diff --git a/spartan/CLAUDE.md b/spartan/CLAUDE.md
index ad087602b7d5..460977382e44 100644
--- a/spartan/CLAUDE.md
+++ b/spartan/CLAUDE.md
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ The main entry point is `terraform/deploy-aztec-infra/`:
 **aztec-validator** (extends aztec-node):
 - Wrapper chart with `aztec-node` as dependency (aliased as `validator`)
 - Adds validator-specific ConfigMap (`env.configmap.yaml`)
-- Configures mnemonic, validators-per-node, publisher keys
+- Configures mnemonic, validators-per-node, publishers-per-replica
 
 **aztec-prover-stack**:
 - Multi-component: prover node, broker, and agent replicas
@@ -263,26 +263,31 @@ locals {
 
 **Key derivation via Terraform + `setup-attester-keystore.sh`:**
 
-Each release receives a different `PUBLISHER_KEY_INDEX_START` from Terraform:
+Publishers are allocated **per replica (pod)**, not per attester key. Each release receives a different `PUBLISHER_KEY_INDEX_START` from Terraform:
 
 ```hcl
 # In main.tf custom_settings per release:
 "validator.node.env.PUBLISHER_KEY_INDEX_START" = var.VALIDATOR_PUBLISHER_MNEMONIC_START_INDEX +
-  (idx * (var.VALIDATORS_PER_NODE * var.VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS_PER_VALIDATOR_KEY * var.VALIDATOR_REPLICAS))
+  (idx * (var.VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS_PER_REPLICA * var.VALIDATOR_REPLICAS))
 ```
 
-Example with 4 replicas, 12 validators/node, 2 publishers/key, base index 5000:
+Example with 4 replicas, 4 publishers/replica, base index 5000:
 - Primary (idx=0): `PUBLISHER_KEY_INDEX_START = 5000`
-- HA-1 (idx=1): `PUBLISHER_KEY_INDEX_START = 5000 + (1 * 12 * 2 * 4) = 5096`
+- HA-1 (idx=1): `PUBLISHER_KEY_INDEX_START = 5000 + (1 * 4 * 4) = 5016`
 
 At runtime, `setup-attester-keystore.sh` calculates publisher indices:
 
 ```bash
 # POD_INDEX extracted from pod name (validator-0 → 0, validator-1 → 1, etc.)
-PUBLISHER_KEY_INDEX=$((POD_INDEX * VALIDATORS_PER_NODE * PUBLISHERS_PER_VALIDATOR_KEY + PUBLISHER_KEY_INDEX_START))
+PUBLISHER_KEY_INDEX=$((POD_INDEX * VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS_PER_REPLICA + PUBLISHER_KEY_INDEX_START))
 ```
 
-This ensures each release uses non-overlapping publisher key ranges.
+The keystore uses **schema v2** with a top-level `publisher` array shared by all validators on the pod:
+```json
+{"schemaVersion": 2, "publisher": ["0x1", "0x2", "0x3", "0x4"], "validators": [{"attester": "..."}]}
+```
+
+This ensures each release uses non-overlapping publisher key ranges while decoupling publisher count from attester count.
 
 **HA coordination:**
 - Both releases connect to shared PostgreSQL via `VALIDATOR_HA_DATABASE_URL`
diff --git a/spartan/aztec-keystore/templates/batchjob.yaml b/spartan/aztec-keystore/templates/batchjob.yaml
index b940f833b03d..e02b62914c49 100644
--- a/spartan/aztec-keystore/templates/batchjob.yaml
+++ b/spartan/aztec-keystore/templates/batchjob.yaml
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ spec:
               NODES="{{ .Values.attesters.nodeCount }}"
               HA_COUNT="{{ .Values.attesters.haCount }}"
               ATTESTERS_PER_NODE="{{ .Values.attesters.attestersPerNode }}"
-              PUBLISHERS_PER_VALIDATOR_KEY="{{ .Values.publishers.perValidatorKey }}"
+              VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS_PER_REPLICA="{{ .Values.publishers.perReplica }}"
               ATTESTER_KEY_INDEX_START="{{ .Values.attesters.mnemonicStartIndex }}"
               PUBLISHER_KEY_INDEX_START="{{ .Values.publishers.mnemonicStartIndex }}"
               PROVER_COUNT=1
@@ -73,29 +73,27 @@ spec:
                   printf '%s' "$addr" >> "$ADDR_FILE"
                 done
 
