| name | example-zk-loan-application |
| author | Kali-Decoder |
| description | Build a zero-knowledge loan application on Midnight Network — privately evaluate credit score, income, and employment tenure inside a Compact circuit with Schnorr attestation, record only loan outcomes on-chain, and wire attestation API + CLI + optional Next.js frontend. Covers zkloan-credit-scorer.compact (witness-derived identity, tiered eligibility, PIN migration, admin governance), Jubjub Schnorr verification, attestation provider registration, and low-level deploy/call via 1AM wallet. Use for private credit scoring, attested witness data, lending dApps, or teaching disclose()/witness patterns with off-chain trusted signers. Triggers: ZK loan, credit scorer, attestation API, Schnorr signature Compact, requestLoan, private credit score, loan eligibility tiers, PIN identity, zkloan. Also use when extending leaderboard-dapp or locker-dapp wallet/provider patterns to multi-service monorepos.
|
Midnight Network ZK Loan Application
A privacy-preserving loan dApp where applicants prove eligibility inside a ZK circuit without revealing credit score, income, or tenure on-chain. A trusted attestation provider signs credit data off-chain; the contract verifies the Schnorr signature in-circuit and writes only the loan outcome (status + authorized amount) to the ledger.
What this skill produces:
contract/ — schnorr.compact + zkloan-credit-scorer.compact, witnesses, compile scripts
zkloan-credit-scorer-attestation-api/ — REST server that Schnorr-signs credit profiles
zkloan-credit-scorer-cli/ — deploy, register providers, request/respond to loans (headless wallet)
app/loan/ (optional) — Next.js + 1AM wallet UI (copy patterns from templates/leaderboard-dapp/)
lib/zkloan.ts — deploy, requestLoan, respondToLoan, admin calls, ledger decode
lib/midnight.ts — wallet session + patched indexer provider (copy from references/midnight-session.md)
public/zk/zkloan/ — ZK proving assets synced from contract build
Shared references (canonical provider + troubleshooting — do not duplicate in prompts):
references/midnight-session.md — createConnectedSession, indexer patch, deploy/call helpers
references/gotchas.md — preprod deploy hangs, GraphQL offset: null, ZK asset paths
references/versions.json — pinned @midnight-ntwrk/* versions
Primary references:
example-leaderboard-dapp/ / templates/leaderboard-dapp/ — Next.js + 1AM, low-level deploy/call, indexer reads
example-locker-dapp/ — witness private state, createUnprovenDeployTx + submitTxAsync
example-counter/ — headless CLI wallet, monorepo workspaces, vitest contract tests
compact/ — disclose(), witnesses, persistentHash, Map, Set, new type, pure circuits
security/ — never trust ownPublicKey() for caller identity; witness-derived keys
indexer/ — read public loan ledger without wallet
Key architecture notes:
- Credit score, income, tenure, and attestation signature stay private (witness only)
- Only loan status + authorized amount + derived user pubkey bytes appear on-chain
- Never use
ownPublicKey() for auth — it is prover-supplied and bypassable; derive identity from getUserSecret() witness + PIN via deriveUserPublicKey / deriveAdminPublicKey
- Attestation binds to
transientHash(userPubKeyBytes) inside evaluateApplicant
- Eligibility tiers: ≥700 + ≥$2k + ≥24mo → $10k; ≥600 + ≥$1.5k → $7k; ≥580 → $3k; else rejected
requestLoan may return Proposed when amount exceeds tier max — user calls respondToLoan to accept/decline
- PIN change migrates loans in batches of 5 via
changePin + onGoingPinMigration ledger map
- Use
createUnprovenDeployTx + submitTxAsync — not deployContract() (hangs on preprod)
- Node.js ≥ 22 required for
@midnight-ntwrk/wallet-sdk-shielded (Iterator helpers on Map.values())
Workflow
When helping the user, follow this sequence:
- Monorepo — root
package.json workspaces: contract, attestation-api, cli
- Contract — compile Compact (
schnorr.compact + zkloan-credit-scorer.compact) + witnesses
- Attestation API — generate/load provider Jubjub keypair; sign credit profiles; expose REST endpoint
- Deploy — CLI or browser: low-level deploy, persist
userSecretKey + contract address in private state
- Register provider — admin calls
