Development Fund Proposal
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Author | jekennedy |
| Org | Moonsong Labs |
| RFP | N/A |
| Champion | Curtis Hrischuk |
| Status | Approved |
| Created | 2026-03-19 |
| Approved | 2026-08-19 |
| PR | #105 |
Abstract
Git-Based DAR Dependencies for dpm proposes a targeted enhancement to Digital Asset’s dpm CLI: support for resolving Daml dependencies from Git-hosted prebuilt DARs.
Today, Daml projects can depend on SDK-provided packages, packages published in an OCI registry, and local DAR files. Custom, external DAR dependencies are often handled through manual downloads, checked-in artifacts, or project-specific scripts. This proposal adds upstream dpm support for declaring Git-hosted prebuilt DARs in project configuration, resolving and pinning them through the existing dpm dependency pipeline, and making them available to damlc through the same resolution mechanism used for OCI dependencies.
The result is a more repeatable dependency workflow for Canton/Daml projects without introducing a separate application CLI, hosted package registry, or package marketplace.
Specification
1. Objective
This proposal addresses friction in Canton/Daml development caused by manual handling of external DAR dependencies.
Daml projects can already depend on SDK-provided packages such as daml-prim, daml-stdlib, and daml-script, packages published in an OCI registry, and local DAR files through existing dependency configuration. However, when projects rely on external DARs that are not available through those means, teams often use custom scripts, checked-in artifacts, or manually managed paths to make those dependencies available across local and CI environments.
The intended outcome is an upstream dpm enhancement that lets Daml projects reference Git-hosted prebuilt DARs in project configuration. dpm resolves those references into cached local DARs, records the resolved state, and exposes the cached DAR paths to damlc through the standard resolution flow.
2. Implementation Mechanics
This proposal requires direct changes to the dpm codebase and coordination with the Daml team.
The work extends dpm so Daml projects can declare Git-hosted prebuilt DAR dependencies in daml.yaml in a way that aligns with the existing OCI dependency model. dpm parses, fetches, caches, pins, and resolves those dependencies, then provides resolved local DAR paths to damlc through the existing resolution mechanism.
Proposed Git-based dependency pattern
Git-hosted DARs can be declared in both dependencies and data-dependencies, reflecting the current Daml dependency model. This preserves today’s distinction between regular dependencies and data-dependencies, including cases where a DAR should be consumed with data-dependency semantics. Resolved artifacts will be made available through resolved-dependencies and resolved-data-dependencies as appropriate.
dependencies:
- daml-prim
- daml-stdlib
- daml-script
- git:github.com/example-org/example-repo.git#main?path=packages/loyalty/loyalty-1.0.0.dar
The initial implementation will support HTTPS Git repositories with explicit refs and repo-relative DAR paths. During install, dpm fetches the repository, locates the specified DAR, stores it in the local cache, and pins branch or tag refs to resolved commit SHAs.
During build, test, IDE, and multi-package workflows, dpm provides damlc with resolved local DAR paths through the existing resolution mechanism. damlc continues to work with local DAR files and does not perform Git network operations.
Scope limits
The initial scope intentionally excludes a hosted registry, package index, package marketplace, and package discovery. These areas may be valuable follow-on work (see Future Work section) but they are not part of this proposal’s committed scope.
3. Architectural Alignment
This proposal aligns with Canton ecosystem priorities by extending existing dpm capabilities rather than introducing a separate application CLI or package-management tool. It improves the developer experience where dpm is already the natural entry point: Daml project configuration and dependency handling.
Architecturally, the work fits inside the existing Daml SDK / dpm workflow. Git-hosted DARs follow the existing remote-dependency architecture used for OCI: dpm resolves remote artifacts and damlc consumes resolved local DAR paths.
The proposal does not require Canton protocol changes, new node infrastructure, LocalNet orchestration, deployment tooling, or a network-wide package registry. It is a targeted extension to existing developer tooling.
Relevant governance alignment:
- CIP-0082: Development Fund support for common-good ecosystem development
- CIP-0100: milestone-based funding and transparent review process
4. Backward Compatibility
No backward compatibility impact.
This work is additive. Existing daml.yaml, SDK-provided dependencies, local DAR dependencies, and standard dpm commands continue to work as they do today.
Milestones and Deliverables
Milestone 1: Design, Implementation, and Upstream PR
- Effort: 2 person-months.
- Allocation: 2 engineers.
- Delivery Status: Substantially complete and ready for maintainer review.
- Focus: Complete the technical design, implement Git-based DAR dependency resolution, and submit the upstream
dpm contribution.
- Deliverables / Value Metrics:
- documented technical design for Git-based DAR dependencies in
dpm
- implementation of
dpm install and resolution support for public HTTPS Git repositories
- support for Git references such as branch, tag, or commit SHA, with branch or tag refs pinned to commit SHAs
- basic tests covering supported Git dependency resolution paths and failure cases
- upstream PR or agreed contribution branch submitted to the
dpm repository
Milestone 2: Maintainer Review and Upstream Merge
- Estimated Effort: 1 person-month.