-                # Publishers: start index per node, then pack by validator j and publisher p
-                pub_base=$((PUBLISHER_KEY_INDEX_START + i * ATTESTERS_PER_NODE * PUBLISHERS_PER_VALIDATOR_KEY))
-                for ((j=0;j<ATTESTERS_PER_NODE;j++)); do
-                  for ((p=0;p<PUBLISHERS_PER_VALIDATOR_KEY;p++)); do
-                    pub_idx=$((pub_base + j * PUBLISHERS_PER_VALIDATOR_KEY + p))
-                    ppk="$(cast wallet private-key --mnemonic "$MNEMONIC" --mnemonic-index "$pub_idx")"
-                    paddr="$(cast wallet address --private-key $ppk)"
-
-                    # write keystore file-separated entries
-                    [[ $j -gt 0 || $p -gt 0 ]] && echo '---' >> "$PUB_KS_FILE"
-                    printf 'type: file-raw\nkeyType: SECP256K1\nprivateKey: %s\n' "$ppk" >> "$PUB_KS_FILE"
-
-                    # write addresses CSV per node
-                    if [[ $j -gt 0 || $p -gt 0 ]]; then printf ',' >> "$PUB_ADDR_FILE"; fi
-                    printf '%s' "$paddr" >> "$PUB_ADDR_FILE"
-                  done
+                # Publishers: flat pool per replica (shared by all attesters on the node)
+                pub_base=$((PUBLISHER_KEY_INDEX_START + i * VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS_PER_REPLICA))
+                for ((p=0;p<VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS_PER_REPLICA;p++)); do
+                  pub_idx=$((pub_base + p))
+                  ppk="$(cast wallet private-key --mnemonic "$MNEMONIC" --mnemonic-index "$pub_idx")"
+                  paddr="$(cast wallet address --private-key $ppk)"
+
+                  # write keystore file-separated entries
+                  [[ $p -gt 0 ]] && echo '---' >> "$PUB_KS_FILE"
+                  printf 'type: file-raw\nkeyType: SECP256K1\nprivateKey: %s\n' "$ppk" >> "$PUB_KS_FILE"
+
+                  # write addresses CSV per node
+                  [[ $p -gt 0 ]] && printf ',' >> "$PUB_ADDR_FILE"
+                  printf '%s' "$paddr" >> "$PUB_ADDR_FILE"
                 done
 
                 echo "Generated config for attesters on node $i"
               done
 
               # Generate HA publisher keys (separate key ranges for each HA release)
-              PUBLISHERS_PER_STS=$((NODES * ATTESTERS_PER_NODE * PUBLISHERS_PER_VALIDATOR_KEY))
+              PUBLISHERS_PER_STS=$((NODES * VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS_PER_REPLICA))
 
               for ((ha=0;ha<HA_COUNT;ha++)); do
                 HA_PUB_KS_FILE=/shared/publishers/keystores/ha_${ha}.yaml
diff --git a/spartan/aztec-keystore/values.yaml b/spartan/aztec-keystore/values.yaml
index 7d9827ef06d3..d227584b6bd0 100644
--- a/spartan/aztec-keystore/values.yaml
+++ b/spartan/aztec-keystore/values.yaml
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ attesters:
     name: "" # if empty name will be generated based on Release.Name
 
 publishers:
-  perValidatorKey: 1
+  perReplica: 4
   mnemonicStartIndex: 5000
   keyStoreSecret:
     create: true
diff --git a/spartan/aztec-node/scripts/setup-attester-keystore.sh b/spartan/aztec-node/scripts/setup-attester-keystore.sh
index 8851b6df30e0..a9cc44ed4c6b 100644
--- a/spartan/aztec-node/scripts/setup-attester-keystore.sh
+++ b/spartan/aztec-node/scripts/setup-attester-keystore.sh
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 set -eu
 
 VALIDATORS_PER_NODE=${VALIDATORS_PER_NODE:-1}
-PUBLISHERS_PER_VALIDATOR_KEY=${PUBLISHERS_PER_VALIDATOR_KEY:-1}
+VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS_PER_REPLICA=${VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS_PER_REPLICA:-4}
 
 # We get the index in the config map from the pod name, which will have the service index within it
 # For multiple validators per node, we need to multiply the pod index by VALIDATORS_PER_NODE
@@ -11,8 +11,8 @@ KEY_INDEX=$((POD_INDEX * VALIDATORS_PER_NODE))
 # Add the index to the start index to get the private key index
 PRIVATE_KEY_INDEX=$((KEY_INDEX_START + KEY_INDEX))
 
-# Calculate publisher key starting index for this pod
-PUBLISHER_KEY_INDEX=$((POD_INDEX * VALIDATORS_PER_NODE * PUBLISHERS_PER_VALIDATOR_KEY + PUBLISHER_KEY_INDEX_START))
+# Calculate publisher key starting index for this pod (flat per-replica pool)
+PUBLISHER_KEY_INDEX=$((POD_INDEX * VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS_PER_REPLICA + PUBLISHER_KEY_INDEX_START))
 
 WEB3_SIGNER_URL=${WEB3_SIGNER_URL:-""}
 
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ echo "PUBLISHER_KEY_INDEX: $PUBLISHER_KEY_INDEX"
 echo "WEB3_SIGNER_URL: ${WEB3_SIGNER_URL}"
 # Specific for validators that can hold multiple keys on one node
 echo "VALIDATORS_PER_NODE: ${VALIDATORS_PER_NODE}"
-echo "PUBLISHERS_PER_VALIDATOR_KEY: ${PUBLISHERS_PER_VALIDATOR_KEY}"
+echo "VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS_PER_REPLICA: ${VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS_PER_REPLICA}"
 echo "MNEMONIC: $(echo $MNEMONIC | cut -d' ' -f1-2)..."
 
 private_keys=()
@@ -43,13 +43,11 @@ for ((i = 0; i < VALIDATORS_PER_NODE; i++)); do
   addresses+=("$address")
 done
 
-# Generate publisher keys
+# Generate publisher keys (shared pool for this replica)
 publisher_private_keys=()
 publisher_addresses=()
 
