diff --git a/src/avalanche/processor.cpp b/src/avalanche/processor.cpp
--- a/src/avalanche/processor.cpp
+++ b/src/avalanche/processor.cpp
@@ -189,14 +189,14 @@
             return nullptr;
         }
 
-        peerData = std::make_unique<PeerData>();
-        Proof proof;
-        if (!Proof::FromHex(proof, argsman.GetArg("-avaproof", ""), error)) {
+        auto proof = RCUPtr<Proof>::make();
+        if (!Proof::FromHex(*proof, argsman.GetArg("-avaproof", ""), error)) {
             // error is set by FromHex
             return nullptr;
         }
-        peerData->proof = std::make_shared<Proof>(std::move(proof));
 
+        peerData = std::make_unique<PeerData>();
+        peerData->proof = std::move(proof);
         if (!VerifyProof(*peerData->proof, error)) {
             // error is set by VerifyProof
             return nullptr;
diff --git a/src/avalanche/proof.h b/src/avalanche/proof.h
--- a/src/avalanche/proof.h
+++ b/src/avalanche/proof.h
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
 #include <key.h>
 #include <primitives/transaction.h>
 #include <pubkey.h>
+#include <rcu.h>
 #include <serialize.h>
 
 #include <array>
@@ -114,6 +115,8 @@
     uint32_t score;
     void computeScore();
 
+    IMPLEMENT_RCU_REFCOUNT(uint64_t);
+
 public:
     Proof()
         : sequence(0), expirationTime(0), master(), stakes(),
@@ -129,6 +132,13 @@
         computeProofId();
         computeScore();
     }
+    Proof(Proof &&other)
+        : sequence(other.sequence), expirationTime(other.expirationTime),
+          master(std::move(other.master)), stakes(std::move(other.stakes)),
+          payoutScriptPubKey(std::move(other.payoutScriptPubKey)),
+          signature(std::move(other.signature)),
+          limitedProofId(std::move(other.limitedProofId)),
+          proofid(std::move(other.proofid)), score(other.score) {}
 
     SERIALIZE_METHODS(Proof, obj) {
         READWRITE(obj.sequence, obj.expirationTime, obj.master, obj.stakes);
@@ -169,7 +179,7 @@
     bool verify(ProofValidationState &state, const CCoinsView &view) const;
 };
 
-using ProofRef = std::shared_ptr<const Proof>;
+using ProofRef = RCUPtr<const Proof>;
 
 } // namespace avalanche
 
diff --git a/src/avalanche/proofbuilder.cpp b/src/avalanche/proofbuilder.cpp
--- a/src/avalanche/proofbuilder.cpp
+++ b/src/avalanche/proofbuilder.cpp
@@ -53,9 +53,9 @@
         signedStakes.push_back(handle.value().sign(commitment));
     }
 
-    return std::make_shared<Proof>(
-        sequence, expirationTime, masterKey.GetPubKey(),
-        std::move(signedStakes), payoutScriptPubKey, std::move(proofSignature));
+    return ProofRef::make(sequence, expirationTime, masterKey.GetPubKey(),
+                          std::move(signedStakes), payoutScriptPubKey,
+                          std::move(proofSignature));
 }
 
 LimitedProofId ProofBuilder::getLimitedProofId() const {
diff --git a/src/avalanche/test/peermanager_tests.cpp b/src/avalanche/test/peermanager_tests.cpp
--- a/src/avalanche/test/peermanager_tests.cpp
+++ b/src/avalanche/test/peermanager_tests.cpp
@@ -874,12 +874,11 @@
         "96527eae083f1f24625f049d9e54bb9a2102a93d98bf42ab90cfc0bf9e7c634ed76a7"
         "3e95b02cacfd357b64e4fb6c92e92dd00");
     bilingual_str error;
-    Proof badProof;
-    BOOST_CHECK(Proof::FromHex(badProof, badProofHex, error));
+    auto badProof = RCUPtr<Proof>::make();
+    BOOST_CHECK(Proof::FromHex(*badProof, badProofHex, error));
 
     ProofRegistrationState state;
-    BOOST_CHECK(
-        !pm.registerProof(std::make_shared<Proof>(std::move(badProof)), state));
+    BOOST_CHECK(!pm.registerProof(badProof, state));
     BOOST_CHECK(state.GetResult() == ProofRegistrationResult::INVALID);
 }
 
diff --git a/src/avalanche/test/util.cpp b/src/avalanche/test/util.cpp
--- a/src/avalanche/test/util.cpp
+++ b/src/avalanche/test/util.cpp
@@ -78,9 +78,9 @@
         signedStakes.push_back(handle.value().sign(commitment));
     }
 
-    return std::make_shared<Proof>(
-        pb.sequence, pb.expirationTime, pb.masterKey.GetPubKey(),
-        std::move(signedStakes), pb.payoutScriptPubKey, SchnorrSig());
+    return ProofRef::make(pb.sequence, pb.expirationTime,
+                          pb.masterKey.GetPubKey(), std::move(signedStakes),
+                          pb.payoutScriptPubKey, SchnorrSig());
 }
 
 ProofId TestProofBuilder::getDuplicatedStakeProofId(ProofBuilder &pb) {
@@ -115,9 +115,9 @@
         signedStakes.push_back(signedStake);
     }
 
-    return std::make_shared<Proof>(
-        pb.sequence, pb.expirationTime, pb.masterKey.GetPubKey(),
-        std::move(signedStakes), pb.payoutScriptPubKey, SchnorrSig());
+    return ProofRef::make(pb.sequence, pb.expirationTime,
+                          pb.masterKey.GetPubKey(), std::move(signedStakes),
+                          pb.payoutScriptPubKey, SchnorrSig());
 }
 
 } // namespace avalanche
diff --git a/src/net_processing.cpp b/src/net_processing.cpp
--- a/src/net_processing.cpp
+++ b/src/net_processing.cpp
@@ -5112,7 +5112,7 @@
     }
 
     if (msg_type == NetMsgType::AVAPROOF) {
-        auto proof = std::make_shared<avalanche::Proof>();
+        auto proof = RCUPtr<avalanche::Proof>::make();
         vRecv >> *proof;
         const avalanche::ProofId &proofid = proof->getId();
 
diff --git a/src/rpc/avalanche.cpp b/src/rpc/avalanche.cpp
--- a/src/rpc/avalanche.cpp
+++ b/src/rpc/avalanche.cpp
@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@
             const NodeId nodeid = request.params[0].get_int64();
             CPubKey key = ParsePubKey(request.params[1]);
 
-            auto proof = std::make_shared<avalanche::Proof>();
+            auto proof = RCUPtr<avalanche::Proof>::make();
             NodeContext &node = EnsureNodeContext(request.context);
             verifyProofOrThrow(node, *proof, request.params[2].get_str());
 
@@ -938,7 +938,7 @@
                                    "Avalanche is not initialized");
             }
 
-            auto proof = std::make_shared<avalanche::Proof>();
+            auto proof = RCUPtr<avalanche::Proof>::make();
             NodeContext &node = EnsureNodeContext(request.context);
 
             // Verify the proof. Note that this is redundant with the