Smart Contract Runbooks for Stacks

[will-corcoran]

Recipient: Txtx Bounty: $30,000

Project Approach

Summary

• Objective: Txtx enhances blockchain development by introducing Smart Contract Runbooks, providing detailed guides for consistent and reliable interactions with the blockchain.

  • Written in JSON or YAML.
  • Describes transactions for deploying or interacting with smart contracts in a chain-agnostic manner.

• Benefits of Smart Contract Runbooks:

  • Securing Operations:
    • Replaces traditional one-off scripts, reducing security risks.
    • Structured format executed through an open-source CLI, enhancing security.
    • Minimizes direct key manipulation with a dynamic web UI for guidance.
  • Communication between Organizations:
    • Standardizes smart contract operations, facilitating inter-company collaboration.
    • Composable and reusable runbooks promote shared understanding.
    • Simplifies onboarding and collaboration by providing clear, executable specifications.
  • Time to Market:
    • Streamlines the integration process, reducing development time.
    • Simplifies deployment and interaction workflows with minimal configuration.
    • Enables faster product deployment and adaptability in the competitive blockchain space.

• Architecture:

  • Chain-agnostic, modular approach with add-ons/drivers for different blockchains.
  • Supports various blockchains without overburdening the core system.
  • Ensures compatibility and scalability for cross-chain development needs.

• Stacks Integration:

  • Initial platform supported by Txtx.
  • Contributions by co-founder Ludo Galabru to the Stacks ecosystem, including tools like Clarinet and Chainhook.
  • Commitment to supporting Stacks developers and improving on-chain operations.

• Grant Scope:

  • Elevate the Stacks driver from alpha to a release candidate.
  • Comprehensive testing and refinement to ensure robustness.
  • Open-source the Stacks add-on for community contributions and adaptability.
  • Accelerate development and provide a reliable tool for Stacks developers.

• Example Runbook:

  • Demonstrates interaction with the BNS (Blockchain Name Service) protocol.
  • Includes two contract calls: name-preorder and name-register.
  • Configuration ensures secure and error-free execution of contract calls.

Deliverables

• Deliverable 1: Elevation of the Stacks driver from alpha to a release candidate.
• Deliverable 2: Comprehensive testing and refinement of the Stacks driver.
• Deliverable 3: Open-source release of the Stacks add-on for community contributions.
• Deliverable 4: Detailed documentation and example runbooks for the Stacks driver.

Roadmap & Timeline

• Phase 1: Initial development and testing of the Stacks driver (4 weeks).

  • Elevate the Stacks driver from alpha to a beta version.
  • Conduct initial testing and bug fixes.

• Phase 2: Refinement and comprehensive testing (4 weeks).

  • Perform extensive testing to ensure robustness.
  • Implement refinements based on test results.

• Phase 3: Open-source release and community engagement (4 weeks).

  • Release the Stacks driver as an open-source project.
  • Engage with the community for feedback and contributions.

• Phase 4: Documentation and example runbooks (2 weeks).

  • Create detailed documentation for the Stacks driver.
  • Develop example runbooks demonstrating the driver's capabilities.

[will-corcoran]

Hi @lgalabru -

I hope you are well.

Now that we are about a month into having awarded this Critical Bounty, we would kindly request that you provide an update here for the community. Before the end of the week (Friday, August 16th) can you please provide us an update on the status of your Critical Bounty, please make sure to include:

• Summary of CB-related work that has been done to date
• Summary of CB roadmap from here to completion
• Flag an potential blockers
• Anticipated date of completion
• Link to all related repos (remember all funded work should be open source)

Thanks! Will

cc: @shaktistacks

[lgalabru]

Hi @will-corcoran!

Following-up - we're making some good progress on Txtx and the Stacks driver. Our repo si here: https://github.com/txtx/txtx (link to stacks-driver). Our documentation is deployed here: https://docs.txtx.sh/ We entered phase 3 + phase 4, and working on onboarding some Stacks builders. No blocker on our end, we're targeting 1st week of September for completion date. Thank you again for your trust 🙏

Ludo

[will-corcoran]

Hi @lgalabru

We're exploring allocating our remaining 2024 grants budget and considering follow-up funding for current Critical Bounty recipients. If you have ideas to enhance your previously awarded work, we'd like to hear from you.

Next Steps:

1. If you're interested in follow-up funding, please let us know by the end of this week.
2. You can either:
   • Post your proposal as a comment on this issue (preferred for final submissions)
   • Email me your initial thoughts if you're still developing your idea or prefer privacy

Proposal Details:

• Please include:
  • Additional scope or enhancements
  • Associated costs
  • Justification for how a follow-up grant could significantly boost the ROI of the initial grant

We look forward to your ideas!

Best, Will

[will-corcoran]

Hey @lgalabru

I asked some of the core devs for feedback / suggestions for the runbooks project - here is one thought I received from @bowtiedradone :

One potential enhancement could be a Runbooks testing tool for simnet environments, allowing users to test before moving to testnet. The lifecycle of testing a project involves at least these steps: testing on simnet, then on testnet, before final deployment to mainnet. A clarinet-SDK-compatible tool for easily verifying the runbooks' output would also be very useful, as runbooks automate recurring operations and their output can serve as an efficient feedback mechanism.

just passing this along.