-total_publishers=$((VALIDATORS_PER_NODE * PUBLISHERS_PER_VALIDATOR_KEY))
-
-for ((i = 0; i < total_publishers; i++)); do
+for ((i = 0; i < VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS_PER_REPLICA; i++)); do
   current_pub_index=$((PUBLISHER_KEY_INDEX + i))
   pub_private_key=$(cast wallet private-key "$MNEMONIC" --mnemonic-index $current_pub_index)
   pub_address=$(cast wallet address --private-key $pub_private_key)
@@ -59,16 +57,13 @@ for ((i = 0; i < total_publishers; i++)); do
 done
 
 remoteSigner=""
-attesters=()
 publishers=()
 
 if [ -n "$WEB3_SIGNER_URL" ]; then
   remoteSigner=$(jq -n '{remoteSignerUrl: $url}' --arg url "$WEB3_SIGNER_URL")
-  attesters=(${addresses[*]})
   publishers=(${publisher_addresses[*]})
 else
   remoteSigner="null"
-  attesters=(${private_keys[*]})
   # Without web3signer, use private keys for publishers
   publishers=(${publisher_private_keys[*]})
 fi
@@ -76,7 +71,17 @@ fi
 export KEY_STORE_DIRECTORY="/shared/config/keys"
 mkdir -p "$KEY_STORE_DIRECTORY"
 
-# Build validators array with multiple entries
+# Build top-level publisher array (shared by all validators on this replica)
+publishers_json="["
+for ((p = 0; p < VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS_PER_REPLICA; p++)); do
+  if [ $p -gt 0 ]; then
+    publishers_json+=","
+  fi
+  publishers_json+="\"${publishers[$p]}\""
+done
+publishers_json+="]"
+
+# Build validators array with multiple entries (no per-validator publishers)
 validators_json="["
 for ((v = 0; v < VALIDATORS_PER_NODE; v++)); do
   if [ $v -gt 0 ]; then
@@ -90,34 +95,23 @@ for ((v = 0; v < VALIDATORS_PER_NODE; v++)); do
     attester="${private_keys[$v]}"
   fi
 
-  # Get the publisher keys for this validator
-  validator_publishers="["
-  for ((p = 0; p < PUBLISHERS_PER_VALIDATOR_KEY; p++)); do
-    if [ $p -gt 0 ]; then
-      validator_publishers+=","
-    fi
-    pub_index=$((v * PUBLISHERS_PER_VALIDATOR_KEY + p))
-    validator_publishers+="\"${publishers[$pub_index]}\""
-  done
-  validator_publishers+="]"
-
-
   validators_json+="{
     \"attester\": \"$attester\",
     \"coinbase\": \"$attester\",
-    \"publisher\": $validator_publishers,
     \"feeRecipient\": \"0x0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000\"
   }"
 done
 validators_json+="]"
 
-# Create final JSON structure
+# Create final JSON structure (schema v2 with top-level publisher array)
 jq -n --argjson remoteSigner "$remoteSigner" \
       --argjson validators "$validators_json" \
+      --argjson publisher "$publishers_json" \
 '{
-  schemaVersion: 1,
+  schemaVersion: 2,
   remoteSigner: $remoteSigner,
+  publisher: $publisher,
   validators: $validators
 }' > "$KEY_STORE_DIRECTORY/attesters.json"
 
-echo "Generated configuration for $VALIDATORS_PER_NODE validators with $PUBLISHERS_PER_VALIDATOR_KEY publishers each"
+echo "Generated configuration for $VALIDATORS_PER_NODE validators with $VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS_PER_REPLICA shared publishers per replica"
diff --git a/spartan/aztec-validator/templates/env.configmap.yaml b/spartan/aztec-validator/templates/env.configmap.yaml
index 0fc49db0c655..5f5377f1f124 100644
--- a/spartan/aztec-validator/templates/env.configmap.yaml
+++ b/spartan/aztec-validator/templates/env.configmap.yaml
@@ -6,5 +6,5 @@ metadata:
     {{- include "chart.labels" . | nindent 4 }}
 data:
   VALIDATORS_PER_NODE: {{ .Values.validator.validatorsPerNode | quote }}
-  PUBLISHERS_PER_VALIDATOR_KEY: {{ .Values.validator.publishersPerValidatorKey | default 1 | quote }}
+  VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS_PER_REPLICA: {{ .Values.validator.publishersPerReplica | default 4 | quote }}
   WEB3_SIGNER_URL: {{ .Values.validator.web3signerUrl | default "" | quote }}
diff --git a/spartan/aztec-validator/values.yaml b/spartan/aztec-validator/values.yaml
index 26f68e65e6df..e47d12d0cb67 100644
--- a/spartan/aztec-validator/values.yaml
+++ b/spartan/aztec-validator/values.yaml
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ validator:
   mnemonic: "test test test test test test test test test test test junk"
   mnemonicStartIndex: 2000
   validatorsPerNode: 1
-  publishersPerValidatorKey: 2
+  publishersPerReplica: 4
   publisherMnemonicStartIndex: 7000
 
   persistence:
diff --git a/spartan/environments/alpha-net.env b/spartan/environments/alpha-net.env
index ba4758a6acc7..fad91bbe53f5 100644
--- a/spartan/environments/alpha-net.env
+++ b/spartan/environments/alpha-net.env
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ OTEL_COLLECTOR_ENDPOINT=REPLACE_WITH_GCP_SECRET
 
