Next Step Microgrant: Archon Filecoin Persistence

# Next Step Microgrant: Archon Identity Persistence on Filecoin

**Project Name:** Archon — One-Command Filecoin Persistence for Decentralized Identity

**Proposal Category:** Developer Tooling & Infrastructure

**Proposer:** Christian Saucier (`https://github.com/flaxscrip`)

**Project GitHub:** https://github.com/archetech/archon

**Do you agree to open source all work you do on behalf of this grant and dual-license under MIT and APACHE2 licenses?:** Yes

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## Project Description

Archon is a developer toolkit for building decentralized identity systems using content-addressed identifiers. At its core, Archon defines `did:cid` — a DID method (currently [under review](https://github.com/decentralized-identity/did-methods/blob/main/method-proposals/PROPOSAL-did-cid.md) by the Decentralized Identity Foundation) that uses IPFS Content Identifiers (CIDs) as the canonical identity anchor. DID documents, credential schemas, and revocation registries are content-addressed and resolvable over IPFS.

**The problem:** IPFS is not persistent by default. If the pinning node goes offline, identity data disappears. For decentralized identity to be trustworthy, a DID document must remain retrievable for years.

**This grant delivers:** A single CLI command that persists any Archon identity documents on Filecoin.

`keymaster persist ` → DID document stored on Filecoin. Preliminary candidate interface library for integration with Archon : https://github.com/filecoin-project/filecoin-pin

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## Value Proposition

Most currently available SSI stacks rely on:

- **Proprietary clouds** for DID document storage (centralized, censorable)
- **Blockchains** for anchoring (expensive, not designed for data at scale)
- **Self-hosted IPFS nodes** for pinning (fragile, operator-dependent)

Archon + Filecoin provides **provable, decentralized, incentivized long-term storage** — exactly what identity infrastructure needs.

For the Filecoin ecosystem:

- **New developer tooling:** Archon Keymaster becomes the first blockchain agnostic SSI toolkit to offer native Filecoin persistence
- **New use case:** Identity and credential documents as a high-value, small-payload storage category. Opportunity for server-pay (ie: transparent to user)
- **Bridge to SSI:** Filecoin becomes the persistence layer for W3C-compatible identity (DID) and credential(VC) documents.

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## Deliverables

### Milestone: Filecoin Persistence for DID Documents (1 Month)

- [ ] Integrate Filecoin functionality into Archon Keymaster CLI and React wallets
- [ ] Implement `keymaster persist ` — store a DID document to Filecoin, return deal ID and retrieval CID
- [ ] Implement `keymaster resolve --filecoin ` — retrieve DID document from Filecoin via IPFS gateway or direct retrieval
- [ ] Store 10+ test DID documents as Filecoin storage deals on Calibration testnet
- [ ] End-to-end test: create DID → persist to Filecoin → wait for active deal → resolve from Filecoin
- [ ] Developer quickstart: "Persist your first DID to Filecoin in 5 minutes"
- [ ] Architecture doc: how Archon separates *hot resolution* (IPFS cache) from *cold persistence* (Filecoin)

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## Development Roadmap

| Milestone | Deliverable | Timeline | Funding |
| --------- | ----------------------------------- | -------- | ------- |
| 1 | Filecoin DID persistence CLI + docs | 1 month | $5,000 |

**Total Ask:** $5,000 (paid in FIL)

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## Existing Work / Prototype

Archon is already functional:

* **DID Method Spec:** `did:cid` with IPFS anchoring
* **Keymaster CLI:** Working CLI for DID/VC operations
* **Keymaster React and APK Wallets**: Working wallets for DID/VC operations
* **Archon Node Software:** Complete self-sovereign stack
* **MCP Server & OpenAPI:** Composable interfaces for AI agents and systems

Notable and relevant features:

* **Server-side pay:** Architecture shields end-users from having to manage crypto wallets
* **SAAS vs Self-Hosted:** Like IPFS, users can operate their own stack or get service from a trusted SAAS provider.
* **Blockchain Agnostic Document Resistration:** Documents are registered on the decentralized network chosed by end-user.
* **Shared Documents Vaults:** One of the features of the Archon Keymaster allows users to share keys to an encrypted vault of documents.
* **Integrated Lightning Payments:** Each Archon identity can be used as a Lightning wallet for micro-payments.

Each Archon node stores all valid Archon operations it encounters on a local IPFS node.

**This grant adds the Filecoin persistence layer.**

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## Previous Filecoin DevGrant Experience

In 2022, our team (David McFadzean and Christian Saucier) was awarded a Filecoin Open DevGrant for **Metatron** — a decentralized identity and content-addressed publishing platform. We delivered strong technical documentation and maintained excellent communication with the Filecoin grants team throughout the project lifecycle.

Ultimately, the user community we targeted did not materialize at the pace required to sustain the pilot, and we properly closed the grant with the Filecoin team, returning unspent funds. That experience taught us the importance of tight scope and existing traction before scaling.

**Archon is the evolved successor from the Metatron work:** focused on a single, well-defined primitive (DID persistence) with a working codebase and clear developer tooling.

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## Team

**Christian Saucier** — Business Solutions

- 20+ years systems architecture
- Built Archon from 0→1: DID method direction, MCP integrations, business solutions
- Deep expertise: W3C DIDs, W3C VCs, IPFS, Filecoin storage

**David McFadzean** (`@macterra`) — Protocol Architect

- 20+ years experience with identity systems
- Deep expertise in decentralized systems, content addressing, and distributed protocols
- Extensive work with IPFS, Filecoin, and blockchain infrastructure
- Strong open-source contributor and protocol design background

Two-person team with complementary skills in identity architecture and solutions engineering.

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## Total Budget Requested

$5,000 (paid in FIL)

**Breakdown:**

- $3,500 — Engineering: Filecoin client integration, CLI commands, React wallet, testing
- $1,000 — Calibration testnet deal fees and retrieval testing
- $500 — Documentation, quickstart guide, and demo video

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## Maintenance and Upgrade Plans

Post-grant:

- Filecoin persistence becomes a core feature of Archon SSI toolkit
- Community contributions welcome (MIT/Apache 2.0)
- Future: commercial pilots, partner integrations, user-centric identity solutions

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## How This Benefits the Filecoin Ecosystem

1. **New developer tooling:** First full-featured SSI platform to offer one-command Filecoin persistence for identity at no cost to the user
2. **New use case:** DID documents as a high-value storage category
3. **Standards bridge:** Filecoin becomes the persistence layer for a growing cloud of W3C DID/VCs
4. **Public good:** All work open-sourced and maintained

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## Contact

**Christian Saucier**

- GitHub: `https://github.com/flaxscrip`
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/csaucier
- Email: christian@archetech.com
- Location: South Carolina, USA (EST)

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## Additional Notes and Links

Archon separates **hot resolution** (IPFS for fast lookups) from **cold persistence** (Filecoin for guaranteed availability). A DID resolves instantly from a local cache — but if the cache is lost, the DID is still retrievable from Filecoin via its CID.

This grant delivers the core primitive: **one command to make identity permanent.**

**Protocol Repository**: https://github.com/archetech/archon

**Documentation and Whitepaper:** https://github.com/archetech/archon/blob/main/docs/index.md

**Public Node, Wallet, and Tools:** https://archon.technology