Cardano DevX Kit

[Proposal setup] Proposal title

Please provide your proposal title

Cardano DevX Kit

[Proposal Summary] Budget Information

Enter the amount of funding you are requesting in ADA

30000

[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?

Cardano devs lack a fast editor-first loop to compile, run a local chain, deploy, and call contracts; setup is heavy and errors are opaque, slowing iteration and adoption.

[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

Apache 2.0

[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.

The Cardano DevX Kit will use the Apache-2.0 license, chosen for its permissive, enterprise-friendly nature, patent protection, and compatibility with Cardano’s MIT/BSD/Apache ecosystem. It enables free reuse, forks, and commercial adoption without copyleft, reduces vendor lock-in risk, and encourages community contributions through clear, open governance.

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

We will host the source code on a public GitHub repository under Apache-2.0, with clear docs, CI pipelines, and contribution guides. Awareness will come from sharing in Cardano developer channels, Catalyst forums, social media, demo videos, and tutorials to ensure visibility and easy community adoption.

How will you provide high quality documentation?

We will provide high-quality documentation by maintaining a public docs site with clear quickstarts, API/task references, and error guides; include examples in TypeScript, Haskell, and Python; embed step-by-step tutorials and CI templates; keep docs versioned with code in GitHub; and update alongside each release with automated checks.

[Your Project and Solution] Solution

Please describe your proposed solution and how it addresses the problem

Setting up a local environment takes hours, transactions must be hand-crafted, and when they fail the errors are cryptic and slow progress to a crawl. This workflow gap is one of the biggest barriers to building on Cardano. Unless it is solved quickly, many developers will continue to abandon or avoid the ecosystem.

Our proposed solution, the Cardano DevX Kit MVP, removes this bottleneck with a clear, editor-first workflow inside VS Code. One task compiles Aiken or Plutus code, another launches a one-command local devnet with pre-funded accounts, and additional tasks deploy and call scripts using Lucid with CML. When a transaction fails, the built-in Error Explainer provides plain-English hints, turning hours of frustration into minutes of resolution. Templates and CI actions ensure that teams can adopt it immediately, cutting onboarding time from days to minutes.

This is not an experiment. It is a targeted and urgent fix to a critical developer pain point. Our team has been researching and validating this issue across Cardano forums, Catalyst archives, and developer surveys for months. We understand both the gaps and the strengths of tools like lucid, Yaci DevKit, and Plutip, and have designed the DevX Kit to complement them rather than compete. We have scoped the MVP realistically to fit within Catalyst’s budget and are prepared to begin work immediately.

Solving this problem now will unlock faster iteration, easier onboarding, and more reliable testing for every Cardano smart contract developer. This foundation is essential to accelerate growth of the Cardano dApp ecosystem.

[Your Project and Solution] Impact

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

1. Faster onboarding

First local transaction in about ten minutes with clear editor tasks and a quickstart.

1. Better developer productivity

Compile, run local chain, deploy, and call from one place with plain English error hints.

1. Shared standards

A consistent workflow and CI template that teams can adopt across projects.

1. Higher reliability

Catch schema, signer, fee, and time bound issues locally before testnet or mainnet.

1. Ecosystem cohesion

Works with Lucid, CML or CSL, Yaci DevKit, and Plutip to reduce fragmentation.

1. Open and reusable

Apache two point zero license encourages reuse, forks, and community contributions.

[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?

We will deliver with high trust and accountability by keeping the code in a public GitHub repo under Apache two point zero with a transparent roadmap and issues, reproducible builds with pinned toolchains and CI on macOS and Linux, signed releases and semantic versioning, a published compatibility table for node and SDK versions, response time commitments for issues, and a clear security posture with local key storage and optional ephemeral keys for CI.

We will validate feasibility by shipping a working spike in week one that proves compile, devnet up, deploy and call on the default engine, running acceptance tests in CI that include failing cases checked by the Error Explainer, benchmarking chain start and time to first transaction on a documented reference laptop, confirming portability on a second engine profile, piloting on real repositories, and publishing a screencast and metrics.

[Milestones] Project Milestones

Milestone Title

Project bootstrap and devnet tasks

Milestone Outputs

Deliverables:

• Public GitHub repository and npm package reserved

• VS Code tasks for devnet up, devnet down, status

• Ten pre funded accounts and config schema

• CI skeleton and a short quickstart

Acceptance Criteria

Acceptance crtiteria for milestone 1:

• On a documented reference laptop, devnet up reaches chain height at least 20 in approximately 120 seconds

• Status returns tip, slot length, and funded accounts

Evidence of Completion

Evidence of completion

• Tag v0.1.0 with release notes

• CI logs for macOS and Linux

• Quickstart page and a short screencast

Delivery Month

1

Cost

5000

Progress

20 %

Milestone Title

Compile and Deploy

Milestone Outputs

Deliverables:

• Compile task for Aiken and Plutus with pinned toolchains and lockfiles

• Deploy helper using Lucid with CML for build, balance, submit

• Artifacts for script address and transaction outputs

Acceptance Criteria

Acceptance criteria for milestone two:

• CI runs up, compile, deploy on macOS and Linux and returns a transaction hash and script address..

