Short take: most ERCs have been about what you own (coins, NFTs). ERC-8001 is about how groups act together on-chain. It’s a small, standard way to say: “don’t run this action until all required players (or roles) have agreed.” It’s currently a Draft on the official EIPs site.
Unlike previous ERC tokens that primarily focus on asset ownership, this standard emphasizes coordination. It offers a universal framework for players, guilds, AI agents, and entire games to collaborate, compete, and interact on-chain.
What is ERC-8001
ERC-8001 is a draft (as of September 27, 2025) Ethereum Coordination Standard that defines a user-friendly and straightforward method for executing on-chain actions only after all required participants have given their approval. One party proposes a plan, detailing what will happen, who must approve it, and setting a deadline. The designated participants then sign the proposal using standard EIP-712 signatures (either through externally owned accounts or ERC-1271 smart wallets). The smart contract executes once all valid approvals have been received. Unlike ERC-721 or ERC-1155, which create tokens, ERC-8001 acts as a safeguard for processes like raids, trades, payouts, or treasury transactions, ensuring they occur safely and atomically.
The ERC-8001 author is Kwame Bryan, created on August 2, 2025.
What is a Coordination Standard?
A coordination standard serves as a shared rulebook that outlines how multiple parties reach an agreement before executing an action on-chain. Instead of each application creating its own unique “ready check,” the standard specifies common fields (such as who must agree, what action is being taken, and the time limits), signature formats, lifecycle states (including proposed, accepted, executed, and expired), and verification rules. The benefits include increased interoperability, more straightforward wallet prompts, simplified auditing, and reduced need for custom code. This is particularly beneficial in the realm of cryptocurrency gaming, where teams, captains, referees, or agents often need to approve the same actions collectively.
Because ERC-8001 is not a token standard, like ERC-721 or ERC-1155, it could be implemented in regular games for enhanced security that doesn’t use any token, nor have a blockchain-based economy. Of course, this will require a blockchain integration to certain parts of the game.
ERC-8001 defines a ready-check for the blockchain:
- Someone proposes a plan (what will happen, who must agree, and a deadline).
- Each required person accepts by signing a standard wallet message.
- The contract takes effect only if all required acceptances are present and still valid; otherwise, it may expire or be canceled.
This flow utilizes EIP-712 typed signatures (clear wallet pop-ups) and is compatible with ERC-1271 smart contract wallets (guild multisigs, parental wallets, etc.). The spec also addresses basics such as events, status codes, nonces, and expiry rules. Privacy and M-of-N thresholds can be added as modules on top of this.
How ERC-8001 Works (Simplified)
Below is a simplified version shared by its creator on how it works.
- Create Intent
“Swap 1000 DAI for ETH at price ≥ X” - Encrypt Payload
Only the target solver can decrypt - Sign + Timestamp
EIP-712 signature proves authorship and expiry - Send Off-Chain
No mempool exposure = no front-running - Solver Executes
If conditions are valid, the intent is fulfilled
ERC-8001 For Gaming
On-chain games often need more than one person to say “yes” before doing something big or irreversible. ERC-8001 gives a clean, audited, reusable pattern for that.
Let’s examine some examples below of how ERC-8001 could be implemented in crypto games.
- Raids & party: Begin an encounter, burn keys, or lock lineups only after all party members accept—no last-second griefing.
- P2P item swaps: Two (or more) players co-sign a trade; execution is atomic when everyone has signed—no half trades.
- Tournaments & Payouts: Results and prize splits are only run when the required roles (e.g., both captains and a referee) approve, ensuring transparent brackets and payouts.
- Guild Treasury: Spending or upgrades occur after the listed officers have approved. Threshold (M-of-N) can be an add-on policy.
- Crafting: A blacksmith, alchemist, and miner each accept; crafting fires when all three are green-lit.
- Wagered Matches/Escrow: Funds are released only after the required parties co-sign the outcome.
There is, though, one thing we need to consider. If revealing the plan early would leak strategy (e.g., routes, prices, timings), ERC 8001 should be paired with a commit-reveal or private/encrypted flow to reduce MEV risks (front-running, reordering).
