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How to Name Your Smart Contract with ENS on Ethereum

Already have a smart contract deployed on Ethereum? Learn how to give it a human-readable ENS name using Enscribe, making your contract more discoverable and trustworthy.

Visual Comparison

Before: 0x742d35cc567890c000c000c07c81c25d7df34793 After: my-defi-vault.eth

What You'll Learn​

This guides covers:

  1. Understanding contract compatibility for ENS naming
  2. Using Enscribe's Name Contract tool for existing contracts
  3. Managing the naming process step-by-step
  4. Troubleshooting common issues

Prerequisites​

Before you begin:

  • Contract deployed on Ethereum (mainnet or testnet)
  • Web3 wallet connected (MetaMask, Safe, WalletConnect, etc.)
  • Contract ownership or proper permissions
  • ETH for gas fees on your chosen network

Understanding Contract Types and ENS Resolution​

Not all contracts support the same level of ENS naming. Enscribe automatically detects your contract type and add transactions to set forward and primary name accordingly.

Contract Compatibility Check​

Enscribe classifies contracts into two categories:

Contract TypeForward ResolutionPrimary Name (Reverse Resolution)
Compatible Contracts
Ownable, ERC173, ReverseClaimer		YesYes
Other Contracts
No ownership interface		YesNo

What This Means​

Forward Resolution (ENS name → contract address)

  • Anyone can set this mapping
  • Makes your contract findable by ENS name
  • Example: my-vault.eth resolves to 0x742d35...

Primary Name/Reverse Resolution (contract address → ENS name)

  • Only the contract or its owner can set this
  • Shows ENS name when users look up the contract address
  • Example: 0x742d35... displays as my-vault.eth in wallets

Enscribe automatically detects the type of your contract so you don't need to know the technical details.

Step-by-Step Naming Process​

Step 1: Access the Name Contract Tool​

  1. Go to enscribe.xyz
  2. Click "Name Contract" in the navigation or use the direct link: app.enscribe.xyz/nameContract
  3. Connect your wallet
  4. Select the network

Name Contract

Step 2: Enter Contract Information​

Contract Address​

Contract Address

  • Enter the address of your deployed contract
  • Enscribe will automatically detect the contract type
  • If you see a green checkmark saying contract implements required interfaces(Ownable, ReverseClaimer), your contract supports primary names

Choose Your ENS Name​

Contract Name

Label Name: The subdomain for your contract

  • Use descriptive names: defi-vault, nft-marketplace, dao-governance
  • You can auto generate a label name using the "Generate Name" button

ENS Parent Domain: Choose where to create your subdomain

ENS Parent Domain

Option 1: Enscribe-Provided Parent (Recommended for beginners)

  • No additional permissions needed
  • Instant setup
  • Your contract gets: your-label.deployd.eth

Option 2: Your Own ENS Domain

Your Own ENS Domain

  • Requires you to own an ENS domain
  • More control over branding
  • Your contract gets: your-label.yourdomain.eth
  • Better for established projects

Step 3: Review and Execute​

  1. Review details: Double-check contract address and ENS name
  2. Start naming: Click "Name Contract"
  3. Sign transactions: Enscribe will open a modal with all the steps, approve each transaction in your wallet

Based on your contract type, you'll see different number of trasanctions:

Contract Naming steps

Your own ENS domain without ERC173/ReverseClaimer

  1. Create subdomain
  2. Set forward resolution

Your own ENS domain + Primary name:

  1. Create subdomain
  2. Set forward resolution
  3. Set primary name

Step 5: Verify Success​

After completion, you'll see a success modal with:

Contract Naming Success

  • Contract address
  • Your new ENS name for the contract
  • Links to view txs on block explorer
  • Share on X/Twitter and Farcaster

Using Safe Wallet for Contract Naming​

If you're using a Safe wallet (multi-signature), the process works slightly differently:

Safe Wallet Setup​

  1. Connect via WalletConnect:

    • Choose WalletConnect in Enscribe
    • Copy the connection link
    • Paste in your Safe wallet app

  2. Transaction Approval:

    • Transactions are queued in Safe
    • All signers must approve
    • Execution happens asynchronously

  3. Benefits:

    • Multi-signature security
    • Team-controlled naming
    • Transparent approval process

For more details, check our Safe Wallet Support blog post.

Troubleshooting Common Issues​

Transaction Failures​

Gas Issues:

  • Increase gas limit in wallet
  • Try during lower network congestion
  • Check you have sufficient ETH

Permission Errors:

  • Verify you're the contract owner
  • Check connected wallet address
  • Ensure contract implements required interfaces

Retry Failed Steps​

If any transaction fails:

  1. Enscribe detects completed steps
  2. You can retry only failed transactions
  3. No need to start over completely

What Happens After Naming?​

In Wallets and dApps​

  • Your contract shows its ENS name instead of hex address
  • Users can interact using the readable name
  • Increased trust and recognition

In Block Explorers​

  • Many explorers now support ENS lookups
  • Search for your ENS name to find the contract
  • Enhanced discoverability

Getting Help​

Community Support​

  • Discord: Real-time community help
  • Telegram: Developer discussions
  • X: Updates and announcements

Documentation Resources​

Ready to name your contract? Head to Enscribe and give your smart contract the human-readable identity it deserves.