++ b/base_layer/tari_mining_helper_ffi/Cargo.toml
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ name = "minotari_mining_helper_ffi"
 authors = ["The Tari Development Community"]
 description = "Tari cryptocurrency miningcore C FFI bindings"
 license = "BSD-3-Clause"
-version = "1.0.0-pre.8"
+version = "1.0.0-pre.9"
 edition = "2018"
 
 [dependencies]
diff --git a/base_layer/tari_mining_helper_ffi/src/lib.rs b/base_layer/tari_mining_helper_ffi/src/lib.rs
index 5909511f1c..0cbc4bb970 100644
--- a/base_layer/tari_mining_helper_ffi/src/lib.rs
+++ b/base_layer/tari_mining_helper_ffi/src/lib.rs
@@ -386,8 +386,8 @@ mod tests {
 
     #[test]
     fn detect_change_in_consensus_encoding() {
-        const NONCE: u64 = 11937686248184272944;
-        let difficulty = Difficulty::from_u64(35357).expect("Failed to create difficulty");
+        const NONCE: u64 = 3926968094459426389;
+        let difficulty = Difficulty::from_u64(1817).expect("Failed to create difficulty");
         unsafe {
             let mut error = -1;
             let error_ptr = &mut error as *mut c_int;
diff --git a/base_layer/wallet/Cargo.toml b/base_layer/wallet/Cargo.toml
index 7128f9e68d..c34746485e 100644
--- a/base_layer/wallet/Cargo.toml
+++ b/base_layer/wallet/Cargo.toml
@@ -3,24 +3,24 @@ name = "minotari_wallet"
 authors = ["The Tari Development Community"]
 description = "Tari cryptocurrency wallet library"
 license = "BSD-3-Clause"
-version = "1.0.0-pre.8"
+version = "1.0.0-pre.9"
 edition = "2018"
 
 [dependencies]
-tari_core = { path = "../../base_layer/core",  default-features = false, features = ["transactions", "mempool_proto", "base_node_proto"], version = "1.0.0-pre.8" }
-tari_common = { path = "../../common", version = "1.0.0-pre.8" }
-tari_common_types = {  path = "../../base_layer/common_types", version = "1.0.0-pre.8" }
-tari_comms = {  path = "../../comms/core", version = "1.0.0-pre.8" }
-tari_comms_dht = {  path = "../../comms/dht", version = "1.0.0-pre.8" }
+tari_core = { path = "../../base_layer/core",  default-features = false, features = ["transactions", "mempool_proto", "base_node_proto"], version = "1.0.0-pre.9" }
+tari_common = { path = "../../common", version = "1.0.0-pre.9" }
+tari_common_types = {  path = "../../base_layer/common_types", version = "1.0.0-pre.9" }
+tari_comms = {  path = "../../comms/core", version = "1.0.0-pre.9" }
+tari_comms_dht = {  path = "../../comms/dht", version = "1.0.0-pre.9" }
 tari_crypto = { version = "0.20" }
-tari_key_manager = {  path = "../key_manager", features = ["key_manager_service"], version = "1.0.0-pre.8" }
-tari_p2p = {  path = "../p2p", features = ["auto-update"] , version = "1.0.0-pre.8"}
-tari_script = { path = "../../infrastructure/tari_script", version = "1.0.0-pre.8" }
-tari_service_framework = {  path = "../service_framework", version = "1.0.0-pre.8" }
-tari_shutdown = {  path = "../../infrastructure/shutdown", version = "1.0.0-pre.8" }
-tari_common_sqlite = { path = "../../common_sqlite", version = "1.0.0-pre.8" }
+tari_key_manager = {  path = "../key_manager", features = ["key_manager_service"], version = "1.0.0-pre.9" }
+tari_p2p = {  path = "../p2p", features = ["auto-update"] , version = "1.0.0-pre.9"}
+tari_script = { path = "../../infrastructure/tari_script", version = "1.0.0-pre.9" }
+tari_service_framework = {  path = "../service_framework", version = "1.0.0-pre.9" }
+tari_shutdown = {  path = "../../infrastructure/shutdown", version = "1.0.0-pre.9" }
+tari_common_sqlite = { path = "../../common_sqlite", version = "1.0.0-pre.9" }
 tari_utilities = { version = "0.7" }
-tari_contacts = { path = "../../base_layer/contacts", version = "1.0.0-pre.8" }
+tari_contacts = { path = "../../base_layer/contacts", version = "1.0.0-pre.9" }
 
