Blockchain technology is constantly evolving, and with it comes the need for better and more innovative tooling to manage the changing needs. As the Cardano community expands, more groups and collectives such as Decentralized Autonomous Organizations(DAOs) are onboarded into the ecosystem. Similarly, governance models have evolved over time, creating a clear gap – the need for teams to reliably work together and make decisions on-chain.
Cardano lacks an easy to use multi-signature (multi-sig) platform that provides governance features and makes it easy for any collectives such as DReps and DAOs to vote on governance. This is where the idea for an enhanced multi-sig platform comes in, with a goal of ensuring the Cardano ecosystem has the right tools to enable and maintain high-quality on-chain governance. In this article, we’ll look into how Mesh, Clarity DAO, and Fluid Tokens are collaborating to build a solution that would make governance on Cardano smoother and more accessible.
What is a Multi-Sig Platform?
Imagine you’re part of a group managing a shared savings account. You don’t want just one person to have full control over the funds. That would be too risky. Instead, you agree that at least three out of five members need to sign off before any money moves. This is the idea behind multi-signature technology. It’s a way to secure digital wallets or approve actions such as votes or transactions by requiring multiple people to authorize a transaction. It’s like a digital handshake that ensures no single person can run off with the keys, thereby preventing single point of failures and enhancing security.
On Cardano, multi-sig isn’t new, but it’s been clunky. Existing tools are either too basic, lacking features for group decision-making, or too complicated for the average user. This is important as Cardano moves towards a future where community governance is key when it comes to voting on network upgrades, funding proposals, and more. For the Cardano ecosystem to work as intended, groups will need a way to easily and securely coordinate on-chain activities, whether they’re a small team of developers, a startup, or a large DAO with hundreds of members.
The team behind this new platform, multisig.meshjs.dev, wants to address this problem. They’re building a secure and user-friendly platform with features designed to meet the needs of the Cardano community. The beauty of it all is that it’s not just one group building this, but rather a collaboration between Mesh, Clarity DAO, and Fluid Tokens, each bringing their own strengths to the table.
Why Does Cardano Need This?
Cardano has been on a journey to become one of the most decentralized blockchains out here. With its Voltaire phase rolling out, the network is handing more power to its community to decide its direction. While this is exciting, it also means groups need tools to participate effectively. Think of a DAO managing a treasury, a startup working on some key activities on their roadmap, a team of DReps voting on behalf of others, or even a casual collective pooling resources – they all need a way to act as a unit without blockers due to technical challenges such as lack of tooling.
Right now, if a group wants to manage funds or cast votes together on Cardano, they’re stuck finding solutions. Some use off-chain methods like emails or chat apps to coordinate, then manually submit transactions. This is no where close to the seamless and trustless experience that blockchain promises. Others rely on basic multi-sig scripts, but those lack flexibility and don’t integrate well with Cardano’s governance features. They end up experiencing a lot of friction that slows down participation and leaves room for mistakes or even worse, mistrust.
The project funded in Project Catalyst Fund 13 aims to fix this. It’s not just about securing funds; it’s about making it easy for groups to engage in Cardano’s on-chain governance such as voting on proposals and managing shared resources. According to the proposal, the platform will be open-source such that anyone can use it, tweak it, or build on it, which perfectly aligns with Cardano’s community-driven ethos.
The Building Team: Mesh, Clarity DAO, and Fluid Tokens
What makes this project stand out is the collaboration between three well-known players in the Cardano ecosystem. Here’s a quick look at the teams:
Mesh
Mesh is one of the big names among Cardano developers as they provide an open-source TypeScript library with numerous tools name for Cardano developers that enable folks to build dApps on Cardano. You can think of their toolkit as a Swiss Army knife for Cardano developers. If you’re building a web3 application, the Mesh SDK provides an easy to use Transaction builder, low level APIs, smooth wallet integrations, data service providers, and any other utilities you’d need.
Mesh saw the need for a better multi-sig tool early on but realized they couldn’t do it alone and deliver quickly. By partnering up, they’re spreading the workload and tapping into extra expertise to build the platform faster and more efficiently.For this project, Mesh is the backbone, providing the technical know-how to create a platform that’s fast, reliable, and easy to use. They’ve already got a working version up at multisig.meshjs.dev, where teams can secure treasuries and even vote as a group on governance actions.
