### Terms and Conditions
- [x] I agree to the [Grant Agreement](https://9ba4718…c-5c73-47c3-a024-4fc4e5278803.usrfiles.com/ugd/9ba471_6ff6db4095fd4c4ba21babec361e927e.pdf) terms if funded
- [x] I agree to [Provide KYC information](https://9ba4718c-5c73-47c3-a024-4fc4e5278803.usrfiles.com/ugd/9ba471_7d9e73d16b584a61bae92282b208efc4.pdf) if funded above $50,000 USD
- [x] I agree to disclose conflicts of interest
- [x] I understand that this grant program is only eligible for completed work, as it is a retroactive grant program. Applications for planned or partially completed work will not be considered. All completed work will be verified and accepted by its intended users or their representatives, who will confirm that the outputs meet the required quality, functionality, and usability before the work is listed as an option for Coinholder voting.
- [x] I agree that for any new open-source software, I will create a CONTRIBUTING.md file that reflects the high standards of Zcash development, using the [`librustzcash` style guides](https://github.com/zcash/librustzcash/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md#styleguides) as a primary reference.
- [x] I understand when contributing to existing Zcash code, I am required to adhere to the project specific contribution guidelines, paying close attention to any [merge](https://github.com/zcash/librustzcash/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md#merge-workflow), [branch](https://github.com/zcash/librustzcash/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md#branch-history), [pull request](https://github.com/zcash/librustzcash/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md#pull-request-review), and [commit](https://github.com/zcash/librustzcash/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md#commit-messages) guidelines as exemplified in the librustzcash repository.
- [x] I understand all grants are valued in USD but will be disbursed in Shielded ZEC. I acknowledge and accept that disbursement amounts may fluctuate based on the ZEC/USD exchange rate at the time of payment.
### Application Owners (@octocat, @octocat1)
@craftsoldier @ZcashUsersGroup
### Organization or Individual Name
ZcashMe, Inc.
### Additional Team Members
```team-members.yaml
- Name: Zechariah — Founder / product lead. Founder of ZECpages; responsible for product direction, protocol requirements, partnerships, and launch/community coordination. (zcash.me/zechariah)
- Name: craftsoldier — Engineer. Responsible for app architecture, wallet flows, explorer, referral systems, docs integration, and release execution. (zcash.me/julian_abraham)
```
### How did you learn about the Lockbox: Coinholder Retroactive Grants Program?
Word-of-mouth (previous applicant, Q1 2026 round)
### Requested Grant Amount (USD)
$122,400
### Category
Non-Wallet Applications
### Project Summary
ZcashMe made Zcash easier to use by letting people create a public profile page and share a simple link instead of a long address. People who received the link could pay quickly from QR or wallet URI, while profile owners could manage their display name, bio, nearest city, avatar, and social media links. ZcashMe also introduced memo + OTP verification to confirm address ownership before profile edits and social authentication.
That usability win came with an important trust limitation: ZcashMe resolves payment destinations through a centrally managed database. Even with honest operators and verification controls, a privileged admin or compromised backend could alter a stored address mapping, creating a man-in-the-middle risk where funds could be redirected or payment relationships surveilled. ZcashNames is the completed next step that removes this trust bottleneck by moving name-to-address resolution on-chain.
ZcashNames is an on-chain naming system for Zcash that maps human-readable names like alice.zcash to shielded addresses. The completed work delivered a live beta web app, public explorer, open documentation, integration guides, and supporting developer infrastructure that makes ZNS usable and testable by end users, wallet teams, and app builders.
### Project Description
ZcashMe proved there is strong demand for human-readable payments, public recipient discovery, and lightweight identity around shielded addresses. It helped users share a memorable payment destination, build a public profile, and receive funds more easily than copying raw addresses in chat. In practice, it served as an onboarding and usability layer for Zcash.
However, ZcashMe also exposed a structural limitation of centralized name resolution. Because the username-to-address mapping lives in a server-controlled database, users and integrators must trust the operator not only to stay online, but also to preserve the correctness of the mapping at all times. A malicious or compromised administrator could substitute a different address, intercept funds, or observe and influence payment flows. This is not a flaw in Zcash itself; it is the trust model imposed by an off-chain directory.
ZcashNames is the solution to that problem. Instead of relying on a mutable central database, ZcashNames anchors human-readable name resolution on-chain, so wallets and applications can verify name-to-address mappings directly from Zcash state. ZcashMe demonstrated the product need, and ZcashNames completes the architecture needed to satisfy that need without introducing a centralized interception point.
The transition path is straightforward and practical. ZcashMe can evolve from being the source of truth for payment destinations into a discovery, profile, and social UX layer that sits on top of ZcashNames. Public profiles, avatars, bios, verified links, and discovery features can remain useful, but the canonical payment destination should become the user's `.zcash` name and its on-chain mapping. This preserves the usability benefits of ZcashMe while eliminating its most important trust assumption.
ZcashNames includes a production website, claim/manage/list/buy/release flows for names, OTP- and keypair-based authorization paths, a live explorer and marketplace view, a public roadmap, waitlist and referral onboarding, beta application flows, a share kit for community distribution, and a docs portal that explains usage, protocol rules, wallet integration, RPC methods, and SDK usage. Taken together, this lowers the barrier to Zcash adoption by making shielded addresses easier to use while preserving the verification and privacy properties of the underlying chain.