 # Uncomment for tokio tracing via tokio-console (needs "tracing" features)
 #console-subscriber = "0.1.3"
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ chacha20poly1305 = "0.10.1"
 zeroize = "1"
 
 [build-dependencies]
-tari_common = { path = "../../common", features = ["build", "static-application-info"], version = "1.0.0-pre.8" }
+tari_common = { path = "../../common", features = ["build", "static-application-info"], version = "1.0.0-pre.9" }
 
 [dev-dependencies]
 tari_p2p = {  path = "../p2p", features = ["test-mocks"] }
diff --git a/base_layer/wallet_ffi/Cargo.toml b/base_layer/wallet_ffi/Cargo.toml
index 48b07d9997..893833240a 100644
--- a/base_layer/wallet_ffi/Cargo.toml
+++ b/base_layer/wallet_ffi/Cargo.toml
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ name = "minotari_wallet_ffi"
 authors = ["The Tari Development Community"]
 description = "Tari cryptocurrency wallet C FFI bindings"
 license = "BSD-3-Clause"
-version = "1.0.0-pre.8"
+version = "1.0.0-pre.9"
 edition = "2018"
 
 [dependencies]
diff --git a/changelog-development.md b/changelog-development.md
index 7bdb685e5c..6a31aeb184 100644
--- a/changelog-development.md
+++ b/changelog-development.md
@@ -2,6 +2,28 @@
 
 All notable changes to this project will be documented in this file. See [standard-version](https://github.com/conventional-changelog/standard-version) for commit guidelines.
 
+## [1.0.0-pre.9](https://github.com/tari-project/tari/compare/v1.0.0-pre.8...v1.0.0-pre.9) (2024-02-20)
+
+
+### ⚠ BREAKING CHANGES
+
+* change proof of work to be dependant on target difficulty (#6156)
+
+### Features
+
+* add import tx method ([#6132](https://github.com/tari-project/tari/issues/6132)) ([f3d9121](https://github.com/tari-project/tari/commit/f3d91212e1e3a1e450b5f8e71ceacf2673cfc8c2))
+* allow ffi to see lock height ([#6140](https://github.com/tari-project/tari/issues/6140)) ([48af0b8](https://github.com/tari-project/tari/commit/48af0b8615c80019ab1cf38f995a422cb999459e))
+* change CLI  get_block to search orphans ([#6153](https://github.com/tari-project/tari/issues/6153)) ([ae1e379](https://github.com/tari-project/tari/commit/ae1e3796d98e55ceb3642128d659c4e181108b85))
+* change proof of work to be dependant on target difficulty ([#6156](https://github.com/tari-project/tari/issues/6156)) ([feb634c](https://github.com/tari-project/tari/commit/feb634cd260a910228e0e9de45c9024b1990683f))
+* check chain metadata ([#6146](https://github.com/tari-project/tari/issues/6146)) ([8a16f7b](https://github.com/tari-project/tari/commit/8a16f7ba83fd200618814b2eaf66c88c5b1dfb79))
+* turn off node metrics by default ([#6073](https://github.com/tari-project/tari/issues/6073)) ([5ed661c](https://github.com/tari-project/tari/commit/5ed661c840795c3419369e865c8969ef7d49aacb))
+
+
+### Bug Fixes
+
+* balanced binary merkle tree merged proof ([#6144](https://github.com/tari-project/tari/issues/6144)) ([4d01653](https://github.com/tari-project/tari/commit/4d01653e6780241edfe732761d63d4218a2f742d))
+* wallet clear short term output ([#6151](https://github.com/tari-project/tari/issues/6151)) ([ac6997a](https://github.com/tari-project/tari/commit/ac6997af1a1d9828a93064e849df3dcc4ba019ee))
+
 ## [1.0.0-pre.8](https://github.com/tari-project/tari/compare/v1.0.0-pre.7...v1.0.0-pre.8) (2024-02-06)
 
