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ENSIP: Contract Metadata Standard and Text Records

· 4 min read
Nischal Sharma
Nischal Sharma
Enscribe Lead Engineer

Smart contracts power the onchain economy, but they lack proper identity infrastructure. When users encounter a contract address like 0x742d35cc567890c000c000c07c81c25d7df34793, they can't easily verify what it does, who built it, or whether it's safe to use.

Enscribe has been working to solve this through contract naming. Now we're taking the next step by proposing a new ENS Improvement Proposal that establishes a comprehensive metadata standard for smart contracts.

The Problem with Contract Identity​

Smart contracts face several identity challenges:

  • Trust Issues: Users can't easily verify if a contract is legitimate or malicious
  • Missing Documentation: No standard way to find a contract's docs, source code, or audit reports
  • Inconsistent Information: Wallets and dApps show different (or no) contract details
  • Poor Developer Experience: No standard API for contract discovery and metadata

While ENS enables human-readable contract names, the ecosystem lacks standardized metadata storage. Projects create custom solutions, users rely on centralized services, and critical information gets scattered across different platforms.

Our Proposed Solution​

We've submitted an ENSIP that extends ENSIP-5 (Text Records) with standardized metadata fields for smart contracts. This creates one source of truth for contract information, stored directly in ENS records.

Imagine if instead of simply seeing a hex contract address you had a rich view of the contract such as this:

Enscribe contract profile showing organized technical details

Our proposed standard would serve as a foundation to make such information available for smart contracts across Ethereum.

New Text Record Fields​

Contract Classification:

  • category: Contract type (defi, dao, utility, gaming)
  • license: Software license (MIT, Apache-2.0)
  • docs: Official documentation links

Security Information:

  • audits: Structured audit report data with auditor names and report links
  • proxy: Proxy contract details and implementation addresses

Compiled Metadata Resolver​

The proposal introduces a new resolver profile for complete compiler-generated metadata. Building on ENSIP-4's (Support for contract ABIs) multi-encoding approach, it supports:

  • JSON formats: Uncompressed and compressed
  • CBOR encoding: For onchain parsing
  • URI storage: IPFS, Arweave for large files

This metadata contains everything needed for contract verification: ABI definitions, compiler settings, source code hashes, and NatSpec documentation.

Real Impact​

This standard solves concrete problems:

  • Users can verify contract authenticity before signing transactions
  • Developers get standard APIs for contract metadata across all applications
  • Projects build professional contract identity that increases user trust
  • Ecosystem reduces dependence on centralized services

Contract Metadata in Action​

We've implemented this metadata standard for our own contract as a demonstration. You can see v0.enscribe.named.eth on ENS Manager with all the proposed metadata fields populated (some values are placeholder for now).

Since the ENS manager app doesn't yet render contract metadata optimally (it's designed for user profiles), here's how we envision displaying contract metadata in applications built for contracts:

ENS Manager showing basic contract metadata fields Current ENS Manager view - shows metadata but not optimized for contracts

Enscribe contract profile view Enscribe's contract-focused interface - Technical details, security audits, and expanded metadata view

The difference is clear: contract-specific interfaces can organize and display metadata in ways that help developers and users understand what they're interacting with.

We Need Your Input​

The proposal draws from our experience building contract naming tools, but community feedback shapes the final standard.

Help us refine:

  • Technical implementation approach
  • Additional metadata fields
  • Wallet and dApp integration needs
  • Use cases we should address

Review and Feedback​

Enscribe makes smart contracts easier to trust by giving them human-readable names. This ENSIP extends that mission — moving from basic naming to complete contract identity infrastructure.

Read the full proposal: ENSIP: Contract Metadata Standard and Text Records

The proposal includes technical specifications, implementation examples, and design rationale. Whether you build protocols, develop wallets, or use onchain applications, your input helps create better infrastructure.

Join the discussion and help us build standardized, discoverable contract identity for the onchain world. You can also share your thoughts, suggestions, and any issues you encounter through our Discord community, Telegram, or X.

Happy naming! 🚀