- Allocation: 2 engineers.
- Estimated Delivery: 2 weeks after Milestone 1
- External Dependency: This milestone depends on timely review feedback from the Daml /
dpm maintainers. If maintainer review is delayed, the delivery timeline may be impacted.
- Focus: Incorporate maintainer feedback and support the contribution through the upstream review process.
- Deliverables / Value Metrics:
- maintainer feedback addressed on the upstream
dpm PR or agreed contribution branch
- updated implementation, tests, and documentation based on review comments
- updated reference project showing Git-hosted DAR dependency resolution using representative Splice DARs stored in Git, without custom download scripts
- upstream PR merged into the official
dpm repository
Milestone 3: Ecosystem Validation and Enablement
- Estimated Delivery: 1 month after Milestone 2
- Focus: Validate the completed Git dependency workflow with ecosystem developers and publish lightweight adoption materials.
- Deliverables / Value Metrics:
- at least 3 named organizations unaffiliated with Moonsong Labs use Git-based DAR dependencies in an active project, verifiable by the Committee (e.g., a public repository containing a
daml.yaml that declares those dependencies or written confirmation from the team identifying the project and confirming its use of those dependencies).
- documentation updates based on validation feedback, including any remaining limitations or follow-up items
- 1 recorded demo or walkthrough showing a Daml project resolving a Git-hosted DAR dependency through
dpm install and the normal dpm build workflow
- 1 short technical writeup or case study explaining the workflow and its value for Canton/Daml developers
- optional live walkthrough or office-hours session for interested ecosystem developers, coordinated with the Canton Foundation if useful
Milestone 4: Maintenance Period
- Estimated Effort: Maximum of 20 hours per month.
- Allocation: 1 engineer.
- Estimated Delivery: Six-month maintenance period beginning when the upstream PR is merged at the end of Milestone 2. This milestone runs concurrently with Milestone 3.
- Focus: Maintain the Git-based DAR dependency functionality after its upstream merge.
- Deliverables / Value Metrics:
- triage issues related to the Git-based DAR dependency functionality reported during the maintenance period.
- fix reproducible defects or regressions in the merged contribution.
- make compatibility updates required by relevant
dpm or Daml SDK changes released during the maintenance period.
- update documentation where behavior changes.
- publish a final maintenance summary covering reported issues, fixes, compatibility updates, and remaining follow-up items.
Optional Maintenance Extension
Following completion of the initial six-month maintenance period, Moonsong Labs may provide an additional six months of maintenance, subject to Committee approval.
The extension would retain the same scope and monthly effort cap unless otherwise agreed.
Acceptance Criteria
Project-specific acceptance conditions:
- Developers can declare Git-hosted DAR dependencies in
daml.yaml using dependencies.
dpm install package / dpm install can fetch, cache, and pin supported Git-hosted DAR dependencies.dpm build can compile a package using the resolved Git-hosted DAR dependencies through the normal Daml build workflow.dpm test works with Git-hosted DAR dependencies, including test dependency workflows.dpm add dar supports adding GitHub HTTPS DAR references and inserts the resolved dependency into daml.yaml.dpm update can resolve supported HTTPS artifact references to pinned SHA references.- Git-hosted DARs can be resolved from both
dependencies and data-dependencies.
- Repository aliasing is supported for repeated DAR references from the same source.
- Documentation explains the required Git dependency syntax, including any limitations.
- A reference or representative project demonstrates the workflow replacing a manual DAR download script, checked-in DAR artifact, or manually managed dependency path.
Funding
Total Funding Request: 700,000 CC
Payment Breakdown by Milestone
- Milestone 1 Design, Implementation, and Upstream PR: 275,000 CC upon committee acceptance
- Milestone 2 Maintainer Review and Upstream Merge: no separate payment; payment for review feedback incorporation is deferred to Milestone 3
- Milestone 3 Ecosystem Validation and Enablement: 275,000 CC upon milestone completion and Committee acceptance
- Milestone 4 Maintenance Period: 150,000 CC total (25,000 CC per month, paid monthly).
- Optional Maintenance Extension: 150,000 CC total (25,000 CC per month, paid monthly), subject to Committee approval.
- Maintenance Payment Terms: Maintenance fees will be invoiced monthly in arrears following each completed month of the initial maintenance period and, if approved, the optional extension.
Volatility Stipulation
The project timeline is under 6 months. Should the project timeline extend beyond 6 months due to Committee-requested scope changes, any remaining milestones must be renegotiated to account for significant USD/CC price volatility.