 
diff --git a/common/Cargo.toml b/common/Cargo.toml
index 97bd2b4727..a58a2a6fe0 100644
--- a/common/Cargo.toml
+++ b/common/Cargo.toml
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ repository = "https://github.com/tari-project/tari"
 homepage = "https://tari.com"
 readme = "README.md"
 license = "BSD-3-Clause"
-version = "1.0.0-pre.8"
+version = "1.0.0-pre.9"
 edition = "2018"
 
 [features]
@@ -40,4 +40,4 @@ tari_test_utils = {  path = "../infrastructure/test_utils"}
 toml = "0.5.8"
 
 [build-dependencies]
-tari_features = { path = "./tari_features", version = "1.0.0-pre.8"}
+tari_features = { path = "./tari_features", version = "1.0.0-pre.9"}
diff --git a/common/tari_features/Cargo.toml b/common/tari_features/Cargo.toml
index 2686f30d9e..45debb6fbb 100644
--- a/common/tari_features/Cargo.toml
+++ b/common/tari_features/Cargo.toml
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ repository = "https://github.com/tari-project/tari"
 homepage = "https://tari.com"
 readme = "README.md"
 license = "BSD-3-Clause"
-version = "1.0.0-pre.8"
+version = "1.0.0-pre.9"
 edition = "2018"
 
 # See more keys and their definitions at https://doc.rust-lang.org/cargo/reference/manifest.html
diff --git a/common_sqlite/Cargo.toml b/common_sqlite/Cargo.toml
index 4ba0cd6356..80a065d65b 100644
--- a/common_sqlite/Cargo.toml
+++ b/common_sqlite/Cargo.toml
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ name = "tari_common_sqlite"
 authors = ["The Tari Development Community"]
 description = "Tari cryptocurrency wallet library"
 license = "BSD-3-Clause"
-version = "1.0.0-pre.8"
+version = "1.0.0-pre.9"
 edition = "2018"
 
 # See more keys and their definitions at https://doc.rust-lang.org/cargo/reference/manifest.html
diff --git a/comms/core/Cargo.toml b/comms/core/Cargo.toml
index 22a1f77054..f46c231cb0 100644
--- a/comms/core/Cargo.toml
+++ b/comms/core/Cargo.toml
@@ -6,14 +6,14 @@ repository = "https://github.com/tari-project/tari"
 homepage = "https://tari.com"
 readme = "README.md"
 license = "BSD-3-Clause"
-version = "1.0.0-pre.8"
+version = "1.0.0-pre.9"
 edition = "2018"
 
 [dependencies]
 tari_crypto = { version = "0.20" }
-tari_metrics = { path = "../../infrastructure/metrics", optional = true, version = "1.0.0-pre.8" }
-tari_storage = {  path = "../../infrastructure/storage", version = "1.0.0-pre.8" }
-tari_shutdown = {  path = "../../infrastructure/shutdown" , version = "1.0.0-pre.8"}
+tari_metrics = { path = "../../infrastructure/metrics", optional = true, version = "1.0.0-pre.9" }
+tari_storage = {  path = "../../infrastructure/storage", version = "1.0.0-pre.9" }
+tari_shutdown = {  path = "../../infrastructure/shutdown" , version = "1.0.0-pre.9"}
 tari_utilities = { version = "0.7" }
 
 anyhow = "1.0.53"
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ serde_json = "1.0.39"
 tempfile = "3.1.0"
 
 [build-dependencies]
-tari_common = {  path = "../../common", features = ["build"], version = "1.0.0-pre.8" }
+tari_common = {  path = "../../common", features = ["build"], version = "1.0.0-pre.9" }
 
