Last updated 6 months ago
On Cardano, teams hand-roll proofs and voting. Lacking a standard toolkit, delivery is slow, inconsistent, and unsafe for consent-sensitive work, hurting adoption, wallet activation and ADA tx growth.
Free DevKit (TypeScript SDK + CLI + example apps) to add verifiable “digital receipts” and simple voting (incl. Quadratic Voting) in hours, with adapters to identity and governance tools.
This is the total amount allocated to Cardano Impact DevKit: Attestations & Governance (SDK/CLI).
Please provide your proposal title
Cardano Impact DevKit: Attestations & Governance (SDK/CLI)
Enter the amount of funding you are requesting in ADA
100000
Please specify how many months you expect your project to last
9
Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated
No
Original Language
en
What is the problem you want to solve?
On Cardano, teams hand-roll proofs and voting. Lacking a standard toolkit, delivery is slow, inconsistent, and unsafe for consent-sensitive work, hurting adoption, wallet activation and ADA tx growth.
Supporting links
Does your project have any dependencies on other organizations, technical or otherwise?
No
Describe any dependencies or write 'No dependencies'
Project Dependencies (managed; no lock-in) People: senior Cardano specialists (adapters/governance/QA) — hire or bounty; wrappers optional Open tooling: wallets (CIP-30/95), tx libs (Lucid/Mesh/js-sdk), indexers (Blockfrost/Koios/Maestro), CI/hosting (GitHub Actions + Vercel/Netlify) — all replaceable; local db-sync for tests Integrations: GovTool/Agora; Summon/Clarity; Identus/Veramo (optional); Midnight adapter (stretch) — SDK independent of these Pilots: case-study evidence, not on the critical path AI: optional, post-grant; no schedule dependency
Will your project's outputs be fully open source?
Yes
License and Additional Information
Fully open source. Repos public day-1 on GitHub with CI/tests and tagged releases. Licenses: MIT for SDK/CLI/wrappers and example clients; AGPL-3.0 for reference back-end and validators (network copyleft keeps improvements open); schemas/specs under CC BY 4.0. No proprietary components or paywalls. Contributions via PRs welcome; semantic versioning. All licenses are OSI-approved. (Commercial relicense available for AGPL components if enterprises require.)
Please choose the most relevant theme and tag related to the outcomes of your proposal
Developer Tools
Mention your open source license and describe your open source license rationale.
How do you make sure your source code is accessible to the public from project start, and people are informed?
How will you provide high quality documentation?
Please describe your proposed solution and how it addresses the problem
Proposed solution: replace bespoke “proof + vote” code with a standard, safe SDK/CLI + reference apps that teams can drop in within hours - boosting adoption and on-chain activity.
Deliverables:
SDK (TS): attest(), verify(), query(), tally()
CLI: init/attest/verify/vote --strategy simple|qv
Schemas & examples for common receipts (attendance, delivery, task)
Reference apps (testnet):
IMS-lite: capture → attest → dashboard (minimal onboarding, i18n baseline EN + 1)
HRDAO-lite: propose → vote → tally (default simple majority, QV optional)
Pilot support pack:
Pilot Rubric v1 (tasks, acceptance thresholds, feedback template)
Sample dataset (create → measure → evidence → share)
Contributor onboarding: CONTRIBUTING.md, env vars, seed scripts, ≥8 Good-First-Issues
Docs (versioned): 30-min quick start, API refs, EAS→Cardano migration, governance how-tos, privacy/consent notes
Open source day-1: MIT (SDK/CLI), AGPL-3.0 (reference back-end/validators), CC BY 4.0 (schemas/specs). Tagged releases, CI, public issues
How it solves the problem:
Standard blocks, not bespoke code → faster delivery, fewer errors
Safety by design → consent prompts, data minimization, redaction/withdrawal, public-anchor/private-payload; verify() standardizes checks
Adoption outcomes → quicker demos/pilots ⇒ more wallets and ADA txs with auditable receipts and decisions
Technical alignment (Cardano-first):
We implement an IETF-style attestation model—Attester → Verifier → Relying Party - with an evidence envelope (claim + metadata + signer).