How It Compares to ERC-20, ERC-721, and ERC-1155
- ERC-20 — Fungible tokens (currencies).
- ERC-721 — Unique items (one-of-one NFTs).
- ERC-1155 — Multi-token container (unique + stackable) with batch transfers.
- ERC-8001 — Coordination: a standard group-consent step before running actions.
Easy picture:
- 721/1155 are your inventory shelves, and how items move.
- 8001 is the “everyone is ready” light that must turn on before you use those shelves in a sensitive action.
Two quick combos
- Atomic 721 ↔ 1155 Trade
Player A sends a rare 721 item; Player B sends 10× 1155 consumables. Both sign under ERC-8001 → one transaction moves both sides. - Raid Start with 721 Keys
Five players must lock a specific 721 key each. Everyone accepts under ERC-8001 → the contract locks keys and starts the boss instance.
Cross-Game & “Metaverse” Effects
- Shared coordination for raids, guilds, referees, and marketplaces across titles.
- Reputation and roles can travel between games because the approval pattern is standard.
- Agents and NPCs can participate safely using the same accept-then-execute flow.
Beyond Gaming
- DAOs — Multi-role approvals for ops, grants, or treasury moves.
- OTC & Escrow — Both sides co-sign terms; settlement executes atomically.
- Marketplaces — Auctions, bids, and settlements wait for the required sign-offs.
Security & UX (keep it simple)
- Clear signing — Human-readable prompts show who must agree and what will happen.
- Replay safety — Nonces and expiries stop old plans from being reused.
- Anti-griefing — Timeouts and cancel paths handle no-shows.
- MEV awareness — Hide sensitive details until the last moment if ordering attacks are a risk.
Developer Cheat Sheet
- Flow:
propose → accept → execute | cancel | expire - Participants: Sorted and unique (prevents hashing/malleability issues)
- Policies: Default is “all required must accept”; add M-of-N, slashing, or privacy as modules
- Wallets: EIP-712 for EOAs, ERC-1271 for multisigs/contract wallets
- Status codes: Proposed / Ready / Executed / Cancelled / Expired
If ERC-20 provided crypto games with funding and ERC-721/1155 introduced in-game items, then ERC-8001 fosters teamwork. It doesn’t replace NFTs or tokens; instead, it enhances them by ensuring that essential actions only proceed once everyone involved has clearly agreed. This safeguard enables raids to commence fairly, player trades to be settled instantly, tournament payouts to be transparent, guild treasuries to be secure, and AI-driven markets to operate without chaos.
ERC-8001 is compact and wallet-native, allowing it to integrate seamlessly with existing systems. Players receive clear, human-readable prompts, and multisignature wallets can sign off only when the complete set of approvals is obtained and still valid. This leads to fewer disputes, less griefing, cleaner code, and a standard pattern that other studios can easily adopt.
Begin by addressing coordination challenges in high-pain areas such as party starts, peer-to-peer swaps, match results, and treasury movements. Introduce privacy features, like commit-reveal or encrypted flows, for competitive modes. As more titles implement the same ready-check system, cross-game events, agent economies, and shared leagues will evolve from mere marketing slogans into regular gameplay. This is the pathway from innovative demonstrations to sustainable gaming worlds: assets you own, rules you can audit, and teamwork that functions smoothly.
ERC-8001 Frequently Asked Questions.
Below, I have compiled the most frequently asked questions related to the ERC-8001 Token Standard. It’s not that extensive, but I believe I’m covering multiple aspects of its core and implementation.
What is ERC-8001?
ERC-8001 is a draft Ethereum Token Standard as of September 27, 2025, that introduces a group-consent process for on-chain actions: someone proposes an action, the required participants sign off, and the contract executes only if everyone agrees before a specified deadline.
Who proposed ERC-8001 and what is its current status?
The proposal, authored by Kwame Bryan, is currently classified as a Draft on the official EIPs site, with discussions taking place on Ethereum Magicians.
How does ERC-8001 differ from ERC-721 and ERC-1155?