 [features]
 c_integration = []
diff --git a/comms/dht/Cargo.toml b/comms/dht/Cargo.toml
index 17f3846f48..bb3742f45b 100644
--- a/comms/dht/Cargo.toml
+++ b/comms/dht/Cargo.toml
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [package]
 name = "tari_comms_dht"
-version = "1.0.0-pre.8"
+version = "1.0.0-pre.9"
 authors = ["The Tari Development Community"]
 description = "Tari comms DHT module"
 repository = "https://github.com/tari-project/tari"
@@ -10,14 +10,14 @@ license = "BSD-3-Clause"
 edition = "2018"
 
 [dependencies]
-tari_comms = {  path = "../core", features = ["rpc"], version = "1.0.0-pre.8" }
-tari_common = { path = "../../common", version = "1.0.0-pre.8" }
-tari_comms_rpc_macros = {  path = "../rpc_macros" , version = "1.0.0-pre.8"}
+tari_comms = {  path = "../core", features = ["rpc"], version = "1.0.0-pre.9" }
+tari_common = { path = "../../common", version = "1.0.0-pre.9" }
+tari_comms_rpc_macros = {  path = "../rpc_macros" , version = "1.0.0-pre.9"}
 tari_crypto = { version = "0.20" }
 tari_utilities = { version = "0.7" }
-tari_shutdown = {  path = "../../infrastructure/shutdown", version = "1.0.0-pre.8" }
-tari_storage = {  path = "../../infrastructure/storage", version = "1.0.0-pre.8" }
-tari_common_sqlite = { path = "../../common_sqlite", version = "1.0.0-pre.8" }
+tari_shutdown = {  path = "../../infrastructure/shutdown", version = "1.0.0-pre.9" }
+tari_storage = {  path = "../../infrastructure/storage", version = "1.0.0-pre.9" }
+tari_common_sqlite = { path = "../../common_sqlite", version = "1.0.0-pre.9" }
 
 anyhow = "1.0.53"
 bitflags = { version = "2.4", features = ["serde"] }
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ clap = "3.2"
 
 
 [build-dependencies]
-tari_common = {  path = "../../common", version = "1.0.0-pre.8" }
+tari_common = {  path = "../../common", version = "1.0.0-pre.9" }
 
 [features]
 test-mocks = []
diff --git a/comms/rpc_macros/Cargo.toml b/comms/rpc_macros/Cargo.toml
index 6e4ea06e24..1533eca1c3 100644
--- a/comms/rpc_macros/Cargo.toml
+++ b/comms/rpc_macros/Cargo.toml
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ repository = "https://github.com/tari-project/tari"
 homepage = "https://tari.com"
 readme = "README.md"
 license = "BSD-3-Clause"
-version = "1.0.0-pre.8"
+version = "1.0.0-pre.9"
 edition = "2018"
 
 [lib]
diff --git a/hash_domains/Cargo.toml b/hash_domains/Cargo.toml
index 66c51e49df..e9afb3099a 100644
--- a/hash_domains/Cargo.toml
+++ b/hash_domains/Cargo.toml
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [package]
 name = "tari_hash_domains"
-version = "1.0.0-pre.8"
+version = "1.0.0-pre.9"
 edition = "2021"
 description = "Tari hash domains"
 authors = ["The Tari Development Community"]
diff --git a/infrastructure/derive/Cargo.toml b/infrastructure/derive/Cargo.toml
index eb976cc774..e780a7af88 100644
--- a/infrastructure/derive/Cargo.toml
+++ b/infrastructure/derive/Cargo.toml
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ repository = "https://github.com/tari-project/tari"
 homepage = "https://tari.com"
 readme = "README.md"
 license = "BSD-3-Clause"
-version = "1.0.0-pre.8"
+version = "1.0.0-pre.9"
 edition = "2018"
 