 VALIDATOR_REPLICAS=12
 VALIDATORS_PER_NODE=4
-PUBLISHERS_PER_VALIDATOR_KEY=2
+VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS_PER_REPLICA=4
 VALIDATOR_PUBLISHER_MNEMONIC_START_INDEX=5000
 VALIDATOR_RESOURCE_PROFILE="2-core-dedicated"
 
diff --git a/spartan/environments/devnet.env b/spartan/environments/devnet.env
index d878996cdac1..106979eef6bb 100644
--- a/spartan/environments/devnet.env
+++ b/spartan/environments/devnet.env
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ AZTEC_TARGET_COMMITTEE_SIZE=1
 VALIDATOR_MNEMONIC_START_INDEX=$((1 + MNEMONIC_INDEX_OFFSET))
 VALIDATOR_INDICES=$(seq -s ',' $VALIDATOR_MNEMONIC_START_INDEX $((VALIDATOR_MNEMONIC_START_INDEX + TOTAL_VALIDATORS - 1)))
 VALIDATOR_PUBLISHER_MNEMONIC_START_INDEX=$((5000 + MNEMONIC_INDEX_OFFSET))
-PUBLISHERS_PER_VALIDATOR_KEY=1
+VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS_PER_REPLICA=8
 SEQ_MIN_TX_PER_BLOCK=0
 SEQ_MAX_TX_PER_BLOCK=32
 
diff --git a/spartan/environments/five-tps-long-epoch.env b/spartan/environments/five-tps-long-epoch.env
index bca34b1bfd8f..a5d3ac217a99 100644
--- a/spartan/environments/five-tps-long-epoch.env
+++ b/spartan/environments/five-tps-long-epoch.env
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ OTEL_COLLECTOR_ENDPOINT=REPLACE_WITH_GCP_SECRET
 
 VALIDATOR_REPLICAS=12
 VALIDATORS_PER_NODE=4
-PUBLISHERS_PER_VALIDATOR_KEY=2
+VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS_PER_REPLICA=4
 VALIDATOR_PUBLISHER_MNEMONIC_START_INDEX=5000
 VALIDATOR_RESOURCE_PROFILE="2-core-dedicated"
 
diff --git a/spartan/environments/five-tps-short-epoch.env b/spartan/environments/five-tps-short-epoch.env
index 8ddca2ff57c7..6ac77948ca01 100644
--- a/spartan/environments/five-tps-short-epoch.env
+++ b/spartan/environments/five-tps-short-epoch.env
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ OTEL_COLLECTOR_ENDPOINT=REPLACE_WITH_GCP_SECRET
 
 VALIDATOR_REPLICAS=12
 VALIDATORS_PER_NODE=4
-PUBLISHERS_PER_VALIDATOR_KEY=2
+VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS_PER_REPLICA=4
 VALIDATOR_PUBLISHER_MNEMONIC_START_INDEX=5000
 VALIDATOR_RESOURCE_PROFILE="2-core-dedicated"
 
diff --git a/spartan/environments/kind-minimal.env b/spartan/environments/kind-minimal.env
index bdc7d62f22f4..c70b55aede50 100644
--- a/spartan/environments/kind-minimal.env
+++ b/spartan/environments/kind-minimal.env
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ AZTEC_DOCKER_IMAGE=${AZTEC_DOCKER_IMAGE:-aztecprotocol/aztec:latest}
 # Validators - minimal setup for upgrade test
 VALIDATOR_REPLICAS=4
 VALIDATORS_PER_NODE=12
-PUBLISHERS_PER_VALIDATOR_KEY=1
+VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS_PER_REPLICA=4
 VALIDATOR_PUBLISHER_MNEMONIC_START_INDEX=5000
 
 # Provers - minimal for faster testing
diff --git a/spartan/environments/kind-provers.env b/spartan/environments/kind-provers.env
index afc6ce9a97b3..f6e0482d7e1a 100644
--- a/spartan/environments/kind-provers.env
+++ b/spartan/environments/kind-provers.env
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ OTEL_COLLECTOR_ENDPOINT="http://metrics-opentelemetry-collector.metrics:4318"
 # Validators
 VALIDATOR_REPLICAS=4
 VALIDATORS_PER_NODE=12 # We allocate 0.5 per validator, so 4 * 0.5 * 12 = 24 cores total
-PUBLISHERS_PER_VALIDATOR_KEY=1
+VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS_PER_REPLICA=4
 VALIDATOR_PUBLISHER_MNEMONIC_START_INDEX=5000
 
 # Provers
diff --git a/spartan/environments/mbps-net.env b/spartan/environments/mbps-net.env
index 0493815e812c..4357bf8fc037 100644
--- a/spartan/environments/mbps-net.env
+++ b/spartan/environments/mbps-net.env
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ AZTEC_LAG_IN_EPOCHS_FOR_RANDAO=2
 
 VALIDATOR_REPLICAS=4
 VALIDATORS_PER_NODE=12
-PUBLISHERS_PER_VALIDATOR_KEY=2
+VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS_PER_REPLICA=4
 VALIDATOR_PUBLISHER_MNEMONIC_START_INDEX=5000
 