Co-Marketing
Co-marketing will be aligned with Milestone 3 and focused on helping Canton/Daml developers understand and evaluate the Git-based dependency workflow.
Specific commitments for this proposal:
- coordinate announcement timing with the Canton Foundation
- prioritize co-marketing of a technical writeup or case study
- include the recorded demo or walkthrough as supporting material where useful
- share the reference workflow and documentation through relevant Moonsong Labs, Canton Foundation, and ecosystem channels
Motivation
Canton/Daml developers still spend extra time on project-level dependency glue, especially when external DARs are fetched through custom scripts, checked-in artifacts, or manually managed paths.
By adding Git-hosted DAR dependencies to the normal dpm workflow, this proposal reduces manual artifact handling and makes external dependencies easier to reproduce across local and CI environments.
Expected benefits include:
- fewer manual
.dar handling steps
- less duplicated scripting across projects
- commit-based pinning of Git-hosted dependencies
- standard install, build, and test behavior through
dpm
- a foundation for future dependency-management improvements inside
dpm
Rationale
Daml developers have clear workflows for SDK packages and local DAR files, but external DARs can still require manual downloads, checked-in artifacts, or project-specific scripts. That makes reusable Daml artifacts harder to adopt across projects and harder to keep consistent across local and CI environments.
This proposal addresses that gap with a bounded extension to dpm: Git-hosted prebuilt DAR dependencies. Git is a practical first source because it lets teams reference artifacts from repositories they already control, without expanding the proposal into a broader package registry or discovery system.
Future Work
This proposal is intended as a first step toward better Daml dependency management inside dpm. If the Git-based DAR dependency workflow proves useful, the natural next step would be a broader package-management design for Daml projects.
That broader system could define a more complete standard for dependency declaration, versioning, package metadata, publishing conventions, discovery, and documentation. It could also explore support for private repositories, clone-and-build-from-source workflows, package/interface discovery, and eventually a registry or package index if the ecosystem decides shared registry infrastructure is needed.
Separately, there are other possible dpm improvements that may be worth exploring later, such as richer project initialization, formatting, SDK selection, configuration validation, and broader component management.
These areas are not part of the committed scope for this proposal.
Why Moonsong Labs
Moonsong Labs is a blockchain and AI engineering firm with a dedicated Canton practice for regulated financial institutions, and is listed on cantonecosystem.com as a Canton service provider. Our Daml-certified engineers work across the Canton stack on tokenized asset workflows, institutional vault products, atomic DvP settlement, stablecoin infrastructure, and collateral mobility.
As a technical partner of the Canton Foundation, Moonsong Labs also participates actively in the Canton developer community, including technical discussions, knowledge sharing, and support for developers beyond the scope of this proposal.
More broadly, Moonsong Labs engineers have shipped production systems across Polkadot, Ethereum, ZKsync, Solana, and other ecosystems. This includes developer tooling, chain infrastructure, and operational automation used by external teams.
Work directly relevant to this proposal includes:
-
Canton Readiness Guide and launch campaign, developed to help institutions understand Canton’s operating model, adoption path, node options, and readiness considerations. This demonstrates Moonsong Labs’ ability to translate Canton ecosystem concepts into practical adoption materials for institutional audiences.
Press release: https://moonsonglabs.com/blog/moonsong-labs-joins-canton-ecosystem-launches-institutional-readiness-guide/
Canton Network post: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/canton-network_for-the-leaders-moving-institutions-forward-activity-7475572960196698112-2qVl/
-
Canton Network demo application, compliant stablecoin plus yield vault, used to validate Daml Finance composition patterns and Canton privacy. The work included a devcontainer for one-click setup and practical experience wiring Daml package dependencies into a usable developer workflow.
Case study: https://moonsonglabs.com/casestudy/demonstrating-a-baseline-for-building-advanced-financial-applications-on-canton/
Repo: https://github.com/Moonsong-Labs/canton-apps
-
ZKsyncOS Foundry and related developer tooling, Rust-based tooling derived from the Foundry stack to support Ethereum development workflows on ZKsyncOS, plus testing utilities for Foundry ZKsync.
https://github.com/Moonsong-Labs/zksync-os-foundry
https://github.com/Moonsong-Labs/forge-zksync-std
-
Moonbeam and Moonkit, production chain engineering paired with reusable developer utilities and operational tooling.
https://github.com/Moonsong-Labs/moonbeam-tools
https://github.com/Moonsong-Labs/moonkit
-
DataHaven and StorageHub, multi-component systems with reproducible builds and automation across chains and services.
https://github.com/datahaven-xyz/datahaven
https://github.com/Moonsong-Labs/storage-hub
These projects reflect a consistent pattern: building developer-facing tooling that reduces setup friction while keeping engineering boundaries explicit. This experience aligns with Canton’s current DevEx needs and supports delivery of targeted dpm improvements that teams can adopt incrementally.
