SAIB: Chrysalis.Plutus.Core - Parser & CEK Engine for .NET

[Proposal setup] Proposal title

Please provide your proposal title

SAIB: Chrysalis.Plutus.Core - Parser & CEK Engine for .NET

[Proposal Summary] Budget Information

Enter the amount of funding you are requesting in ADA

100000

[Proposal Summary] Time

Please specify how many months you expect your project to last

6

[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?

.NET developers cannot natively parse or evaluate UPLC. Without heavy FFI bridges to Rust or Haskell, 7-8M C# developers are blocked from building on Cardano.

[Proposal Summary] Supporting Documentation

Supporting links

• https://saib.dev
,
• https://github.com/SAIB-Inc/Chrysalis
,
• https://www.nuget.org/packages/Chrysalis
,
• https://docs.saib.dev
,
• https://github.com/Mercurial

[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

Chrysalis.Plutus.Core is fully open source under the MIT License. All parser code, CEK machine implementation, documentation, and tests will be publicly available on GitHub from day one with transparent development.

[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 the MIT License for consistency with Microsoft's .NET ecosystem—including .NET Core, ASP.NET Core, and Entity Framework Core. This alignment ensures seamless enterprise adoption by removing license compatibility concerns. MIT allows commercial use, modification, and distribution without requiring derivative works to remain open source, eliminating barriers for both open source and commercial Cardano projects.

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

All development has been public on GitHub since the repository was forked in late 2023, and developers can watch the repository for real-time updates. Every commit, pull request, and issue is visible. Additionally, updates are shared through multiple channels, including NuGet package releases, GitHub releases with changelogs (https://github.com/SAIB-Inc/Chrysalis/releases) and X posts. We would also share progress in our public Discord server and through Catalyst reports.

How will you provide high quality documentation?

Similar to our previous Catalyst project, Argus (formerly Cardano.Sync), Chrysalis.Plutus.Core documentation will be centralized on our website: docs.saib.dev. It will include API references, integration guides, and working examples for all supported protocols. Currently, the GitHub README provides an overview of the project and quick-start instructions, and the source code includes XML comments to support IDE IntelliSense. Documentation is updated on major releases, ensuring developers have accurate and up-to-date information for seamless integration.

[Your Project and Solution] Solution

Please describe your proposed solution and how it addresses the problem

This proposal is part of a suite comprising Chrysalis—the foundational library for developing on Cardano with .NET and the core of our .NET Cardano technology stack.

.NET developers are completely locked out of Cardano smart contract evaluation. They cannot parse UPLC scripts, understand their structure, or evaluate them locally. This forces them to use complex FFI bridges to Rust or Haskell, creating deployment nightmares and impossible debugging scenarios. The alternative—relying on external services—introduces centralization risks and performance bottlenecks that are unacceptable for enterprise applications.

The fundamental problem is that UPLC (Untyped Plutus Core) evaluation requires deep understanding of lambda calculus semantics, CEK machine implementation, and Plutus-specific evaluation rules. No native .NET implementation exists, forcing 7 - 8 million C# developers to either learn entirely new languages or abandon Cardano development altogether.

To remedy this critical gap, we propose building Chrysalis.Plutus.Core—the first pure C# implementation of UPLC parsing and CEK machine evaluation. This foundational component will eliminate external dependencies and enable natural integration with existing .NET applications, unlocking the full potential of the .NET ecosystem for Cardano development.

Core Components:

1. UPLC Parser Implementation

2. AST (Abstract Syntax Tree) Representation

3. CEK Machine Implementation:

Technical Approach:

Our implementation strategy leverages our proven expertise in building high-performance .NET libraries for Cardano. We'll build incrementally on our existing Chrysalis.Cbor foundation, ensuring seamless integration and reducing development risk. The parser will transform raw bytecode into structured ASTs that feed directly into the CEK machine, creating a unified evaluation pipeline.

The CEK machine design prioritizes both correctness and performance. We'll implement proper lambda calculus semantics while optimizing for .NET's memory model and garbage collection patterns. Resource tracking ensures scripts cannot consume unlimited resources.

Validation and Testing:

Our approach includes rigorous validation against the official Plutus specification and test suite. We'll achieve 100% compatibility with mainnet scripts. The open-source nature ensures community validation and contributions from the start.

This foundational component enables the broader Chrysalis.Plutus ecosystem, including primitive implementations and high-level SDK development. By providing native UPLC evaluation, we're not just building a tool—we're establishing the foundation for enterprise-grade Cardano development in the world's most widely deployed programming platform. At the same time, it gives Cardano developers across the community an additional tool in their toolkit, making it easier for anyone to build, test, and experiment with smart contracts in a robust and reliable environment.

