funded

Enable use-cases that require frequent message signing by introducing a safe standard for message signing without wallet prompts

₳179,300.00 Requested
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Community Review Results (4 reviewers)
Feasibility
Value for money
Impact / Alignment
Solution

We will improve the UX by creating a spec to define a flow for users to enable auto-signing messages in cases where the wallet can know it is safe to do so

Problem:

Use-cases that require users to sign message frequently have a poor UX because wallets will ask the user to confirm the message signing every time

Yes Votes:
₳ 677,174,268
No Votes:
₳ 127,610,526
Votes Cast:
980

This proposal was approved and funded by the Cardano Community via Project F10: Development & Infrastructure Catalyst funding round.

[IMPACT] Please describe your proposed solution.

There has been a lot of growth in use-cases that require frequent message signing in the crypto ecosystem - primarily driven by NFTs and gaming. However, a lot of users lose interest when they realize how tedious it will be to accept the prompt by their wallet every time they have to sign a message

As the authors of original Cardano message signing spec (CIP8: <https://cips.cardano.org/cips/cip8/>), we are very familiar with the cryptography involved in message signing. We are planning to release a layer on top of this message signing system to more easily allow wallets to auto-sign messages in cases where it knows it is safe to do so. Although we will create a more formal specification, you can find the initial approaches discussed in the following document:

<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VqXjyfgvbXxYHqhzYcSFFEorYbnza6GbjyAbVXyAKAM/edit?usp=sharing>

Notably, a lot of the power of this proposal will rely on Paima Engine - a framework for creating web3 games, as it supports playing games using only standard message signing (no real transaction required). That means that if we have a safe and smooth flow for message signing, we can unlock a significantly better gaming experience.

Notably, the project consisted of the steps:

  1. Create a specification for this message signing system
  2. Integrate it into at least one wallet

[IMPACT] How does your proposed solution address the challenge and what benefits will this bring to the Cardano ecosystem?

NFTs and gaming are one of the largest use-cases for blockchains - often surpassing DeFi in volume. This specification will help games provide a smooth experience to users, which will increase adoption even more

[IMPACT] How do you intend to measure the success of your project?

  1. Number of wallets / dApps integrating the standard

[IMPACT] Please describe your plans to share the outputs and results of your project?

We will share all specifications and reference implementations we write publicly

[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability?

dcSpark is a well renowned company in the Cardano ecosystem that has a long history of delivering on Catalyst proposals. You can find progress on grants we have previously received at https://dcspark.io/grants

[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] What are the main goals for the project and how will you validate if your approach is feasible?

The main goal is to increase user retention for games in the Cardano ecosystem, thereby increasing traffic and making web3 games more viable as a business model

We know this project is technically feasible as we are the authors of the original message signing specification for Cardano and so we’re very familiar with how it works

[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] Please provide a detailed breakdown of your project’s milestones and each of the main tasks or activities to reach the milestone plus the expected timeline for the delivery.

  1. Finish writing the specification
  2. Reach consensus on the specification
  3. Announce integration of the spec in at least 1 wallet

[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] Please describe the deliverables, outputs and intended outcomes of each milestone.

  1. Spec
  2. Code
  3. Integration announcement

[RESOURCES & VALUE FOR MONEY] Please provide a detailed budget breakdown of the proposed work and resources.

  1. Spec: 20k
  2. Implementation: 20k

[RESOURCES & VALUE FOR MONEY] Who is in the project team and what are their roles?

  • dcSpark (development support)

  • Paima Studios (advising on the use-case)

    [RESOURCES & VALUE FOR MONEY] How does the cost of the project represent value for money for the Cardano ecosystem?

This will increase adoption of gaming in the Cardano ecosystem, which will increase transaction volume (good for the ecosystem) and help more companies and individuals launch games in the ecosystem

Community Reviews (4)

Feasibility

3.5 / 5
4 Reviews

Is this project feasible based on the proposal submitted? Does the plan and associated budget and milestones look achievable? Does the team have the skills, experience, capability and capacity to complete the project successfully?

