diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index fc7c61ac..116bd4f1 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -1711,7 +1711,7 @@ checksum = "37b2a672a2cb129a2e41c10b1224bb368f9f37a2b16b612598138befd7b37eb5"
 
 [[package]]
 name = "cb-bench-micro"
-version = "0.9.6"
+version = "0.10.0-rc2"
 dependencies = [
  "alloy",
  "axum 0.8.9",
@@ -1724,7 +1724,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "cb-bench-pbs"
-version = "0.9.6"
+version = "0.10.0-rc2"
 dependencies = [
  "alloy",
  "cb-common",
@@ -1741,7 +1741,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "cb-cli"
-version = "0.9.6"
+version = "0.10.0-rc2"
 dependencies = [
  "cb-common",
  "clap",
@@ -1755,7 +1755,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "cb-common"
-version = "0.9.6"
+version = "0.10.0-rc2"
 dependencies = [
  "aes",
  "alloy",
@@ -1807,7 +1807,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "cb-metrics"
-version = "0.9.6"
+version = "0.10.0-rc2"
 dependencies = [
  "axum 0.8.9",
  "cb-common",
@@ -1820,7 +1820,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "cb-pbs"
-version = "0.9.6"
+version = "0.10.0-rc2"
 dependencies = [
  "alloy",
  "async-trait",
@@ -1847,7 +1847,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "cb-signer"
-version = "0.9.6"
+version = "0.10.0-rc2"
 dependencies = [
  "alloy",
  "axum 0.8.9",
@@ -1878,7 +1878,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "cb-tests"
-version = "0.9.6"
+version = "0.10.0-rc2"
 dependencies = [
  "alloy",
  "axum 0.8.9",
@@ -2097,7 +2097,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "commit-boost"
-version = "0.9.6"
+version = "0.10.0-rc2"
 dependencies = [
  "assert_cmd",
  "cb-cli",
@@ -2396,7 +2396,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "da_commit"
-version = "0.9.6"
+version = "0.10.0-rc2"
 dependencies = [
  "alloy",
  "color-eyre",
@@ -6381,7 +6381,7 @@ checksum = "a2eb9349b6444b326872e140eb1cf5e7c522154d69e7a0ffb0fb81c06b37543f"
 
 [[package]]
 name = "status_api"
-version = "0.9.6"
+version = "0.10.0-rc2"
 dependencies = [
  "async-trait",
  "axum 0.8.9",
diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index 0adabb6c..a9954328 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ resolver = "2"
 [workspace.package]
 edition = "2024"
 rust-version = "1.91"
-version = "0.9.6"
+version = "0.10.0-rc2"
 
 [workspace.dependencies]
 aes = "0.8"
diff --git a/crates/common/src/interop/ssv/utils.rs b/crates/common/src/interop/ssv/utils.rs
index 4a262d69..e875619b 100644
--- a/crates/common/src/interop/ssv/utils.rs
+++ b/crates/common/src/interop/ssv/utils.rs
@@ -16,8 +16,13 @@ pub async fn request_ssv_pubkeys_from_ssv_node(
     http_timeout: Duration,
 ) -> eyre::Result<SSVNodeResponse> {
     let client = reqwest::ClientBuilder::new().timeout(http_timeout).build()?;
+    // The SSV node API expects operator IDs as numeric (uint64) values. Serializing
+    // the U256 directly emits a JSON string, which the node rejects with a 400,
+    // so narrow it to a u64 first.
+    let operator_id = u64::try_from(node_operator_id)
+        .map_err(|e| eyre::eyre!("SSV node operator ID does not fit in u64: {e}"))?;
     let body = json!({
-        "operators": [node_operator_id]
+        "operators": [operator_id]
     });
     let response = client.get(url).json(&body).send().await.map_err(|e| {
         if e.is_timeout() {
@@ -50,3 +55,25 @@ pub async fn request_ssv_pubkeys_from_public_api(
     serde_json::from_slice::<SSVPublicResponse>(&body_bytes)
         .wrap_err("failed to parse SSV response")
 }
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use alloy::primitives::U256;
+    use serde_json::json;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn ssv_node_request_serializes_operator_as_number() {
+        let node_operator_id = U256::from(100u64);
+
+        // Regression guard: serializing the U256 directly emits a (hex) JSON string,
+        // which the SSV node rejects ("cannot unmarshal string into ...
+        // uint64").
+        let stringy = serde_json::to_string(&json!({ "operators": [node_operator_id] })).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(stringy, r#"{"operators":["0x64"]}"#);
+
+        // The fix narrows to u64 so the operator ID is emitted as a numeric value.
+        let operator_id = u64::try_from(node_operator_id).unwrap();
+        let numeric = serde_json::to_string(&json!({ "operators": [operator_id] })).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(numeric, r#"{"operators":[100]}"#);
+    }
+}