 [lib]
diff --git a/infrastructure/libtor/Cargo.toml b/infrastructure/libtor/Cargo.toml
index ce10f58618..fd62daae95 100644
--- a/infrastructure/libtor/Cargo.toml
+++ b/infrastructure/libtor/Cargo.toml
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [package]
 name = "tari_libtor"
-version = "1.0.0-pre.8"
+version = "1.0.0-pre.9"
 edition = "2021"
 license = "BSD-3-Clause"
 
diff --git a/infrastructure/metrics/Cargo.toml b/infrastructure/metrics/Cargo.toml
index 43815e4f4d..202e71a5f7 100644
--- a/infrastructure/metrics/Cargo.toml
+++ b/infrastructure/metrics/Cargo.toml
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 [package]
 name = "tari_metrics"
 description = "Tari metrics"
-version = "1.0.0-pre.8"
+version = "1.0.0-pre.9"
 edition = "2021"
 authors = ["The Tari Development Community"]
 repository = "https://github.com/tari-project/tari"
diff --git a/infrastructure/shutdown/Cargo.toml b/infrastructure/shutdown/Cargo.toml
index 9542d2ec6c..b9bab94977 100644
--- a/infrastructure/shutdown/Cargo.toml
+++ b/infrastructure/shutdown/Cargo.toml
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ repository = "https://github.com/tari-project/tari"
 homepage = "https://tari.com"
 readme = "README.md"
 license = "BSD-3-Clause"
-version = "1.0.0-pre.8"
+version = "1.0.0-pre.9"
 edition = "2018"
 
 # See more keys and their definitions at https://doc.rust-lang.org/cargo/reference/manifest.html
diff --git a/infrastructure/storage/Cargo.toml b/infrastructure/storage/Cargo.toml
index 21e87d4866..4d5749bd2b 100644
--- a/infrastructure/storage/Cargo.toml
+++ b/infrastructure/storage/Cargo.toml
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ repository = "https://github.com/tari-project/tari"
 homepage = "https://tari.com"
 readme = "README.md"
 license = "BSD-3-Clause"
-version = "1.0.0-pre.8"
+version = "1.0.0-pre.9"
 edition = "2018"
 
 [dependencies]
diff --git a/infrastructure/tari_script/Cargo.toml b/infrastructure/tari_script/Cargo.toml
index ef883ebcb0..b310695f0e 100644
--- a/infrastructure/tari_script/Cargo.toml
+++ b/infrastructure/tari_script/Cargo.toml
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [package]
 name = "tari_script"
-version = "1.0.0-pre.8"
+version = "1.0.0-pre.9"
 edition = "2021"
 description = "Tari script library"
 authors = ["The Tari Development Community"]
diff --git a/infrastructure/test_utils/Cargo.toml b/infrastructure/test_utils/Cargo.toml
index f96a878ff7..a5dfdd7767 100644
--- a/infrastructure/test_utils/Cargo.toml
+++ b/infrastructure/test_utils/Cargo.toml
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 [package]
 name = "tari_test_utils"
 description = "Utility functions used in Tari test functions"
-version = "1.0.0-pre.8"
+version = "1.0.0-pre.9"
 authors = ["The Tari Development Community"]
 edition = "2018"
 license = "BSD-3-Clause"
@@ -9,8 +9,8 @@ license = "BSD-3-Clause"
 # See more keys and their definitions at https://doc.rust-lang.org/cargo/reference/manifest.html
 
 [dependencies]
-tari_shutdown = { path = "../shutdown", version = "1.0.0-pre.8" }
-tari_comms = { path = "../../comms/core", version = "1.0.0-pre.8" }
+tari_shutdown = { path = "../shutdown", version = "1.0.0-pre.9" }
+tari_comms = { path = "../../comms/core", version = "1.0.0-pre.9" }
 
 futures = { version = "^0.3.1" }
 rand = "0.8"
diff --git a/package-lock.json b/package-lock.json
index 2cf3264ddc..9ee15eaf55 100644
--- a/package-lock.json
+++ b/package-lock.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "tari",
-  "version": "1.0.0-pre.8",
+  "version": "1.0.0-pre.9",
   "lockfileVersion": 2,
   "requires": true,
   "packages": {}