# SAIHM-Zcash Shielded-Identity Adapter **URL:** \ **Category:** Applications\ **Created:** [May 25, 2026, 9:04am UTC](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/t/saihm-zcash-shielded-identity-adapter/55823 "2026-05-25T09:04:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SAIHM](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/zcash/user_avatar/forum.zcashcommunity.com/saihm/32/45054_2.png) [@SAIHM](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/u/SAIHM)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2026, 9:04am UTC](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/t/saihm-zcash-shielded-identity-adapter/55823/1 "2026-05-25T09:04:17Z")
### Organization Name SAIHM Project [https://saihm.coti.global](https://saihm.coti.global/standards) ### How did you learn about Zcash Community Grants Research during open-source AI memory protocol grant-pipeline development; ZCG identified as the canonical funding channel for Zcash-aligned privacy infrastructure work. ### Requested Grant Amount (USD) **$50,000** ### Category **Integration** ### Project Lead - Name: SAIHM Project (pseudonymous public-facing) - Role: Sole maintainer + architect - Background: Author of IETF Internet-Draft `draft-saihm-memory-protocol-00` (Independent Submission stream); OpenSSF Best Practices Passing badge submission (project 12898, 100%, 64/64); `@saihm/mcp-server` reference implementation on npm; designer of the cryptographic-erasure primitive `saihm_forget`. Years of professional engineering on commercially-deployed encryption and key-management systems. - Responsibilities: All technical design, implementation, documentation, community engagement (written/async), and milestone delivery for this grant. ### Additional Team Members None or N/A. Sole-maintainer Apache-2.0 project; external Zcash-community reviewer engaged only for milestone M5 review. ### Project Summary A Rust adapter that lets Zcash z-address holders use their shielded-key derivation as the sovereign identity for SAIHM AI memory cells — extending Zcash’s privacy primitives into the AI memory layer. ### Project Description SAIHM (Sovereign AI Horizontal Memory) is an Apache-2.0 open-source AI memory protocol that gives users portable, cryptographically erasable memory across AI vendors. The reference implementation (`@saihm/mcp-server` on npm) is live and exposes eight Model Context Protocol tools (remember, recall, forget, status, share, revoke\_share, governance propose + vote). This grant funds the design, implementation, and open-source release of a **SAIHM-Zcash Shielded-Identity Adapter** : a Rust crate built against `librustzcash` that lets a Zcash z-address holder derive the sovereign identity used to encrypt SAIHM memory cells. The adapter does NOT require on-chain Zcash transactions for SAIHM operations — it uses shielded-key derivatives as private-key material at the SAIHM identity layer. The result is a single sovereign substrate (the user’s Zcash z-address) that the user can use both for shielded payments AND for sovereign AI memory identity, with consistent privacy properties across both surfaces. ### Proposed Problem Most AI memory implementations bind user identity to AI vendor accounts (Google, OpenAI, Anthropic, Microsoft) — which means the vendor controls the identity surface, can revoke it, and can be compelled to disclose the user-identity-to-data mapping. Even where the AI vendor offers user-controlled encryption, the identity is typically a custodial key managed by the vendor or a centralized authentication provider. For privacy-sensitive AI usage (journalists, human-rights defenders, dissidents, healthcare professionals, regulated industries), this is a structurally weak posture. The user has no sovereign, censorship-resistant identity primitive to anchor AI memory ownership against. Zcash z-addresses already solve this for payments: shielded keys are user-controlled, mathematically anonymous, and censorship-resistant. There is currently no published reference pattern for using z-addresses as sovereign-identity primitives in non-payment applications. ### Proposed Solution The SAIHM-Zcash Shielded-Identity Adapter provides: 1. A Rust crate (`saihm-zcash-identity`) built against `librustzcash` that derives SAIHM cell-encryption identity material from a Zcash z-address holder’s shielded-key chain. 2. An MCP integration layer that lets the SAIHM reference implementation (`@saihm/mcp-server`) optionally use this Zcash-bound identity, alongside its existing identity options. 3. A demo + walkthrough showing end-to-end: user has a z-address, derives SAIHM identity, writes cells, recalls cells, cryptographically erases cells — all with Zcash-anchored sovereignty. 4. A `CONTRIBUTING.md` per `librustzcash` style guides. 