ERC-721 defines unique items, also known as NFTs, while ERC-1155 provides a multi-token interface for both unique and stackable items. In contrast, ERC-8001 does not define tokens; instead, it standardizes the process of obtaining multi-party consent before executing an action, which may include transfers of ERC-721 or ERC-1155 tokens.
Why is ERC-8001 important for games?
Many actions in games are only fair when multiple roles agree, such as starting a party, executing peer-to-peer swaps, determining tournament results, spending from a guild treasury, and managing crafting sessions. ERC-8001 provides developers with an auditable framework to secure these actions through clear, wallet-native consent.
What does the basic flow look like?
The flow consists of three steps: Propose → Accept → Execute (or Cancel/Expire), utilizing standard EIP-712 signatures. Contract wallets can sign through ERC-1271. The specification outlines the lifecycle, events, nonces, and expiration times, enabling tools to index and verify coordination states.
Does ERC-8001 replace NFTs or fungible tokens?
No, you should continue using ERC-721, ERC-1155, or ERC-20 for assets. ERC-8001 functions as a prerequisite for gameplay or transfer logic, ensuring that the relevant parties give their consent before proceeding.
How does ERC-8001 facilitate raids and party actions?
Raids commence only when all required players (or roles) have signed within the designated time frame; if not, nothing executes, ensuring that the process is secure.
How does it enhance the safety of P2P trades?
In P2P trades, two players co-sign the agreement; the contract executes atomic transfers (e.g., between ERC-721 and ERC-1155) only when both signatures are valid and recent, thereby preventing incomplete swaps.
Can tournaments and prize distributions utilize ERC-8001?
Yes, tournament results can stipulate that captains and a referee must sign off before prize payouts are executed, ensuring transparent and verifiable brackets and distributions.
Does ERC-8001 work with multi-signature wallets and smart wallets?
Yes, ERC-8001 is designed to be compatible with ERC-1271, allowing contract wallets (such as guild multisigs, team wallets, and parental wallets) to generate valid acceptances.
Is ERC-8001 a single-chain or cross-chain protocol?
By design, it is a single-chain protocol. To enable cross-chain interactions, pair it with ERC-7683 (which handles cross-chain intents) and require an ERC-8001 agreement on the destination chain.
How does ERC-8001 relate to ERC-7521?
ERC-7521 focuses on single-initiator intent authorization for smart contract wallets, whereas ERC-8001 standardizes multi-party acceptance. Use both if your game requires generalized intents alongside strict group sign-off.
ERC-8001, MEV (Miner Extractable Value), and strategy leaks
If revealing your strategy early could lead to exploitation (for instance, through sniping loot drops or sandwiching), pair ERC-8001 with commit-reveal mechanisms or encrypted order flow to keep details concealed until execution. Refer to Ethereum’s MEV documentation for more background.
Can AI agents or NPCs participate in ERC-8001?
Yes, ERC-8001 is designed for agent coordination. AI traders, crafting bots, and refereeing agents can propose and accept plans using the same verifiable process employed by human players.
Does ERC-8001 require M-of-N approvals?
The core specification assumes that “all required participants” must agree. Thresholds like M-of-N are left to be implemented by additional modules or policies, maintaining a minimal base protocol.
How are timeouts and cancellations managed?
Both intents and acceptances have defined expirations. The proposer can cancel prior to execution, and anyone can consider an expired plan to be void. This prevents stale approvals and mitigates griefing.
What prevents replay attacks?
Domain-bound EIP-712 signatures, nonces, and expiration rules help reduce the risk of replay attacks. Participant lists are standardized (sorted and unique) to prevent hash malleability.
Can ERC-8001 initiate ERC-721 or ERC-1155 transfers within one execution?
Yes, once the acceptance set is validated, the execution step can atomically transfer ERC-721 and ERC-1155 tokens in the same transaction.
What user experience will players encounter?
Players will see standard EIP-712 typed-data pop-ups that clearly indicate who must agree and what actions will take place, enhancing player trust and reducing the likelihood of mis-signatures.
Does ERC-8001 address privacy or encryption?
No, privacy is not within the scope of ERC-8001. Teams can implement commit-reveal or encrypt payloads off-chain and reveal them at execution time, depending on their infrastructure.