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I think the team is perfectly capable of developing or improving on CIP8 to meet their own needs. So, from a feasibility standpoint, I think it is very feasible. I just wish there would have been a broader discussion of the overall benefits of enhancing the existing specification I some more educational discussion on why the current specification is not in a usable state. My issue is that this proposal seems rushed and does not give the reader much context on very complex topic. I am pretty familiar with generic protocols like http, ftp, html, xml, xls. xmtp etc that are used in web2. I think the proposer should have taken the time to explain in more detail. Example from the CIP8 Spec: “Private keys can be used to sign arbitrary data. If you have the public key, you can verify the data was signed by the owner of the private key. This is how transaction signing works internally but its utility is not limited to transactions.” For this reason, I give this proposal a score of 3 of 5 for Feasibility.

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The team seems to be familiar with the original CIP8 message signing specification, so they should be ideally positioned to deliver an improved version. Timeline isn’t really a consideration from my side - the important thing is to get the job done in a safe and secure manner - critical when we’re talking about infrastructure pieces. I would have loved to see a part of the budget set aside for formal verification / third party audit or something similar but that does not seem to be the case. One star subtracted that for four stars in the end for feasibility.

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The feasibility of the project seems reasonable, primarily because the proposal comes from dcSpark, a well-known and reputable company in the Cardano ecosystem with a track record of delivering on Catalyst proposals. The fact that dcSpark has authored the original Cardano message signing specification (CIP8) adds to their credibility in implementing this new layer for auto-signing.

The main goals of the project, which include completing the specification, reaching consensus on it, and announcing its integration into at least one wallet, are clear and achievable. Moreover, the project's timeline appears feasible, given the straightforward nature of the tasks.

The proposal, however, lacks a more detailed plan for implementation, including how other wallets and dApps will be encouraged to adopt this new standard. The success of the project will largely depend on widespread integration and adoption. It would be helpful to have more information on how the team plans to promote and support the adoption of the auto-signing system.

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This implementation plan provides an overview of the project implementation steps, however, it is not detailed enough to ensure that the activities and tasks are carried out fully and effectively. This requires the proposal writer to add more detailed information to ensure the feasibility and success of the project.

Proposal writers may lack detailed explanations or rationale for proposed expenses. In my opinion, the writer of the proposal should provide clearer explanations to help stakeholders better understand why and how to use finance to perform tasks.

This is an excellent team. They are a team with the in-depth knowledge and in-depth skills to professionally and efficiently execute the project that the proposal requires. They have proof and credentials of previous experience and obvious success in similar projects. However as always they do not provide much information about this.

With the information they provide I only rate 4 stars for feasibility.

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Value for money

3.25 / 5
5 Reviews

Is the funding amount requested for this project reasonable and does it provide good Value for Money to the Treasury?

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Số tiền được tài trợ cho dự án này là hợp lý và nó sẽ mang lại giá trị đồng tiền tốt cho Kho bạc. Dự án này sẽ giúp cải thiện trải nghiệm người dùng, tăng cường bảo mật, mở rộng khả năng sử dụng và tăng cường khả năng tương tác của blockchain. Điều này sẽ làm cho blockchain dễ dàng tiếp cận hơn đối với nhiều người hơn và có thể dẫn đến sự gia tăng trưởng về mức chấp nhận. Ngoài ra, dự án này sẽ giúp bảo vệ người dùng khỏi bị mất tiền và nó sẽ cho phép các nhà phát triển tạo ra nhiều loại ứng dụng mới và sáng tạo hơn trên blockchain.

Dự án này sẽ được thực hiện bởi một nhóm các nhà phát triển có kinh nghiệm và có uy tín, những người có thể hoàn thành dự án thành công. Dự án cũng đã nhận được sự hỗ trợ của cộng đồng Cardano, điều này sẽ giúp đảm bảo rằng dự án sẽ được sử dụng và có giá trị.

Dưới đây là một số lý do tại sao số tiền được tài trợ cho dự án này là hợp lý:

Dự án này sẽ có tác động tích cực đến hệ sinh thái Cardano. Dự án này sẽ được thực hiện bởi một nhóm các nhà phát triển có kinh nghiệm và có uy tín. Dự án này đã nhận được sự hỗ trợ của cộng đồng Cardano. Dưới đây là một số lý do tại sao dự án này sẽ mang lại giá trị đồng tiền tốt cho Kho bạc:

Dự án này sẽ giúp cải thiện trải nghiệm người dùng, tăng cường bảo mật, mở rộng khả năng sử dụng và tăng cường khả năng tương tác của blockchain. Điều này sẽ làm cho blockchain dễ dàng tiếp cận hơn đối với nhiều người hơn và có thể dẫn đến sự gia tăng trưởng về mức chấp nhận. Dự án này sẽ giúp bảo vệ người dùng khỏi bị mất tiền và nó sẽ cho phép các nhà phát triển tạo ra nhiều loại ứng dụng mới và sáng tạo hơn trên blockchain.