[Your Project and Solution] Impact

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

Chrysalis.Plutus.Core represents a paradigm shift that unlocks Cardano smart contract development for approximately 7-8 million .NET developers worldwide. This foundational component eliminates the single largest barrier preventing enterprise adoption of Cardano development tools—the lack of native UPLC evaluation capabilities.

Immediate Impact:

Developer Accessibility: By providing the first pure C# UPLC parser and evaluator, we're removing the complex FFI bridges that currently block .NET developers from understanding, debugging, and optimizing Cardano smart contracts. This enables natural integration with Visual Studio, familiar debugging workflows, and seamless deployment alongside existing .NET applications.

Educational Value: The pure C# implementation serves as an educational resource for the community, demonstrating UPLC semantics and CEK machine operation in a widely understood programming language. This accelerates the development of new Cardano developers who can learn from readable, well-documented implementation.

Quantitative Impact Measurement:

• GitHub engagement metrics: Stars, forks, contributors
• NuGet downloads tracking adoption rate
• Number of dependent projects built on Chrysalis.Plutus.Core
• Performance benchmarks vs reference implementations
• Test suite coverage (target: greater than 95%)
• Scripts successfully parsed from mainnet (target: 100%)

Qualitative Impact Measurement:

• Developer feedback surveys measuring ease of use and functionality
• Community engagement through Discord, GitHub discussions, and webinars
• Educational impact through tutorial engagement and developer onboarding success

Long-term Ecosystem Impact:

Foundation for Innovation:

This component enables the development of Chrysalis.Plutus.Primitives and Chrysalis.Plutus.SDK, creating a complete native .NET smart contract development ecosystem. Teams can build sophisticated debugging tools, optimization analyzers, and development environments that were previously impossible.

Cost Reduction:

Organizations save thousands in development costs by eliminating the need for specialized Haskell or Rust expertise for smart contract evaluation. Native .NET integration reduces deployment complexity and operational overhead.

Risk Mitigation:

Eliminates single points of failure associated with external evaluation services and complex native library dependencies. Organizations gain full control over their smart contract evaluation pipeline.

Community Growth:

Success in .NET development accelerates broader Cardano adoption as enterprises see demonstrated paths for integrating blockchain technology with their existing systems. This creates a virtuous cycle of development, adoption, and innovation.

Technical Delivery:

Technical outputs will be published as a NuGet package for easy installation, with complete source code publicly available on GitHub. Comprehensive documentation will be centralized on https://docs.saib.dev/ with API references, integration guides, and practical examples.

Community engagement will be strengthened through regular progress reports to the Catalyst community, video tutorials demonstrating capabilities, and active Discord support channels for developer assistance and feedback collection.

The success of this foundational component directly enables future .NET ecosystem development, making Cardano significantly more accessible to enterprise developers while providing the tools necessary for sophisticated smart contract development and analysis.

[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?

SAIB Inc. has demonstrated exceptional capability in delivering complex blockchain infrastructure projects with transparency and accountability. Our track record includes achieving major milestones in our Catalyst Fund 12 project Argus (Cardano.Sync - https://projectcatalyst.io/funds/12/cardano-open-developers/cardanosync-or-a-netc-indexing-framework-for-cardano), delivering consistent monthly Chrysalis updates from v0.1.0 to v0.7.18 https://github.com/SAIB-Inc/Chrysalis/releases, and successfully deploying Levvy in production https://levvy.fi/, which currently secures 1.76 million ADA in total value locked across thousands of active loans (https://defillama.com/protocol/levvy-finance?denomination=ADA)

Our team brings over 15 years of full-stack development experience, with six dedicated engineers who have proven Cardano expertise. We have successfully implemented complex Conway-era CBOR types, built high-performance networking protocols that outperform Rust implementations, and created production-ready transaction building systems. This proven expertise in low-level Cardano protocols provides the foundation for UPLC evaluation implementation.

Additionally, our zero-dependency architectural approach demonstrates deep technical mastery and eliminates the complex FFI bridges that currently block .NET developers. As the foundational UPLC evaluation engine for Cardano .NET development, this self-contained design will ensure long-term ecosystem stability and enables true native debugging with breakpoints and step-through capabilities that are impossible with external evaluators.

UPLC-Specific Capabilities:

Our approach is enhanced by collaboration with UPLC experts Lucas and Casey, who have previously built UPLC evaluators and possess deep understanding of CEK machine semantics, edge cases, and optimization strategies. Their proven experience implementing the Plutus specification provides critical expertise for ensuring our implementation meets the exacting requirements of smart contract evaluation.

Furthermore, our track record of successfully managing and delivering complex tools demonstrates our capability to execute this project with the highest quality standards while ensuring responsible and transparent fund usage.

[Milestones] Project Milestones

Milestone Title

UPLC Parser Implementation (Months 1-2)

Milestone Outputs

Establish the foundation of our UPLC evaluation engine by building a comprehensive parser capable of reading and interpreting flat-encoded UPLC bytecode as it exists on the Cardano blockchain. This parser transforms raw bytecode into structured abstract syntax trees (ASTs) for CEK machine evaluation.

