SAIB: Chrysalis.Plutus.SDK - Developer Tools & Integration

[Proposal setup] Proposal title

Please provide your proposal title

SAIB: Chrysalis.Plutus.SDK - Developer Tools & Integration

[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?

Developers need production tools to use Plutus evaluation: cost calculation, context building, CLI automation. Raw primitives aren't enough for real development workflows.

[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.SDK is fully open source under the MIT License. All debugger extensions, CLI tools, API libraries, profiling tools, and documentation are publicly available on GitHub with transparent development processes.

[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 (https://github.com/SAIB-Inc/Chrysalis/releases) GitHub releases with changelogs, 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.SDK documentation will be centralized on our website: https://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.

While Chrysalis.Plutus.Core provides UPLC parsing and CEK machine evaluation capabilities, and Chrysalis.Plutus.Builtins delivers the runtime operations needed for smart contract execution, developers still face significant challenges using these powerful tools in production environments. The gap between having functional evaluation capabilities and building real applications remains substantial—developers need cost calculation, script context management, and intuitive APIs to be productive.

Currently, .NET developers attempting to work with Plutus smart contracts face numerous barriers: they cannot accurately predict execution costs before submission, leading to failed transactions and wasted fees; analyzing script failures requires manual inspection of cryptic error messages; building proper script contexts is error-prone and requires deep understanding of transaction structures; and integration with existing .NET applications requires significant boilerplate code and expert knowledge.

The Challenge:

The fundamental problem is that raw evaluation capabilities, while technically impressive, don't translate directly into developer productivity. Professional software development requires tooling that abstracts complexity, provides visibility into execution, prevents common errors, and integrates seamlessly with established workflows. Without these tools, even a perfectly functional evaluator remains an academic exercise rather than a practical development platform.

Comprehensive SDK Solution:

1. Cost Model & Execution Planning: We will implement a precise cost calculation system that accurately predicts ExUnits (memory and CPU) consumption before script execution. This system will integrate with current protocol parameters, provide budget tracking during evaluation, and prevent transaction failures due to resource limits.

2. Script Context Management: Building proper transaction contexts for script evaluation is complex and error-prone. Our context builder will handle datum and redeemer management, UTxO set construction, time range validation, signer verification, and script purpose configuration. This automation eliminates a major source of bugs while providing a clean, type-safe API that makes context construction intuitive for .NET developers.

3. CLI Tools & Automation: Command-line tools enable automation and CI/CD integration essential for professional development. Our CLI suite will support script evaluation in headless environments, batch testing capabilities.

4. High-Level Developer API: Making evaluation accessible requires abstracting technical complexity behind intuitive interfaces. Our high-level API will provide patterns familiar to .NET developers, comprehensive error handling with meaningful messages.

5. Integration & Distribution: Bringing everything together requires careful packaging and distribution. We'll provide a unified NuGet metapackage for easy installation, example projects demonstrating best practices, project templates for quick starts, migration guides from other platforms, and comprehensive documentation covering common scenarios.

Developer Experience Focus:

Every component will be designed with developer productivity as the primary goal. APIs will be discoverable through IntelliSense, error messages will be actionable and helpful, common scenarios will require minimal code, and advanced features will be accessible but not intrusive. The SDK will reduce the learning curve from months to days for experienced .NET developers.

Ecosystem Integration:

The SDK will integrate naturally with the broader Chrysalis ecosystem, leveraging existing components while providing enhanced functionality. It will support the full range of Cardano features including multi-asset transactions, smart contracts, metadata, and governance operations. Compatibility with existing .NET libraries and frameworks will enable developers to incorporate blockchain functionality into their existing applications.

This comprehensive SDK transforms the Chrysalis.Plutus foundation from impressive technology into essential infrastructure for .NET Cardano development, completing the stack necessary for enterprise-grade smart contract development and deployment. At the same time, it provides the broader Cardano developer community with a powerful, reliable toolkit for building, testing, and experimenting with smart contracts, helping both .NET developers and community members accelerate innovation across the ecosystem.

[Your Project and Solution] Impact

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

Chrysalis.Plutus.SDK represents the culmination of the complete .NET Plutus development stack, transforming raw evaluation capabilities into a production-ready developer platform that rivals any blockchain development environment. This final component bridges the critical gap between technical capability and practical usability, enabling millions of .NET developers to build sophisticated Cardano applications with confidence and efficiency.

Immediate Technical Impact:

Complete Development Environment: With the SDK's analysis tools, developers can understand script execution failures through clear error reporting.

Cost Optimization: The integrated cost model enables developers to predict and optimize transaction fees before deployment, preventing costly failures and enabling more efficient smart contracts. This directly saves users money while improving the overall network efficiency.