### Technical Approach (how you did it)
[Zcash.me](http://zcash.me/) is a Next.js web application with a Postgres SQL database. It features a stand-alone background verification service to decrypt incoming requests and generate OTP responses. Social OAuth is integrated via Supabase. 1Click swap APIs are used for cross-chain execution. External market pricing provided by CoinGecko, Coinbase.
ZcashNames uses a Next.js 15 / React 19 / TypeScript web app and docs site, aligned to zcashname-sdk and the canonical ZNS OpenRPC spec. State-changing actions are encoded as signed ZNS: memos inside standard Orchard shielded transactions and delivered through ZIP-321 wallet flows. Reads come from the Rust ZNS indexer over JSON-RPC; address ownership proofs use the separate ZVS OTP flow; the explorer is SDK-first and server-rendered; and the docs are published from MDX/Nextra in the same repo so protocol, integration, and user-facing guidance stay synchronized. The completed work covers Alpha v1 (2026-03-09 to 2026-04-19), Alpha v2 (2026-04-20 to 2026-05-08), and the associated public onboarding / referral / beta-prep surfaces completed by 2026-05-14.
### Time Period of Work Completion
Q2 2020, Q3 2025, October 2025 - February 2026
### Total Budget (USD)
$122,400
### Budget Breakdown
### Budget Breakdown: ZcashMe
- Compensation:
- $(USD): 48000
- Justification: core engineering across frontend and backend, including static-to-SSR migration, TypeScript refactor, modular architecture, verification pipeline rewrite, wallet APIs, swap/status systems, NS apps (directory, point-of-sale, guestbook) and leaderboard.
- Technology:
- $(USD): 4200
- Justification: backend compute/storage/network and productivity apps
- Services/Contractors:
- $(USD): 9000
- Justification: development and marketing support contracts
- Total $(USD): 61,200
### Budget Breakdown: ZcashNames
- Compensation: $48,000 - core engineering across frontend and backend, including static-to-SSR migration, TypeScript refactor, modular architecture, verification pipeline rewrite, wallet APIs, swap/status systems, NS apps (directory, point-of-sale, guestbook), and leaderboard.
- Technology/Software: $4,200 - backend compute, storage, network, development tooling, software subscriptions, and productivity apps.
- Infrastructure/Hosting: $0 - included in the Technology/Software line above.
- Services/Contractors: $9,000 - development and marketing support contracts.
- Other: $0 - no additional costs claimed outside the categories above.
- Total (USD): $61,200
### Previous Funding
Yes
### Previous Funding Details
<$25,000
### Other Funding Sources
No
### Other Funding Sources Details
Angel investor
### Success Metrics
- 1700+ members on Zcash.me
- Internal project materials also recorded 300+ waitlist signups within the first few days after the April 1, 2026 waitlist launch. Currently 1100+.
- Beta v1: 45 applicants, 39 invites sent, 24 activated testers, 47 feedback reports from 12 unique testers.
- Beta v2: 65 applicants as of May 14, 2026; invitations and participation had not yet started.
- The repo currently ships 39 public documentation pages across introduction, usage, integration, protocol, indexer/RPC, SDK, terminology, ecosystem, and FAQ sections.
- The public docs and ecosystem pages document 8 first-party SDK language ports and a canonical OpenRPC surface for direct integrations.
- The completed alpha work shipped end-user flows for claim, update, list, delist, buy, and release, plus supporting verification and explorer surfaces. Public deployments are live for the main site, docs, explorer, roadmap, beta application flow, share kit, and referral leaderboard. The project created concrete integration surface area for wallet and app teams, including wallet-resolution guidance, RPC reference, testing guidance, and public endpoints on testnet and mainnet beta.
### Proof of completion
- ZcashMe: https://zcash.me
- Repository/Commit: https://github.com/zcashme/zcashnames ; https://github.com/zcashme/ZNS ; https://github.com/zcashme/ZNS/blob/master/openrpc.json
- Publication: https://www.zcashnames.com/docs ; https://www.zcashnames.com/docs/integrate/wallet-resolution ; https://www.zcashnames.com/docs/indexer/rpc-reference
- Deployment/Release: https://www.zcashnames.com ; https://www.zcashnames.com/explorer ; https://www.zcashnames.com/roadmap ; https://www.zcashnames.com/beta/apply ; https://www.zcashnames.com/sharekit
- Other Evidence: https://www.npmjs.com/package/zcashname-sdk ; https://www.zcashnames.com/leaders ; https://www.zcashnames.com/brandkit
### Conflict of Interest Disclosure
None known beyond the applicant’s direct role in building and operating the project; confirm and expand this field if there are financial, advisory, governance, or personal relationships that should be disclosed.
### Community Forum Posting
- [x] I understand it is my responsibility to post a link to this issue on the [Zcash Community Forums](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/t/about-the-retroactive-grants-category/52106) after this application has been submitted so the community can give input. I understand this is required in order for the community to discuss and vote on this grant application. Note: If you are unable to post on the forum (for example, due to new user restrictions), please leave a comment below, and we will adjust your posting permissions.