A few concerns and clarification requests regarding this proposal:

## 1) Reliance on a centralized, closed-source indexer

At the moment, the PolkadotCloud Staking Dashboard appears to rely heavily on a centralized indexer. I previously [opened a GitHub issue](https://github.com/polkadot-cloud/polkadot-staking-dashboard/issues/3074) to ask (politely) about this dependency, but the issue was deleted rather than answered.

Could **[@Ross and Joel | Polkadot Cloud](/user/13MNarAqpNkginnQb6gTNq2QnieZGs2SKu8JdK9LLxo6ksEP)** please clarify the following:

1. **Open-source / transparency:** Since the indexer has been funded via OpenGov, can the indexer code be made public?
2. **Respecting user preferences:** When a user selects to connect via the *light-client*, the SPA still appears to fetch most data from the centralized indexer. This feels misleading. Can you commit to honoring the selected connectivity mode (and not use the indexer when the user has indicated that they want to use the light-client)?
3. **Issue deletion:** Why was the GitHub issue deleted rather than addressed?
4. **Resilience:** Can you ensure the application remains functional (even if a bit slower) when the indexer is unavailable?

## 2) Analytics / tracking and user consent

Another concern is that the dashboard seems to track a large portion of user interactions without explicitly requesting consent.

Could you please:

* explain **what is collected**, **why**, and **where it is sent/stored**; and
* provide a way to **disable analytics** (opt-out), ideally with privacy-preserving defaults?

I strongly believe OpenGov-funded initiatives should meet a baseline privacy standard (explicit disclosure + user control).

## 3) Validator commission “flipping” UX mitigation

AFAIK the dashboard still hasn’t addressed the validator commission flipping UX issue discussed here:
[https://forum.polkadot.network/t/are-validators-flipping-commissions-and-running-multiple-identities/16569/7?u=josep](https://forum.polkadot.network/t/are-validators-flipping-commissions-and-running-multiple-identities/16569/7?u=josep)

This can be prevented all together with UI improvements (as shown in that thread). It’s concerning that it hasn’t been implemented yet, and the proposal doesn’t mention addressing it. Can you commit to adding safeguards / clearer warnings and surfacing recent commission history prominently?

## Closing

To be clear: **I’m not opposed to funding this initiative**. I am asking that these issues be acknowledged and addressed with concrete commitments (and ideally scoped deliverables) before/alongside funding.

Thanks for considering these suggestions.



On behalf of the Web3 Foundation, we are voting AYE on Referendum #1831.

Following further internal reviews, our funding committee agrees that the Staking Dashboard has consistently provided good value for the Polkadot ecosystem. We particularly support the team’s direction toward increased decentralization via light client integration, which aligns with our shared technical priorities for the network.

We also appreciate that the team recognizes the dashboard as a public good and is prepared to move the repository and domain under the Polkadot Community Foundation as soon as the necessary mechanisms are in place. We would like to thank Joel and Ross for their consistent professionalism and responsiveness throughout our coordination over these past months.

Dear Proposer,

Thank you for your proposal. Our **first** vote on this proposal is **ABSTAIN**. Below is the evaluation of our [voting policy v0.3](https://docs.permanence.io/voting_policy/voting_policy_v0.3.html) on this referendum:

```
MEDIUM SPENDER
--------------
8 available members
🟢 2 • 🔴 0 • ⚪️ 2
✓ ≥50.0% required participation met
✘ Ayes ≤50.0% of all votes
▶ Ayes and abstains are >50.0% of all votes
⚪ ABSTAIN
```

Below is a summary of our members' comments:

> The comments reflected mixed positions regarding the proposal for a staking dashboard. Some members recognized its useful role in supporting staking users and noted that the requested budget was reasonable for six months of work by experienced developers. They supported the proposal for its strategic relevance and timely maintenance of staking tools, even with a reduced budget. Other members, however, expressed reservations, citing their limited use of staking interfaces and concerns over imminent changes in staking and validator systems. They worried that a comprehensive overhaul might be necessary soon, which left them cautious about fully endorsing the proposal.

The full discussion can be found in our [internal voting](https://voting.opensquare.io/space/permanence/proposal/Qmdq88Fue1pbNsGN2MVwUf5XRbXEXJSBKvvu7NUrjcYMGY).

Please feel free to contact us through the links below for further discussion.

Kind regards, Permanence DAO Decentralized Voices Cohort V Delegate 📅 [Book Office Hours](https://cal.com/permanencedao/office-hours) 💬 [Public Telegram](https://t.me/permanencedao) 🌐️ [Web](https://permanence.io) 🐦 [Twitter](https://twitter.com/permanencedao) 🗳️ [Delegate](https://polkadot.subsquare.io/user/15ubZj6T7NUYyQw6j4XBkEMJ2vew5w9kqKEcN1QG7Z1weKDV/votes)

# Milestone 1 Progress Report — February 2026

**Period:** February 2026  
**Repository:** `polkadot-cloud/polkadot-staking-dashboard`

---

## Deliverable Status

### 1) Established collaboration channel with Parity teams
Liaised with W3F and Parity to establish the most effective communication channel for discussing protocol developments and dashboard alignment. W3F have confirmed they are working to identify a point of contact on the Parity side and will update us once allocated. We continue to follow up and remain ready to engage as soon as a direct channel is in place. This deliverable is dependent on external coordination and we have taken all reasonable steps to progress it.

### 2) Continued hosting and support operations
Dashboard remains fully operational at `staking.polkadot.cloud` with **99%+ uptime** throughout February. We also enhanced the `polkadot.cloud` homepage appearance and content for a more seamless staking onboarding experience.