registerProvider(providerId, providerPk) on-chain
- Request loan — fetch attestation → populate private state →
requestLoan(amount, secretPin)
- Respond — if status is
Proposed, call respondToLoan(loanId, secretPin, accept)
- Read state — indexer GraphQL → decode
loans nested map (public)
- Frontend (optional) — connect 1AM, deploy/join, loan form, loan table, admin panel
1) Monorepo Structure
zkloan-credit-scorer/
├── package.json # workspaces + pinned midnight-js 4.0.4 / ledger 8.0.3
├── .nvmrc # 22
├── contract/
│ ├── package.json
│ └── src/
│ ├── schnorr.compact
│ ├── zkloan-credit-scorer.compact
│ ├── witnesses.ts
│ ├── index.ts
│ └── managed/zkloan-credit-scorer/ # compiler output (gitignored)
├── zkloan-credit-scorer-attestation-api/
│ └── src/ # Express/Fastify REST — sign credit profiles
├── zkloan-credit-scorer-cli/
│ └── src/ # deploy, register-provider, request-loan, admin
└── zkloan-dapp/ # optional Next.js frontend
├── lib/midnight.ts # copy from templates/leaderboard-dapp
├── lib/zkloan.ts
├── app/loan/LoanClient.tsx
├── contract/ # symlink or workspace import from ../contract
├── scripts/sync-zk-assets.mjs
└── public/zk/zkloan/
Root package.json engines: "node": ">=22.0.0". Workspaces pin @midnight-ntwrk/compact-runtime: ^0.16.0, @midnight-ntwrk/midnight-js-*: 4.0.4, @midnight-ntwrk/ledger-v8: 8.0.3.
2) Compact Contract
Schnorr module (contract/src/schnorr.compact)
Verifies Jubjub Schnorr signatures inside the circuit. Temporary polyfill until jubjubSchnorrVerify ships in Compact Standard Library.
module schnorr {
import CompactStandardLibrary;
export struct SchnorrSignature { announcement: JubjubPoint; response: Field; }
witness getSchnorrReduction(challengeHash: Field): [Field, Uint<248>];
export circuit schnorrVerify<#n>(msg: Vector<n, Field>, signature: SchnorrSignature, pk: JubjubPoint): [] { /* ... */ }
export pure circuit schnorrChallenge(...): Field { /* transientHash challenge */ }
}
JubjubPoint equality: compare jubjubPointX() / jubjubPointY() — struct == is reference equality and always fails for fresh points.
Main contract (contract/src/zkloan-credit-scorer.compact)
pragma language_version >= 0.22 && <= 0.23;
import CompactStandardLibrary;
import "schnorr" prefix Schnorr_;
export enum LoanStatus { Approved, Rejected, Proposed, NotAccepted }
export struct LoanApplication { authorizedAmount: Uint<16>; status: LoanStatus; }
export new type UserSecretKey = Bytes<32>;
export new type UserPublicKey = Bytes<32>;
export new type AdminPublicKey = Bytes<32>;
export ledger blacklist: Set<UserPublicKey>;
export ledger loans: Map<Bytes<32>, Map<Uint<16>, LoanApplication>>;
export ledger onGoingPinMigration: Map<Bytes<32>, Uint<16>>;
export ledger contractAdmin: AdminPublicKey;
export ledger providers: Map<Uint<16>, JubjubPoint>;
witness getAttestedScoringWitness(): [Applicant, Schnorr_SchnorrSignature, Uint<16>];
witness getUserSecret(): UserSecretKey;
export pure circuit deriveUserPublicKey(sk: UserSecretKey, pin: Uint<16>): UserPublicKey { /* persistentHash domain "zkloan:user:pk:v1" */ }
export pure circuit deriveAdminPublicKey(sk: UserSecretKey): AdminPublicKey { /* "zkloan:admin:pk:v1" */ }
export circuit requestLoan(amountRequested: Uint<16>, secretPin: Uint<16>): [] { /* ... */ }
export circuit respondToLoan(loanId: Uint<16>, secretPin: Uint<16>, accept: Boolean): [] { /* ... */ }
export circuit changePin(oldPin: Uint<16>, newPin: Uint<16>): [] { /* batched migration, 5 per tx */ }
// Admin (all guard with deriveAdminPublicKey(getUserSecret()) == contractAdmin)
export circuit blacklistUser(account: UserPublicKey): [] { /* ... */ }
export circuit registerProvider(providerId: Uint<16>, providerPk: JubjubPoint): [] { /* ... */ }
export circuit rotateAdmin(newAdmin: AdminPublicKey): [] { /* ... */ }
Privacy boundary:
| Data | Visibility |
|---|
| Credit score, income, tenure | Private (witness) |
| Attestation signature | Private (ZK input) |
| User secret + PIN | Private (witness / circuit input) |
Derived UserPublicKey (loan map key) | Public (ledger) |
| Loan status + authorized amount | Public (ledger) |
contractAdmin, providers, blacklist | Public (ledger) |
Compile:
cd contract
npm run compact
npm run build
cd ..