 PUBLISHERS_PER_PROVER=2
diff --git a/spartan/environments/next-net.env b/spartan/environments/next-net.env
index 1dbe575eae9f..f01c43e4d19a 100644
--- a/spartan/environments/next-net.env
+++ b/spartan/environments/next-net.env
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ AZTEC_LAG_IN_EPOCHS_FOR_RANDAO=2
 
 VALIDATOR_REPLICAS=4
 VALIDATORS_PER_NODE=12
-PUBLISHERS_PER_VALIDATOR_KEY=2
+VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS_PER_REPLICA=4
 VALIDATOR_PUBLISHER_MNEMONIC_START_INDEX=5000
 
 PUBLISHERS_PER_PROVER=2
diff --git a/spartan/environments/next-scenario.env b/spartan/environments/next-scenario.env
index 3b11279aed69..b0668e5c960d 100644
--- a/spartan/environments/next-scenario.env
+++ b/spartan/environments/next-scenario.env
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ OTEL_COLLECTOR_ENDPOINT=REPLACE_WITH_GCP_SECRET
 
 VALIDATOR_REPLICAS=4
 VALIDATORS_PER_NODE=12
-PUBLISHERS_PER_VALIDATOR_KEY=1
+VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS_PER_REPLICA=4
 VALIDATOR_PUBLISHER_MNEMONIC_START_INDEX=5000
 
 RPC_REPLICAS=2
diff --git a/spartan/environments/prove-n-tps-fake.env b/spartan/environments/prove-n-tps-fake.env
index 1197acde6515..2fe45c46745e 100644
--- a/spartan/environments/prove-n-tps-fake.env
+++ b/spartan/environments/prove-n-tps-fake.env
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ OTEL_COLLECTOR_ENDPOINT=REPLACE_WITH_GCP_SECRET
 
 VALIDATOR_REPLICAS=4
 VALIDATORS_PER_NODE=12
-PUBLISHERS_PER_VALIDATOR_KEY=1
+VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS_PER_REPLICA=4
 VALIDATOR_PUBLISHER_MNEMONIC_START_INDEX=5000
 
 REAL_VERIFIER=false
diff --git a/spartan/environments/prove-n-tps-real.env b/spartan/environments/prove-n-tps-real.env
index 4be76065b0ca..cc6442210832 100644
--- a/spartan/environments/prove-n-tps-real.env
+++ b/spartan/environments/prove-n-tps-real.env
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ OTEL_COLLECTOR_ENDPOINT=REPLACE_WITH_GCP_SECRET
 
 VALIDATOR_REPLICAS=4
 VALIDATORS_PER_NODE=12
-PUBLISHERS_PER_VALIDATOR_KEY=1
+VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS_PER_REPLICA=4
 VALIDATOR_PUBLISHER_MNEMONIC_START_INDEX=5000
 
 REAL_VERIFIER=true
diff --git a/spartan/environments/staging-ignition.env b/spartan/environments/staging-ignition.env
index b490b6248c4a..5ae4843aa4ec 100644
--- a/spartan/environments/staging-ignition.env
+++ b/spartan/environments/staging-ignition.env
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ CREATE_ROLLUP_CONTRACTS=${CREATE_ROLLUP_CONTRACTS:-false}
 
 VALIDATOR_REPLICAS=4
 VALIDATORS_PER_NODE=12
-PUBLISHERS_PER_VALIDATOR_KEY=2
+VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS_PER_REPLICA=4
 VALIDATOR_PUBLISHER_MNEMONIC_START_INDEX=5000
 
 PUBLISHERS_PER_PROVER=2
diff --git a/spartan/environments/staging-public.env b/spartan/environments/staging-public.env
index 100900a664b0..40fbc48e4f3b 100644
--- a/spartan/environments/staging-public.env
+++ b/spartan/environments/staging-public.env
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ P2P_TX_POOL_DELETE_TXS_AFTER_REORG=true
 
 VALIDATOR_REPLICAS=5
 VALIDATORS_PER_NODE=16
-PUBLISHERS_PER_VALIDATOR_KEY=2
+VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS_PER_REPLICA=4
 VALIDATOR_PUBLISHER_MNEMONIC_START_INDEX=5000
 VALIDATOR_HA_REPLICAS=1
 VALIDATOR_RESOURCE_PROFILE="prod-spot"
diff --git a/spartan/environments/staging.local.env b/spartan/environments/staging.local.env
index b0f06c35b38e..99054b7b87b1 100644
--- a/spartan/environments/staging.local.env
+++ b/spartan/environments/staging.local.env
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ FUNDING_PRIVATE_KEY="0xac0974bec39a17e36ba4a6b4d238ff944bacb478cbed5efcae784d7bf
 
 VALIDATOR_REPLICAS=4
 VALIDATORS_PER_NODE=12
-PUBLISHERS_PER_VALIDATOR_KEY=2
+VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS_PER_REPLICA=4
 VALIDATOR_PUBLISHER_MNEMONIC_START_INDEX=5000
 
