[Bug] Celestia light node reports healthy status without verifiable proof of active DAS participation

[maslitti]

What happened + What you expected to happen

When running a Celestia light node, the node reports a healthy and running status, but there is no clear or verifiable indication that Data Availability Sampling (DAS) is actively being performed.

The operator is unable to verify:

• whether DAS sampling is actually occurring
• whether the node is being counted as an active participant
• whether the node is eligible for participation-based incentives or snapshots

The node process remains running, health checks report OK, and network connectivity appears normal.

However:

• no metrics expose DAS sampling activity
• no API endpoint confirms active DAS participation
• no logs provide confirmation of successful sampling

As a result, a light node can appear healthy while not being verifiably active in the data availability verification process.

This lack of observable participation makes it impossible for operators to independently confirm correct configuration, effective contribution to network security, or eligibility for future incentive programs.

Versions / Dependencies

|Celestia node type: Light node

Celestia version: latest official release

Network: Mainnet

OS: Ubuntu 22.04 LTS (WSL2 on Windows host)

Architecture: amd64

Installation method: Official Celestia documentation

Configuration: Default

Observed behavior:

• node reports healthy and running
• no errors in logs
• network connectivity OK

Issue:

• no metrics expose DAS sampling activity
• no API confirms active DAS participation
• no logs confirm successful sampling

As a result, the node appears healthy while DAS participation cannot be independently verified.

How to reproduce

1. Install Celestia light node following the official documentation.

2. Start the node using default configuration.

3. Wait until the node reports:

   • healthy status
   • no errors in logs
   • normal network connectivity

4. Verify available endpoints and metrics:

   • no DAS sampling metrics are exposed
   • no API endpoint confirms active DAS participation
   • logs do not confirm successful sampling events

5. Despite appearing healthy, there is no verifiable signal that
   the light node is actively performing Data Availability Sampling.

Issue Severity

None