Last updated 5 months ago
Students sacrifice privacy by sharing full transcripts to prove qualifications. Employers can't verify authenticity quickly; traditional checks cost $, take weeks, yet 45% of credentials are fake.
Students prove credentials from ANY university portal using zkTLS + Midnight. Generate proofs for "GPA > 3.5" or "accredited degree" without sharing transcripts. Employers verify instantly, no APIs.
Please provide your proposal title
CredentialZK: zkTLS-Powered Academic Verification
Please specify how many months you expect your project to last
3
Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated
No
Original Language
en
What is the problem you want to solve?
Students sacrifice privacy by sharing full transcripts to prove qualifications. Employers can't verify authenticity quickly; traditional checks cost $, take weeks, yet 45% of credentials are fake.
Does your project have any dependencies on other organizations, technical or otherwise?
Yes
Describe any dependencies or write 'No dependencies'
This project depends on TLSNotary (https://tlsnotary.org/), a third-party zero-knowledge TLS protocol provider, for cryptographically proving the authenticity of data captured from university portals. We may also utilize third-party services or implementations built on TLSNotary for the zkTLS oracle functionality. These external dependencies (TLSNotary protocol and any third-party TLSNotary implementations) are not developed by our team and will not be open-sourced as part of this project, as they are maintained by their respective organizations. Our open-source contribution consists of: the integration layer connecting TLSNotary attestations with Midnight Compact contracts, the selective disclosure proof circuits, the Lace wallet integration, the user interfaces, and comprehensive documentation on how to combine these technologies. We will clearly document these external dependencies in our repository's README with proper attribution and links to the respective projects.Retry
Will your project's outputs be fully open source?
Yes
Please provide here more information on the open source status of your project outputs
MIT
Please choose the most relevant theme and tag related to the outcomes of your proposal
Identity & Verification
What is useful about your DApp within one of the specified industry or enterprise verticals?
Identity & Security Vertical:
CredentialZK solves the broken credential verification problem in hiring. Students prove academic qualifications (GPA thresholds, degree authenticity, accreditation) without exposing sensitive transcript data. Employers get instant cryptographic verification without costly background checks ($50-100, 2-week delays) or fraud risk (45% of credentials are fake). Uses zkTLS to extract data from any university portal – no API integrations needed – making it immediately deployable. This demonstrates Midnight's selective disclosure for real-world identity verification where privacy isn't optional but essential.
What exactly will you build? List the Compact contract(s) and key functions/proofs, the demo UI flow, Lace (Midnight) wallet integration, and your basic test plan.
Compact Contracts:
The exact contract architecture will be determined during development based on Midnight's best practices, but will include contracts for:
Key ZK Proofs/Functions:
Demo UI Flow:
Lace Wallet Integration:
Test Plan:
How will other developers learn from and reuse your repo? Describe repo structure, README contents, docs/tutorials, test instructions, and extension points. Which developer personas benefit, and how will you gauge impact (forks, stars, issues, remixes)?
Repo Structure:
/contracts # Compact smart contracts with inline comments
/zktls-integration # zkTLS oracle integration examples
/ui-demo # Student and employer interfaces
/docs # Comprehensive documentation
/examples # Reusable patterns
/tests # Full test suite
README Contents:
Docs/Tutorials:
Developer Personas:
Impact Metrics:
Please describe your proposed solution and how it addresses the problem
How CredentialZK Works
CredentialZK combines zkTLS and Midnight to enable instant, privacy-preserving credential verification without requiring university API integrations or institutional partnerships.
Step 1: Data Capture with zkTLS
Students log into their existing university portal (the same system they use to view transcripts today) while running the zkTLS oracle. The oracle cryptographically captures the authenticated TLS session, creating a tamper-proof attestation that specific data was received from the verified university domain. This works with any university portal—whether it's Canvas, Blackboard, Banner, PeopleSoft, or a custom system—because zkTLS operates at the TLS layer, not the application layer.
The student never needs to manually download or upload their transcript. The zkTLS attestation proves: "This data came from the authenticated portal.university.edu domain while I was logged in as a verified student."
Step 2: Credential Creation on Midnight
Once the zkTLS oracle has captured and verified the transcript data, the student creates a credential on Midnight. This credential contains the full transcript information but is stored as encrypted, private data in their Lace wallet. The Midnight smart contract creates a cryptographic commitment to this data without exposing any of the actual values on-chain.
Critically, the raw transcript data never leaves the student's control and never appears on any public blockchain. Only the student holds the full credential—employers will only ever see proofs about specific claims.
Step 3: Selective Disclosure with ZK Proofs
When applying for jobs, the student selects which claims they want to prove. For example:
"My GPA is greater than 3.5" (without revealing it's actually 3.78)
"I have a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science" (without revealing the specific university)
"I graduated between 2020-2024" (without revealing the exact date)
"My degree is from an ABET-accredited institution" (without revealing which one)
Using Midnight's Compact smart contracts, the student generates zero-knowledge proofs for these specific claims. These proofs are cryptographically verifiable and cannot be forged, but they reveal only the minimum information the employer needs.
The student can create multiple different proofs from the same credential for different job applications, each tailored to that specific employer's requirements.
Step 4: Instant Employer Verification
The student shares a verification link with the employer. When the employer accesses this link, they see:
The specific claims being proven (e.g., "GPA > 3.5", "CS degree", "graduated 2020-2024")
Cryptographic proof that these claims are valid
Verification that the data came from an authenticated university domain (via zkTLS)
Confirmation that the proofs haven't been tampered with
Verification happens instantly—in seconds, not weeks. The employer doesn't need to contact the university, doesn't need to pay for background check services, and doesn't receive any information beyond what was explicitly proven. There's no risk of credential fraud because the proofs are cryptographically guaranteed to be valid.