 PUBLISHERS_PER_PROVER=2
diff --git a/spartan/environments/ten-tps-long-epoch.env b/spartan/environments/ten-tps-long-epoch.env
index 51b6d8463123..a91cb0995253 100644
--- a/spartan/environments/ten-tps-long-epoch.env
+++ b/spartan/environments/ten-tps-long-epoch.env
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ OTEL_COLLECTOR_ENDPOINT=REPLACE_WITH_GCP_SECRET
 
 VALIDATOR_REPLICAS=12
 VALIDATORS_PER_NODE=4
-PUBLISHERS_PER_VALIDATOR_KEY=2
+VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS_PER_REPLICA=4
 VALIDATOR_PUBLISHER_MNEMONIC_START_INDEX=5000
 VALIDATOR_RESOURCE_PROFILE="2-core-dedicated"
 
diff --git a/spartan/environments/ten-tps-short-epoch.env b/spartan/environments/ten-tps-short-epoch.env
index 313baed45607..4114d3b0a928 100644
--- a/spartan/environments/ten-tps-short-epoch.env
+++ b/spartan/environments/ten-tps-short-epoch.env
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ OTEL_COLLECTOR_ENDPOINT=REPLACE_WITH_GCP_SECRET
 
 VALIDATOR_REPLICAS=12
 VALIDATORS_PER_NODE=4
-PUBLISHERS_PER_VALIDATOR_KEY=2
+VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS_PER_REPLICA=4
 VALIDATOR_PUBLISHER_MNEMONIC_START_INDEX=5000
 VALIDATOR_RESOURCE_PROFILE="2-core-dedicated"
 
diff --git a/spartan/environments/testnet.env b/spartan/environments/testnet.env
index 0785c9ffa79e..f72af734d6a2 100644
--- a/spartan/environments/testnet.env
+++ b/spartan/environments/testnet.env
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ RPC_INGRESS_SSL_CERT_NAMES='["testnet-rpc-cert"]'
 
 VALIDATOR_REPLICAS=4
 VALIDATORS_PER_NODE=64
-PUBLISHERS_PER_VALIDATOR_KEY=1
+VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS_PER_REPLICA=8
 VALIDATOR_PUBLISHER_MNEMONIC_START_INDEX=5000
 VALIDATOR_HA_REPLICAS=1
 VALIDATOR_RESOURCE_PROFILE="prod-spot"
diff --git a/spartan/environments/tps-scenario.env b/spartan/environments/tps-scenario.env
index 5572b3f77db9..9ebddc63fb33 100644
--- a/spartan/environments/tps-scenario.env
+++ b/spartan/environments/tps-scenario.env
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ AZTEC_MANA_TARGET=2147483647
 
 VALIDATOR_REPLICAS=12
 VALIDATORS_PER_NODE=4
-PUBLISHERS_PER_VALIDATOR_KEY=2
+VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS_PER_REPLICA=4
 VALIDATOR_PUBLISHER_MNEMONIC_START_INDEX=5000
 VALIDATOR_RESOURCE_PROFILE="2-core-dedicated"
 
diff --git a/spartan/scripts/calculate_publisher_indices.sh b/spartan/scripts/calculate_publisher_indices.sh
index 709cfd52e8cd..1b8ec890ab8b 100755
--- a/spartan/scripts/calculate_publisher_indices.sh
+++ b/spartan/scripts/calculate_publisher_indices.sh
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ source "$ENVIRONMENT_FILE"
 # Set defaults (same as deploy_network.sh)
 VALIDATOR_REPLICAS=${VALIDATOR_REPLICAS:-4}
 VALIDATORS_PER_NODE=${VALIDATORS_PER_NODE:-12}
-PUBLISHERS_PER_VALIDATOR_KEY=${PUBLISHERS_PER_VALIDATOR_KEY:-2}
+VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS_PER_REPLICA=${VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS_PER_REPLICA:-4}
 VALIDATOR_PUBLISHER_MNEMONIC_START_INDEX=${VALIDATOR_PUBLISHER_MNEMONIC_START_INDEX:-5000}
 VALIDATOR_HA_REPLICAS=${VALIDATOR_HA_REPLICAS:-0}
 
@@ -36,8 +36,7 @@ PUBLISHERS_PER_PROVER=${PUBLISHERS_PER_PROVER:-2}
 PROVER_PUBLISHER_MNEMONIC_START_INDEX=${PROVER_PUBLISHER_MNEMONIC_START_INDEX:-8000}
 
 # Calculate validator publisher indices
-TOTAL_VALIDATOR_KEYS=$((VALIDATOR_REPLICAS * VALIDATORS_PER_NODE))
-TOTAL_VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS=$((TOTAL_VALIDATOR_KEYS * PUBLISHERS_PER_VALIDATOR_KEY * (1 + VALIDATOR_HA_REPLICAS)))
+TOTAL_VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS=$((VALIDATOR_REPLICAS * VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS_PER_REPLICA * (1 + VALIDATOR_HA_REPLICAS)))
 