What are the top gaming use cases right now for ERC-8001
Some popular use cases include party or raid ready-checks, peer-to-peer (P2P) swaps, tournament results and payouts, guild treasury actions, multi-role crafting, wager escrow releases, and session start or lineup locks.
Can ERC-8001 coordinate cross-game experiences?
Yes, when multiple games adopt the same ready-check, shared events, league play, or cross-IP raids can require standardized sign-off processes. This allows for tools that can index these interactions and users can easily audit them. You can also pair it with ERC-7683 if assets or actions move between chains.
Is ERC-8001 only for games?
No, it is not limited to games. It is also suitable for decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) that require multi-role operations or treasury approvals, over-the-counter (OTC) and escrow deals, as well as marketplaces that need multi-party consent before settlement.
How does ERC-8001 compare to building custom “ready checks”?
Using custom patterns often leads to fragmented tooling and auditing. In contrast, ERC-8001 provides a shared, indexed lifecycle and events, making it easier for explorers, subgraphs, and wallets to understand the state of coordination right out of the box.
What should studios track to measure success?
Studios should track the completion rate of proposed plans, the median time-to-ready, reasons for expiry or cancellation, dispute rates post-execution, and player sentiment regarding fairness and clarity.
What are common pitfalls, and how can they be avoided?
Some common pitfalls include stalls caused by no-shows (which can be mitigated by using short expiry times and providing clear cancellation procedures), user experience (UX) overload (which can be minimized with concise EIP-712 messages), strategy leaks (which can be addressed by adding privacy), and role confusion (which can be clarified by explicitly stating the required participants).
How does ERC-8001 interact with oracles and referees?
Treat referees and oracles as necessary participants. The action will only execute after their signatures have been received, creating an auditable paper trail for rulings and score submissions.
What about gas costs?
Gas costs depend on your execution payload. While ERC-8001 standardizes the approval cadence, you can still optimize storage, batching, and calldata during the final execution step.
Can studios support parental controls or team wallets with ERC-8001?
Yes, ERC-1271 is supported, allowing a parent or team multisignature wallet to be a required signer. This enables approvals that go beyond externally owned accounts (EOAs).
Is there a reference implementation?
Yes, the EIP includes a permissive reference implementation that demonstrates canonicalization, nonce and expiry enforcement, and the policy for all participants.
How do ERC-721 vs. ERC-1155 choices affect design with ERC-8001?
If the items are unique, ERC-721 simplifies the process. However, if you have stacks or variants of items, ERC-1155 reduces deployment and transfer overhead. ERC-8001 then facilitates actions that involve those assets.
Can ERC-8001 help with wagered matches?
Yes, funds can remain in escrow until both players, along with an optional referee or oracle, sign to confirm the outcome. Only then does the contract settle, effectively minimizing disputes.
How does ERC-8001 fit into the wider intents ecosystem?
Use ERC-7521 for generalized single-initiator intents (like wallet entry points), ERC-7683 for cross-chain routing, and ERC-8001 when multiple parties must agree on transactions within the same chain.
Is there any guidance on MEV-resistant coordination?
The EIP emphasizes coordination. To achieve MEV resilience, consider combining it with commit-reveal or threshold-encryption flows. Ethereum’s MEV documentation explains why ordering attacks are essential for time-sensitive plans.
What’s a simple getting-started plan for a studio?
Start by wrapping one high-impact flow, such as a raid start or P2P swap, with ERC-8001 and deploy it to a testnet. Measure the completion rate and time-to-ready, and then expand to tournaments and guild treasury features, optionally including privacy and multi-signature policies.
Resources
Primary spec and scope for ERC-8001 and differences from other token standards
- ERC-8001 (EIPs) Ethereum Improvement Proposals
- ERC-8001 discussion (Magicians) Fellowship of Ethereum Magicians
- ERC-721 (EIPs) Ethereum Improvement Proposals
- ERC-1155 (EIPs) Ethereum Improvement Proposals
- ERC-7521 (EIPs/Magicians) Ethereum Improvement Proposals
- ERC-7683 (EIPs/site/Magicians) Ethereum Improvement Proposals