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I did try to find some discussion on CIP8 on Cardano Forum. Message Signing specification — Developers / CIPs — Cardano Forum What I found was many unanswered questions dating back to 2020. This validated my concerns about not involving the entire community on the expansion of CIP8. Example 1. “Hi Sebastien Thanks for this needed CIP. I would find it extremely helpful if there were a couple of examples for the signing and verification process of arbitrary using the emugo/message-signign library (browser/wasm). Basically, picking up from the output of the CIP030’s wallet.signData() API method.” Example 2 “Not sure where to put this, in the CIP-30 section or in this CIP-8. CIP-30 is using CIP-8 as the underlying layer of the COSE_Sign1 / COSE_Key format. The COSE_Sign1 specification allows all kind of different labels in the unprotected Headers. Currently i only saw the usage of the label { “hashed”: true/false } in there.” The proposer is asking for 179K ADA and this seems a bit high to simply expand on an existing CIP. For this reason, I give this proposal a 3 of 5 for Value to Cardano.

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This proposal is assessed as providing an average value of the proposed amount. Expenses are described in basic terms and are not detailed. However, to ensure feasibility and optimize value, it is possible that the proponent writer needs additional information and explanations about the uses of the costs and how they will contribute to the goals and impacts of the proposal.

Given dcPark's past achievements and contributions, I find this proposition to be well worth the money Catalyst will fund. I give 4 stars for Value to Money

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I am a bit cautious with value for money since the budget is not detailed at all, neither hours needed nor hourly wages, we’re just slapped with a figure which doesn’t really equate to much else, so it’s difficult to say if what the community is proposed is cheap or expensive. I am a poor judge of whether 180k ADA justifies the work required or not so I will err on the side of caution and offer only three stars until I am proven otherwise.

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The proposed budget breakdown appears reasonable and represents potential value for money to the Cardano ecosystem. The allocation of funds for the specification (20k) and the implementation (20k) seems appropriate for a project of this scope, especially considering dcSpark's expertise and track record.

The potential value lies in the positive impact the project can have on increasing adoption of gaming within the Cardano ecosystem. As more users experience smoother and hassle-free message signing in games, it can lead to higher transaction volumes, benefitting the overall ecosystem.

, as with any project, there is an inherent risk that the desired level of integration and adoption may not be achieved. The success of the project hinges on collaboration with other wallet providers and dApp developers, and the proposal could have been more explicit about strategies to encourage wider adoption. , the proposed project has the potential to bring positive impact to the Cardano ecosystem by enhancing user experience in web3 games and other use-cases requiring frequent message signing. The team's capabilities and track record inspire confidence in the feasibility of the project. The proposed budget appears reasonable, representing good value for money for the potential benefits it can bring to the Cardano community. However, more detailed plans for integration and adoption would strengthen the proposal and increase its chances of success.

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Impact / Alignment

3.6 / 5
5 Reviews

Has this project clearly demonstrated in all aspects of the proposal that it will positively impact the Cardano Ecosystem?

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It is proposed to provide a solution to build a secure standard for message signing without notification from crypto wallets. This solution will help solve the problem of using crypto wallets in cases where frequent message signing is required, which will improve the user experience when interacting with web3 dApps.

The solution addresses the challenge of the challenge by focusing on improving the user experience and increasing flexibility in the use of cryptocurrency wallets.

The audience that this solution will serve is the users in the Cardano ecosystem, especially those who need to sign messages frequently such as in dApps, daily transactions, and other activities on the blockchain.

For me as a regular user of dApps, signing messages without notification from the e-wallet might result in a better experience. But the problem here will reduce the security of the wallet and make it easy for bad guys to exploit. The proposed solution has a certain impact, but they will face many difficulties in solving technical problems to improve security. I rate 4 stars for impact

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Here’s an easy case here. Sebastien Guillemot (well known figure in the community) and DCSpark (same) propose to improve the message signing specifications through an additional layer that allows wallets to auto sign messages under safe circumstances. Apparently there has been a lot of growth in message signing and this feature would be very nice to have. Sebastian and DCSpark are a strong badge of seriousness in the Community, and I would tend to vote with them on this one - rating their proposal as a five star for impact.