5. Documentation pattern that Zcash developers can adapt for other non-payment privacy applications. ### Solution Format Software (Rust crate + npm-published MCP integration), written documentation, demo walkthrough, contributing guide, forum/issue-tracker engagement (written-only). ### Dependencies - `librustzcash` (Apache-2.0; canonical Zcash Rust toolkit) - `@saihm/mcp-server` (Apache-2.0; existing SAIHM reference implementation on npm) - No external collaborator dependencies; sole-maintainer-developed with one external Zcash-community reviewer engaged only at M5 ### Technical Approach Three-layer design. **Identity layer:** Rust crate uses `librustzcash` to derive a SAIHM identity-key from a Zcash z-address’s shielded-key chain. **Cell-encryption layer:** the existing SAIHM cell-encryption flow accepts this Zcash-derived identity in place of (or alongside) its existing identity types; no SAIHM protocol change is required — only an additional identity provider. **MCP integration layer:** a configuration switch lets SAIHM operators select Zcash-bound identity for cells they want anchored to a shielded-key holder. Implementation language: Rust for the identity crate (per Zcash ecosystem norms); TypeScript for the MCP integration layer (per SAIHM’s existing surface). Style and contribution practices: follow `librustzcash` style guides as required by ZCG; merge/branch/PR/commit conventions per `librustzcash` `CONTRIBUTING.md`. ### Upstream Merge Opportunities - The SAIHM-Zcash adapter is a new standalone crate (`saihm-zcash-identity`) released under Apache-2.0; no fork of existing Zcash repositories is required. - Documentation patterns + sample code may be useful as community-contributed examples to `librustzcash`’s example-applications surface; will offer the demo + walkthrough as a community contribution at M6 if Zcash maintainers are interested (written-only coordination). - If the demo surfaces opportunities for upstream-improvable APIs in `librustzcash` (e.g., cleaner identity-derivation primitives for non-payment use cases), findings + suggested patches will be submitted as written contributions via standard PR + issue channels. ### Engagement format (explicit clause) All deliverables and community engagement are **written and asynchronous**. The maintainer commits to written/async/from-home work-product delivery and does **not** commit to: - In-person meetings, summits, conferences, hackathons (Zcon, etc.) - Live video calls, on-camera interviews, podcasts, webinars, AMAs, panels - Travel of any kind under this grant - Synchronous live-streamed demos All communication is via GitHub Issues/PRs, Zcash Community Forum threads, and email — all written. The maintainer is responsive on written channels within standard business windows. The mandatory ZCG forum cross-post is written-only and will be maintained. ### Budget | Line item | Amount (USD) | | --- | --- | | Hardware/Software | $1,000 | | Service Costs (Zcash-experienced external reviewer at M5; testnet/infra) | $4,000 | | Compensation (sole-maintainer, six months part-time engineering) | $45,000 | | **Total** | **$50,000** | **Hardware/Software Justification:** Negligible — sole-maintainer using existing equipment. The $1,000 line covers project-specific software licenses, snarkVM/Zcash-rust toolchain dependencies, and any specialized testing infrastructure. **Service Costs Justification:** $4,000 funds an external Zcash-community-experienced reviewer engagement at milestone M5 to validate the cryptographic design and `librustzcash` integration quality before final release. Remaining covers Zcash testnet faucet/infrastructure for end-to-end testing. **Compensation Justification:** $45,000 supports the sole maintainer for approximately six months at a sustainable part-time rate consistent with US senior open-source-contractor rates. Maintainer is project lead, designer, implementer, documentation author, and forum-engagement contact. ### Previous Funding (ZCG) **No.** ### Other Funding Sources **Yes.** The maintainer is the principal investigator on several parallel-pipeline open-source-grant applications for the broader SAIHM project, all of which are structurally non-overlapping with this Zcash-specific scope: - Filecoin Foundation Open Grant (submitted) — SAIHM storage-tier hardening - NLnet NGI Zero Commons Fund (submitted) — SAIHM protocol-spec hardening + cross-vendor adapters - Open Collective via Open Source Collective fiscal host (submitted) — general operating support - OpenSSF Alpha-Omega (draft) — US-firm cryptographic audit + formal verification - Sovereign Tech Fund (draft) — EU-firm cryptographic audit + ETSI engagement + EU-language localization - OTF Internet Freedom Fund (draft) — repressive-environment threat model + adversarial review - FLOSS/fund (draft) — annual baseline operating support - Emergent Ventures (draft) — personal-velocity threat model + cross-vendor adapters - COTI Builders Program (draft) — COTI-V2-specific deliverables including separate COTI-integration-boundary audit - Aleo Developer Grants (draft) — Aleo zk-SNARK erasure-proof circuit Each scope is documented to be non-overlapping with this Zcash work. The Zcash-specific scope is uniquely a `librustzcash`-Rust adapter binding z-address-derived sovereignty to AI memory identity — a deliverable distinct from any other in flight. ### Implementation Risks 1. **Cryptographic-design correctness.** Using z-address-derived material as SAIHM identity must not weaken Zcash’s shielded-key security properties. Mitigation: external Zcash-community-experienced reviewer engagement at M5 explicitly validates this boundary. 2. **`librustzcash` API surface evolution.** Zcash Rust toolkit APIs evolve. Mitigation: pin against a stable `librustzcash`version for grant deliverables; document upgrade path; track upstream changes during grant window. 