For browser UI also run npm run sync:assets (copies keys/zkir → public/zk/zkloan/).
3) Witnesses
contract/src/witnesses.ts:
export type ZKLoanCreditScorerPrivateState = {
creditScore: bigint;
monthlyIncome: bigint;
monthsAsCustomer: bigint;
attestationSignature: SchnorrSignature;
attestationProviderId: bigint;
userSecretKey: Uint8Array;
};
export const witnesses = {
getAttestedScoringWitness: (ctx) => [ctx.privateState, [profile, sig, providerId]],
getSchnorrReduction: (ctx, challengeHash) => [ctx.privateState, [q, r]],
getUserSecret: (ctx) => [ctx.privateState, ctx.privateState.userSecretKey],
};
Before requestLoan, TypeScript must:
- Call attestation API with credit profile + user's derived pubkey hash
- Store returned signature + provider ID in private state alongside credit fields
- Ensure
userSecretKey is 32 bytes (persist in localStorage or CLI keystore)
4) Attestation API
Trusted off-chain signer. Flow:
sequenceDiagram
participant User
participant API as Attestation API
participant Wallet as 1AM / CLI
participant Chain as Midnight Network
User->>API: POST /attest { creditScore, income, tenure, userPubKeyHash }
API->>API: Schnorr-sign msg = [score, income, tenure, userPubKeyHash]
API-->>User: { signature, providerId }
User->>Wallet: requestLoan(amount, pin) + private state with attestation
Wallet->>Chain: ZK tx — evaluateApplicant verifies signature in-circuit
Chain-->>User: Loan Proposed / Approved / Rejected on ledger
Implementation checklist:
- Generate Jubjub provider keypair at startup (or load from env)
- Compute challenge via contract's exported
pureCircuits.schnorrChallenge (same hash as in-circuit)
- Sign with provider secret key; return
{ announcement, response } + providerId
- Admin must
registerProvider(providerId, providerPk) on-chain before any loan succeeds
- Bind attestation to
transientHash(deriveUserPublicKey(secret, pin)) — same hash the circuit uses
Example endpoint shape:
Run locally (default port e.g. 3001):
cd zkloan-credit-scorer-attestation-api
npm run dev
5) CLI (headless wallet)
Mirror example-counter/ CLI patterns:
| Command | Purpose |
|---|
deploy | createUnprovenDeployTx → stores deployer as admin via constructor |
register-provider <id> | Admin: on-chain provider pubkey from attestation API |
request-loan <amount> <pin> | Fetch attestation → set private state → requestLoan |
respond-loan <id> <pin> accept|decline | Accept or decline Proposed loan |
list-loans | Indexer read of public loans map for derived user key |
change-pin <old> <new> | Repeat until onGoingPinMigration cleared |
blacklist-user <userPk> | Admin governance |
Use @midnight-ntwrk/wallet-sdk-facade + level private state provider. Point at local proof server + preprod indexer from wallet config or .env.