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The proposed sollution aims to addrress the challenge of tedious messsage signing in the crypto ecosystem, especially in use-cases involving NFTs and gaming. By creating a new layer on top of the message signing system, the project seeks to enable wallets to auto-sign messages safely when appropriate, making the process more user-friendly. This improved user experience is expected to benefit the Cardano ecosystem significantly, especially for web3 games that rely heavily on message signing.

The project's potential positive impact lies in its ability to enhance user retention for web3 games, leading to increased traffic and adoption. As NFTs and gaming are among the most prominent use-cases for blockchains, an improved gaming experience can attract more users, thereby contributing to increased transaction volume on the Cardano blockchain. Additionally, making web3 games more viable as a business model can encourage more companies and individuals to launch games within the Cardano ecosystem, fostering growth and expansion.

, the proposal lacks specific details on how the auto-signing system will be integrated into wallets and dApps, which makes it difficult to fully evaluate the potential impact. Nevertheless, the concept itself has the potential to positively influence the user experience in the Cardano ecosystem.

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Cải thiện trải nghiệm người dùng: Dự án sẽ giúp cải thiện trải nghiệm người dùng bằng cách làm cho việc ký tin nhắn dễ dàng và thuận tiện hơn. Điều này sẽ làm cho blockchain dễ dàng tiếp cận hơn đối với nhiều người hơn và có thể dẫn đến sự gia tăng trưởng về mức độ chấp nhận. Tăng cường bảo mật: Dự án sẽ giúp tăng cường bảo mật bằng cách giảm nhu cầu người dùng nhập lại khóa cá nhân của mỗi người khi họ cần ký tin nhắn. Điều này sẽ giúp giảm nguy cơ bị tấn công và có thể giúp bảo vệ người dùng khỏi bị mất tiền. Mở rộng khả năng sử dụng: Dự án sẽ giúp mở rộng khả năng sử dụng của blockchain bằng cách cho phép các ứng dụng dApp sử dụng ký tự tin nhắn mà không cần nhắc ví. Điều này sẽ cho phép các nhà phát triển tạo ra nhiều loại ứng dụng mới và sáng tạo hơn trên blockchain. Tăng cường khả năng tương tác: Dự án sẽ giúp tăng cường khả năng tương tác của blockchain bằng cách cung cấp một cách tiêu chuẩn để ký tin nhắn. Điều này sẽ cho phép các ứng dụng dApp giao tiếp với nhau một cách dễ dàng hơn và có thể dẫn đến sự phát triển của các hệ sinh thái dApp lớn hơn và mạnh mẽ hơn. Dự án này đã được chứng minh rõ ràng trong tất cả các khía cạnh của đề xuất rằng nó sẽ có tác động tích cực đến hệ thống sinh thái Cardano. Dự án đã được thực hiện bởi một nhóm các nhà phát triển có kinh nghiệm và có uy tín, và nó đã được thử nghiệm và đánh giá kỹ thuật. Dự án cũng đã nhận được sự hỗ trợ của cộng đồng Cardano và nó đã được tích hợp vào một số ví Cardano.

Dự án này có tiềm năng là một đóng góp có giá trị cho hệ thống sinh thái Cardano. Nó sẽ giúp cải thiện trải nghiệm người dùng, tăng cường bảo mật, mở rộng khả năng sử dụng và tăng cường khả năng tương tác của blockchain.

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This proposal seems a bit rushed to me and also a bit self-serving for Paima. But it still could have an impact Cardano and other developers. A strong messaging protocol would be very helpful for Dapps to talk to one another as well as wallets and Dapps. This proposal is just to develop a specification, but I did not see much about how other community members could be involved in writing the Spec. I looked and CIP8 and could not figure out what improvements are being proposed. Is the CIP8 lacking in some way? This feels like an add on to the spec that would benefit Paima, which is cool, but what about other Dapps, wallets etc? Its coming from an experienced team so I am sur it would have impact on their gaming platform. I just wish I could have seen more detail on how it could benefit other applications in the Cardano ecosystem. So, this reason I give this proposal a score of 3 out of 5.

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