Wallet flows use CIP-30; structured on-chain anchors use CIP-68 when useful; compatible with CIP-1694/Voltaire tools.
The SDK/CLI exposes attest(), verify(), query(), and tally(), plus adapters for Lucid, Mesh, and cardano-js-sdk.
Optional VC/DID adapters are provided for partners that need SSI.
Community-led measurement:
Local teams define what matters (multi-language ready)
Patterns to turn narratives into light indicators; avoid one-size-fits-all
Local ownership of dashboards and governance
Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community
Impact - value to Cardano, how we’ll measure it, and how we’ll share it
A shared, open DevKit for attestations (“digital receipts”) and lightweight governance removes weeks of duplicate work per team, makes sensitive apps safer, and turns more pilots into real Cardano usage - more wallets, more ADA transactions, stronger case studies.
verify() checks (keys/schema/timestamp/anchor) reduce disputes and audit friction.Adoption & usage:
Developer experience & learning:
Code quality & correctness:
Community & contributor health:
Evidence of impact produced:
Who receives it:
Bottom line: Success means Cardano has a standard, open, production-ready way to create/verify evidence and run simple decisions - lowering cost and risk, increasing real-world adoption, and leaving durable public goods (code, docs, examples) the community can build on.
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?
Capabilities & Feasibility
Why us?
We’re building upon what we already built with IMS v1 and our developing pilot HRDAO: attestations (“digital receipts”) and simple governance.
Scope is lean (SDK/CLI + two testnet reference apps + docs), fully open-source from day-1, and deliverable in ≤9 months.
Track record & standards alignment:
IMS v1 (Catalyst-funded): MVP live; close-out in progress. Lessons inform SDK/CLI design and docs.
Cardano-first rails: CIP-30 (wallet bridge), CIP-68 (structured on-chain data), compatibility with CIP-1694/Voltaire tools.
Interoperability mindset: EAS→Cardano migration notes; optional VC/DID adapters.
Team & roles (core + targeted specialists):
Delivery process (trust & transparency):
Public from day-1: GitHub org with LICENSE, README, CONTRIBUTING, SECURITY.md, CODEOWNERS.
Single source of truth: GitHub releases/changelogs + versioned docs; npm packages from CI.
Progress comms: one Catalyst Forum thread updated per milestone (monthly only if no milestone), linking to releases, docs, demos, and TX IDs.
Milestone acceptance (feasibility gates):
Engineering quality & security:
How we validate feasibility (evidence we’ll produce):
On-chain evidence: demo URLs and testnet TX IDs for IMS-lite & HRDAO-lite.
Responsible use of AI (to speed, not to replace humans):
Pair-programming only: use AI for scaffolding/tests/docs; human review for every merge.
License hygiene: origin checks; no partner confidentials pasted into tools.
Quality gate: CI must pass; AI outputs treated like junior-dev PRs (tests + review).
Risk management & mitigations
Tooling/API drift (wallets/adapters): modular adapters; semantic versioning; upgrade notes; wallet test matrix (CIP-30).
Governance contention (e.g., QV): default simple majority; QV optional with clearly documented trade-offs; reputation/badge overlays; human-curated oracles for sensitive claims.
Capacity constraints: scoped specialist contracts + public bounties; if hiring slips, wrappers defer—SDK/CLI still ships.
Pilot timing: reference apps/docs ship independently; case studies can publish later.
Privacy/safety: consent prompts, minimal data, redaction/withdrawal; public anchor / private payload default; optional Midnight adapter when available.
AI dependency: AI features are post-grant; no milestone depends on them.
Budget governance & controls
Milestone-based drawdowns: internal payments only after acceptance evidence is public (repos, npm, demos, docs).
Why the plan is realistic (≤9 months):
Narrow, technical scope: no AI modules, staking/SBTs, or cross-chain mainnets inside F14 (those remain post-grant).
Leverages existing libs: integrate Lucid/Mesh/cardano-js-sdk instead of inventing a new tx stack.
Battle-tested patterns: design is distilled from IMS/HRDAO experience; we are packaging proven building blocks.
