create-extension

name	create-extension
description	Build a Flare TEE extension -- covers architecture, protocol spec, handler contract, InstructionSender contract, and implementation steps. Language-independent.

Overview

A TEE (Trusted Execution Environment) is a pairing of a TEE node app and a TEE extension app, both running inside the same Docker container. They communicate over localhost. The extension also needs an InstructionSender Solidity contract.

The developer implements 5 concerns:

#	Concern	What you do
1	Configuration	Define OPType string constants and a version string
2	Types	Define request, response, and state report types
3	Handlers	Define mutable state, write handler functions, register them
4	Contract	Add matching bytes32 constants and send functions to the InstructionSender Solidity contract
5	Tests	Write test payloads and response assertions

Everything else is infrastructure (HTTP server, routing, DataFixed parsing, state locking, ActionResult assembly). Infrastructure and custom logic must be clearly separated -- e.g. in separate directories or modules -- so the developer only touches their own code.

Architecture

+---------------------------------------------------------+
|  CUSTOM CODE (developer-editable)                       |
|  Configuration       OPType constants, version          |
|  Types               request/response, state report     |
|  Handlers            mutable state, handler funcs       |
|  Contract            InstructionSender.sol              |
|  Tests               payloads and assertions            |
+---------------------------------------------------------+
+---------------------------------------------------------+
|  INFRASTRUCTURE (do not modify)                         |
|  HTTP server         POST /action, GET /state           |
|  Routing             OPType/OPCommand dispatch          |
|  DataFixed parsing   hex-decode + JSON-decode envelope  |
|  State locking       serialize handler calls            |
|  ActionResult        assemble response                  |
|  Shared utilities    hex encoding, keccak256            |
+---------------------------------------------------------+

Organize these into separate directories or modules following the conventions of your programming language. For example, the Go scaffold uses internal/app/ for developer code and internal/base/ for infrastructure.

See references/base-spec.md for the full specification of what the infrastructure layer must implement.

Shared utilities in base/

The infrastructure layer provides these utility functions that handlers can import:

Function	Description
HexToBytes(hex) / hexToBytes(hex) / hex_to_bytes(hex)	Decode a hex string (optional 0x prefix) to bytes
BytesToHex(bytes) / bytesToHex(bytes) / bytes_to_hex(bytes)	Encode bytes to a 0x-prefixed hex string
Keccak256(data) / keccak256(data)	Compute the Keccak-256 hash of data

For ABI encoding/decoding, use a language-specific library directly in your handler code (e.g. eth_abi for Python, viem for TypeScript, go-ethereum/accounts/abi for Go).

Instruction lifecycle

1. User calls your Solidity contract (on-chain)
2. Contract emits TeeInstructionsSent via TeeExtensionRegistry
3. TEE proxy picks up the instruction from the chain
4. TEE node fetches the instruction from the proxy
5. TEE node forwards it as POST /action to your extension
6. Your extension processes the action and returns a result
7. TEE node sends the result back to the proxy
8. Caller polls the proxy for the result

Your extension controls step 1 (the contract) and step 6 (the handler).

Terminology

TEE's public/private key means the TEE node's key.

Signing / Encryption: Default to ECDSA (secp256k1) for signing and ECIES for encryption. Use the TEE node's sign server by default (see references/openapi.yaml).

Message / Action message / Instruction message usually means DataFixed.originalMessage -- guaranteed to match the message field of the instruction event emitted by InstructionSender.

Decoding and Encoding:

• The action.data.message field is a hex-encoded string containing the JSON bytes of a DataFixed object. The framework must hex-decode the string to obtain raw bytes, then JSON-parse those bytes into DataFixed.
• JSON for communication between TEE node and TEE extension (the HTTP wire format).
• Binary fields in JSON are hex strings (0x prefix optional), EXCEPT for /decrypt request/response where encryptedMessage and decryptedMessage are base64-encoded byte arrays.
• Encoding strings as 32-byte hex fields (OPType, OPCommand, version, stateVersion all use this): UTF-8 encode the string, right-pad with zero bytes to 32 bytes, then hex-encode. This matches Solidity's bytes32("FOO") casting behaviour. Strings must be <= 32 bytes; longer strings are silently truncated to 32 bytes.
  • Example: "SAY_HELLO" -> 0x5341595f48454c4c4f0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
  • Solidity: bytes32("SAY_HELLO")

Returning values means putting them in ActionResult.Data.

Each JSON type satisfies its schema in references/json-schemas/.

TEE extension app

The extension is an HTTP server that:

1. Receives Actions from the TEE node at POST /action
2. Routes them based on (OPType, OPCommand)
3. Returns ActionResults (synchronously or asynchronously)
4. Exposes state at GET /state

Rules:

• Treat messages as potentially malicious.
• Serve at localhost:$EXTENSION_PORT.
• The TEE extension SemVer version is hardcoded; increment it when behavior or contract changes.
• The framework serializes handler calls -- handlers can safely read and write shared state.
• Action handling is idempotent where possible; otherwise implement replay protection.
• Do not use the filesystem.

