Aiken Integration on IntelliJ - Eryx

[Proposal setup] Proposal title

Please provide your proposal title

Aiken Integration on IntelliJ - Eryx

[Proposal Summary] Budget Information

Enter the amount of funding you are requesting in ADA

90000

[Proposal Summary] Time

Please specify how many months you expect your project to last

3

[Proposal Summary] Translation Information

Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated

No

Original Language

en

[Proposal Summary] Problem Statement

What is the problem you want to solve?

IntelliJ is a widely used IDE in professional environments that currently doesn't have support for Aiken: the main language used to develop smart contracts in Cardano.

[Proposal Summary] Supporting Documentation

Supporting links

• https://github.com/aiken-lang/aiken/tree/main/crates/aiken-lsp
,
• https://plugins.jetbrains.com/docs/intellij/developing-plugins.html
,
• https://eryx.coop/

[Proposal Summary] Project Dependencies

Does your project have any dependencies on other organizations, technical or otherwise?

No

Describe any dependencies or write 'No dependencies'

No dependencies

[Proposal Summary] Project Open Source

Will your project's outputs be fully open source?

Yes

License and Additional Information

The tools will be open source and available on GitHub under the Apache 2.0 license. We will welcome contributions from the community. The plugin will also be submitted to the IntelliJ marketplace for easy installation.

[Theme Selection] Theme

Please choose the most relevant theme and tag related to the outcomes of your proposal

Developer Tools

[Campaign Category] Category Questions

Mention your open source license and describe your open source license rationale.

We chose Apache 2.0 because it’s a well-established, permissive open source license that allows wide adoption, including commercial use, while still providing clear requirements for attribution and preserving notices. It also includes explicit patent rights grants, which help protect both users and contributors from patent disputes. This balance of openness, clarity, and legal protection aligns with our goal of encouraging collaboration and long-term community growth.

How do you make sure your source code is accessible to the public from project start, and people are informed?

All code will be publicly accessible in our GitHub repository, where anyone can view, clone, and contribute. We will also share regular updates, release announcements, and milestones through our active Twitter account @eryxcoop, ensuring that the community stays informed about the project’s progress.

How will you provide high quality documentation?

Eryx has a skilled team of industry experts with extensive experience in technical writing and documentation. The team will ensure that all project materials are clear, comprehensive, and well-structured, making it easy for both developers and end users to understand and contribute.

[Your Project and Solution] Solution

Please describe your proposed solution and how it addresses the problem

Currently, there’s a lack of tools that facilitate development in this ecosystem. In this direction, IntelliJ is a widely used IDE in professional environments that currently doesn't have support for Aiken: the main language used to develop smart contracts in Cardano. IntelliJ is a cross-platform IDE with intelligent code completion, debugging tools, a wide array of plugins that extend its functionality, refactoring tools, integrated version control, and a highly customizable interface.

It’s difficult and slow to onboard new developers into blockchains. In particular, the first language blockchain developers learn is Solidity, which allows them to code in many ecosystems but not in Cardano. There are some inherent difficulties like the contrast between UTxO model and Account-based Model that they must deal with. However, there are some difficulties like having to change their IDE of preference that shouldn’t be a burden.

This proposal aims to bring basic tooling for Cardano developers that want to use IntelliJ.

We intend to facilitate the Aiken development by creating an IntelliJ plugin for Aiken. The plugin will provide the following functionalities:

Syntax highlighting

Go to definition

Formatting

The development of such a plugin will be based on the LSP (Language Server Protocol) of Aiken (https://github.com/aiken-lang/aiken/tree/main/crates/aiken-lsp)..) At the end of the development, the fully documented product will be submitted to the IntelliJ marketplace.

[Your Project and Solution] Impact

Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community

It’s difficult and slow to onboard new developers into blockchains. In particular, the first language blockchain developers learn is Solidity, which allows them to code in many ecosystems but not in Cardano. There are some inherent difficulties like the contrast between UTxO model and Account-based Model that they must deal with. However, there are some difficulties like having to change their IDE of preference that shouldn’t be a burden.

We want more professionals joining the Cardano community. This proposal aims to address this accidental complexity by making life easier for professional developers who use IntelliJ, allowing them to continue using it while developing in Aiken. Development in Cardano shouldn't be tied to a specific platform or IDE, and programmers that are in a familiar environment are more likely to be attracted to the community.

This also aims to be competitive with Ethereum's Solidity, a language that has a widely used IntelliJ plugin (https://plugins.jetbrains.com/plugin/9475-solidity)) with around 400.000 downloads at the time of writing.

[Your Project and Solution] Capabilities & Feasibility

What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability? How do you intend to validate if your approach is feasible?

Eryx is a worker-owned labor cooperative with over 10 years of experience solving complex problems involving mathematics and software. We are a group of nerdy PhDs with a solid background in computer science and math. Our team has extensive experience in blockchain development, cryptography, and tooling, which gives us the expertise required to successfully deliver the project.