Bottom line: With a lean core team, named expert advisors (Damián Hryb on UTxO/SC patterns; Jimmy Londo on NFT/metadata standards), open repos from day-1, and rigorous milestone gates, we can deliver a high-quality Cardano DevKit on time and in the open—validated by tests, pilot results, external integrations, and transparent reporting.
Milestone Title
Public foundations (repos, schemas, rubric, onboarding)
Milestone Outputs
Public GitHub org/repos with LICENSE/README/CONTRIBUTING/SECURITY.md/CODEOWNERS
Base attestation schemas + reference scripts
Attestation Profile & Evidence Envelope v1
Pilot Rubric v1 + Sample dataset
Contributor onboarding (env vars, seed scripts, ≥8 Good-First-Issues)
CI pipeline + unit tests (initial coverage)
Acceptance Criteria
Acceptance Critera:
Evidence of Completion
Evidence of Completion:
Delivery Month
2
Cost
25000
Progress
30 %
Milestone Title
SDK/CLI v1 + adapters (Lucid/Mesh/cardano-js-sdk)
Milestone Outputs
TypeScript SDK: attest(), verify(), query(), tally()
CLI: init/attest/verify/vote --strategy simple|qv
Adapters for Lucid, Mesh, cardano-js-sdk
EAS→Cardano migration notes & sample vectors
30-min Quick Start tutorial
npm packages (semver) + tags/changelogs; CI green
Acceptance Criteria
npm package pages (SDK + CLI) with matching GitHub releases/tags
Quick-start tutorial URL + short demo clip showing end-to-end usage
CI matrix green on supported Node versions
Forum post linking to npm, releases, tutorial, demo
Evidence of Completion
Evidence of completion:
Delivery Month
4
Cost
30000
Progress
60 %
Milestone Title
Reference apps (testnet) + education
Milestone Outputs
IMS-lite (capture → attest → dashboard) with minimal onboarding
HRDAO-lite (propose → vote → tally), default simple majority; QV optional
i18n baseline (EN + 1 language)
Versioned docs site (guides, API refs, consent/privacy notes)
2 recorded tutorials, 1 live workshop + 1 live Q&A (recorded)
Acceptance Criteria
Public demo URLs + testnet TX IDs for IMS-lite and HRDAO-lite
Docs site URL (versioned) live
Links to tutorial videos + workshop/Q&A recordings
Forum post linking to demos, TX IDs, docs, and recordings
Evidence of Completion
Evidence of completion:
Delivery Month
9
Cost
30000
Progress
90 %
Milestone Title
Integrations & project close-out (Final)
Milestone Outputs
≥3 external integrations (merged PRs or public case notes with code refs)
v1.1 polish (bug fixes, docs update) + maintenance plan
Close-out report (PDF) + 3–5 min video summarizing KPIs & lessons
Acceptance Criteria
Links to ≥3 integration PRs (or public case notes if partner PRs can’t merge)
GitHub v1.1 release tag + changelog; docs updated (version bump visible)
Published close-out report PDF + video
Final Forum post aggregating all links
Evidence of Completion
Evidence of completion:
Delivery Month
9
Cost
15000
Progress
100 %
Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources
Budget & Costs — for public reviewers and voters
Total request: ₳100,000
Purpose: deliver an open-source SDK/CLI, adapters, two testnet reference apps, and versioned docs that make attestations & simple governance easy on Cardano.
Razali Samsudin — project lead, partnerships, ethics/privacy, reporting.
Cole Bartlett — product & delivery, SDK/CLI implementation, CI/releases, docs/tutorials.
Teodor Petricevic — pilot rubric, indicator schemas, usability testing.
Gareth Farry — governance/legal notes (licensing/consent).
Targeted contractors (as needed): Cardano adapter engineers, QA/Security reviewer, tech writer/i18n.
Rationale: keep core in-house; hire narrowly for adapters/polish/QA.
