OneKey envisions a future where all cryptocurrency users can prioritise privacy and security without compromise. We aim to drive broader adoption of the Zcash network by providing the most robust, secure, and user-friendly solution for managing ZEC’s unique features.
This proposal delivers a resilient Zcash hardware wallet designed to prevent a repeat of historical Ledger failures. It provides unified, transparent and shielded ZEC support without firmware splitting, making maintenance and migration reliable.
Advanced recovery via SLIP-39 (not supported by Ledger) and optional passphrase protection ensure long-term fund safety.
By leveraging Near Intents and upstream-friendly design, Zcash gains cross-chain utility without vendor lock-in.
Please check the full proposal here: OneKey x Zcash (Long-Term, Recoverable, and Maintainable Zcash Hardware Wallet Support) · Issue #206 · ZcashCommunityGrants/zcashcommunitygrants · GitHub
Proposed Problem
Zcash hardware wallet support has been fragmented, fragile, and in some cases broken for long periods. In particular:
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Ledger’s Zcash app has experienced prolonged maintenance issues, preventing users from safely migrating or managing assets, which has generated significant community dissatisfaction.
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Current solutions often rely on firmware or app-level splitting, increasing complexity, UX friction, and long‑term maintenance risk.
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Limited support for advanced Zcash features (shielded addresses, transparent/shielded coexistence, modern recovery standards) reduces user trust and adoption.
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Existing wallets (e.g., single‑chain Zcash wallets) do not integrate well with cross‑chain workflows, limiting composability and liquidity access.
Proposed Solution
We propose a unified Zcash hardware wallet integration that:
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Uses one wallet managing all asset portfolios, without firmware splitting.
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Fully supports Zcash transparent and shielded address management within a single app.
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Is compatible with passphrase and SLIP‑39 (which Ledger does not support).
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Enables seamless interaction with Near Intents and other major chains to deliver a smoother cross‑chain swap experience that exceeds single‑chain Zcash wallets (e.g., Zashi).
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Provides a maintainable, upstream‑friendly implementation aligned with the Zcash community’s long‑term roadmap and lessons learned from Ledger’s past failures.
Milestone Details
Milestone 1
Software Wallet Support, Cross-Chain Intents, and Release
User Stories:
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As a multi-chain user, I want to manage and swap ZEC using the OneKey software wallet first, with a clear path to add hardware wallet signing later, so that I can choose the right security and convenience tradeoff as hardware support becomes available.
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As a Zcash user, I want to use the app as a fully standalone software wallet without requiring hardware, so that I can safely manage, transact, and swap ZEC even before owning or pairing a hardware device.
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As a Zcash user, I want a software wallet that is fully compatible with the hardware wallet, while remaining fully usable on its own, so that I can seamlessly migrate, pair, downgrade, or recover without asset lock-in or forced hardware dependency.
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As a multi-chain user, I want to swap ZEC with other major assets via a smooth cross-chain flow, so that I can access liquidity without leaving my wallet.
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As a Zcash community member, I want this implementation to be maintainable and upstream-friendly, so that it does not repeat past Ledger failures.
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As an ecosystem developer, I want reusable components or documentation, so that Zcash wallet support can improve across the ecosystem.
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As a Zcash community member, I want this implementation to avoid firmware splitting and fragile vendor-specific dependencies, so that Zcash users never face asset migration failures like those caused by Ledger’s long-broken Zcash support
Deliverables:
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Standalone software wallet support for Zcash (transparent + shielded), built on the same core logic as the hardware wallet, but fully usable without any hardware device.
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Seamless pairing and migration flows between software and hardware wallets, using a single unified wallet design without firmware splitting, enabling one wallet to manage all asset portfolios.
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Integration with Near Intents and existing cross-chain swap infrastructure for the software wallet, with shared core logic and signing interfaces designed to support hardware wallet signing in Milestone 3.
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End-to-end ZEC cross-chain swap flows secured by software wallet.
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Public documentation, integration guides, and upstream-ready code contributions.
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Final QA, external security review, and production release.
Acceptance Criteria:
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Users can manage and transact ZEC using software wallets.
