Research: Amino codec coverage for all inference module transactions (Keplr/Ledger signing)

[mingles-agent]

Background

Background

Keplr wallet and Ledger hardware wallet use Amino JSON encoding to display and sign transactions. Cosmos SDK supports two signing modes:

• SIGN_MODE_LEGACY_AMINO_JSON — used by Keplr + Ledger, human-readable, requires amino registration
• SIGN_MODE_DIRECT (protobuf) — used by CLI, not supported by Ledger hardware

Current state in gonka:

inference-chain/x/inference/module/module.go:80:

func (AppModuleBasic) RegisterLegacyAminoCodec(cdc *codec.LegacyAmino) {}
// empty — no messages registered

All message types are registered via RegisterInterfaces (protobuf/SIGN_MODE_DIRECT only) in inference-chain/x/inference/types/codec.go, but none have amino type names.

Compare with collateral module — also empty:

func (AppModuleBasic) RegisterLegacyAminoCodec(cdc *codec.LegacyAmino) {}

Yet MsgDepositCollateral reportedly works with Keplr. Need to verify why and map exact difference.

The --ledger flag exists in Cosmos SDK's key management layer (cosmos-sdk keyring) and is inherited by inferenced CLI automatically via github.com/cosmos/ledger-cosmos-go v0.14.0 (present in inference-chain/go.mod). This is NOT a custom implementation — it's SDK-level. But signing transactions via Ledger requires amino support in the messages being signed.

What to Investigate

1. Why do some transactions work with Keplr/Ledger and others don't

• Trace MsgDepositCollateral amino path end-to-end: is it registered somewhere, or does Keplr use a workaround?
• Check if collateral module has amino registration in proto files (look for amino_name option in .proto files under inference-chain/proto/)
• Check inference-chain/x/*/types/codec.go for all modules — which have RegisterLegacyAminoCodec populated vs empty
• Understand Cosmos SDK amino fallback behavior: does RegisterImplementations alone enable amino for some message types?

2. What is required to add amino support to inference module messages

• Which proto messages need option (amino.name) = "..." annotations
• What changes needed in RegisterLegacyAminoCodec in inference-chain/x/inference/module/module.go
• Whether proto regeneration is needed or manual codec registration in types/codec.go is sufficient
• Check cosmos-sdk v0.50.x amino registration pattern (the project uses cosmos-sdk, check version in inference-chain/go.mod)
• List ALL MsgXxx types in inference-chain/x/inference/types/tx.pb.go that need amino registration

3. Ledger integration via --ledger flag

• How does inferenced keys add --ledger work (Cosmos SDK keyring, HD derivation path for Cosmos: m/44'/118'/0'/0/0)
• How does inferenced tx ... --from mykey work when key was added with --ledger — does it auto-use Ledger for signing?
• What signing mode does it use — is it amino or direct?
• Does the current inferenced binary support Ledger out of the box (given cosmos/ledger-cosmos-go in go.mod)?
• What build tags are needed (cosmos SDK requires ledger build tag in some versions)

4. Web3 app requirements mapping

Goal: build Keplr + Ledger web app for miner/validator setup and operations.
Map each user-facing operation to its transaction type and amino support status:

• Deposit/withdraw collateral → MsgDepositCollateral (collateral module)
• Register as participant → MsgSubmitNewParticipant (inference module)
• Register model → MsgRegisterModel (inference module)
• Claim rewards → MsgClaimRewards (inference module)
• Update node config → identify relevant msg
• Governance proposals → standard cosmos gov msgs

For each: document current amino status and what's needed to enable Keplr/Ledger signing.

Key Files

• inference-chain/x/inference/types/codec.go — RegisterInterfaces (no amino)
• inference-chain/x/inference/module/module.go:80 — empty RegisterLegacyAminoCodec
• inference-chain/proto/inference/inference/tx.proto — check for amino_name options
• inference-chain/x/collateral/types/codec.go — compare with inference module
• inference-chain/go.mod — cosmos-sdk version, ledger-cosmos-go version
• inference-chain/x/inference/types/tx.pb.go — all Msg types

Deliverables

1. Table: all inference module Msg types + current amino status + what's needed
2. Step-by-step: how to add amino registration for a Cosmos SDK v0.50.x module
3. Ledger signing flow: inferenced keys add --ledger → inferenced tx → on-device signing
4. Assessment: can all needed transactions support amino, or are there blockers?
5. Create implementation task(s) for amino registration if feasible

Focus Areas

• amino codec registration pattern in cosmos sdk v0.50
• why some msgs work with keplr and others don't
• ledger signing flow end-to-end
• proto amino_name options
• web3 app transaction coverage

[mingles-agent]

🏗️ ARCHITECT: ## Research: Amino Codec Coverage for Inference Module (Keplr/Ledger)

---

Problem Statement

Without amino registration, the inference module's Msg types cannot be signed via SIGN_MODE_LEGACY_AMINO_JSON (Keplr browser wallet + Ledger hardware wallet with old Cosmos app). This blocks building a web3 UI for miner/validator operations.