Clarity DAO
Clarity DAO is all about helping communities organize themselves on Cardano. They’ve been working on tools to manage treasuries, engage members, and handle decision-making in a decentralized way. They’re focused on making sure the platform isn’t just a vault for funds but a hub for group coordination such as setting up voting rules or tracking decisions.
Their experience with DAOs means they understand the real-world challenges groups face, from keeping everyone on the same page to ensuring transparency. They’re bringing that practical insight to the table, making sure the platform works for everyone in the community.
Fluid Tokens
Fluid Tokens are a rising star in Cardano’s decentralized finance (DeFi) scene. They’ve built services that let users do innovative things with their assets, like lending or swapping, all without middlemen. Here, they’re adding their creative financial solutions to ensure the platform can handle complex use cases. These include integrating with other DeFi tools and supporting innovative treasury management.
Together, these three form a powerhouse. Mesh handles the tech, Clarity DAO focuses on community needs, and Fluid Tokens adds a dash of financial flair. It’s a collaboration born out of necessity that will enable the team to deliver something bigger and better, faster.
Treasury Security and Governance Made Simple
At its core, this project is about keeping shared funds safe. The platform lets groups set up a wallet where multiple parties need to sign off before anything happens. Think of it as a digital safe with several locks. It’s already functional, letting teams lock up their ADA and only move it with group approval
From a governance perspective, the Mesh Multi-Sig Wallet empowers ADA holders and stakeholders to collaboratively make decisions that shape wallet operations and improve the multi-signature transaction experience. It aligns closely with Cardano’s governance principles to ensure transparency, inclusivity, and adaptability.
This platform makes it easy for groups to participate as a unit. For example, the Mesh team used it to vote on a governance action “Should K increase?”, showing how a collective can weigh in without everyone needing to act separately. It’s a small step now, but it’s paving the way for bigger things such as DAOs voting on behalf of their members.
Platform’s Features and Roadmap
The team has set out a detailed plan on how they’re enhance the platform. This includes adding features like customizable voting rules (say, requiring 3 out of 5 votes instead of all 5), integration with other Cardano tools, and even support for DeFi features down the line. The goal is a platform that grows with Cardano, adapting to changing needs of our community.
According to the proposal and project roadmap, Mesh kicked things off with the initial build, Clarity DAO will handle governance features, and Fluid Tokens is responsible for additional financial-related functionalities.
| Milestone (Timeline, Budget) | Assigned Team | Milestone Outcomes | Verification |
| Milestone 1 (January 2025, 100,000 ADA) | Mesh | – Vote governance actions – Submit governance actions – View governance actions – Delegate to DRep page | Completed multisig features for voting, submitting, viewing governance actions, and delegating to DRep |
| Milestone 2 (February 2025, 100,000 ADA) | ClarityDAO | – UI/UX for teams and DAO operations – ADA handle lookup – Discord integration (ping to sign) – Support tokens/native assets | Completed UI/UX, ADA handle lookup, Discord integration, and token/native asset support |
| Milestone 3 (March 2025, 100,000 ADA) | Fluidtokens | – Loan request or instant liquidity with FluidTokens – Perform swap on Minswap | Completed features for loan/liquidity and Minswap swap |
| Milestone 4 (April 2025, 100,000 ADA) | Mesh | – New account type (Plutus script-based) for community participation in transactions and votes | Completed Plutus script-based account type |
| Final Milestone (May 2025, 100,000 ADA) | Mesh, ClarityDAO, Fluidtokens | – Video recording showcasing all new features – – Open-source code on public GitHub – Closeout report – Closeout video | Completed video, open-source license, closeout report, and video |
Putting it all together
The multisig platform perfectly fits into the building block for Cardano’s evolution. As the network leans harder into decentralization, groups will play a bigger role. DAOs could manage millions in ADA, DReps might represent thousands of voters, communities could be voting on a big decision, and small teams will need ways to collaborate securely. Without a platform like this, participation could stall, leaving Cardano’s vision of community governance more of a talk than action.
If you think of it, this project is an example of what makes Cardano special: collaboration, community, and a focus on practical solutions. Mesh, Clarity DAO, and Fluid Tokens are showing how Cardano’s ecosystem can rally around a shared goal. And when this trio pulls it off, they won’t just enhance multi-sig capabilities, they’ll help unlock Cardano’s full potential as a home for decentralized innovation.
