MetaWill: Web3 Commitment Platform

A decentralized platform for personal accountability with financial stakes

1. Introduction

1.1 Problem Statement

People often struggle to follow through on personal commitments and goals. Traditional methods lack accountability mechanisms that are both effective and transparent. Current solutions either rely on trust-based systems or centralized authorities, which can be manipulated or compromised.

1.2 Solution Overview

MetaWill provides a decentralized commitment platform where users can:

1. Create public commitments with financial stakes
2. Set their own deadlines
3. Assign trusted validators
4. Receive verification of completion
5. Automatically handle the financial consequences of success or failure

The platform uses blockchain technology to ensure transparency, immutability, and trustless execution of the commitment process.

2. Platform Architecture

2.1 Technical Stack

MetaWill is built on the Ethereum blockchain, utilizing smart contracts written in Solidity. The frontend is developed using React with Web3 integration via RainbowKit for wallet connections. The platform employs a serverless architecture with blockchain as the primary data store.

2.2 Smart Contract System

The core of MetaWill consists of several interconnected smart contracts:

• CommitmentFactory: Creates and manages individual commitment contracts
• Commitment: Holds staked funds and manages the validation process
• ValidationRegistry: Tracks validator reputation and history
• DonationRouter: Handles the routing of failed commitment stakes to charities

3. Core Features

3.1 Wallet-Based Authentication

Users connect their Ethereum wallet to access the platform. This provides a secure, passwordless authentication system where the wallet address serves as the user's unique identifier. MetaWill supports multiple wallet providers through RainbowKit integration.

3.2 Commitment Creation

Users can create detailed commitments by specifying:

• A clear description of what they are committing to do
• The amount of ETH they wish to stake
• A deadline for completion
• The address of their chosen validator

Upon confirmation, a smart contract is deployed to the Ethereum blockchain, and the staked funds are transferred to this contract.

3.3 Validator Selection

Each commitment requires a validator—an external Ethereum address designated to verify the completion of the commitment. Validators are notified of their selection and are responsible for confirming or disputing the user's claim of completion.

3.4 Financial Staking Mechanism

Users lock ETH as collateral for their commitment. This creates a financial incentive to follow through on their promises. The platform enforces minimum and maximum stake limits to ensure meaningful stakes while preventing excessive risk.

3.5 Commitment Validation Process

The validation process involves two parties:

1. The user self-reports whether they have completed their commitment
2. The validator confirms or disputes the user's claim

If both parties agree on success, the staked funds are returned to the user. If either party reports failure, the funds are sent to the designated charity.

3.6 Outcome Processing

The smart contract automatically processes the outcome based on the consensus between the user and validator:

• Success: Staked ETH is returned to the user
• Failure: Staked ETH is transferred to the donation address

All transactions are recorded on the blockchain, providing a transparent and immutable record of outcomes.

3.7 Donation Mechanism

Failed commitments result in donations to predefined charity addresses. This creates a positive social impact even from unfulfilled promises. The platform provides transparent tracking of all donations and generates receipts for users.

4. User Experience

4.1 User Dashboard

The dashboard provides users with a comprehensive overview of their commitments, including:

• Active commitments with progress tracking
• Past commitment history and outcomes
• Validation requests for commitments where they are the validator
• Financial summary (total staked, returned, and donated)

4.2 User Flows

The platform supports several key user flows:

4.2.1 Creating a Commitment

1. User connects wallet
2. Navigates to "New Commitment" section
3. Enters commitment details and description
4. Sets deadline date
5. Specifies ETH amount to stake
6. Enters validator's Ethereum address
7. Reviews commitment details
8. Confirms and signs transaction

4.2.2 Validation Process

1. Validator receives notification of validation request
2. Validator monitors user's progress
3. When deadline approaches:
   • User reports completion status (success/failure)
   • Validator confirms or disputes user's claim
4. System processes outcome based on consensus

4.2.3 Commitment Resolution

1. If both user and validator confirm success:
   • Smart contract returns staked ETH to user
   • Commitment marked as successfully completed
2. If either user or validator reports failure:
   • Smart contract transfers staked ETH to donation address
   • Commitment marked as failed
3. User receives notification of outcome
4. Transaction details recorded in history

5. Technical Implementation

5.1 Smart Contracts

The platform's smart contracts handle:

• Commitment creation and management
• Fund staking and escrow
• Validation logic
• Automated fund distribution

All contracts are audited for security and optimized for gas efficiency.

5.2 Frontend

The frontend is built with:

• React for the user interface
• RainbowKit for wallet connection
• Responsive design for mobile and desktop
• User-friendly interfaces for all core functions

5.3 Blockchain Integration

The platform integrates with the Ethereum blockchain through:

• Web3 libraries for contract interaction
• IPFS for storing commitment details (if needed)
• Event listeners for smart contract events
• Gas optimization for cost-effective transactions

6. Security Considerations

MetaWill prioritizes security through:

• Smart contract audits by third-party security firms
• Formal verification of critical contract logic
• Rate limiting to prevent spam attacks
• Secure wallet integration practices
• Transparent code and open-source development

7. Future Roadmap

Future enhancements planned for MetaWill include:

• Multi-validator support for complex commitments
• Social features (commitment sharing, public profiles)
• Achievement badges and gamification elements
• Integration with additional blockchains
• Mobile application
• API for third-party integrations
• DAO governance for platform decisions
• Token-based incentives for validators

8. Conclusion

MetaWill represents a novel application of blockchain technology to solve the universal challenge of commitment fulfillment. By creating financial incentives and a transparent validation system, the platform encourages users to follow through on their promises while generating positive social impact through its donation mechanism.

The combination of personal accountability, financial stakes, and charitable giving creates a powerful system that benefits users, validators, and society as a whole. As the platform evolves, it will continue to explore new ways to leverage blockchain technology for positive behavioral change.