CardanoHover: VS Code Extension for Address Insights

[Proposal setup] Proposal title

Please provide your proposal title

CardanoHover: VS Code Extension for Address Insights

[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

4

[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?

Basic onchain insights are not available inside the developer’s IDE. Developers frequently need to copy a Cardano address from code paste it into a block explorer manually check its balance etc.

[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

Please provide details on the intellectual property (IP) status of your project outputs, including whether they will be released as open source or retained under another licence.

MIT Licence for wide adoption

[Theme Selection] Theme

Please choose the most relevant theme and tag related to the outcomes of your proposal

Developer Tools

[Campaign Category] Category Questions

Describe what makes your idea innovative compared to what has been previously launched in the market (whether by you or others).

The CardanoHover VS Code extension is innovative because it brings real-time, on-chain Cardano insights directly into the developer’s editor, eliminating the need to switch between multiple tools, block explorers, or CLI commands. This streamlined approach does not exist anywhere in the Cardano ecosystem today.

Describe what your prototype or MVP will demonstrate, and where it can be accessed.

The CardanoHover extension will be easily accessible across multiple environments so that any developer can use it immediately.

Visual Studio Code Marketplace (Main Distribution Channel)

GitHub Repository (Open Source)

Describe realistic measures of success, ideally with on-chain metrics.

The success of the CardanoHover VS Code extension will be measured through clear, realistic, and verifiable indicators. These metrics reflect adoption, usefulness, stability, and long-term value to the Cardano developer ecosystem.

150+ downloads within the first 3 months after launch

300+ downloads within the first 6 months

80–120 monthly active users (MAU) by month 6

[Your Project and Solution] Solution

Please describe your proposed solution and how it addresses the problem

We will build CardanoHover, a powerful but lightweight VS Code extension that instantly shows Cardano address information on hover or click.

When a user hovers over any Cardano address inside a .hs, .plutus, .aiken, .ts, .js, .json, or .md file:

Address Insights

ADA Balance

Assets held at the address (fungible & NFTs)

UTxO count & preview

Delegation pool info

How This Solution Addresses the Problem

1. Removes friction when reading or writing smart contracts
2. Speeds up debugging and development
3. Gives instant understanding of addresses
4. Helps students & new developers learn faster
5. Makes Cardano development feel modern and competitive with Ethereum’s tool ecosystem
6. Helps security reviewers and auditors by showing critical insights without context switching

[Your Project and Solution] Impact

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

Significantly Improves Developer Experience (DX)

Cardano currently lacks convenient “in-editor” insights. Developers jump between VS Code → explorer → API docs → node queries → logs just to understand an address or UTxO.

CardanoHover removes this friction, giving instant access to balances, UTxOs, assets, delegation info, and script status with a single hover.

This brings Cardano DX closer to Ethereum-level maturity (ETHover, Hardhat tooling), making the ecosystem more competitive and attractive to developers.

[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?

Strong Technical Background

Cardano development (Plutus/Aiken concepts, UTxO model, addresses, script hashes)

VS Code extension development

APIs like Koios, Blockfrost

JavaScript/TypeScript, Node, backend services

This combination makes the project technically straightforward and fully achievable.

[Milestones] Project Milestones

Milestone Title

Core Infrastructure & Architecture Setup

Milestone Outputs

VS Code extension base structure (TypeScript + manifest)

Address detection engine for:

Base addresses

Enterprise addresses

Reward addresses (stake)

Script addresses

Network selector (Mainnet, Preprod, Preview, Sanchonet)

Integrated API selector (Blockfrost / Koios / Maestro)

Hover popup UI with placeholder/mock values

GitHub repository, license, contributing guide

Error-handling boilerplate + logging layer

Acceptance Criteria

Hover popup appears when pointing at a Cardano address

Address validation confirms correct Cardano addresses

User can switch networks from extension settings

API provider configuration visible and functional

Extension loads without errors in VS Code

Evidence of Completion

GitHub commit history showing implementation

Screenshots of hover popup with mock output

Screenshots of working settings panel

Delivery Month

1

Cost

25000

Progress

30 %

Milestone Title

Core Blockchain Data Integration

Milestone Outputs

Real on-chain data fetch:

ADA balance shown on hover

Full UTxO count shown

Asset list count

Delegation pool info if possible

VS Code settings panel to store Blockfrost/Maestro API keys

Beta test version released

Acceptance Criteria

Hover popup shows actual blockchain data from at least 1 providers

Data loads successfully across Mainnet, Preprod, Preview

Asset lists display correctly

No crashes or breaking errors during hover usage

Beta version tested by at least 3 external testers

Evidence of Completion

GitHub code showing API integration modules

Video demo showing:

address hover → balance, assets, delegation

explorer button working

Test logs demonstrating successful API calls

Delivery Month

2

Cost

25000

Progress

60 %

Milestone Title

UTxO Browser + Asset Viewer + Advanced UX Tools

Milestone Outputs

Full UTxO viewer panel (sidebar in VS Code):

Show all UTxOs

Inputs, outputs, assets

Inline metadata for assets/NFTs

Asset viewer (metadata fetch, CIP-25 formatting)

Address decoding tools:

Payment Key Hash

Stake Key Hash

Script hash decoder

Caching + performance optimization for faster response

Quick actions inside popup:

Copy script hash

Copy asset policy ID

Release Candidate build (v1.0-RC)

Acceptance Criteria

UTxO viewer loads full UTxO set within 400ms after data fetch

Asset viewer shows metadata for CIP-25 / CIP-68 items

Address decoding works reliably for all address types

Hover performance improved with caching

Extension stable during extended testing

RC version published on GitHub Releases

Evidence of Completion

Video walkthrough:

UTxO viewer

Decode tools

Quick actions

Full documentation for UTxO viewer

GitHub release: v1.0-RC

Screenshots of all components functioning

Delivery Month

3

Cost

25000

Progress

80 %

Milestone Title

Final UI Polish, Documentation, & Public Marketplace Release

Milestone Outputs

Final UI cleanup (theme support, layout improvements)

Documentation website (Docusaurus or GitHub Pages):

Installation guide

Setup guide for all networks

API provider setup

Usage examples

Troubleshooting

FAQ

Public publishing to VS Code Marketplace

Final testing + bug fixes

Project close-out report

Acceptance Criteria

Extension visible & installable on VS Code Marketplace

Docs fully complete with screenshots & examples

Users can:

Install

Configure

Hover

View UTxOs

Decode assets

without external assistance

No blocking issues or UI bugs remain

Final video walkthrough recorded

Evidence of Completion

Marketplace link to the extension

Final documentation website link

Close-out report submitted

Final acceptance video showcasing full product

GitHub tag v1.0

Delivery Month

4

Cost

25000

Progress

100 %

[Final Pitch] Budget & Costs

Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources

VS Code Extension Skeleton Setup 3,000 ADA

Cardano Address Detection Engine 2,000 ADA

Network Switching Module 1,500 ADA

API Provider Integrations (Koios, Blockfrost, Maestro) 4,000 ADA

Hover Popup UI + Data Rendering Engine

UTxO Viewer (sidebar view) 3,000 ADA

Asset Viewer (FT/NFT + metadata fetching) 2,500 ADA

Address Decoding Tools 2,000 ADA

Performance Optimization + Caching 2,000 ADA

Final Integration, Bug Fixing, Polishing 2,000 ADA

[Final Pitch] Value for Money

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

The requested 40,000 ADA delivers a high-impact developer tool that strengthens Cardano’s infrastructure, improves developer experience (DX), and fills a critical tooling gap. The value of the budget becomes clear when considering

High-Leverage Tooling Impact

Saves Time → Saves Money for All Dev Teams

Fills a Critical Missing Tool Not Available in Cardano

[Self-Assessment] Self-Assessment Checklist

I confirm that evidence of prior research, whitepaper, design, or proof-of-concept is provided.

Yes

I confirm that the proposal includes ecosystem research and uses the findings to either (a) justify its uniqueness over existing solutions or (b) demonstrate the value of its novel approach.

Yes

I confirm that the proposal demonstrates technical capability via verifiable in-house talent or a confirmed development partner (GitHub, LinkedIn, portfolio, etc.)

Yes

I confirm that the proposer and all team members are in good standing with prior Catalyst projects.

Yes

I confirm that the proposal clearly defines the problem and the value of the on-chain utility.

Yes

I confirm that the primary goal of the proposal is a working prototype deployed on at least a Cardano testnet.

Yes

I confirm that the proposal outlines a credible and clear technical plan and architecture.

Yes

I confirm that the budget and timeline (≤ 12 months) are realistic for the proposed work.

Yes

I confirm that the proposal includes a community engagement and feedback plan to amplify prototype adoption with the Cardano ecosystem.

Yes

I confirm that the budget is for future development only; excludes retroactive funding, incentives, giveaways, re-granting, or sub-treasuries.

Yes

[Required Acknowledgements] Consent & Confirmation

I Agree

Yes