Passkey on L1 enabler: P-256/secp256r1 Signature Verification via Cartesi Coprocessor

Proposed RFPs
1

RFP Title:
Passkey on L1 enabler: P-256/secp256r1 Signature Verification via Cartesi Coprocessor

Wave 2 Intent:
Intent 5: Grow the Cartesi ecosystem

Overview:
The adoption of passkeys and other cryptographic technologies leveraging the secp256r1 (also known as P-256) curve has grown significantly due to its strong security properties and widespread industry adoption. Verifying secp256r1 signatures on-chain, particularly within the Ethereum ecosystem, remains computationally expensive and resource-intensive.

This RFP seeks a solution that leverages the Cartesi Coprocessor to offload these cryptographic operations, verify them efficiently, and store the results in a Merkle tree for easy use on-chain. Successful and unsuccessful verifications should be tracked within this tree. This innovation has the ability to enable cost-effective cryptographic operations at scale while seamlessly integrating with Ethereum.

This also provides a potential flow of coprocessor executions that bring direct end user value.

Solution:

The proposed solution must:

  1. Implement secp256r1 signature verification and message hash validation on the Cartesi coprocessor.
  2. Integrate the verification results into a Merkle tree structure, marking nodes as successful or unsuccessful based on the verification outcome and settling a Merkle root to L1.
  3. Provide a mechanism on-chain to submit and verify proofs of Merkle tree nodes on the Ethereum blockchain.
  4. Ensure compatibility with Ethereum standards for interoperability (e.g., EVM-compliant proof submission) and re-use of existing proven smart contract libraries.
  5. Optimize for performance, scalability, and cost-efficiency, leveraging Cartesi’s coprocessor to minimize gas costs for on-chain interactions.
  6. Demonstrate a working flow of batched passkey verifications using the final solution on Ethereum mainnet with Cartesi Coprocessor at less gas cost for verifying 100 passkey signatures than EVM based verifiers seen on What is RIP-7212? Precompile for secp256r1 Curve Support

Team Qualifications:

The ideal team should possess:

  1. Understanding cryptographic algorithms, specifically ECC (Elliptic Curve Cryptography) and secp256r1 and why passkeys are useful for user interactions.
  2. Mid-level knowledge of the Cartesi ecosystem, including the coprocessor.
  3. Proven experience with Ethereum smart contract development and Merkle tree structures.
  4. Familiarity with passkey technology and its associated cryptographic standards.
  5. Strong programming skills in languages relevant to Cartesi’s environment (Rust or C++).

Watch more about the Cartesi Coprocessor here.

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2

Can you expand a bit on the demand you see for this feature? I think an important part of evaluating RFPs is not just assessing whether the proposal is technically sound or useful in general terms, but also considering whether it’s the right time for it. Is this addressing an immediate need within the ecosystem, or are we aiming to anticipate a future demand?

I’m sharing this same feedback on other proposals as well, as I think these questions are key to making well-informed decisions. Thanks for your input!

(body spam protection)

3

Account Abstraction (ERC-4337) and related advancements demonstrate a growing demand for enabling technologies that simplify key management for users, improve scalability for Layer 1 transactions, and enhance overall usability. This need is exemplified by tools like Coinbase’s Smart Wallet, which notably lacks Layer 1 support but has still received highly positive feedback on Base, highlighting the user interest in more intuitive and scalable solutions.

From a technological standpoint, implementing these improvements is relatively straightforward. Existing libraries developed for passkeys can be utilized effectively, making this a low-hanging fruit to drive traffic to the Cartesi Coprocessor. This is maybe more of an early days things too, as AVS operators will need to be persuaded of the potential yield and the rewards they can share with their restakers.

1 Like