 VALIDATOR_PUBLISHER_INDICES=""
 if (( TOTAL_VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS > 0 )); then
diff --git a/spartan/scripts/check_env_vars.sh b/spartan/scripts/check_env_vars.sh
index f4f92e9b6f10..2f2cb337800e 100755
--- a/spartan/scripts/check_env_vars.sh
+++ b/spartan/scripts/check_env_vars.sh
@@ -176,7 +176,7 @@ EXCLUDED_VARS_ARRAY=(
     "VALIDATOR_VALUES"
     "VALUES_FILE"
     "PUBLISHER_KEY_INDEX_START"
-    "PUBLISHERS_PER_VALIDATOR_KEY"
+    "VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS_PER_REPLICA"
     "PUBLISHERS_PER_PROVER"
 )
 
diff --git a/spartan/scripts/deploy_network.sh b/spartan/scripts/deploy_network.sh
index dc40910b6de2..4984fbaa2daa 100755
--- a/spartan/scripts/deploy_network.sh
+++ b/spartan/scripts/deploy_network.sh
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ VALIDATOR_MNEMONIC_START_INDEX=${VALIDATOR_MNEMONIC_START_INDEX:-1}
 VALIDATORS_PER_NODE=${VALIDATORS_PER_NODE:-12}
 VALIDATOR_REPLICAS=${VALIDATOR_REPLICAS:-4}
 VALIDATOR_PUBLISHER_MNEMONIC_START_INDEX=${VALIDATOR_PUBLISHER_MNEMONIC_START_INDEX:-5000}
-PUBLISHERS_PER_VALIDATOR_KEY=${PUBLISHERS_PER_VALIDATOR_KEY:-2}
+VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS_PER_REPLICA=${VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS_PER_REPLICA:-4}
 VALIDATOR_HA_REPLICAS=${VALIDATOR_HA_REPLICAS:-0}
 PROVER_PUBLISHER_MNEMONIC_START_INDEX=${PROVER_PUBLISHER_MNEMONIC_START_INDEX:-8000}
 PUBLISHERS_PER_PROVER=${PUBLISHERS_PER_PROVER:-1}
@@ -214,9 +214,8 @@ fi
 
 # Compute and include publisher indices in prefunding list
 # Uses env overrides when provided, otherwise falls back to values.yaml defaults
-TOTAL_VALIDATOR_KEYS=$((VALIDATOR_REPLICAS * VALIDATORS_PER_NODE))
-# Total publishers = keys * publishers_per_key * (1 + HA_REPLICAS)
-TOTAL_VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS=$((TOTAL_VALIDATOR_KEYS * PUBLISHERS_PER_VALIDATOR_KEY * (1 + VALIDATOR_HA_REPLICAS)))
+# Total publishers = replicas * publishers_per_replica * (1 + HA_REPLICAS)
+TOTAL_VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS=$((VALIDATOR_REPLICAS * VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS_PER_REPLICA * (1 + VALIDATOR_HA_REPLICAS)))
 