• Two consecutive CI runs produce reproducible outputs...

Evidence of Completion

vidence of completion

• Tag v0.2.0 with release notes

• Green CI badges and uploaded artifacts

• Sample contract repository updated with the deploy result

Delivery Month

1

Cost

9000

Progress

50 %

Milestone Title

Call and Error Explainer

Milestone Outputs

Deliverables

• Call task that invokes a sample script with datum and redeemer

• Error Explainer library with mappings for schema mismatch, missing signer, invalid time bounds, collateral or fee issues, and wrong script address or context

• Test suite with intentional failing cases

Acceptance Criteria

Acceptance criteria for Milestone 3:

• Failing tests print the expected human readable hint for each error class will be solved..

• Call output includes used UTxOs, fee, and encodings in JSON

....

Evidence of Completion

Evidence of completion

• Tag v0.3.0 with release notes

• Unit test report showing all error classes covered

• Screencast that shows a failing call and the corresponding hint

Delivery Month

2

Cost

9000

Progress

70 %

Milestone Title

Templates, docs, CI starter, status page + Maintenance

Milestone Outputs

Deliverables

• init ts template for TypeScript with Lucid wired to the tasks

• Haskell and Python snippets

• Quickstart and migrate to tasks guide

• GitHub Action that runs up, compile, deploy, call and uploads artifacts

• Read only status page that shows tip and account balances

• Two point releases

• Compatibility table for cardano node and SDK versions

• Issue response metrics and fixes for critical bugs

Acceptance Criteria

Acceptance criteria

• A fresh repository created from the template reaches a first local transaction in about ten minutes on the reference laptop

• The GitHub Action succeeds end to end on macOS and Linux

Evidence of Completion

Evidence of completion

• Tag v0.4.0 with release notes

• Public template repository and CI run links

• Demo video and published docs

Delivery Month

3

Cost

7000

Progress

100 %

[Final Pitch] Budget & Costs

Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources

Milestone 1 Project bootstrap and devnet tasks 5,000 ADA

• Engineering 3,200 ADA

• DevOps and engine setup 1,000 ADA

• CI skeleton and quickstart docs 800 ADA

Milestone 2 Compile and deploy 9,000 ADA

• Engineering for compile pipeline and deploy helper 6,200 ADA

• Tests and CI reproducibility 1,400 ADA

• Sample contracts and review 1,400 ADA

Milestone 3 Call and Error Explainer 9,000 ADA

• Engineering for call task and Error Explainer 6,000 ADA

• Error mapping research and docs 1,200 ADA

• Test suite with failing cases and QA 1,800 ADA

Milestone 4 Templates, docs, CI starter, status page 5,000 ADA

• TypeScript template and language snippets 1,500 ADA

• Docs and migrate to tasks guide 1,400 ADA

• GitHub Action and demo video 1,300 ADA

• Read only status page 800 ADA

Maintenance Weeks 7 to 14 2,000 ADA

• Two point releases and compatibility table 1,200 ADA

• Issue triage and critical fixes 800 ADA

Total: 30,000 ADA

[Final Pitch] Value for Money

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

1.High leverage across many teams

One open source toolkit replaces dozens of one-off scripts and saves every team setup time and failed run triage. If 300 teams adopt it, the effective cost is about 100 ADA per team.

2.Immediate, measurable impact

Teams get a same-day editor workflow with compile, local chain, deploy, and call plus plain English error hints. KPIs track installs, CI adoption, and time to first local transaction.

3.Prevents duplicate spend

Catalyst and projects avoid paying multiple times for similar glue code. The kit standardizes a shared loop that others can extend rather than rebuild.

4.Production minded scope

The MVP focuses on the painful gap only. It uses existing engines like Yaci DevKit or Plutip and proven SDKs like Lucid with CML. No new infrastructure to maintain.

5.Deliverables tied to milestones

Every tranche buys visible outputs: tasks, CLI, templates, CI action, error explainer, docs, screencast, and a compatibility table. Acceptance criteria and evidence are defined up front.

6.Lower total cost of ownership

Pinned toolchains, reproducible CI, signed releases, and a clear security posture reduce maintenance risk for both users and the community.

7.Open licensing compounds value

Apache two point zero allows reuse, forks, vendor packaging, and commercial adoption without copyleft friction. Improvements flow back to the ecosystem.

8.Easier education and hackathons

Workshops and meetups can hand participants a working loop. This accelerates onboarding and increases the success rate of new builders.

9.Supports Catalyst outcomes

Many funded teams benefit from one grant. Better local testing means fewer broken testnet and mainnet attempts, reducing ecosystem support burden.

10.Ready to deliver now

A prepared team, defined milestones, and a maintenance window ensure the spend translates into shipped software and documented results, not research.

[Required Acknowledgements] Consent & Confirmation

Terms and Conditions:

Yes