1. Source code containing:

   • Complete UPLC parser supporting UPLC constructs (Lambda, Apply, Const, Builtin, Delay, Force, Error)
   • AST data structures
   • Validation logic ensuring scripts are well-formed with comprehensive error reporting
   • Unit test suite covering all parser functionality with edge case handling

2. Detailed documentation covering:

   • Unit test results

Acceptance Criteria

1. A reviewer must be able to access the source code and see it contains:
   • Complete UPLC parser supporting UPLC constructs (Lambda, Apply, Const, Builtin, Delay, Force, Error)
   • AST data structures
   • Validation logic ensuring scripts are well-formed with comprehensive error reporting
   • Unit test suite covering all parser functionality with edge case handling
2. A reviewer must be able to access the document and see it contains the coverage and achieves:
   • Successfully parse 100% of mainnet UPLC scripts without errors
   • Exactly match reference parser output for all test cases
   • Parser documentation complete with API references and examples
   • Unit test coverage exceeding 80% for all parser components

Evidence of Completion

• A link to the published NuGet package release with the updates included.
• A link to GitHub source code.
• A publicly accessible link to the report.

Delivery Month

2

Cost

30000

Progress

20 %

Milestone Title

CEK Machine Core Implementation (Months 3-4)

Milestone Outputs

Deliver the heart of UPLC evaluation by implementing a complete CEK (Control, Environment, Kontinuation) machine that executes parsed UPLC programs according to Plutus specifications with proper resource management and debugging capabilities.

1. Source code containing:
   • Complete CEK machine implementation
   • Resource limit enforcement tracking memory usage, CPU steps, and stack depth
   • Error propagation system maintaining stack traces for debugging purposes
2. Detailed documentation covering:
   • Unit test

Acceptance Criteria

1. A reviewer must be able to access the source code and see it contains:
   • Complete CEK machine implementation
   • Resource limit enforcement tracking memory usage, CPU steps, and stack depth
   • Error propagation system maintaining stack traces for debugging purposes
   • Error messages provide clear, actionable information for developers
2. A reviewer must be able to access the document and see it contains the coverage and achieves:
   • Unit test coverage exceeding 80% for all CEK machine components

Evidence of Completion

• A link to the published NuGet package release with the updates included.
• A link to GitHub source code.
• A publicly accessible link to the report.

Delivery Month

4

Cost

40000

Progress

50 %

Milestone Title

Integration & Documentation (Months 5-6)

Milestone Outputs

The third milestone brings together the parser and CEK machine into a cohesive, production-ready UPLC evaluation system. This phase involves deep integration work where we connect the parser output directly to the CEK machine input, implement proper error handling that bubbles up through all layers with meaningful context, create a unified API surface that makes the evaluator easy to use from .NET applications. Comprehensive documentation will be created covering API references and integration guides.

1. Source code containing:

   • Full integration of parser and CEK machine  
   • Comprehensive error handling system bubbling up meaningful context through all layers
   • Performance profiling results and compare with other implementations

2. Detailed documentation covering:

   • Complete API documentation covering all public interfaces

Acceptance Criteria

1. A reviewer must be able to access the source code and see it contains:
   • Full integration of parser and CEK machine
   • Comprehensive error handling system bubbling up meaningful context through all layers
   • Performance profiling results and compare with other implementations
2. A reviewer must be able to access the document and see it contains the coverage and achieves:
   • Successfully evaluate 100% of test UPLC programs from official test suite
   • Covers 100% of public APIs

Evidence of Completion

• A link to github source update with the refinements / updates.
• A link to the published NuGet package release with the updates included.
• A publicly accessible link to the progress and report.

Delivery Month

6

Cost

20000

Progress

80 %

Milestone Title

Project Close-out Report and Video (Month 6)

Milestone Outputs

Deliver the final close-out report and video presentation documenting all project achievements, outcomes, and lessons learned.

Final Close-Out Report:

• Summary of milestone activities, achievements, and outcomes
• Metrics and results (engagement metrics, feedback, performance indicators)
• Challenges and solutions
• Lessons learned
• Next steps and recommendations

Final Close-Out Video/Presentation:

• Overview of the project and milestone
• Key achievements and milestones
• Metrics and results (visual representation)
• Challenges and solutions
• Lessons learned
• Future plans

Acceptance Criteria

Final Close-Out Report:

• Document all activities and tasks completed during the milestone
• Summarize key achievements and milestones reached
• Include metrics and results (engagement metrics, feedback, performance indicators)
• Address challenges faced and solutions implemented
• Compile lessons learned
• Provide next steps and recommendations

Final Close-Out Video/Presentation:

• Create a video overview of the project and milestone
• Highlight key achievements and milestones
• Present metrics and results with visual representation
• Discuss challenges faced and solutions implemented
• Share lessons learned
• Outline future plans
• Ensure the final close-out report, video, and presentation are publicly available for review and access.

