Tooling Working Group

The Tooling WG will operate under a clear mandate to evaluate, fund, and support essential tooling projects based on community demand, technical merit, and ecosystem impact.

Mission: The Tooling Working Group (WG) will serve as the working body that supports the Tooling Sustainability Program, focusing on identifying, funding, and supporting mission-critical open-source tools and libraries that are foundational to the Cardano ecosystem. The WG aims to ensure the long-term sustainability, security, and usability of these tools by providing targeted financial support and structured guidance, enabling both developers and the wider community to build with confidence.

Scope & Objectives:

The Tooling WG will operate under a clear mandate to evaluate, fund, and support essential tooling projects based on community demand, technical merit, and ecosystem impact.

Project Identification & Evaluation:

• Define Key Categories: Focus areas include but are not limited to:

  • dApp Frameworks

  • Voting Tools

  • Education Frameworks

  • Explorers & Monitoring Tools

  • Smart Contract DSLs

  • Wallets & Indexers

  • Community-Suggested Tools (via open submission)

• Community Demand & Adoption:

  • Utilize community feedback loops and data-driven insights (e.g., usage metrics, adoption rates).

  • Integrate Software Bill of Materials (SBOMs) and tools like Bitegria for dependency and impact analysis.

• Licensing & Open Source Compliance:

  • Confirm the open-source status of each project, ensuring adherence to permissive and community-compatible licenses (e.g., MIT, Apache 2.0).

• Program Overlap & Ecosystem Fit:

  • Review existing funded programs to avoid duplication and promote complementarity within the ecosystem.

• Governance & Contribution Proof:

  • Assess the governance structure of projects, focusing on transparency and community involvement.

  • Require proof of contribution, including commit histories, contributor stats, and community engagement.

• Roadmaps & ROI Evaluation:

  • Mandate comprehensive project roadmaps that outline key milestones, timelines, and measurable outcomes.

  • Evaluate contribution opportunities, sustainability plans, and expected return on investment (ROI) for the ecosystem.

Funding & Support Mechanism:

• Establish a transparent funding process with clear selection criteria and reporting requirements.

• Regularly monitor funded projects to ensure adherence to milestones and evaluate the continued impact.

• Implement accountability measures, including periodic reviews, progress reports, and community check-ins.

Provide non-financial support such as mentorship, technical guidance, and integration opportunities within the Cardano ecosystem.

Proposed Budget:

• 2 Million ADA or ($1 Million USD) allocated to fund a diverse set of open-source tooling projects, prioritized based on ecosystem impact and community needs.

• Budget will cover development costs, maintenance, and sustainability efforts for selected projects, with a focus on long-term viability.

Success Metrics:

• Number of funded projects successfully launched and adopted.

• Measurable improvements in ecosystem tooling coverage and usability.

• Increased community engagement and contributions to funded projects.

• Enhanced security and maintainability of critical open-source libraries.

Body Composition

Role	Nominee	Responsibility
Lead	Emmanuel Titi	Sets the agenda, directs committee efforts, and represents the WG to OSC.
Secretary	Tex or Christian Taylor	Liaises for the WG, taking minutes, handling publications, and admin tasks.
WG Members	Mladen, Gintama, Sebatian Pabon, Elaine C, Adam Dean	Provide analysis, make decisions, and contribute to the committee's efforts.

External Member Base

• The WG is open to public participation.

• Follow the OSC on social platforms, including X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube.

• Questions and comments during meetings are welcome when relevant to discussions.

Voting Procedure

In Person or Video Meeting Voting Procedures: All topics on which the CWG will take a vote will need a simple working group majority tallied during the meeting in which the CWG convenes, tally and action to be recorded by the Secretary.

Offline Voting Procedures: All topics on which the CWG will take a vote will need a simple working group majority tallied based on the medium on which the CWG chooses. Current voting procedure utilizes Discord where one or multiple topics will be posted to also for working group comments and the ability to mark a vote based on emojis as dictated by the post instructions. A simple majority of the correct emoji is needed to continue proceedings.

No Vote: In the event of a no vote or insufficient vote, topics or items will then be shelved or facilitated to revision based on the nature of the vote.

A vote by a WG: should be considered binding if it receives a simple majority of positive votes from a quorum consisting of at least two thirds of the working group members being present and participating in the vote