 if (( TOTAL_VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS > 0 )); then
   VALIDATOR_PUBLISHER_RANGE=$(seq "$VALIDATOR_PUBLISHER_MNEMONIC_START_INDEX" $((VALIDATOR_PUBLISHER_MNEMONIC_START_INDEX + TOTAL_VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS - 1)) | tr '\n' ',' | sed 's/,$//')
@@ -527,7 +526,7 @@ VALIDATOR_MNEMONIC_START_INDEX = ${VALIDATOR_MNEMONIC_START_INDEX}
 VALIDATOR_PUBLISHER_MNEMONIC_START_INDEX = ${VALIDATOR_PUBLISHER_MNEMONIC_START_INDEX}
 VALIDATORS_PER_NODE = ${VALIDATORS_PER_NODE}
 VALIDATOR_REPLICAS = ${VALIDATOR_REPLICAS}
-VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS_PER_VALIDATOR_KEY = ${PUBLISHERS_PER_VALIDATOR_KEY}
+VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS_PER_REPLICA = ${VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS_PER_REPLICA}
 VALIDATOR_HA_REPLICAS = ${VALIDATOR_HA_REPLICAS}
 SEQ_MIN_TX_PER_BLOCK = ${SEQ_MIN_TX_PER_BLOCK}
 SEQ_MAX_TX_PER_BLOCK = ${SEQ_MAX_TX_PER_BLOCK}
diff --git a/spartan/terraform/deploy-aztec-infra/main.tf b/spartan/terraform/deploy-aztec-infra/main.tf
index 74021428bac8..fc46ee5e3b94 100644
--- a/spartan/terraform/deploy-aztec-infra/main.tf
+++ b/spartan/terraform/deploy-aztec-infra/main.tf
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ module "web3signer" {
   VALIDATOR_HA_REPLICAS                    = tonumber(var.VALIDATOR_HA_REPLICAS)
   VALIDATOR_MNEMONIC_START_INDEX           = tonumber(var.VALIDATOR_MNEMONIC_START_INDEX)
   VALIDATOR_PUBLISHER_MNEMONIC_START_INDEX = tonumber(var.VALIDATOR_PUBLISHER_MNEMONIC_START_INDEX)
-  VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS_PER_VALIDATOR_KEY   = var.VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS_PER_VALIDATOR_KEY
+  VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS_PER_REPLICA         = var.VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS_PER_REPLICA
   PROVER_COUNT                             = tonumber(var.PROVER_REPLICAS)
   PUBLISHERS_PER_PROVER                    = tonumber(var.PROVER_PUBLISHERS_PER_PROVER)
   PROVER_PUBLISHER_MNEMONIC_START_INDEX    = tonumber(var.PROVER_PUBLISHER_MNEMONIC_START_INDEX)
@@ -185,7 +185,7 @@ locals {
     "validator.mnemonic"                                       = var.VALIDATOR_MNEMONIC
     "validator.mnemonicStartIndex"                             = var.VALIDATOR_MNEMONIC_START_INDEX
     "validator.validatorsPerNode"                              = var.VALIDATORS_PER_NODE
-    "validator.publishersPerValidatorKey"                      = var.VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS_PER_VALIDATOR_KEY
+    "validator.publishersPerReplica"                            = var.VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS_PER_REPLICA
     "validator.publisherMnemonicStartIndex"                    = var.VALIDATOR_PUBLISHER_MNEMONIC_START_INDEX
     "validator.replicaCount"                                   = var.VALIDATOR_REPLICAS
     "validator.sentinel.enabled"                               = var.SENTINEL_ENABLED
@@ -208,7 +208,7 @@ locals {
     "validator.node.env.KEY_INDEX_START"                       = var.VALIDATOR_MNEMONIC_START_INDEX
     "validator.node.env.PUBLISHER_KEY_INDEX_START"             = var.VALIDATOR_PUBLISHER_MNEMONIC_START_INDEX
     "validator.node.env.VALIDATORS_PER_NODE"                   = var.VALIDATORS_PER_NODE
-    "validator.node.env.PUBLISHERS_PER_VALIDATOR_KEY"          = var.VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS_PER_VALIDATOR_KEY
+    "validator.node.env.VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS_PER_REPLICA"       = var.VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS_PER_REPLICA
     "validator.node.proverRealProofs"                          = var.PROVER_REAL_PROOFS
     "validator.node.env.SEQ_MIN_TX_PER_BLOCK"                  = var.SEQ_MIN_TX_PER_BLOCK
     "validator.node.env.SEQ_MAX_TX_PER_BLOCK"                  = var.SEQ_MAX_TX_PER_BLOCK
@@ -257,7 +257,7 @@ locals {
         local.validator_ha_settings,
         {
           "validator.node.env.VALIDATOR_HA_REPLICA_INDEX" = tostring(idx)
-          "validator.node.env.PUBLISHER_KEY_INDEX_START"  = var.VALIDATOR_PUBLISHER_MNEMONIC_START_INDEX + (idx * (var.VALIDATORS_PER_NODE * var.VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS_PER_VALIDATOR_KEY * var.VALIDATOR_REPLICAS))
+          "validator.node.env.PUBLISHER_KEY_INDEX_START"  = var.VALIDATOR_PUBLISHER_MNEMONIC_START_INDEX + (idx * (var.VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS_PER_REPLICA * var.VALIDATOR_REPLICAS))
           "validator.service.p2p.announcePort"            = local.p2p_port_validators[idx]
           "validator.service.p2p.port"                    = local.p2p_port_validators[idx]
         }
diff --git a/spartan/terraform/deploy-aztec-infra/variables.tf b/spartan/terraform/deploy-aztec-infra/variables.tf
index 2a0c9a8398b9..28caede2a671 100644
--- a/spartan/terraform/deploy-aztec-infra/variables.tf
+++ b/spartan/terraform/deploy-aztec-infra/variables.tf
@@ -191,10 +191,10 @@ variable "VALIDATORS_PER_NODE" {
   default     = 12
 }
 
-variable "VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS_PER_VALIDATOR_KEY" {
-  description = "Number of publisher EOAs per validator key"
+variable "VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS_PER_REPLICA" {
+  description = "Number of publisher EOAs per validator replica (pod)"
   type        = number
-  default     = 1
+  default     = 4
 }
 
 variable "VALIDATOR_PUBLISHER_MNEMONIC_START_INDEX" {
diff --git a/spartan/terraform/modules/web3signer/main.tf b/spartan/terraform/modules/web3signer/main.tf
index b51b0f9f773a..af5ce6ff56f4 100644
--- a/spartan/terraform/modules/web3signer/main.tf
+++ b/spartan/terraform/modules/web3signer/main.tf
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ resource "helm_release" "keystore_setup" {
         }
       }
       publishers = {
-        perValidatorKey    = var.VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS_PER_VALIDATOR_KEY
+        perReplica         = var.VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS_PER_REPLICA
         mnemonicStartIndex = var.VALIDATOR_PUBLISHER_MNEMONIC_START_INDEX
       }
       provers = {
diff --git a/spartan/terraform/modules/web3signer/variables.tf b/spartan/terraform/modules/web3signer/variables.tf
index 20b009cb6704..936e75a201f3 100644
--- a/spartan/terraform/modules/web3signer/variables.tf
+++ b/spartan/terraform/modules/web3signer/variables.tf
@@ -53,10 +53,10 @@ variable "VALIDATOR_PUBLISHER_MNEMONIC_START_INDEX" {
   type        = number
 }
 
-variable "VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS_PER_VALIDATOR_KEY" {
-  description = "Number of publishers for each attester key"
+variable "VALIDATOR_PUBLISHERS_PER_REPLICA" {
+  description = "Number of publisher EOAs per validator replica (pod)"
   type        = number
-  default     = 0
+  default     = 4
 }
 
 variable "AZTEC_DOCKER_IMAGE" {