Professional Tooling: CLI tools enable automated testing and CI/CD integration, bringing smart contract development into professional software development workflows.

Impact Measurement:

• NuGet package download counts tracking real usage
• CLI tool installations via dotnet tool install commands
• GitHub stars, forks, and contributors indicating community engagement

Long-term Ecosystem Transformation:

Enterprise Enablement: Complete professional tooling removes the final barriers for enterprise adoption of Cardano development. Organizations can integrate smart contract functionality into existing .NET applications using familiar patterns and tools, dramatically expanding Cardano's addressable market.

Innovation Acceleration: By abstracting complexity and providing powerful tools, the SDK enables developers to focus on building innovative applications rather than struggling with infrastructure. This accelerates the pace of DApp development and increases the sophistication of applications built on Cardano.

Market Expansion: The complete .NET development stack positions Cardano to compete effectively for enterprise blockchain projects. Organizations evaluating blockchain platforms will see Cardano as having equivalent or superior tooling compared to other platforms, influencing technology adoption decisions.

Community Development Strategy:

Multi-Channel Distribution: All SDK components will be distributed through appropriate developer channels including NuGet package manager for dependency management, GitHub for source code and collaboration, Docker Hub for containerized deployments, and docs.saib.dev for comprehensive documentation.

Educational Resources: We will create extensive educational materials including video tutorial series demonstrating complex features, live coding sessions engaging the community, workshop materials supporting educators, integration examples showing real-world usage patterns, and best practices guides preventing common mistakes.

Community Support: Ongoing support will be provided through active Discord channels for real-time assistance, GitHub discussions for feature requests and feedback, webinars showcasing new capabilities, and conference presentations spreading awareness.

The SDK transforms the value proposition from "Cardano has .NET support" to "Cardano is the best platform for .NET blockchain development," positioning the ecosystem for sustainable growth and enterprise adoption.

[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 believe that SAIB Inc. has a strong track record of technical success and community-oriented tool creation and management. Highlights include achieving major milestones in our Catalyst Fund 12–funded project Argus (Cardano.Sync - https://projectcatalyst.io/funds/12/cardano-open-developers/cardanosync-or-a-netc-indexing-framework-for-cardano) delivering consistent Chrysalis updates from v0.1.0 to v0.7.18 (https://github.com/SAIB-Inc/Chrysalis/releases) and deploying Levvy (https://defillama.com/protocol/levvy-finance?denomination=ADA) which leverages Chrysalis and Argus to process Mainnet transactions. Furthermore, our tool development is open and transparent, with code publicly available on GitHub and progress tracked in real time.

The 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. Additionally, we maintain strong collaborations with key ecosystem participants including TxPipe, dcSpark, and the Cardano Foundation. As operators of the ADAPH stake pool and contributors to multiple open-source Cardano tools, we bring hands-on network experience and deep integration within the Cardano community.

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.

With this, we believe 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

Cost Model & Script Context Builder (Months 1 - 2)

Milestone Outputs

Implement the foundational systems for accurate cost calculation and script context management that enable reliable smart contract evaluation.

1. Source code containing:

   • Complete cost model implementation with precise ExUnit calculation for CPU and memory usage
   • Script context builder supporting all transaction types and validation scenarios
   • Initial high-level API design providing developer-friendly interfaces
   • Comprehensive test suite covering all cost calculation scenarios and edge cases

2. Report containining coverage and results

Acceptance Criteria

1. A reviewer can see the source code contains the listed updates:

   • Complete cost model implementation with precise ExUnit calculation for CPU and memory usage
   • Script context builder supporting all transaction types and validation scenarios
   • Initial high-level API design providing developer-friendly interfaces
   • Comprehensive test suite covering all cost calculation scenarios and edge cases

2. A reviewer must be able to access the document and see it contains the coverage and achieves:

   • Cost predictions achieve 99%+ accuracy compared to on-chain execution
   • Context builder handles 100% of standard transaction types correctly
   • Test coverage exceeds 80% for all cost and context functionality
   • Performance benchmarks show acceptable calculation speed for production use

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

CLI Tools & High-Level APIs(Months 3-5)

Milestone Outputs

Complete the developer toolkit with command-line tools and high-level APIs that enable automation, CI/CD integration, and seamless application development workflows.

1.Source code containing:

• Complete CLI tool suite supporting script evaluation, testing, and automation
• High-level .NET API with intuitive interfaces and comprehensive error handling
• Integration examples demonstrating real-world usage patterns and best practices
• Performance optimizations ensuring tools scale for enterprise usage

2.Public link to reports documenting progress.

