| name | cost-estimator |
| description | Calculate ADA costs for Andamio operations. Estimate total cost for courses, projects, and user scenarios with four-component breakdowns. |
| license | MIT |
| metadata | {"author":"Andamio","version":"0.1.0"} |
Skill: Cost Estimator
Description
Calculates ADA costs for different Andamio scenarios. Accepts natural-language descriptions like "course with 3 teachers and 10 modules" and returns a four-component breakdown: transaction fees, service fees, min UTXO deposits, and recoverable deposits.
Instructions
Path Resolution
- Plugin context (
${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT} is set): Read specs from ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/specs/.
- Clone/symlink context (default): Read specs at
specs/ relative to project root.
Pre-Execution Knowledge Check
- Read
specs/cost-registry.json for real execution unit data and fee structures.
- Read
reference/tx-loops.yaml for canonical loop definitions, dotted names, and validated fees.
- If knowledge files exist, read
knowledge/cost-scenarios.yaml for previously calculated scenarios. Proceed without it if missing.
Transaction Loops
Andamio operations are organized into named transaction loops — multi-step workflows that accomplish a complete outcome. Reference loops by their dotted name (e.g., course.credential, project.setup).
Validated loops (tested against live stack, real fee data):
| Loop | Dotted Name | Total Cost | Notes |
|---|
| Course Setup | course.setup | ~21 ADA + ~1.86 ADA/module | course_create (~20.7 flat) + modules_manage |
| Project Setup | project.setup | ~49 ADA + treasury deposit | project_create + treasury_fund + tasks_manage |
| Course Credential | course.credential | ~1.32 ADA | Per student: enroll → assess → claim |
| Project Credential | project.credential | ~1.21 ADA + max(1 ADA, commission × reward) | Contributor net positive (deposit refund + reward minus commission) |
| Access Token | general.access-token | ~2.87 ADA | Prerequisite for course/project creation (no service fee in v3) |
Stubbed loops (defined, not yet tested): project.credential.native-assets, course.credential.sequential, course.credential.refused, project.credential.refused, project.credential.denied, project.tasks.replace, course.modules.ongoing, course.teachers.rotate, course.credential.cohort, project.treasury.drawdown, general.auth.headless
When estimating costs, compose from loops:
- "Stand up a course and credential 50 students" =
general.access-token + course.setup + 50 × course.credential
- "Full project with 10 contributors" =
general.access-token + course.setup + project.setup + 10 × (course.credential + project.credential)
See reference/tx-loops.yaml for full step sequences, roles, prerequisites, and known gotchas.
Cost Components
Every Andamio transaction has up to four cost components:
| Component | Recoverable? | Description |
|---|
| Transaction Fee | No | Network fee to stake pool operators. Varies by script complexity: 0.27–1.30 ADA |
| Service Fee | No | Protocol fee to Andamio's serviceFeeRecipient. Pricing v3: flat 1 ADA on most write txs; project-credential-claim is max(1 ADA, commission_rate × reward). |
| Min UTXO Deposits | Partially | Minimum ADA locked in validator UTxOs. Released when UTxOs are consumed. |
| Recoverable Deposits | Yes | ADA locked in state UTxOs. Refunded when credentials are claimed. |
Transaction Cost Reference
Pricing v3 (shipped 2026-04-09). All service fees below reflect the post-v3 model: flat 1 ADA where charged, no per-participant scaling, commission-based fee at credential claim. Service fees are paid to a single serviceFeeRecipient (see specs/cost-registry.json).
