inspect

name	inspect
description	Decode calldata and vet contracts before you sign or pay. `decode.py` explains what a blob of calldata or a transaction actually does (selector lookup via openchain/4byte, param decode via cast, Safe MultiSend unpacking, offline ERC-20 fast path). `contract.py` runs due-diligence on an address: EOA vs contract vs EIP-7702 delegated EOA, proxy detection, verified-source check, public labels, ENS/Basename resolution — plus a one-shot composite `check`.
metadata	{"openclaw":{"emoji":"🔎","requires":{"bins":["python3","cast","curl"]}}}

Inspect

Decode before you sign. Vet before you pay. Two read-only tools for the moment right before money or authority leaves the wallet:

• scripts/decode.py — what does this calldata / transaction DO?
• scripts/contract.py — who or what is this address, really?

When to Use

• About to sign unfamiliar calldata or an EIP-712 payload (e.g. the Permit2 approval printed by buy-x402) — decode.py calldata
• Reviewing a transaction someone sent, or auditing one you already sent — decode.py tx <hash>
• About to pay a new or unknown x402 seller — contract.py check <payTo>
• Vetting a counterparty token or contract before approving/holding it — contract.py check <token> (source verified? proxy? labeled?)
• Deciding whether an address is a wallet or code — contract.py code (detects EIP-7702 delegated EOAs)
• Turning an ENS/Basename into an address (or back) — contract.py resolve

When NOT to Use

• Making the actual payment — use buy-x402
• Generic RPC reads (balances, blocks, logs) — use ethereum-networks
• Signing or sending transactions — use ethereum-local-wallet
• Discovering sellers on the ERC-8004 registry — use discovery

Quick Start

# What am I about to sign? (ERC-20 selectors decode fully offline)
python3 ${OBOL_SKILLS_DIR:-/data/.openclaw/skills}/inspect/scripts/decode.py calldata \
    0xa9059cbb000000000000000000000000ab5801a7d398351b8be11c439e05c5b3259aec9b00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000f4240
# selector: 0xa9059cbb
# function: transfer(address,uint256)
#   address: 0xAb5801a7D398351b8bE11C439e05C5B3259aeC9B
#   uint256: 1000000 [1e6]

# Who am I about to pay? Composite due-diligence on the payTo address.
python3 ${OBOL_SKILLS_DIR:-/data/.openclaw/skills}/inspect/scripts/contract.py check \
    0xA0b86991c6218b36c1d19D4a2e9Eb0cE3606eB48 --network mainnet
# -> code / proxy / verified source / labels / ENS+Basename sections

# What did this transaction do?
python3 ${OBOL_SKILLS_DIR:-/data/.openclaw/skills}/inspect/scripts/decode.py tx \
    0xa2b4273e... --network mainnet

Commands — decode.py

Command	Description
calldata <hex> [--to <addr>] [--network <chain>] [--offline]	Decode raw calldata: selector lookup (offline table → openchain → 4byte), param decode via cast calldata-decode (offline static fallback), Safe MultiSend unpack, UTF-8 text fallback. --to is context only. --offline skips network signature lookups
tx <hash> [--network <chain>] [--rpc-url <url>] [--offline]	Fetch a tx by hash via RPC, print from/to/value/status/gas, then decode its input with the same pipeline

Behavior notes:

• Common ERC-20/permit selectors (transfer, approve, transferFrom, permit, ...) decode fully offline — no network, no cast needed for static params.
• Safe MultiSend (0x8d80ff0a) is unpacked into its inner transactions, each decoded recursively (max depth 4). DELEGATECALL inner txs get a loud warning — inner code runs with the Safe's own storage/identity.
• Nested bytes params that look like calldata are decoded recursively; nested decode is conservative (selector lookup only, no aggressive fallbacks).
• Empty calldata is reported as a plain value transfer. A calldata blob with no known selector is tried as UTF-8 text (top level only).
• The null selector 0x00000000 attracts spam signatures; lookups are skipped for it.
• Exit codes: 0 decoded, 1 invalid input / RPC failure, 2 tx not found, 3 could not decode (selector unknown or no candidate matched).