Acceptance Criteria

1. A reviewer can see the source code contains the listed updates:
   • Complete CLI tool suite supporting script evaluation, testing, and automation
   • High-level .NET API with intuitive interfaces and comprehensive error handling
   • Integration examples demonstrating real-world usage patterns and best practices
   • Performance optimizations ensuring tools scale for enterprise usage
2. A reviewer must be able to access the document and see it contains the coverage and achieves:
   • CLI tools installable via standard dotnet tool install commands
   • Integration examples work
   • Tools handle edge cases gracefully with meaningful error messages

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

5

Cost

40000

Progress

50 %

Milestone Title

Documentation & Community Engagement (Month 6)

Milestone Outputs

Create comprehensive documentation and educational resources that enable widespread adoption, ensuring developers can effectively utilize all the features.

1.Documentation report containing:

• Complete API documentation covering all features
• Best practices documentation for cost calculation, CLI usage, and API integration
• Example applications showcasing SDK usage and evaluation workflows
• Developer workshops and community engagement sessions reports

Acceptance Criteria

1. A reviewer can access and find comprehensive details in the progress report including:
   • All SDK features documented with comprehensive API references
   • Documentation covering 100% of public APIs and features
   • Example applications demonstrating real-world usage patterns

Evidence of Completion

• A link to GitHub source update with the refinements / updates.
• A link to the report detailing enhancements and guides hosted at https://docs.saib.dev/.

Delivery Month

6

Cost

20000

Progress

80 %

Milestone Title

Project Close-Out and Impact Reporting (Month 6)

Milestone Outputs

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):

Cost model implementation and script context management system. Performance profiling tools and error analysis capabilities. CLI tool suite development with automation and CI/CD integration. High-level API development with intuitive interfaces and error handling. This investment ensures complete SDK functionality with enterprise-grade developer experience.

UPLC Expert Consultation (15,000 ADA):

Lucas and Casey consultation covering SDK integration with Core and Primitives modules. Developer experience optimization and workflow design guidance. Code review and best practices validation for SDK components. This investment ensures our SDK integrates seamlessly with the evaluation foundation while providing optimal developer experience.

Testing & Quality Assurance (10,000 ADA):

Comprehensive test suite development for all SDK components. Beta testing program coordination with real developers and projects. Integration testing with Visual Studio and CI/CD platforms. These investments guarantee production-ready tools that meet professional development standards.

Documentation & Community (10,000 ADA):

Technical documentation including API references, tutorials, and best practices guides. Video content creation demonstrating SDK features and workflows. Community engagement through Discord support, developer workshops, and feedback collection. Two frontend engineers will enhance the documentation website as part of this allocation.

Total Budget: 100,000 ADA

Third-Party Services:

Visual Studio development licenses covered by existing team subscriptions. CLI frameworks utilize mature .NET tooling with no additional costs. All SDK components will be original work building on our Chrysalis foundation, eliminating licensing dependencies.

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 represent exceptional value for money for the Cardano ecosystem, while delivering enterprise-grade developer tooling that completes the .NET Plutus development stack. Here's how the costs were determined and why they represent unprecedented ecosystem value:

Development Investment Justification (65,000 ADA):

The 65,000 ADA allocated for development reflects the specialized expertise required to build sophisticated developer tooling including Visual Studio extensions, performance profilers, and automation frameworks. Commercial SDK development typically exceeds $300,000 for comparable functionality, while our approach achieves 85% cost reduction through building on our proven Chrysalis foundation, leveraging mature .NET ecosystem tools, and applying our experienced team's proven SDK development expertise.

Expert Consultation Strategic Value (15,000 ADA):

Lucas and Casey's deep UPLC expertise ensures seamless integration between SDK components and the underlying evaluation engine. Their guidance prevents costly architectural mistakes while ensuring optimal developer experience design. This investment eliminates potential months of rework and guarantees the SDK leverages the full capabilities of our Core and Primitives foundation.

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

Developer tools require exceptional reliability since bugs directly impact developer productivity across the entire ecosystem. Comprehensive testing including real-world beta programs, integration validation with major development platforms, and edge case coverage ensures our SDK meets professional development standards. This investment prevents adoption barriers and support burdens that could undermine ecosystem growth.

Documentation & Community Impact (10,000 ADA):

Professional developer tooling requires comprehensive documentation and educational resources. Clear API references, practical tutorials, and video demonstrations enable rapid adoption by the 10.6 million .NET developer community. This investment multiplies SDK value by ensuring developers can successfully integrate and build upon our complete toolkit.

[Required Acknowledgements] Consent & Confirmation

Terms and Conditions:

Yes