3. **MCP integration backward-compatibility.** The Zcash-bound identity provider is added as an additional option — not as a replacement — preserving backward compatibility for existing SAIHM users. ### Potential Side Effects 1. **Pattern adoption beyond intended scope.** Once published, the z-address-as-sovereign-identity pattern may be adopted by applications with different threat models. Mitigation: explicit documentation of intended threat model, security boundaries, and where the pattern is NOT appropriate. 2. **Increased z-address-holder visibility.** Using a z-address as identity in a long-running application could (depending on operator configuration) increase the metadata trail of that z-address. Mitigation: documented best-practice guidance to use derived sub-keys per application instance rather than the primary z-address directly. ### Success Metrics 1. `saihm-zcash-identity` Rust crate published under Apache-2.0 with passing test suite + fuzz coverage. 2. SAIHM MCP integration shipped as a minor version of `@saihm/mcp-server` on npm. 3. End-to-end demo reproducible from public Docker image with documented walkthrough. 4. External Zcash-community-experienced reviewer signoff at M5. 5. `CONTRIBUTING.md` per `librustzcash` style guides published. 6. Forum thread on `forum.zcashcommunity.com/c/grants/33` maintained throughout grant window. ### Startup Funding (USD) **$0** — no upfront startup tranche. ### Startup Funding Justification Disbursement is purely milestone-based. M1 (design + spec) is the first paid milestone at $8,000 on completion; the maintainer underwrites the first-month work from personal resources, with payment on M1 acceptance. This keeps total budget arithmetic clean: Startup ($0) + Milestones ($50,000) = Total Budget ($50,000). ### Milestone Details - Milestone: 1 - Milestone: 2 - Milestone: 3 - Milestone: 4 - Milestone: 5 - Milestone: 6 ---
**Author:** ![SAIHM](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/zcash/user_avatar/forum.zcashcommunity.com/saihm/32/45054_2.png) [@SAIHM](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/u/SAIHM)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2026, 11:44pm UTC](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/t/saihm-zcash-shielded-identity-adapter/55823/4 "2026-05-25T23:44:27Z")
Uhhh…so, then what does it do? 😉 - What this does, simply: - Why that matters: - Easy examples: Aha! 😃 So, then the TLDR is: This lets you use the same private, hidden key from a Zcash shielded address to lock and unlock your AI memories, so your personal notes, preferences, and files stay encrypted and readable only by you; it removes the need for emails or usernames, makes memories portable across AI apps and devices, lets you grant or revoke access cryptographically without on-chain transactions, and ties backup and recovery to your existing Zcash wallet seed. …and no other community has it. ---
**Author:** ![SAIHM](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/zcash/user_avatar/forum.zcashcommunity.com/saihm/32/45054_2.png) [@SAIHM](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/u/SAIHM)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2026, 12:20am UTC](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/t/saihm-zcash-shielded-identity-adapter/55823/5 "2026-06-01T00:20:16Z")
**Update** : SAIHM continues to actively contribute to the various standards bodies’ efforts to the development of a single standard for sovereign AI horizontal memory. The intent is to either be that standard or already have shipped all the attributes (and more) required by the standard. Take a peek at SAIHM’s roadmap. It is a serious and impactful project that needs your support. > **[SAIHM — Roadmap](https://saihm.coti.global/roadmap)** > > What has shipped, what is next, what is deferred. Targets, not commitments. But what makes SAIHM functionally unique; and what advantages accrue to the community through supporting SAIHM’s efforts? > **[What makes SAIHM different: built for compliance, not bolted on](https://saihm.coti.global/blog/2026-05-31-what-makes-saihm-different)** > > Compliance designed in, not bolted on — the controls a CISO asks for are the architecture. Plus your keys not the vendor's, a delete you can prove, a tamper-evident audit, one protocol across clients, polymorphous cells, one encrypted unit, bounded... ---
**Author:** ![ZCG](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/zcash/user_avatar/forum.zcashcommunity.com/zcg/32/33712_2.png) [@ZCG](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/u/ZCG)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2026, 3:27pm UTC](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/t/saihm-zcash-shielded-identity-adapter/55823/6 "2026-06-10T15:27:37Z")
Thank you for submitting your proposal. Following a thorough review by the ZCG and a period for community feedback on the forum, the committee has decided not to move forward with this proposal. We sincerely appreciate the time and effort you invested in your application and encourage you to stay involved and continue contributing to the Zcash community. Further details will be available in the meeting minutes to be posted shortly.