Why This Solution Is Unique
No API Integration Required: Unlike traditional digital credential systems that require universities to implement specific APIs or join credential networks, CredentialZK works with existing university portals immediately. This removes the biggest barrier to adoption—waiting for institutional buy-in.
True Privacy Preservation: Unlike public blockchain credentials that expose all data permanently, or centralized services that collect full transcripts, CredentialZK uses selective disclosure. Students prove only what's necessary for each specific situation while keeping their complete academic history private.
Student-Controlled: The student decides when to generate proofs, what to prove, and who receives them. Universities aren't notified when students create proofs, and employers can't request more data than the student chooses to share.
Fraud-Proof: The combination of zkTLS attestations (proving data source authenticity) and zero-knowledge proofs (proving claims are valid) makes it cryptographically impossible to forge credentials. This is far more secure than PDF transcripts or even traditional digital signatures.
Please define the positive impact your project will have on Midnight ecosystem
Developer Education & Reference Architecture
CredentialZK serves as the first comprehensive reference implementation combining external oracles with Midnight's privacy features. Most existing proposals focus on isolated Compact contract patterns, but CredentialZK demonstrates how to integrate real-world data sources (zkTLS) with Midnight's selective disclosure capabilities. This creates a reusable blueprint that developers can adapt for countless other use cases.
Patterns Demonstrated:
Developers building healthcare records systems, employment verification, financial compliance tools, or any identity-related DApp can fork this codebase and adapt the patterns to their specific needs. The comprehensive documentation will include tutorials on extending the credential model to other domains.
Real-World Adoption Path
CredentialZK provides Midnight with a compelling narrative: "Privacy-preserving solutions that work TODAY without institutional gatekeepers." Unlike proposals requiring partnerships or complex integrations, this DApp can be used immediately by any student at any university. This creates a viral adoption mechanism—students can share it peer-to-peer without waiting for their university to adopt new systems.
Growth Flywheel:
This demonstrates that Midnight isn't just a technology experiment – it solves real problems that affect millions of people in the hiring market.
Cross-Protocol Innovation Showcase
Midnight needs flagship examples of how it integrates with the broader ZK ecosystem. CredentialZK demonstrates that Midnight isn't siloed—it can compose with other privacy protocols like zkTLS to create more powerful solutions than either technology could achieve alone.
This positions Midnight as:
Other developers will see this pattern and recognize they can integrate Midnight with: decentralized storage (IPFS/Arweave), other chains (Cardano, Ethereum), AI inference (ZKML), and more. This expands Midnight's total addressable market significantly.
Market Expansion Beyond Crypto-Native Users
CredentialZK brings a mainstream audience to Midnight. The target users are:
These users care about privacy and convenience, not necessarily about blockchain technology. By solving a clear pain point with an intuitive interface, CredentialZK demonstrates that Midnight can reach mainstream adoption without requiring users to understand cryptography or blockchain concepts.
This proves the thesis: Privacy-preserving applications can achieve product-market fit in traditional markets, not just DeFi or crypto-native verticals.
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?
Our team is already working in the context of zero-knowledge proofs and has direct experience with TLSNotary (tlsnotary.org), the leading zkTLS implementation. This existing expertise significantly de-risks the technical integration and ensures we can deliver a production-quality reference DApp within the 3-month timeline.
Technical Feasibility Validation:
Our familiarity with both ZK proof systems and TLSNotary's architecture means we've already validated the core technical approach. We understand:
Delivery Approach:
We will deliver in clear, demonstrable milestones with concrete outputs at each stage (as described in the next section).
Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources
Total Budget: $10,000 USDM
The budget covers my development work over 3 months as a solo developer:
Milestone 1: $4,000 (40%) - TLSNotary integration & core contracts
Milestone 2: $4,000 (40%) - ZK proofs & wallet integration
Milestone 3: $2,000 (20%) - UI & documentation
All funds are allocated to my direct development time. No subcontracting or external services required beyond the existing TLSNotary infrastructure.
How does the cost of the project represent value for the Midnight ecosystem?
At $10,000, CredentialZK delivers exceptional value to Midnight as the reference implementation combining zkTLS with Midnight's selective disclosure capabilities. This creates a reusable blueprint for developers building any identity, credential, or verification system – far beyond just academic credentials. The patterns demonstrated (external oracle integration, selective disclosure circuits, wallet credential management) can be adapted for healthcare records, employment history, financial compliance, licenses, certifications, and countless other use cases.
I confirm that the proposal clearly provides a basic prototype reference application for one of the areas of interest.
Yes
I confirm that the proposal clearly defines which part of the developer journey it improves and how it makes building on Midnight easier and more productive.
Yes
I confirm that the proposal explicitly states the chosen permissive open-source license (e.g., MIT, Apache 2.0) and commits to a public code repository.
Yes
I confirm that the team provides evidence of their technical ability and experience in creating developer tools or high-quality technical content (e.g., GitHub, portfolio).
Yes
I confirm that a plan for creating and maintaining clear, comprehensive documentation is a core part of the proposal's scope.
Yes
I confirm that the budget and timeline (3 months) are realistic for delivering the proposed tool or resource.
Yes
I Agree
Yes
Project Team
Joris Zierold - Solo Developer & Project Lead
GitHub: https://github.com/JorisZierold
Joris will handle all aspects of development including:
Relevant Experience: Currently working with zero-knowledge proof systems and TLSNotary (tlsnotary.org), providing direct hands-on experience with the core technologies required for this project. This existing expertise in both zkTLS and ZK proofs significantly de-risks the technical implementation.
As a solo developer, Joris will maintain full accountability for all deliverables and milestone completions, with transparent progress tracking through public GitHub commits and monthly demonstration videos.Retry