Global
| Transaction | Tx Fee | Service Fee | Min UTXO | Notes |
|---|
| Mint Access Token | ~0.36 ADA | 0 ADA | ~3.76 ADA (3 index nodes) | Entry point. ~2.87 ADA total. |
Course Operations
| Transaction | Tx Fee | Service Fee | Min UTXO | Notes |
|---|
| Create Course | ~0.55 ADA | 1 ADA | ~19 ADA | ~20.7 ADA flat (does not scale with teachers in v3) |
| Update Teachers | ~0.30 ADA | 1 ADA | 0 | Spend-and-recreate |
| Manage Modules | ~0.27 ADA | 0 (free) | ~1.59 ADA/module | Scales linearly |
| Student Enroll | ~0.40 ADA | 0 | ~1.74 ADA | ~2.14 ADA total |
| Update Assignment | ~0.28 ADA | 0 | ~0.05 ADA | Datum grows |
| Assess Assignment | ~0.28 ADA | 0 | -0.07 ADA refund | Teacher gets small refund |
| Claim Credential | ~0.35 ADA | 0 | -1.38 ADA refund | Student gains ~1.03 ADA |
Project Operations
| Transaction | Tx Fee | Service Fee | Min UTXO | Notes |
|---|
| Create Project | ~1.30 ADA | 1 ADA | ~45 ADA + treasury deposit | ~49 ADA flat + treasury deposit (does not scale with managers in v3) |
| Update Managers | ~0.30 ADA | 1 ADA | 0 | Spend-and-recreate |
| Manage Blacklist | ~0.34 ADA | 0 | 0 | — |
| Create Tasks | ~0.43 ADA | 0 | task reward amount | Reward locked in escrow |
| First Task Commit | ~0.51 ADA | 0 | ~14.5 ADA | State deposit (recoverable) |
| Subsequent Commits | ~0.51 ADA | 0 | 0 | No new deposit |
| Assess Tasks | ~0.35 ADA | 0 | 0 | — |
| Claim Project Credential | ~0.35 ADA | max(1 ADA, commission × reward) | -14.5 ADA refund | Default commission 5%; tiered (5/3/2/1%) per project. See commissionTiers in cost-registry. |
| Add Treasury Funds | ~0.30–0.50 ADA | 0 | deposit amount | — |
Scenario Calculator
When the developer describes a scenario, calculate the total:
Example: "Course with 3 teachers and 10 modules, expecting 50 students doing 5 assignments each"
Course Setup (one-time, v3 pricing):
Create course (any # teachers): 1 + 0.55 + 19 = ~20.55 ADA
Create 10 modules: 10 × 1.86 = ~18.60 ADA
Setup subtotal: = ~39.15 ADA
Per Student (50 students × 5 assignments each):
Enroll (per student): 2.14 × 50 = ~107.00 ADA
Update (per assignment): 0.33 × 250 = ~82.50 ADA
Assess (per assignment): 0.21 × 250 = ~52.50 ADA
Claim (per student): -1.03 × 50 = ~-51.50 ADA
Student/teacher subtotal: = ~190.50 ADA
TOTAL: ~229.65 ADA
One-time costs: ~39.15 ADA (non-recoverable)
Operational costs: ~190.50 ADA (partially recoverable via claims)
Cost per student: ~3.81 ADA net (across 5 assignments)
The v2 model charged 100 ADA + 10 ADA/teacher for course-create — under v3 this is a flat 1 ADA regardless of teacher count. The same flattening applies to project-create.
Output Format
Always present results with:
- Summary line: "Estimated total: X ADA"
- Breakdown by phase: Setup (one-time) vs. Operational (per-user)
- Component table: Tx fees, service fees, deposits, refunds
- Per-user cost: Net cost per student/contributor
- Recoverable amount: Total ADA that returns via credential claims
Caveats
Always include:
Costs are based on the bundled cost registry and may vary slightly with Cardano protocol parameter updates. Transaction fees depend on network conditions and script execution complexity. Last updated: [read date from cost-registry.json].
On preprod, these costs apply but test ADA is free from the Cardano faucet at https://docs.cardano.org/cardano-testnets/tools/faucet/
Cost Optimization Tips
Offer when relevant:
- Course/project create flat fee (1 ADA) does not scale with participants in v3 — no incentive to delay teacher/manager additions for cost reasons
- Each teacher/manager update still costs ~1.30 ADA (1 ADA service fee + tx fee), so batch updates when practical
- Module management has no service fee — batch or individual is similar cost
- Assignment submission and assessment are free (no service fee)
- Credential claims are net positive — students/contributors get deposits back
- Project rewards: commission rate (default 5%) is taken at claim. Upgrade tier via power-up to lower it.
- Treasury deposits are fully locked but can fund task rewards
Guidelines
- Always use the four-component breakdown — developers need to understand where ADA goes
- Distinguish one-time costs from per-user operational costs
- Highlight recoverable deposits — they're not "spent," they're locked
- Show net costs after refunds from credential claims
- Round to 2 decimal places for readability
- When scenarios are ambiguous, ask clarifying questions (number of teachers, expected students, etc.)