6) TypeScript Integration (browser)
lib/zkloan.ts — same low-level pattern as templates/leaderboard-dapp/lib/leaderboard.ts:
| Function | Purpose |
|---|
getOrCreateUserSecret() | Persist 32-byte secret in localStorage |
deriveUserPublicKey(session, pin) | Call exported pure circuit off-chain |
fetchAttestation(apiUrl, profile, userPubKeyHash) | POST to attestation API |
deployZkLoan(session) | Deploy + seed private state with secret |
registerProvider(session, addr, id, pk) | Admin circuit call |
requestLoan(session, addr, amount, pin, profile) | Attest → update private state → requestLoan |
respondToLoan(session, addr, loanId, pin, accept) | Accept/decline proposed amount |
fetchLoanState(queryUrl, addr, userPkBytes) | Indexer poll + decode nested loans map |
import { createUnprovenDeployTx, submitCallTxAsync, submitTxAsync } from '@midnight-ntwrk/midnight-js-contracts';
import { ContractState } from '@midnight-ntwrk/compact-runtime';
import { CompiledZKLoanContract, Contract, ledger } from '../contract/src/index';
export const ZK_PATH = '/zk/zkloan';
const PRIVATE_STATE_ID = 'zkloanPrivateState';
export async function requestLoan(session, contractAddress, amount, pin, attestation) {
await session.providers.privateStateProvider.set(PRIVATE_STATE_ID, {
...attestation,
userSecretKey: getOrCreateUserSecret(),
});
await submitCallTxAsync(session.providers, {
compiledContract: CompiledZKLoanContract,
contractAddress,
circuitId: 'requestLoan',
args: [BigInt(amount), BigInt(pin)],
privateStateId: PRIVATE_STATE_ID,
});
}
ZK asset path: /zk/zkloan (synced to public/zk/zkloan/).
7) Browser UI
Copy structure from templates/leaderboard-dapp/app/leaderboard/LeaderboardClient.tsx:
- Connect —
detectWallet() → wallet.connect('preprod') → createConnectedSession(api, ZK_PATH)
- Deploy / Join — deploy new contract or paste existing address; persist in
localStorage
- Admin panel (deployer only) — register attestation provider ID + pubkey from API
- Request loan — form: amount, secret PIN, credit fields → call attestation API →
requestLoan
- My loans — decode indexer state for user's derived pubkey; show status badges (Approved / Proposed / Rejected)
- Respond — if
Proposed, buttons to accept max eligible amount or decline
- Optional — PIN change wizard (call
changePin repeatedly until migration complete)
Indexer reads work without wallet for public loan records — only writes need connection + attestation.
8) End-to-end local run
docker run -d -p 6300:6300 midnightntwrk/proof-server:8.0.3 -- \
midnight-proof-server --network preprod
cd zkloan-credit-scorer-attestation-api && npm run dev
cd zkloan-credit-scorer-cli
npm install
cd ../contract && npm run compact && npm run build && cd ..
npm run sync:assets
npm run deploy
npm run register-provider 1
npm run request-loan 5000 1234
Wallet: 1AM extension on Preprod, proof server http://localhost:6300, tNIGHT + tDUST from faucet.
9) Prerequisites
| Component | Version |
|---|
| Node.js | ≥ 22 (required for shielded wallet SDK) |
| Compact compiler | 0.22–0.23 (pragma language_version) |
| Compact runtime | 0.16.0 |
| Ledger | 8.0.3 |
| midnight-js | 4.0.4 |
| proof server | 8.0.3 |
| Docker | For local proof server |
node --version
compact compile --version
compact update
docker run -d -p 6300:6300 midnightntwrk/proof-server:8.0.3 -- \
midnight-proof-server --network preprod
10) Security checklist
- Do not use
ownPublicKey() for blacklist, admin, or user identity checks
- Attestation provider private key lives only on attestation server — never in browser private state
disclose() marks witness values safe to cross into ledger reads; credit fields never get disclosed
- Blacklist stores derived
UserPublicKey, not wallet addresses
- Re-deploy if domain-separator strings change —
persistentHash preimages affect derived keys
- Rate-limit attestation API; validate input ranges before signing
11) Production notes
- Deploy attestation API behind HTTPS; rotate provider keys via
rotateAdmin + re-register provider
- Frontend: Vercel/Netlify build step runs
npm run compact && npm run sync:assets
- Store default contract address in env or
localStorage
- For mainnet, update network ID, indexer URLs, proof server via wallet
getConfiguration()
- Pin versions from
references/versions.json; cross-check support matrix
Quick Commands
cd contract && npm install && npm run compact && npm run build
npm install
npm run validate:registry
cd contract && npm run test:compile
cd zkloan-dapp
npm install && npm run compact && npm run sync:assets && npm run dev
Open http://localhost:3000 → Connect 1AM → Deploy → Register provider → Request loan → View outcome on-chain.