POST /action -- processing flow

1. Receive encoded Action (see references/json-schemas/action.json).
2. Hex-decode Action.data.message to obtain JSON bytes, then JSON-parse into DataFixed (see references/json-schemas/datafixed.json).
3. Route based on (DataFixed.opType, DataFixed.opCommand) -- matched against registered handlers.
4. Call matched handler with (state, dataFixed.originalMessage).
5. Assemble ActionResult from handler's return values (see references/json-schemas/actionresult.json).

action = jsonDecode(request.body)
messageBytes = hexDecode(action.data.message)
dataFixed = jsonDecode(messageBytes)
handler = lookupHandler(dataFixed.opType, dataFixed.opCommand)
data, status, err = handler(state, dataFixed.originalMessage)
return buildActionResult(action, dataFixed, data, status, err)

Handlers

Every handler has the same signature:

handler(state, msg) -> (data, status, err)

Parameters:

Name	Type	Description
state	mutable state object	Pointer/reference to your State. The framework serializes all handler calls (e.g. via mutex), so handlers can read and write state without additional synchronization.
msg	string (hex)	DataFixed.OriginalMessage -- the raw _message bytes from the Solidity contract, delivered as a 0x-prefixed hex string. Hex-decode to get the original bytes.

Return values:

Name	Type	Description
data	string (hex) or null	Hex-encoded bytes placed into ActionResult.Data. Encoding is the handler's business.
status	uint8	0 = error, 1 = success, >=2 = pending
err	error/string	When status is 0, the error message goes into ActionResult.Log

ActionResult status codes

If DataFixed decoded successfully, always return an ActionResult:

• 0 -- error (embed error message in ActionResult.Log)
• 1 -- success
• >=2 -- pending (lower value = closer to completion)

Asynchronous processing

If processing will take significant time:

1. Immediately respond with status >= 2 (pending).
2. Continue processing in background.
3. When done, POST the final ActionResult to http://localhost:{SIGN_PORT}/result.
4. Only send intermediate updates with a strictly lower status; don't update too often.

See references/openapi.yaml for the /result endpoint spec.

GET /state

Responds with a JSON object containing stateVersion (bytes32 hex of the extension version) and state (your state report -- any JSON-serializable value). See references/json-schemas/stateversion.json.

Implement a state reporting function that converts your mutable state into a JSON-serializable snapshot. Do not include sensitive data.

Configuration

• EXTENSION_PORT -- port the extension listens on
• SIGN_PORT -- port where the TEE node exposes sign, decrypt, and result endpoints

TEE node sign server

The TEE node exposes signing, encryption, and decryption to your extension at localhost:$SIGN_PORT. See references/openapi.yaml for all endpoints. Key endpoints:

• POST /sign -- sign with the TEE node's private key
• POST /sign/{walletID}/{keyID} -- sign with a specific wallet key
• POST /decrypt -- decrypt with the TEE node's private key (request/response use base64 byte encoding, not hex)
• GET /key-info/{walletID}/{keyID} -- check key existence
• POST /result -- post async ActionResult back to the node

Dockerfile

The Dockerfile must run both TEE node and TEE extension as separate binaries in the same container. The TEE node is built from source: https://github.com/flare-foundation/tee-node.git.

Required env vars:

• CONFIG_PORT -- TEE node config port
• SIGN_PORT -- TEE node sign/result port
• EXTENSION_PORT -- extension server port
• MODE=1 -- test mode (fake attestation, required for Coston2)

The container CMD should run both binaries:

CMD ["sh", "-c", "./server & gosu extension ./<your-extension-binary>"]

See the Go, Python, or TypeScript Dockerfiles for complete examples.

InstructionSender contract

The InstructionSender is the only on-chain address allowed to submit instructions to your extension's TEE machines. Users call functions on it; it calls sendInstructions on TeeExtensionRegistry.

See references/ITeeExtensionRegistry.sol and references/ITeeMachineRegistry.sol for the interfaces.

Choosing TEE machines

The _teeIds parameter of sendInstructions is a list of TEE machine addresses. All must belong to the same extension.

Default -- random selection: Call teeMachineRegistry.getRandomTeeIds(extensionId, count) to get count random active machines. This requires the contract to know its extensionId. The scaffold provides a setExtensionId() function for this -- it scans the registry to find the extension ID associated with this contract's address. It is idempotent and must be called once after the extension is registered.

Alternative -- manual selection: Call teeMachineRegistry.getActiveTeeMachines(extensionId) to get all active machines and select from them.

Fee

The registry charges a minimum fee of 1000 wei per instruction. Send functions must be payable and forward msg.value to sendInstructions.