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Users can complete at least one ZEC → non-ZEC cross-chain swap using the software wallet signing flow.
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No critical issues are reported during final testing and audit.
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Documentation and code are accepted or actively reviewed upstream by relevant ecosystem maintainers.
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Users can create, back up, recover, and use ZEC entirely within the software wallet, without pairing or owning a hardware device.
Milestone 2
Advanced Recovery, UX, and Security Hardening
User Stories:
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As a long-term Zcash holder, I want SLIP-39 recovery support, so that I can use social or multi-share backups instead of a single fragile seed.
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As a power user, I want optional passphrase compatibility across both software and hardware wallets, so that I can add an additional security layer not available in existing Ledger-based Zcash solutions.
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As a non-technical user, I want clear UX separation between transparent and shielded assets, so that I understand what I am managing without learning protocol details.
Deliverables:
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Full SLIP-39 implementation and recovery flow on hardware and companion software.
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Passphrase support is compatible with existing multi-chain wallet behaviour.
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Improved UX flows for transparent vs. shielded balances and transactions.
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Security hardening, code review, and internal audits focused on shielded transaction logic.
Acceptance Criteria:
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Users can successfully recover a Zcash wallet using SLIP-39 shares.
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Passphrase-protected wallets behave consistently across supported chains, including Zcash.
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UX testing confirms users can distinguish and manage transparent and shielded assets without errors.
Milestone 3
Zcash Hardware Wallet Support
User Stories:
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As a Zcash user, I want to securely store and manage my ZEC on a hardware wallet, so that my funds are protected from software-only attack vectors.
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As a Zcash user, I want to manage both transparent and shielded addresses in one wallet, so that I do not need to rely on multiple tools or risky migrations.
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As a security-conscious user, I want my Zcash keys to be derived from a single unified wallet without firmware splitting, so that long-term maintenance risk is minimised and future Zcash users are not exposed to migration failures seen in past Ledger support breakdowns.
Deliverables:
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OneKey hardware wallet firmware (OneKey Pro ) support for Zcash.
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Transparent address generation, balance display, and transaction signing.
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Shielded address (Sapling/Orchard) creation and shielded transaction signing.
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Companion software support for viewing balances and transaction history.
Acceptance Criteria:
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Users can create, receive, and spend ZEC from both transparent and shielded addresses using the OneKey hardware wallets (model: OneKey Pro)
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No blocking issues for asset migration or recovery are present.
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Independent testers can complete end-to-end Zcash transactions without software-only key exposure.
Total Budget: $400,000
Why This Will Not Repeat Ledger’s Zcash
| Dimension | Ledger (Historical Reality) | Our Approach (OneKey / 1K) | Why This Matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core Architecture | Per-chain apps | No firmware splitting; one unified wallet manages all asset portfolios | Eliminates single-chain isolation and long-term abandonment risk |
| Zcash Maintenance History | Zcash support was broken for long periods, blocking fund migration and causing strong community backlash | Zcash shares the same wallet core, release cycle, and infra as major chains | Zcash cannot silently fall into an unmaintained state |
| Asset Migration Risk | When the Zcash app breaks, users are effectively locked | App works as a standalone software wallet, hardware is optional | Assets remain accessible even if hardware support is unavailable |
| SLIP-39 Recovery | Not supported and not realistically implementable | Native SLIP-39 support | Enables multi-share and social recovery; reduces single-seed failure |
| Transparent / Shielded UX | Fragile and fragmented support | Unified management of transparent and shielded addresses in one app | Reduces user error and reliance on multiple tools |
| Software Wallet Independence | Heavy dependency on hardware | Fully functional software wallet without hardware | Removes hardware as a systemic single point of failure |
| Cross-Chain Capability | Single-chain mindset | Built on Near Intents + multiple major chains | Enables smoother cross-chain swaps than single-chain wallets |
| UX & Feature Evolution | Chain-by-chain updates, slow iteration | Shared UX and infra across chains | Zcash benefits from ongoing multi-chain UX improvements |
| Ecosystem Alignment | Vendor-specific, hard to upstream | Modular, upstream-friendly components and documentation | Reduces ecosystem dependency on any single vendor |