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ERC-6551 (RFC)

ERC-6551 gives an NFT its own wallet. Whoever holds the NFT can use that wallet. The wallet’s address does not change when the NFT is sold. The coins and items inside stay at that address, unless someone moved them out before the sale.

The spec is in Review. Review means people are still checking it. It is not a casual draft, and it is not Final.

How the wallet works

Think of a backpack sewn onto a jacket. The person wearing the jacket opens the backpack. Sell the jacket and the backpack goes with it. The backpack’s address on the wall hook never changes. The seller can take the snacks out first.

1. A registry, not a new picture. A shared registry can create the wallet with createAccount. The address comes from the chain, the NFT contract, the token number, and a salt. account can compute that address even before the wallet is deployed.
2. Which NFT. The wallet’s token function says which chain, which contract, and which token number it is sewn to.
3. Who can sign. By default, the current NFT owner is the signer. The exact rules depend on the account implementation. An approval on the NFT can also matter, so read that account before you trust it.
4. What it can hold. Tokens, other NFTs, and onchain permissions can sit at that address. Apps talk to the wallet the way they talk to any smart-contract wallet.
5. A sale is not a guarantee of contents. Assets stay at the address only if they are still there. A seller can send them away before the NFT moves. A careful buyer checks the wallet, not just the picture.

What ERC-6551 does not do

• It does not give the NFT a brain or a chat history.
• It does not stop a seller from emptying the wallet first.
• More than one wallet can be created for the same NFT if a different salt is used. Know which address you mean.
• If NFTs and wallets point at each other in a loop, assets can get stuck. That is a real risk, not a feature to ignore.

Professional use

• A license NFT can hold a credential or a small working budget.
• A client can see that budget at one public address.
• When you transfer the license, the new holder can use what is still in the wallet.

Business use

• A character or agent NFT can hold a treasury the company can audit at one address.
• The company wallet does not have to hold both the art and the operating funds in the same place.
• A buyer of the agent should check the wallet balance in the same minute they buy.

Personal use

• A game item or a pet NFT can hold other items in its backpack.
• You can send a friend the pet and, if you leave the items in, they receive those too.
• Creating the wallet and moving coins still costs a network fee.

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