TeeInstructionParams

sendInstructions takes a TeeInstructionParams struct. Only opType, opCommand, and message are required; other fields default to zero values:

ITeeExtensionRegistry.TeeInstructionParams memory params;
params.opType = OP_TYPE;
params.opCommand = OP_COMMAND;
params.message = _message;

Message encoding

Pass _message bytes directly to params.message. Do NOT wrap with abi.encode() unless your handler specifically expects ABI-encoded data. Double-wrapping is a common mistake.

Example

Define bytes32 constants and a send function per operation:

bytes32 constant OP_TYPE = bytes32("MY_OPERATION");
bytes32 constant OP_COMMAND = bytes32("PLACEHOLDER");

function send(bytes calldata _message) external payable {
    address[] memory teeIds = teeMachineRegistry.getRandomTeeIds(_getExtensionId(), 1);
    ITeeExtensionRegistry.TeeInstructionParams memory params;
    params.opType = OP_TYPE;
    params.opCommand = OP_COMMAND;
    params.message = _message;
    teeExtensionRegistry.sendInstructions{value: msg.value}(teeIds, params);
}

Implementing new extension functionality

Step 1: Define OPType constants and version

Define string constants for each operation type and command your extension supports, plus a SemVer version string:

VERSION = "0.1.0"

OP_TYPE_MY_OP       = "MY_OP"
OP_TYPE_MY_OTHER_OP = "MY_OTHER_OP"

OP_COMMAND_MY_COMMAND = "MY_COMMAND"

OPType identifies the operation. OPCommand is an optional sub-route within an OPType -- pass "" when registering a handler to match any command.

Use UPPER_SNAKE_CASE. These strings must exactly match the bytes32 constants in the Solidity contract.

Step 2: Define types

Define your request, response, and state report types. These are the JSON shapes your handlers consume and produce.

• Request type -- the payload your handler receives in msg (after hex-decoding and any further decoding). Define one per operation.
• Response type -- what the handler encodes and returns as data. Define one per operation.
• State report -- a snapshot of observable state returned by GET /state. One shared type for the extension.

Define these as structs/classes/types in your language, with JSON serialization.

Step 3: Define state, handlers, and registration

This is the core of your extension. There are four parts:

3a. Mutable state

Define a state object with whatever fields your handlers need to read and write across calls. The framework serializes all handler invocations, so no additional synchronization is needed.

State:
    // your fields here

3b. Registration

At startup, register your initial state and handler functions with the framework:

register(framework):
    framework.setState(State{})
    framework.handle("MY_OP", "", handleMyOp)
    framework.handle("MY_OTHER_OP", "MY_COMMAND", handleMyOtherOp)

Each handle(opType, opCommand, handler) call registers a handler for an OPType/OPCommand combination. Pass "" (empty string) for opCommand to match any command.

3c. State reporting

Implement a function that converts your mutable state into a JSON-serializable snapshot for GET /state:

reportState(state) -> stateReport:
    return {
        // your state report fields here
    }

3d. Handler functions

Write one handler per OPType/OPCommand combination. Each handler follows this pattern:

handleMyOp(state, msg) -> (data, status, err):
    // 1. Hex-decode msg to get raw bytes
    rawBytes = hexDecode(msg)

    // 2. Decode payload (e.g. ABI-decode, JSON-decode, or use raw bytes)
    request = decode(rawBytes)

    // 3. Validate
    if not valid(request):
        return (null, 0, "validation error")

    // 4. Execute business logic
    result = doWork(state, request)

    // 5. Encode and return response
    return (hexEncode(result), 1, null)

Return values:

• (null, 0, errorMessage) -- error: message goes to ActionResult.Log
• (data, 1, null) -- success: data goes to ActionResult.Data
• (data, N, null) where N >= 2 -- pending (for async processing)

State access: The framework serializes handler calls, so you can safely read and write state fields without additional synchronization.

Step 4: Update the InstructionSender Solidity contract

Add a bytes32 constant and send function per operation:

bytes32 constant OP_TYPE_MY_OP      = bytes32("MY_OP");
bytes32 constant OP_COMMAND_MY_CMD  = bytes32("MY_COMMAND");

function sendMyOp(bytes calldata _message) external payable {
    address[] memory teeIds = teeMachineRegistry.getRandomTeeIds(_getExtensionId(), 1);
    ITeeExtensionRegistry.TeeInstructionParams memory params;
    params.opType = OP_TYPE_MY_OP;
    params.opCommand = OP_COMMAND_MY_CMD;
    params.message = _message;
    teeExtensionRegistry.sendInstructions{value: msg.value}(teeIds, params);
}

Verification

After all steps, build/compile your project to verify there are no errors. Report the result to the user.

Important notes

• Infrastructure and custom code must be clearly separated -- use separate directories or modules following your language's conventions.
• Do NOT modify infrastructure code -- only edit your custom code and the Solidity contract.
• Always read each file before editing.
• OPType strings must match exactly across Solidity and your handler constants. Mismatches cause actions to fall through and return "unsupported op type".