### 3) Discord & email support
Continued responding to user support queries via Discord and email within the SLA. Additionally improved Discord server security measures to better protect the community.

### 4) Transaction signing UI
Comprehensive transaction submission UI redesign has been completed, unifying submission components across all form factors (canvas, full screen, modals, and cards) with context-specific submission text and embedded fee display. Signer-specific logic has been extracted into dedicated hooks behind a unified `useSignerSubmit` facade, reducing duplication across signing flows. A new `ModalBack` component standardises multi-step navigation, and a stacked layout option has been added for constrained contexts such as **Join Pool**.

- **PR #3291** — `feat(ux): Transaction submission UI redesign` (**36dbad7**)

### 5) Paseo testnet integration commenced
Paseo testnet support has been added to both the dashboard and Staking API, addressing Westend RPC instability:

- **PR #3237** — `feat: Add Paseo testnet support` (**6f8254b**)

### 6) Light-client-first connection architecture
Significant groundwork has been completed, including a dedicated smoldot testing package for transaction verification:

- **PR #3244** — `feat(test): Add test-smoldot package for transaction testing` (**f16a5e1**)  
- **PR #3245** — `Fix: test-smoldot initialisation` (**e5118cf**)

Progress on full light-client-first deployment has been temporarily impacted by an external issue in the smoldot library (**smoldot #2198**) which is causing wider ecosystem connectivity problems, not limited to our implementation. We are actively liaising with the Dedot team to explore solutions and workarounds. This is an external dependency and not a blocker on our side.

---

## Additional Work Delivered in February

Beyond the core deliverables, **65 commits** landed on `main` in February across features, fixes, and maintenance:

### Localisation Expansion (3 new languages)
- **PR #3262** — `feat(locale): Add German (Deutsch) language support`  
- **PR #3263** — `feat(locale): Add Korean (한국어) language support`  
- **PR #3272** — `feat(locale): Add Portuguese (Português) language support`  
- **PR #3288** — `feat(ux): Font overrides on per-language basis`  
- **PR #3267** — `Add CLI for locale key translation with LLM integration` — Internal tooling to accelerate future translation work

### Staking Feature Enhancements
- **PR #3265** — `feat(dual-staking): Re-enable dual staking (nominator + pool member)`  
- **PR #3264** — `feat(nominations): Add Favorite Validators button to Manage Nominations`  
- **PR #3268** — `feat: Allow groups of Ledger addresses, multi-device support`

### Codebase Modularisation
- **PR #3246** — `feat(refactor): Modularise page sections into reusable components` — Lays the groundwork for the transaction UI redesign and future Simple Mode improvements

### Bug Fixes
- **PR #3287** — `fix: resolve proxy account source mismatch preventing delegate signing`  
- **PR #3273** — `fix: Show correct stake amount per validator in nomination status`  
- **PR #3249** — `fix: correct Ledger hardware handling bugs`  
- **PR #3250** — `feat(fix): Fix reward trend API`

### UX & Theme Improvements
- **PR #3235** — `Remove pink tint from dark theme, replace with neutral grays`  
- **PR #3236** — `Draw down secondary theme color`  
- **PR #3243** — `DOT icon update`  
- **PR #3253** — `Header menu adjustments`  
- **PR #3254** — `Halving step graph adjustments`

### Dependency Maintenance
**20+ dependency updates** merged, covering React, Dedot chaintypes, Biome, Vite, i18next, Apollo, Stylelint, and more (**#3238–#3242, #3255–#3260, #3274–#3286**).

---

## Summary
All Month 1 deliverables are on track or completed. **65 commits** landed across features, bug fixes, localisation, and maintenance, significantly exceeding the baseline scope. The Parity collaboration channel and light-client-first architecture remain dependent on external parties, but all reasonable steps have been taken on our end to progress these.

**Proponents**
Ross Bulat and Joel Kenny

**Beneficiary Address**
13MNarAqpNkginnQb6gTNq2QnieZGs2SKu8JdK9LLxo6ksEP

**Track**
Medium Spender

**Requested Amount**
$66,000 USDC

**Funding Period**
6 months (February 2026 – July 2026)

**IPFS Link**
https://bafybeic7xzt4y2g6hwrma2h2ysmq4jcw2iuhxc7ablscebdanbcg4aph24.ipfs.dweb.link?filename=%5BPUBLIC%5D%20Polkadot%20Staking%20Dashboard_%20Protocol-Aligned%20Development.pdf

We present a revised proposal for the Polkadot Staking Dashboard, demonstrating fiscal responsibility and strategic focus based on community feedback. 

This proposal delivers protocol-aligned maintenance - sustaining the reference staking implementation while maintaining readiness to adapt to critical protocol changes including DAP, 1-day unbonding, and other staking system evolution.

**Full proposal details on Google Docs:** https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IwbdBg3SesJpszE1I5jsWUvSCNseK1UvpP-j_zYu1C0/edit?usp=sharing

- **Who:** Ross Bulat and Joel Kenny are working on this project.
- **What:** They want to build a Polkadot Staking Dashboard.
- **Goal:** To help people understand and use the Polkadot staking system.
- **How Much:** They are asking for $66,000.
- **How Long:** The project will last for 6 months.
- **Why:** To keep the dashboard updated and ready for new changes in Polkadot.
- **Where:** More details are in their online document.

#208·Polkadot Staking Dashboard: Protocol-Aligned Development