Last updated 9 months ago
Cardano lacks dev tooling for trust-minimized, private apps that ensure fairness, prevent front-running and information asymmetry. This limits innovation in governance, DeFi, and on-chain use cases.
Integrate Shutter API on Cardano, enabling developers to easily add threshold encryption to dApps for fairer governance, DeFi and other use cases. Implementing an encrypted DEX or voting tool as POC.
This is the total amount allocated to Shutter API: Encryption-as-a-Service for Cardano (DeFi POC).
Please provide your proposal title
Shutter API: Encryption-as-a-Service for Cardano (DeFi POC)
Enter the amount of funding you are requesting in ADA
100000
Please specify how many months you expect your project to last
6
Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated
No
Original Language
en
What is the problem you want to solve?
Cardano lacks dev tooling for trust-minimized, private apps that ensure fairness, prevent front-running and information asymmetry. This limits innovation in governance, DeFi, and on-chain use cases.
Supporting links
Does your project have any dependencies on other organizations, technical or otherwise?
No
Describe any dependencies or write 'No dependencies'
No dependencies
Will your project's outputs be fully open source?
Yes
License and Additional Information
Fully open source, MIT license mostly
Please choose the most relevant theme and tag related to the outcomes of your proposal
Infrastructure
Mention your open source license and describe your open source license rationale.
Open Source because that's the only way to be sure security/peer-review based (we don't believe in security by obstruction).
Highly permissive MIT license, in the age of agentic coding there's no point in trying to restrict access to software via proprietary licensing.
We will release the Cardano-compatible Shutter API and the demo dApp under a permissive open-source license (MIT). This ensures the code can be freely used, modified, and integrated into other Cardano projects without restrictive licensing barriers, encouraging experimentation and broad ecosystem benefit.
How do you make sure your source code is accessible to the public from project start, and people are informed?
All development will take place in a public GitHub repository from the beginning of the project. Progress will be tracked via issues and commits, so anyone can follow the work in real time. We will announce repository availability and updates through Cardano developer channels, social media, and relevant community groups to ensure visibility.
How will you provide high quality documentation?
We will produce developer-focused documentation alongside the code, including:
Step-by-step integration guides for the API.
Code examples with clear explanations.
A walkthrough of the demo dApp to illustrate practical use.
Documentation will be hosted in the repository and on a public documentation site, and will be reviewed internally for clarity and completeness before release.
Please describe your proposed solution and how it addresses the problem
We will deploy, maintain, and support the Shutter API on Cardano, providing a plug-and-play, trust-minimized threshold encryption service to the Cardano developers. Furthermore, we will deploy a POC of an encrypted DEX or voting tool to showcase the technology, which will allow the Cardano community to swap ADA, stablecoins and other tokens without frontrunning or sandwich attacks or cast votes without anyone knowing the results until the voting period has ended. The exact POC will depend on community feedback.
Shutter API allows developers to integrate commit-reveal workflows, time-lock encryption, and shielded interactions without building or maintaining their own cryptographic infrastructure. Instead of relying on trusted hardware or custom setups, developers can simply call the Shutter API to access distributed key generation, encryption, and threshold decryption coordinated by the Shutter key network.
This solution unlocks many use cases:
Shielded governance: Protect votes from premature influence with Shielded Voting integrated with Snapshot and Kleros. (https://www.shutter.network/shielded-voting))
Fair DeFi: Encrypted orders to prevent MEV and front-running. (https://www.shutter.network/shielded-trading))
Sealed-bid auctions: Bids revealed simultaneously, ensuring fairness. (https://www.paddlebattle.auction/))
Prediction markets & games: Moves or predictions hidden until reveal conditions are met. (https://www.ethtimecapsule.com/, https://shutter-predict.shutter.network/, https://rfp.shutter.network/ and https://hongbao.shutter.network/))
By integrating Shutter on Cardano, we give developers a critical privacy and fairness primitive, allowing them to focus on their core value propositions while improving user trust and enabling entirely new application categories.
Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community
The Shutter API on Cardano will:
Fill a current infrastructure gap with production-ready, privacy-preserving developer tooling.
Empower developers to build fairer, more secure governance and DeFi platforms.
Open new verticals like sealed-bid RFPs, encrypted gaming, and time-locked content delivery.
Impact Measurement:
≥ 3 dApps integrating Shutter API within 6 months post-launch.
≥ 8 NPS score from partner teams on API usability.
5K+ Shielded trades or 1K+ Shielded votes.
50K USD+ in trading volume
Sharing Outputs:
Open-source API, documentation, and example integrations published on GitHub.
Technical guides and case studies shared via Cardano developer channels.
Workshops at Cardano community events to drive adoption.
One DeFi or Governance dApp as an MVP to showcase the functionality.
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?
Experience:
Shutter is developed by brainbot GmbH, a team with over a decade of experience in Web3 infrastructure, including contributions to the Ethereum Python client, Raiden Network, and Beamer Bridge. Since 2021, the team has specialized in threshold encryption, delivering:
Shielded Voting in Snapshot (default for Arbitrum DAO, protecting 298K+ votes).
Shielded Trading on Gnosis Chain.
Shutter API, powering auctions, predictions, and commit-reveal apps.
Feasibility:
The API is already live on Gnosis Chain and integrated into production apps. Adapting it to Cardano is primarily about protocol compatibility, with no need to reinvent the cryptographic core.
Milestone Title
Cardano Testnet Integration of Shutter API
Milestone Outputs
A Cardano-compatible implementation of the Shutter API has been successfully deployed on the testnet, featuring fully functional end-to-end encryption and decryption flows. This deployment enables transactions and messages to be securely encrypted, transmitted, and later decrypted within the Cardano ecosystem, validating the complete cryptographic workflow in a live test environment.
