FAQ

GenLayer is the adjudication layer for the agentic economy. It uses decentralized AI-validator consensus to resolve contracts that require judgment, not just code. It's built as an L2 on zkSync Elastic Chain, anchoring to Ethereum's security. Contracts on GenLayer — called Intelligent Contracts — can interpret language, process images, fetch live web data, and reach consensus on contested or subjective outcomes. See What is GenLayer.

Traditional smart contracts can only execute deterministic logic and rely on external oracles for off-chain data. GenLayer integrates AI at the protocol level — contracts natively access LLMs, the web, and image processing. No oracles, no intermediaries. Where Bitcoin reached consensus on the order of transactions and Ethereum on the execution of code, GenLayer reaches consensus on the meaning of transactions. See What is GenLayer.

No. GenLayer is built to provide a first-instance, internet-native adjudication layer for disputes that arrive too quickly, too often, and too globally for traditional courts to handle in time — particularly the disputes the agentic economy is starting to produce at machine speed. It is designed to complement, not replace, existing legal frameworks.

The agentic-commerce stack — Coinbase's x402 (opens in a new tab) for payments, Ethereum's ERC-8004 (opens in a new tab) for trustless agent identity, the Linux Foundation's A2A (opens in a new tab) for agent interoperability, plus Stripe/OpenAI's ACP, Visa's Trusted Agent Protocol, Google's AP2, and Mastercard's Agent Pay — engineers the happy path. None of these standards ships dispute resolution. GenLayer is the layer they reach for when a commitment becomes contested.

Python. Intelligent Contracts are Python classes extending gl.Contract. No Solidity required. See Your First Contract.

GenLayer's consensus mechanism. A leader validator executes the transaction and proposes a result. Other validators independently verify it and vote. If a majority agrees, the transaction is accepted. Anyone can appeal within a finality window, triggering re-evaluation by a larger validator set. See How GenLayer Works.

Since LLMs and web data produce varying outputs, GenLayer provides multiple strategies: strict equality (for deterministic operations), LLM-based comparison (validators compare outputs against criteria), and custom validation functions (developers define their own leader/validator logic). See Non-determinism.

Yes. Pass images to LLMs via gl.nondet.exec_prompt(images=[...]). Contracts can also capture web page screenshots with gl.nondet.web.render(url, mode='screenshot') and analyze them. See Image Processing.

Yes. Use @gl.public.write.payable to receive value, gl.message.value to access the amount sent, and emit_transfer() to send value to other contracts or EOAs. See Value Transfers.

No. The GenLayer SDK handles LLM calls and consensus. You write Python and call gl.nondet.exec_prompt() with a prompt. Validators handle model execution. GenLayer Studio provides a browser-based IDE for writing, deploying, and testing contracts.

Yes. GenLayer fully supports deterministic logic — standard state updates, value transfers, and contract interactions all work without any AI components. You can mix deterministic and non-deterministic operations in the same contract.

Every Intelligent Contract has a corresponding ghost contract on the GenLayer Chain (EVM layer) at the same address. Ghost contracts hold the contract's GEN balance, relay transactions to consensus, and execute external messages. See Ghost Contracts.

Anything requiring judgment that deterministic code alone can't resolve: performance and milestone adjudication (bounties, grants, retro funding), adjudication inside the agentic-commerce stack (agent SLAs, escrow on ambiguous completion, reputation disputes), prediction markets, insurance claims, content verification, compliance automation, AI-governed DAOs, and more. See Use Cases and projects building on GenLayer (opens in a new tab).

1. Try GenLayer Studio (opens in a new tab) in the browser — no setup needed
2. Or install the GenLayer CLI for local development
3. Follow Your First Contract
4. Use genlayer-js or genlayer-py for app integration

Through delegated proof of stake and Optimistic Democracy:

• Token holders delegate stake to validators, incentivizing honest behavior
• Multiple validators independently verify each transaction
• Appeals provide a failsafe — dishonest validators get slashed
• The system anchors to Ethereum via zkSync for finality

• Join the community on Discord (opens in a new tab) or Telegram (opens in a new tab)
• Contribute to the GitHub repositories (opens in a new tab)
• We're hiring (opens in a new tab)