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Founding Phase · Private Beta. The Institute is in private beta. Any example content is labelled as such and is never presented as real.

DSI
Checklist

DRep Onboarding Checklist

This tool has been retired

It stays online so existing links, version history and any work you already started against it still resolve. It is no longer maintained or reviewed.

Use DRep Key & Account Security Runbook instead
Type
Checklist
Difficulty
Foundation
Time
20 min
Version
v1.0.0
Updated
8/5/2026
governancesecuritycommunication

What this helps you do

New DReps usually get the mechanics right and the habits wrong. This checklist front-loads the habits.

Nothing here asks you to adopt any position on any governance action.

When to use this

  • You have registered, or are about to register, as a DRep and want a defensible starting posture.
  • You have been representing delegates informally and want to formalise your practice.
  • You are restarting after a period of inactivity.

When NOT to use this

  • As a guide to the mechanics of on-chain registration, which the Cardano documentation covers.
  • To decide your governance positions. It sets up practice, not policy.

What you'll need

  • A stated governance philosophy in draft
  • A contact route you will actually monitor
  • Your key management arrangement
  • Your intended rationale publishing cadence

Estimated completion time

20 minutes

Working time for one governance action, assuming the inputs listed here are already to hand.

How to use it

  1. 1Work top to bottom; each item is a one-off setup task.
  2. 2Publish the artefacts that delegators need to see, starting with your philosophy and contact route.
  3. 3File an initial conflict disclosure before your first vote.
  4. 4Record the date you completed each item so gaps are visible later.
  5. 5Revisit the list after your first voting window and correct what did not hold up.

The tool

Full checklist - v1.0.0

First-month items

  • Publish a governance philosophy delegators can actually read
  • Set up a public contact route you will monitor
  • File an initial conflict disclosure
  • Decide and state your rationale publishing cadence
  • Separate governance keys from spending keys
  • Set a calendar reminder for the next voting window
Fictional Example

Invented for illustration. It does not describe a real governance action, proposal, or organisation.

Fictional first month

  • Published a 600-word governance philosophy covering treasury scepticism and constitutional deference.
  • Set a public contact address checked twice weekly.
  • Filed an initial disclosure listing one advisory role.
  • Committed to publishing a rationale within 7 days of each vote.

How to interpret the result

  • A completed copy shows which registration and disclosure steps you have finished, not whether you are ready to vote well.
  • Unfinished items are a to-do list, not a disqualification.

Limitations

  • It cannot confirm that your on-chain registration succeeded; verify that on an explorer or in your wallet.
  • It does not assess the quality of your published DRep statement.

Sources and methodology

Learn this method

This tool records the work. The Training Lab teaches how to do it.

  • governance-foundations · Constitutional Basics for DReps

    Constitutional Basics for DReps

    Explains the constitutional duties this checklist prepares you for.

    Open lesson

Downloads

  • Markdown export: the complete tool, including metadata, instructions, the template, limitations, sources and version history.

No other file formats are published for this resource. We list a format only when the file exists.

Version and governance

Current version
v1.0.0
Published
8/9/2026
Last updated
8/5/2026
Next scheduled review
2/5/2027
Licence
CC BY 4.0
Editorial status
Not yet externally reviewed

No named reviewer is shown because no external review has been completed. Attribution appears only once a verified reviewer has signed off.

Changelog

  • v1.0.0 (2026-08-05) - Migrated from the static library into the resource register.
  • v1.0.0 (2026-08-10) - Retired. Superseded by DRep Key & Account Security Runbook. Kept for version history and existing member workspaces.
Next in the workflow

Use these alongside it

The tools that usually come before or after this one.

TemplateFoundation30 min

DRep Decision Report Standard

A shared format for explaining DRep decisions clearly and consistently. Standardize the explanation, not the vote.

Workflow
Decide, Disclose & Publish
Formats
Markdown, plain text
Use ToolView Details
Use This Tool