Exploring Smart Accounts as Modular Signers for Trustless Work Escrows (v1)

[techrebelgit]

🧠 Task: Exploring Smart Accounts as Modular Signers for Trustless Work Escrows (v1)

1️⃣ Context (What & Why)

This task explores how OpenZeppelin Smart Accounts for Stellar can introduce modular authorization and policy-based signing into the Trustless Work escrow ecosystem.

The goal is to evaluate whether Smart Accounts can act as escrow role signers (Marker, Approver, or Releaser) — enabling features like multisig approvals, automated restrictions, and agent-controlled actions without exposing private keys.

How it fits:

• Trustless Work escrows assign on-chain roles (Marker, Approver, Releaser, etc.) to specific Stellar addresses.
• These roles currently sign transactions using private keys.
• Smart Accounts (Soroban contracts) allow those same roles to be contracts with programmable authorization, expanding flexibility and security for platforms, enterprises, and agentic systems.

🔍 This is an independent exploration within Trustless Work’s modular signer initiative — running in parallel to the AI Agent Signer project.

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2️⃣ Functional Scope (v1)

Goal:
Deploy and test an OpenZeppelin Smart Account on Stellar Testnet and assign its contract ID to one of the roles in a Trustless Work multi-release escrow.
Validate that the Smart Account can successfully authorize an escrow action (e.g., milestone update, approval, or release) according to its internal policy.

Main actions:

1. Review and deploy a Smart Account contract using OpenZeppelin’s official Stellar library:
   👉 https://github.com/OpenZeppelin/stellar-contracts/tree/main/packages/accounts

2. Configure its authorization policy — for example:

   • Allow only approve_milestone calls on a Trustless Work escrow contract.
   • Enforce multisig or owner thresholds if supported.

3. Create a multi-release escrow in the Backoffice and assign the Smart Account’s contract ID as one role.

4. Execute an escrow action through the API or Backoffice and observe whether the Smart Account authorizes the operation.

5. Document results, challenges, and recommendations for deeper integration.

Reference documentation:

• OpenZeppelin Smart Accounts (Stellar): https://github.com/OpenZeppelin/stellar-contracts/tree/main/packages/accounts
• Trustless Work API: https://docs.trustlesswork.com/trustless-work/api-reference
• Escrow Lifecycle: https://docs.trustlesswork.com/trustless-work/core-concepts/escrow-lifecycle
• Viewer dApp: https://viewer.trustlesswork.com/

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3️⃣ Inputs & Outputs

Inputs:

• Smart Account configuration (owners, threshold, allowlist, etc.)
• Escrow ID and assigned role
• Escrow action (approve, update, or release)

Expected Outputs:

• Transaction hash confirming a successful on-chain action
• Notes on whether the Smart Account’s policy was respected
• Summary of compatibility or integration gaps observed

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4️⃣ Non-Goals

• No changes to the Trustless Work backend or API.
• No frontend or SDK modification required.
• No AI or agent logic — this task focuses purely on Smart Account contract interactions.
• Testnet only; no production deployment.

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5️⃣ Deliverables

• A concise README.md that includes:

  • Steps to deploy and configure the Smart Account.
  • Description of the policy rules used.
  • Escrow configuration and test scenario.
  • Transaction results (hash + link to Viewer).
  • Observations on integration behavior.

• Optional diagram:
  Smart Account → Trustless Work API → Escrow Contract → Stellar Network.

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6️⃣ Acceptance Criteria

✅ Smart Account deployed successfully on Stellar Testnet.
✅ Contract ID assigned as a valid escrow role in Trustless Work.
✅ At least one escrow action (approve, update, or release) successfully executed and verified on-chain.
✅ README includes setup, findings, and policy notes.
✅ No secrets or private keys committed.

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7️⃣ Security Checklist

• Operate on Stellar Testnet only.
• Use non-sensitive demo keys.
• Clearly document policy restrictions that enforce least privilege (specific contracts & methods).
• Verify that unauthorized calls fail as expected.
• Note any security improvements Smart Accounts provide over key-based signing.

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8️⃣ Bonus (Optional Exploration)

• Test multisig policies or timelocked approvals if supported by the OpenZeppelin module.
• Propose a lightweight policy schema for Trustless Work roles (e.g., role.kind = smart).
• Assess how Smart Accounts could work with the Viewer or Indexer for better visibility.
• Explore interoperability with the Server-Side Signer and AI Agent Signer tasks.

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9️⃣ Verification / Test Plan

1. Deploy the Smart Account following OpenZeppelin’s documentation.
2. Record its contract ID and policy.
3. Assign that contract ID to a role in a Trustless Work escrow created via Backoffice.
4. Attempt a permitted action (e.g., approval).
5. Verify in the Viewer or API that the action was executed and logged.
6. Attempt an unpermitted action (should fail per policy).
7. Document all observed behavior.

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🔗 Helpful References

• Trustless Work Docs → https://docs.trustlesswork.com/
• Backoffice → https://dapp.trustlesswork.com/
• Viewer → https://viewer.trustlesswork.com/
• OpenZeppelin Stellar Smart Accounts → https://github.com/OpenZeppelin/stellar-contracts/tree/main/packages/accounts

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🧩 Notes

• This is a stand-alone research and implementation task within Trustless Work’s modular signer initiative.
• Insights will inform future experiments on policy-driven signing, compliance automation, and enterprise-grade role management.
• Keep findings concise, reproducible, and well-documented to guide subsequent contributors.