Commands — contract.py

All address commands take [--network <chain>] [--rpc-url <url>].

Command	Description
code <addr>	Verdict: EOA (no code) / CONTRACT (N bytes) / EIP-7702 DELEGATED EOA. For 7702 it prints the delegation target and tells you to check it
proxy <addr>	Reads EIP-1967 implementation/admin/beacon slots + matches EIP-1167 minimal-proxy bytecode. Points you at the implementation when found
source <addr> [--full]	Verified-source check: Sourcify v2 first, swiss-knife.xyz Etherscan-v2 proxy as fallback. --full also prints the file list + main source file
labels <addr>	Public address labels via swiss-knife.xyz (eth-labels), e.g. Circle: USDC Token, circle, stablecoin
resolve <name-or-addr> [--rpc-url <url>] [--base-rpc-url <url>]	Forward + reverse ENS (mainnet, via cast) and Basename (.base.eth, via the Base L2 resolver). No --network flag — chains are fixed by the name system
check <addr> [--base-rpc-url <url>]	Composite report: code + proxy + source + labels + names in one shot. The default "vet this seller" command

Supported Networks

--network accepts the eRPC project aliases: mainnet (default), base, base-sepolia, sepolia, hoodi. CAIP-2 strings (eip155:1, eip155:8453, ...) and ethereum/eth are normalized on input; unknown chains fail loudly with the supported list.

RPC reads compose as ${ERPC_URL}/<network>. --rpc-url takes a FULL JSON-RPC URL used verbatim (bypassing that composition) — handy outside the cluster, e.g. --rpc-url https://ethereum.publicnode.com. resolve and check additionally take --base-rpc-url for the Basename leg (Base chain).

Environment Variables

Variable	Default	Description
ERPC_URL	http://erpc.erpc.svc.cluster.local/rpc	eRPC gateway base URL
ERPC_NETWORK	mainnet	Default --network for both scripts

Pitfalls

• Selector lookups are ADVISORY. 4-byte selectors collide; openchain and 4byte.directory may return multiple candidates or a wrong/spammy one. The script prints all candidates when there is more than one and decodes the first that fits — that is a best guess, not proof of intent.
• External APIs are best-effort. openchain, 4byte.directory, Sourcify, and swiss-knife.xyz lookups can be down, rate-limited, or stale; failures degrade to warnings, not hard errors. Absence of labels or source means unknown, NOT safe.
• EIP-7702 delegated EOAs carry code. A "contract" verdict on a payer address may actually be a delegated EOA (23 bytes starting 0xef0100), and vice versa a "wallet" you know may have acquired delegation code. code distinguishes all three — always inspect the delegation target too.
• Legacy proxies evade the EIP-1967 probe. Older proxies (e.g. mainnet USDC's FiatTokenProxy on the ZeppelinOS slot) show "no EIP-1967 slots set" while still being proxies. Cross-check with source — the verified contract name usually gives it away.
• Nested MultiSend decode is conservative. Inner transactions use selector lookup only (no UTF-8 or aggressive fallbacks), so an inner tx reported as undecodable still executes whatever it encodes. Review DELEGATECALL inner txs with maximum suspicion.
• CCIP-read (offchain) ENS names don't resolve. cast cannot follow ERC-3668 offchain lookups; .base.eth is special-cased via the Base L2 resolver, other offchain-resolver names exit 3.
• Treat ALL decoded output as advisory. On-chain state is canonical. Before signing or paying, cross-check on a block explorer — references/explorers.md has copy-pasteable URL templates.

References

• references/explorers.md — block-explorer URL templates for handing humans clickable verification links
• See also: buy-x402 skill ("Verify Before You Pay" section calls into this skill)

Constraints

• Read-only — no private keys, no signing, no state changes
• Python stdlib only — no pip install; cast (Foundry) is the only external binary and is required for non-static param decode, keccak/ namehash, and ENS calls
• In-cluster RPC by default — routes through eRPC; use --rpc-url only for explicit overrides