Acceptance Criteria
Successful commit–reveal operations have been executed on the Cardano testnet, with both the encryption and subsequent reveal phases thoroughly validated. The integrity of the process was confirmed through a combination of automated testing and manual verification, ensuring that the cryptographic workflow operates as intended within the Cardano environment.
Evidence of Completion
Public testnet deployment endpoint, GitHub release notes, and demonstration video showing encryption-to-reveal process.
Delivery Month
2
Cost
30000
Progress
30 %
Milestone Title
Developer Documentation & Example Integrations
Milestone Outputs
Comprehensive documentation and setup guides have been prepared, accompanied by three fully open-source example repositories. These examples demonstrate practical integrations of the system across different use cases, including governance voting, sealed-bid auctions, and prediction markets, providing developers with ready-to-use templates and implementation references
Acceptance Criteria
Detailed documentation and step-by-step setup guides have been published, accompanied by at least one fully open-source example project that demonstrates seamless integration with the Cardano testnet API. This example serves as a practical reference for developers, showcasing how to connect, interact, and build applications on top of the Cardano-compatible Shutter API in a real testnet environment.
Evidence of Completion
A public GitHub repository has been made available, containing comprehensive documentation and example code to help developers get started quickly. In addition, a detailed step-by-step guide is accessible online, walking users through the entire setup and integration process from initial configuration to successful execution.
Delivery Month
3
Cost
30000
Progress
60 %
Milestone Title
Mainnet Launch
Milestone Outputs
The Shutter API has been successfully deployed on the Cardano mainnet, enabling production-grade integration of its encryption and decryption capabilities within the live Cardano ecosystem. This marks a key milestone, bringing privacy-preserving transaction functionality from testing into full mainnet availability.
Acceptance Criteria
Fully operational mainnet endpoints are now available, providing direct access to the live Shutter API deployment on the Cardano network. These endpoints enable developers and applications to interact with production-ready encryption, decryption, and related functionality in a mainnet environment.
Evidence of Completion
Mainnet endpoints are now live, offering direct access to the Shutter API deployment on the Cardano network. These endpoints allow developers and applications to utilize production-ready encryption, decryption, and related features in a mainnet setting.
Delivery Month
4
Cost
25000
Progress
90 %
Milestone Title
DeFi or governance Cardano dApp & Final Project Report
Milestone Outputs
A pilot decentralized application (dApp) is actively running on the Cardano mainnet, fully integrated with the Shutter API to demonstrate its encryption and decryption capabilities in a live environment. A comprehensive final report has been produced, summarizing the project’s delivery, outlining the technical implementation details, and documenting the key findings and lessons learned from the deployment.
Acceptance Criteria
An in-house functional demo dApp has been developed and deployed on the Cardano mainnet, fully integrating the Shutter API to showcase a complete commit–reveal workflow from end to end. The release includes a live demo dApp link for hands-on exploration, a publicly available final report detailing the project’s implementation and results, and a comprehensive walkthrough video demonstrating the functionality in action.
Evidence of Completion
Public repository for demo dApp, Mainnet deployment link, final public report link and recorded walkthrough demonstrating end-to-end functionality.
Delivery Month
5
Cost
15000
Progress
100 %
Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources
The total budget request is 100,000 ADA, allocated as follows:
API Adaptation & Integration (55,000 ADA): Modify the Shutter API to ensure full compatibility with the Cardano ecosystem.
Use Case Development (25,000 ADA): Build three pilot applications showcasing different capabilities — governance voting, a sealed-bid auction, and a prediction market.
Documentation & Developer Support (12,500 ADA): Create comprehensive developer guides, host workshops, and provide onboarding support to early adopters.
Project Management & QA (7,500 ADA): Oversee coordination, quality assurance, and transparent reporting throughout the project lifecycle.
How does the cost of the project represent value for the Cardano ecosystem?
This project delivers key developer infrastructure that will remain available to the Cardano ecosystem long after the grant is completed. By integrating Shutter’s proven encryption technology, Cardano gains a trust-minimized, open-source privacy primitive that developers can plug into their dApps without needing deep cryptographic expertise or costly infrastructure.
The grant funds are directed toward clear, tangible outputs, the Cardano API adaptation, developer documentation, and an in-house demo dApp, ensuring that all deliverables are public goods. The same technology is already in production on other chains, demonstrating its reliability and making the Cardano integration a low-risk, high-impact investment.
For the cost of this proposal, the Cardano community gets:
A ready-to-use encryption service for governance, DeFi, auctions, and more.
A DeFi or governance demo dApp showcasing practical adoption paths for builders.
Open documentation and example code to speed up future integrations.
Compared to the resources and expertise individual teams would need to recreate similar capabilities, funding Shutter’s integration is an order of magnitude more efficient. It enables many future projects to launch fairer, privacy-preserving workflows at a low cost, creating compounding value for Cardano.
Terms and Conditions:
Yes
Luis Bezzenberger – Product Manager
Leads technical scoping, product design, and coordination across engineering and external integrations. Luis has overseen the rollout of Shutter protocols and products and its use in Snapshot, Gnosis Chain, and several Shutter API based dapps.
Loring Harkness – Business Development & Partnerships
Manages strategic partnerships, grant relationships, and developer ecosystem alignment. Previously supported Shutter's integrations in governance and public goods funding contexts.
Anthony Caravello – Marketing
Oversees storytelling, product marketing, and technical content that makes Shutter tools understandable and useful for developers and governance communities.
Ulrich Petri – Developer
Focused on backend logic and protocol-level integration of Shutter’s threshold encryption stack.
Tatu Karki – Communications
Yousra Lembachar – Developer
Specializes in interface development, frontend integrations, and improving developer experience for projects adopting the API.