Cost breakdown (value for money):
Engineering (SDK/CLI, adapters, ref apps, QA/CI): ₳65,000
Docs & developer activation (docs site, quick starts, 2 recorded tutorials, 1 workshop + 1 live Q&A, EN+1 i18n): ₳18,000
Interoperability/governance fit checks + lightweight security review: ₳12,000
CI/infra & small services (hosting, indexer overages, domain, video editing, bookkeeping): ₳5,000
Allocations:
Razali Samsudin: ₳14,000
Cole Bartlett: ₳16,000
Engineering contractors: ₳52,000 total (lead engineer ₳22k; full-stack ₳10k; governance/adapter ₳8k; adapter specialist ₳8k; security/QA reviewer ₳4k)
Docs/i18n & small services: ₳18,000 (tech writer ₳4k; i18n/design/video ₳2k; bounties ₳7k; infra/services ₳5k)
Milestone tranches:
M1 (Nov–Dec 2025, 2 mo): ₳25,000 (25%)
Public repos, base schemas, Evidence Envelope v1, Pilot Rubric, onboarding, CI/tests.
Evidence: repo links, CI green, coverage badge ≥60%, rubric/sample dataset, Forum post.
M2 (Jan–Feb 2026, 2 mo): ₳30,000 (30%)
SDK/CLI v1, adapters (Lucid/Mesh/cardano-js-sdk), npm releases, 30-min quick start.
Evidence: npm + release tags, tutorial URL + short demo clip, CI green, Forum post.
M3 (Mar–May 2026, 3 mo): ₳30,000 (30%)
IMS-lite & HRDAO-lite (testnet), versioned docs site, 2 tutorials + 1 workshop + 1 Q&A, EN+1.
Evidence: demo URLs + testnet TX IDs, docs URL, video links, Forum post.
M4 Final (Jul 2026, 1 mo): ₳15,000 (15%)
≥3 external integrations, v1.1 polish, close-out report + 3–5 min video.
Evidence: PR/case-note links, v1.1 tag + changelog, report PDF, video, final Forum post.
Third-party services (kept minimal)
Hosting/CD (Vercel/Netlify), GitHub Actions minutes.
Indexers/APIs for tests (Blockfrost/Koios/Maestro) — free tiers first; budget covers modest overages.
Domain, light video editing, bookkeeping.
Targeted security/QA review of verify() and schema tests (not a formal audit).
Governance & payout:
Milestone-based payouts only after public evidence.
Budget owner: Razali Samsudin; delivery verification: Cole Bartlett.
One Catalyst Forum thread updated per milestone; simple ledger of invoices summarized at close-out.
How does the cost of the project represent value for the Cardano ecosystem?
We would deliver a reusable, open-source DevKit—SDK/CLI + schemas + two testnet reference apps - that standardizes attestations (“digital receipts”) and simple governance on Cardano.
Why this matters for Cardano?
Removes repeated work: Teams now hand-roll proof & voting, causing delays, bugs, and inconsistent UX. The DevKit makes these drop-in and verifiable.
Faster pilots → more activity: Easier proofs and votes mean quicker demos, more wallets, first ADA txs, and auditable outcomes.
Public good with compounding effect: One toolkit used by many projects multiplies impact across funds and verticals (grants, education, credentials, DAOs, RWAs).
“Doesn’t this already exist?” — quick rebuttals
“We have Lucid/Mesh/CIP-68—done.”
Those are excellent transaction/tooling primitives. What’s missing is a cohesive attestation & governance layer: attest() / verify() / tally(), evidence envelopes, ready-made schemas, CLI flows, and versioned docs—plus reference apps that show end-to-end patterns.
“Just use EAS.”
Ethereum Attestation Service is chain-specific. We provide a Cardano-first implementation aligned with CIP-30/68/1694, wallet flows, and UTxO patterns—plus migration notes for teams coming from EAS.
“Not significant.”
Any Cardano app that says prove X happened or collect a fair vote benefits—dozens of teams each fund. Standardization improves safety, speed, and credibility across the ecosystem.
Why ₳100k is good value
Conservative ROI: If 20 teams each avoid 4 weeks of engineering at ~$75/hr, the community saves ~$240k—already >2× the grant—before counting user growth or TXs.
In-house first, targeted contracting:
Cole Bartlett implements SDK/CLI, CI/releases, docs/tutorials.
Razali Samsudin leads delivery, ethics/privacy, reporting.
Teodor Petricevic (pilot rubric), Gareth Farry (governance/legal).
