| name | sponsored-transactions |
| description | Add sponsored (gasless) transactions to a Sui app via a gas station. Use when the user wants gasless tx, sponsor user gas, or first-tx-free onboarding. |
Preamble (run first)
command -v suiperpower >/dev/null 2>&1 && suiperpower track sponsored-transactions build started >/dev/null 2>&1 &
true
If TEL_PROMPTED is no, before doing real work, ask the user:
Help suiperpower get better. We track which skills get used and how long they take. No code, no file paths, no PII. Change anytime in ~/.suiperpower/config.json.
A) Sure, anonymous
B) No thanks
Write the answer to ~/.suiperpower/config.json telemetryTier field and create ~/.suiperpower/.telemetry-prompted. Then continue.
What this skill does
Sets up sponsored transactions so the project pays gas on behalf of users. Stands up a gas station (self-hosted or third-party), wires the dual-signature flow (sponsor signs the gas, user signs the data), and verifies a real sponsored transaction settles on chain before declaring done. Refuses to ship a stub.
When to use it
- Consumer onboarding where users do not hold SUI and gas friction kills conversion.
- First-action-free flows that let users try the product before funding a wallet.
- Apps using zkLogin where the new address has zero balance after OAuth.
- Moves where the project wants to subsidize gas as a UX or marketing decision.
When NOT to use it
- For full custodial flows where the project signs everything; that is a different posture.
- If the user has not picked a project yet, use
find-next-sui-idea first.
- If the user has not scaffolded a project, use
scaffold-project first.
- For mass-market production use, plan for sponsor abuse defenses (rate limit, tx allowlist) early.
If you activated this and the user actually wants something else, consult skills/SKILL_ROUTER.md and hand off.
Inputs
- A Sui project, frontend or full-stack.
- Optional:
.suiperpower/build-context.md. Read it if present.
- The decision on gas-station shape: self-hosted backend, Mysten gas station, or a third-party.
If unclear, interview the user for:
- Which transactions are sponsored? All, or only specific entry functions?
- What is the per-user / per-day budget?
- Who holds the sponsor's signing key, and where (KMS, env var, hardware)?
- What stops a malicious caller from draining the sponsor (allowlist, rate limit, tx shape constraints)?
Outputs
-
Sponsor-side service code (or config for a third-party) that holds a sponsor key, builds gas data, and signs.
-
Client code that constructs the user's tx, hands it to the sponsor, then submits the joint signature.
-
A live sponsored transaction on testnet, observable on suiscan, with sponsor and user as separate signers.
-
Append to .suiperpower/build-context.md:
## sponsored-transactions session, <timestamp>
- sponsor address: <0x...>
- sponsor balance source: <faucet | manual | top-up service>
- first sponsored tx digest: <digest>
- allowlist policy: <description>
- rate limit policy: <description>
- open issues: <list>
The skill never deletes files outside the integration source path without explicit user confirmation.
Workflow
-
Context gathering
- Read
.suiperpower/build-context.md if it exists.
- Confirm which transactions are sponsored and the abuse model.
-
Pick the gas-station shape
- Self-hosted backend: full control, full ops burden.
- Mysten gas station service: managed, simpler.
- Third-party (e.g. Shinami): managed, with rate limits and allowlists out of the box.
-
Sponsor key custody
- Decide where the sponsor's private key lives. Env var is fine for testnet; production wants KMS or HSM.
- The sponsor key has full control over its SUI balance. Treat it like a hot wallet.
-
Allowlist and limits
- Define which package ids and entry functions can be sponsored. A sponsor that signs anything is a free gas faucet for attackers.
- Define per-user and global rate limits.
-
Dual-signature flow
- Client builds the tx, fills in
gasData placeholders.
- Server inspects the tx (allowlist + limits), fills in
gasData (sponsor's coin, gas budget, sponsor address), signs.
- Client signs the
senderSig.
- Either party submits with both signatures.
-
Other sponsorship models
-
Demo settlement
- Run a real sponsored tx on testnet. Verify both
sponsor and sender are present in the on-chain tx with their addresses.
-
Top-up automation
- Sponsor's SUI balance depletes. Add a monitoring path that alerts (or auto-tops-up) below threshold.
-
Writeback
- Append session details to
.suiperpower/build-context.md.
-
Closing handoff
- If
.suiperpower/intent.md exists and the session was non-trivial (new sponsored-tx integration, allowlist or rate-limit policy, sponsor key custody choice), recommend verify-against-intent as the next step so the abuse model and dual-signature flow are checked before shipping.
- If no
intent.md exists and the session was non-trivial, surface that gap once: offer clarify-intent to backfill, do not force it.
Quality gate (anti-slop)
Before reporting done, the skill asks itself the following and refuses to declare success if any answer is no:
- Did a real sponsored tx settle on testnet, with both sponsor and sender visible in the on-chain record?
- Is there an explicit allowlist of sponsorable package ids and entry functions?
- Is there a rate limit per user (and per IP, where applicable)?
- Is the sponsor key custody documented? Hot wallet, KMS, multisig, or hardware?
- Is there a sponsor-balance monitor with a threshold alert, or an automatic top-up?
- Does the server reject malformed tx requests (wrong recipient, off-allowlist call, oversized gas budget) with a clear error?
If any answer is no, the skill reports the gap and works through it before claiming the integration is complete.
References
On-demand references (load when relevant to the user's question):
references/gas-station-flow.md: End-to-end dual-signature flow with code.
references/sponsor-pitfalls.md: Abuse vectors, rate-limiting patterns, key custody, replay protection.
references/sponsor-allowlist.md: Constructing a tx allowlist that resists obvious bypasses.
Knowledge docs (load when scope expands beyond what is in references):
skills/data/sui-knowledge/04-protocols-and-sdks.md: SDK ecosystem context.
Use in your agent
- Claude Code:
claude "/suiper:sponsored-transactions <your message>"
- Codex:
codex "/sponsored-transactions <your message>"
- Grok Build: run
grok, then /sponsored-transactions <your message> in the session
- Cursor: paste a chat message that includes a phrase like "sponsor user gas", or load
~/.cursor/rules/sponsored-transactions.mdc and reference it.
If you activated this and the user actually wants something else, consult skills/SKILL_ROUTER.md and hand off.