In particular, we took 2 grants in the previous Catalyst proposal, one of which is already completed, and the other is in current development. Both grants required us to use Aiken, and we had the chance to verify firsthand why this plugin is so necessary (since we usually work with IntelliJ). We want to make developing in Aiken easy, and that's where our motivation comes from.

Feasibility comes from the existence of:

• A plugin development framework for IntelliJ that has been used to create numerous language-integration plugins. https://plugins.jetbrains.com/docs/intellij/developing-plugins.html
• An LSP for the Aiken language, that's already been used to create a VSCode extension with the same purpose. https://github.com/aiken-lang/aiken/tree/main/crates/aiken-lsp

[Milestones] Project Milestones

Milestone Title

Prototype and Implementation of Syntax Highlighter

Milestone Outputs

Initial, working release of the plugin providing syntax highlighting for the Aiken language. It recognizes core keywords, types, functions, literals, and comments to improve code readability and editing.

Acceptance Criteria

The user can successfully perform a manual installation of the plugin following the provided instructions. Once installed, the plugin enables syntax highlighting for Aiken code in the IntelliJ editor.

Evidence of Completion

The updated GitHub repository containing the source code, along with a video demonstration that provides step-by-step usage instructions.

Delivery Month

1

Cost

30000

Progress

30 %

Milestone Title

Implementation of Formatting

Milestone Outputs

Support for automatic formatting of Aiken code. This feature applies consistent indentation, spacing, and alignment rules across the source files, ensuring a clean, standardized, and more readable code style.

Acceptance Criteria

The user can utilize the plugin to automatically format their Aiken code according to the official style guidelines. When invoked, the formatter adjusts indentation, spacing, and other layout rules to match the Aiken standards.

Evidence of Completion

The updated GitHub repository with the source code, along with a video demonstration that provides step-by-step usage instructions.

Delivery Month

2

Cost

25000

Progress

20 %

Milestone Title

Implementation of Go To Definition Functionality

Milestone Outputs

Support for the “Go To Definition” feature when working with Aiken code. For any symbols and definitions recognized by the Aiken Language Server Protocol (LSP), users can navigate directly to their source location within the project.

Acceptance Criteria

The user can manually install the plugin by following the provided setup instructions. Once installed, the plugin allows the user to use the “Go To Definition” functionality for all symbols and definitions supported by the Aiken Language Server Protocol (LSP), enabling direct navigation to their corresponding source locations within the project.

Evidence of Completion

The updated GitHub repository with the source code, along with a video demonstration that provides step-by-step usage instructions.

Delivery Month

2

Cost

25000

Progress

30 %

Milestone Title

Full documentation and publishing of the solution

Milestone Outputs

• Final codebase after optimizations and bug fixes.
• Full documentation for developers, including setup, usage, and contribution guidelines.
• User-friendly setup and usage tutorials.
• Plugin ready to be submitted to the JetBrains Marketplace.

Acceptance Criteria

• The library meets all functional expectations.
• Documentation and tutorials are complete, clear and publicly available.
• Users can download the plugin from the IntelliJ marketplace, set it up and use it correctly.

Evidence of Completion

• The source code will be publicly available on GitHub.
• Published documentation and tutorials on a documentation platform.
• The plugin can be found in the IntelliJ marketplace.

Delivery Month

3

Cost

5000

Progress

10 %

Milestone Title

Final Report

Milestone Outputs

• Publicly available source code of the library in GitHub with its documentation.
• A final report describing the project process and outcome.
• A close-out video showcasing the plugin and its features.

Acceptance Criteria

• The final version of the plugin can be installed in IntelliJ and provides the expected features
• The final video complies with Catalyst requirements
• The final report complies with Catalyst requirements

Evidence of Completion

• Source-code available in the GitHub repository
• Documentation publicly available
• Final video uploaded to Google drive or similar platform
• Final report uploaded to Google drive or similar platform

Delivery Month

3

Cost

5000

Progress

10 %

[Final Pitch] Budget & Costs

Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources

FTE = Full-time equivalent

Cardano developer: 1 FTE x 1 month = ₳20,000

Development: ₳80,000

• 2 FTE x 2 months = ₳20,000 * 2 * 2
• The activities of this item will be: Organize the project execution, create reports and write the documentation, and maintain communication with the community and reviewers.

Project Management: ₳10,000

• ½ FTE x 2 months

Total Budget Request: ₳90,000

[Final Pitch] Value for Money

How does the cost of the project represent value for the Cardano ecosystem?

We decided to focus on spending the expenses of the project in the development hours. In that regard, it is important to note the following.

The team consists of two developers who will work full-time on the project for two months. The projected annual salary is within the typical salary range for developers, which varies from $78,000 to $262,000, with an average of $150,000 for a Web3 developer. Our cost is on the lower end of this range, as we believe this plugin is essential for the Cardano ecosystem.

[Required Acknowledgements] Consent & Confirmation

Terms and Conditions:

Yes