Contractors only for wallet/indexer adapters, QA/security review, and i18n/tech writing.
Open from day-1: MIT/AGPL/CC-BY, tagged releases, searchable docs—no paywalls, easy to fork and extend.
Evidence you can verify (each payout):
M1 (25%) repos, base schemas, Evidence Envelope v1, Pilot Rubric, CI/tests.
M2 (30%) SDK/CLI v1, adapters, npm packages, 30-min quick start.
M3 (30%) IMS-lite & HRDAO-lite on testnet, versioned docs, 2 tutorials + 1 workshop + 1 Q&A, EN+1.
M4 (15%) ≥3 integrations, v1.1 polish, close-out report + 3–5 min video.
All linked publicly: repos/tags, npm pages, demo URLs with testnet TX IDs, docs, and recordings.
Bigger picture:
Strengthens Voltaire era: clean, auditable patterns for decisions & receipts.
Lower risk, higher trust: consistent verify() checks and consent guidelines.
Scaffolding for the future: once the rails exist, AI, credentials, and cross-chain adapters plug in faster and safer.
Build the rails, not bespoke tracks. For ₳100k, Cardano gains a durable toolkit many teams can ship on - saving time, raising quality, and translating directly into adoption and on-chain proof.
Terms and Conditions:
Yes
Project Team — roles & scope (concise)
Core (Impact Web3):
Razali Samsudin — Lead / Partnerships & Ethics. Owns delivery, budget, partner onboarding; sets privacy/consent guardrails and adoption KPIs. (~0.3 FTE)
Cole Bartlett — Product & Ops (+ AI-assisted dev). Roadmap, SDK/CLI delivery, CI/releases, docs/tutorials; coordinates contractors. (~0.5 FTE)
Teodor Petricevic — Impact Methods. Pilot Rubric, indicator schemas, usability testing & synthesis. (~0.2 FTE)
Gareth Farry — Governance & Legal. DAO/governance patterns, licensing/consent notes, risk review. (~0.1 FTE)
Contracted engineers (2–3 people, as needed)
Cardano FE/BE engineers with Lucid/Mesh/cardano-js-sdk: build adapters, harden verify(), implement reference apps, QA/CI. (~1.0–1.5 FTE total across M2–M3)
Tech writer/i18n (part-time). Structure Docusaurus docs, quick starts, EN+1 baseline.
Advisors (non-delivery; reviews/office hours):
Dr. Mihaela Ulieru — AI ethics & complex systems. Human-in-the-loop guardrails; risk framing.
Miguel Ávila — SEA go-to-market. Regional adoption & partner intros.
Damián Hryb — UTxO/Smart-contract architecture. Cardano since 2021 (CardanoTrees; Cardano Forest/Veritree); SC dev on Cardano & Midnight; UTxO design patterns.
Jimmy Londo — standards & marketplaces. Building web3 music solutions since 2021; authored the first draft of a music metadata (cip60) standard proposal discussed in the CIP process; Artist Relations and NFT development for NEWM; founder of Sick City; NFT/metadata expertise.
RACI snapshot:
Responsible: Cole (SDK/CLI, releases), contracted engineers (adapters, QA, ref apps).
Accountable: Raz (delivery, budget, partners).
Consulted: Teo (rubric/metrics), Gareth (governance/legal), advisors (Damian/Jimmy/Mihaela/Miguel).
Informed: pilot partners & community via Forum/GitHub.
Skills in place / gaps:
In place: TypeScript/Node, Cardano tx libs (Lucid/Mesh/js-sdk), CI/CD, open-source docs, governance patterns, pilot design.
To recruit (short contracts/bounties): adapter specialist (wallet/indexer nuances), QA/Security reviewer for verify() & schemas, tech writing/i18n pass.
Availability & commitments
Core members have confirmed availability contingent on funding.
Advisors provide lightweight reviews/office hours; they are not responsible for milestone delivery.
Why this team fits:
We’re packaging what we already built in IMS v1 MVP, and pilot HRDAO into a reusable SDK/CLI + reference apps, with open repos from day-1 and milestone acceptance tied to public evidence. Contractors are engaged only for scoped tasks to keep the project lean.