---

Current State

Cosmos SDK version (actual): github.com/gonka-ai/cosmos-sdk v0.53.3-ps17 (replace directive in inference-chain/go.mod, declared as v0.50.14)

Amino registration status by module:

Module	(amino.name) in proto	RegisterLegacyAminoCodec	Works with Keplr/Ledger
collateral	✅ All messages	Empty	✅ YES
bls	✅ All messages	Empty	✅ YES
streamvesting	✅ All messages	Empty	✅ YES
genesistransfer	✅ All messages	Empty	✅ YES
inference	❌ Only MsgUpdateParams	Empty	⚠️ Partial

Inference module: 47 Msg types, only MsgUpdateParams has (amino.name).

---

Why Some Transactions Work with Keplr and Others Don't

The mechanism (cosmos SDK v0.50+):

Amino registration does NOT require cdc.RegisterConcrete() in RegisterLegacyAminoCodec. Instead, cosmos SDK v0.50 uses proto-based amino auto-registration:

1. The (amino.name) proto option gets compiled into the protobuf file descriptor (.pb.go + .pulsar.go)
2. When the package is initialized via init(), cosmos SDK reads the amino extension from the protobuf message descriptor
3. The message is automatically registered in the global amino codec via cosmossdk.io/api/amino + github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/types/tx/amino (imported in tx.pb.go)
4. No changes to RegisterLegacyAminoCodec are needed — it STAYS empty

Why collateral works: collateral/tx.proto has option (amino.name) = "inference/x/collateral/MsgDepositCollateral" → auto-registered.

Why inference doesn't work: inference/tx.proto has NO (amino.name) on 46 of 47 messages → not registered → SIGN_MODE_LEGACY_AMINO_JSON fails with "no concrete type registered" for those types.

---

Ledger Signing Flow

Good news: inferenced supports SIGN_MODE_TEXTUAL (cosmos SDK v0.50 new mode):

// cmd/inferenced/cmd/root.go:81
txConfigOpts.EnabledSignModes = append(txConfigOpts.EnabledSignModes, signing.SignMode_SIGN_MODE_TEXTUAL)

Three sign modes available:

Mode	Keplr	Ledger (old app)	Ledger (new app v2.35+)	CLI
SIGN_MODE_DIRECT	✅ (modern Keplr)	❌ Not supported	❌ Not supported	✅ Default
SIGN_MODE_LEGACY_AMINO_JSON	✅ (compatibility)	✅ Required	✅	✅ --sign-mode legacy-amino-json
SIGN_MODE_TEXTUAL	❌ Not supported	❌	✅	✅

Ledger key flow:

inferenced keys add mykey --ledger             # HD path: m/44'/118'/0'/0/0
inferenced tx inference claim-rewards ... --from mykey  # Auto-detects Ledger key

Ledger build tags: NOT required in current build. ledger-cosmos-go v0.14.0 and zondax/ledger-go v0.14.3 are in go.mod as indirect deps (pulled by cosmos-sdk). The HID transport uses pure Go (no CGO needed in v0.14). The sys_wasmvm/muslc build tags in Makefile are for CosmWasm, not Ledger.

Signing mode with Ledger key: When a key was added with --ledger, cosmos SDK keyring automatically uses SIGN_MODE_LEGACY_AMINO_JSON (old Ledger app) or SIGN_MODE_TEXTUAL (new app). For maximum hardware wallet compatibility: amino registration is required.

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Full Inference Module Amino Status Table

User-facing messages (web3 app priority):

Msg Type	amino.name	Keplr/Ledger	User Action
MsgUpdateParams	✅ inference/x/inference/MsgUpdateParams	✅	Governance param update
MsgSubmitNewParticipant	❌	❌	Register as miner
MsgSubmitNewUnfundedParticipant	❌	❌	Register without collateral
MsgSubmitHardwareDiff	❌	❌	Update node hardware config
MsgClaimRewards	❌	❌	Claim epoch rewards
MsgStartInference	❌	❌	Submit inference request
MsgRegisterModel	❌	❌	Register AI model (gov)
MsgDeleteGovernanceModel	❌	❌	Remove model (gov)
MsgCreateSubnetEscrow	❌	❌	Subnet deposit
MsgSettleSubnetEscrow	❌	❌	Subnet settlement
MsgRequestBridgeWithdrawal	❌	❌	Bridge withdraw tokens
MsgRequestBridgeMint	❌	❌	Bridge mint tokens
MsgBridgeExchange	❌	❌	Bridge exchange

Internal/automated messages (lower priority for web3 app):