Evidence of Completion

Link to Final Close-Out Report:

• Comprehensive document summarizing all activities, achievements, and outcomes
• Includes metrics and results, challenges and solutions, lessons learned, and next steps

Link to Final Close-Out Video/Presentation:

• Video overview of the project and milestone
• Highlights key achievements, metrics, challenges, solutions, and future plans
• Detailed presentation covering project overview, milestone activities and tasks, key achievements, challenges and solutions, metrics and results, lessons learned, and next steps

Delivery Month

6

Cost

10000

Progress

100 %

[Final Pitch] Budget & Costs

Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources

The project's cost breakdown ensures value for the Cardano ecosystem by focusing on key areas:

Development Team (65,000 ADA):

Core team working 6 months will handle UPLC parser implementation, CEK machine development, AST data structure design, integration layer development, performance optimization, comprehensive testing, and technical documentation. This investment ensures a production-ready UPLC evaluation engine with enterprise-grade reliability and performance that matches reference implementations.

UPLC Expert Consultation (15,000 ADA):

Lucas and Casey consultation covering CEK machine semantics guidance, UPLC specification interpretation, edge case identification and resolution . Performance optimization strategies and benchmarking guidance. Code review and validation against Plutus specification. This investment ensures our implementation correctly handles complex evaluation scenarios and maintains compatibility with the official specification.

Testing and Quality Assurance (10,000 ADA):

Comprehensive test suite development covering parser validation, CEK machine correctness, and integration testing. Performance benchmarking against reference implementations with automated regression testing. Beta testing program coordination with community developers. These investments guarantee robust implementation that handles edge cases and maintains performance standards.

Documentation and Community (10,000 ADA):

Technical documentation including API references, architecture guides, and implementation details. Educational content creation including tutorials, video walkthroughs, and migration guides. Community engagement through Discord support, developer workshops, and feedback collection. Two front-end engineers will enhance the documentation website as part of this allocation.

Total Budget: 100,000 ADA

Third-Party Services:

UPLC expert consultations and cloud infrastructure for testing are included in their respective budget allocations. All development utilizes free tier services (GitHub, Discord, NuGet) and open-source tools (VS Code, .NET SDK). The project leverages existing Chrysalis infrastructure, maximizing value delivery within budget constraints.

No Additional Funding Required:

The 100,000 ADA fully covers all project costs. We leverage existing Chrysalis infrastructure and our established development environment, eliminating setup costs. Our team is based in the Philippines where development costs are competitive, maximizing value per ADA spent.

[Final Pitch] Value for Money

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

The costs of this project have been carefully structured to ensure exceptional value for money for the Cardano ecosystem, while delivering enterprise-grade results. Here's how the costs were determined and why they represent unprecedented value:

Development Investment Justification (65,000 ADA):

The 65,000 ADA allocated for development reflects the specialized expertise required to implement UPLC parsing and CEK machine evaluation—areas demanding deep understanding of lambda calculus, formal semantics, and high-performance computing. Typical UPLC evaluator development costs exceed $500,000 in traditional markets. Our approach achieves 90% cost reduction through modular architecture, existing Chrysalis foundation, and expert team efficiency.

Expert Consultation Value (15,000 ADA):

UPLC expertise is exceptionally rare, with only a handful of developers worldwide having built production evaluators. Lucas and Casey's proven experience implementing UPLC evaluators provides invaluable guidance that prevents costly mistakes and ensures specification compliance. This investment eliminates months of trial-and-error development and guarantees compatibility with Plutus semantics.

Testing & Quality Assurance Investment (10,000 ADA):

UPLC evaluation requires absolute correctness—any bug could affect smart contract execution across the entire network. Professional testing including conformance validation, performance benchmarking, and community beta testing ensures our implementation meets production standards. This investment prevents catastrophic failures that could damage the .NET ecosystem's trust in Cardano development tools.

Documentation & Community Impact (10,000 ADA):

Comprehensive documentation transforms this technical achievement into accessible developer tools. Clear API references, architectural guides, and educational content enable rapid adoption by the 7-8 million .NET developer community. This investment multiplies project value by ensuring developers can successfully integrate and build upon our foundation.

Direct Economic Impact:

Each organization currently excluded from Cardano development due to UPLC evaluation barriers represents thousands in lost ecosystem value. By enabling native .NET evaluation, we're unlocking potential billion-dollar enterprise adoption. Just a few major enterprise projects justify the entire investment, while perpetual open-source availability ensures lasting value.

[Required Acknowledgements] Consent & Confirmation

Terms and Conditions:

Yes