MsgValidation, MsgFinishInference, MsgSubmitPocBatch, MsgSubmitPocValidation, MsgSubmitPocValidationsV2, MsgPoCV2StoreCommit, MsgMLNodeWeightDistribution, MsgSubmitSeed, MsgSubmitUnitOfComputePriceProposal, MsgCreateTrainingTask, MsgSubmitTrainingKvRecord, MsgJoinTraining, MsgTrainingHeartbeat, MsgSetBarrier, MsgJoinTrainingStatus, MsgCreateDummyTrainingTask, MsgAddUserToTrainingAllowList, MsgRemoveUserFromTrainingAllowList, MsgSetTrainingAllowList, MsgAddParticipantsToAllowList, MsgRemoveParticipantsFromAllowList, MsgClaimTrainingTaskForAssignment, MsgAssignTrainingTask, MsgCreatePartialUpgrade, MsgRegisterBridgeAddresses, MsgRegisterTokenMetadata, MsgApproveBridgeTokenForTrading, MsgRegisterLiquidityPool, MsgRegisterWrappedTokenContract, MsgMigrateAllWrappedTokens, MsgApproveIbcTokenForTrading, MsgRegisterIbcTokenMetadata, MsgInvalidateInference, MsgRevalidateInference

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Step-by-Step: Adding Amino Registration (cosmos SDK v0.50+)

This is purely a proto annotation change + regeneration. No Go code changes needed.

Step 1: Add (amino.name) to ALL Msg types in inference-chain/proto/inference/inference/tx.proto

Pattern: option (amino.name) = "inference/x/inference/Msg{Name}";

Example:

message MsgSubmitNewParticipant {
  option (cosmos.msg.v1.signer) = "creator";
  option (amino.name) = "inference/x/inference/MsgSubmitNewParticipant";
  string creator = 1;
  // ...
}

Apply to ALL 47 Msg types following the existing MsgUpdateParams pattern.

Step 2: Regenerate proto files

cd inference-chain
make proto-gen   # or whatever proto generation command is used

This regenerates x/inference/types/tx.pb.go and api/inference/inference/tx.pulsar.go.

Step 3: Verify — no changes to Go codec files required

• x/inference/types/codec.go — NO changes
• x/inference/module/module.go RegisterLegacyAminoCodec — STAYS EMPTY
• The auto-registration via proto descriptor init() handles everything

Step 4: Validate amino compatibility of complex fields

Some messages have fields that need amino attention:

• MsgPoCV2StoreCommit.root_hash bytes → amino encodes as base64 string ✅ (standard)
• MsgSettleSubnetEscrow.state_root bytes → same ✅
• MsgSubmitHardwareDiff.newOrModified []HardwareNode → repeated message, amino handles ✅
• MsgSubmitPocValidationsV2 → contains repeated bytes fields, verify amino encoding is correct

Step 5: Write amino codec test

// x/inference/types/codec_test.go
func TestMsgSubmitNewParticipantAminoEncode(t *testing.T) {
    msg := &MsgSubmitNewParticipant{Creator: "gonka1...", Url: "...", ...}
    aminoCodec := codec.NewLegacyAmino()
    bz, err := aminoCodec.MarshalJSON(msg)
    // should succeed with proper amino type name
}

---

Assessment: Can All Transactions Support Amino?

Yes, all inference module Msg types can support amino. None of them use features incompatible with amino encoding:

• No Any type fields (which would require special handling)
• No custom Go types that don't serialize to JSON
• bytes fields → base64 in amino (standard)
• repeated fields → JSON arrays (standard)
• All primitive types (string, uint64, int64, bool) → standard amino JSON

One caveat: MsgFinishInference has a large JSON payload field and MsgSubmitPocValidationsV2 has repeated bytes — verify the amino JSON size limits don't cause issues for Ledger hardware (screen display). These are internal/automated messages, not user-facing, so low priority for web3 app.

---

Web3 App Requirements Mapping

For the Keplr + Ledger miner/validator web app, priority amino support needed:

1. Participant registration: MsgSubmitNewParticipant / MsgSubmitNewUnfundedParticipant
2. Hardware node config: MsgSubmitHardwareDiff
3. Rewards: MsgClaimRewards
4. Collateral (separate module, already works): MsgDepositCollateral / MsgWithdrawCollateral
5. Bridge operations: MsgRequestBridgeWithdrawal, MsgRequestBridgeMint, MsgBridgeExchange

Governance operations (authority-gated, users with governance power):

• MsgRegisterModel, MsgDeleteGovernanceModel, MsgUpdateParams

---

Recommendation

Add (amino.name) to all 46 remaining Msg types in tx.proto in a single PR. This is low-risk (only proto annotations), requires proto regeneration, and unblocks Keplr + Ledger for all inference module operations.

Complexity: Junior — mechanical, well-defined, pattern-based.
Effort: ~2-3 hours (proto editing + regeneration + test).

References

• inference-chain/proto/inference/inference/tx.proto — 47 Msg types, only 1 has amino.name
• inference-chain/proto/inference/collateral/tx.proto — reference pattern with amino.name
• inference-chain/x/inference/types/codec.go — RegisterInterfaces only
• inference-chain/x/inference/module/module.go:80 — empty RegisterLegacyAminoCodec
• inference-chain/cmd/inferenced/cmd/root.go:81 — SIGN_MODE_TEXTUAL enabled
• inference-chain/go.mod — cosmos-sdk gonka fork v0.53.3-ps17, ledger-cosmos-go v0.14.0