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ERC-8048 (RFC)

ERC-8048 is a shelf of labeled notes stored on a token. Each note has a name, called a key. One call reads one note. The note lives in the contract, not only on a website that can disappear.

The spec is still a Draft. It is an optional add-on for an ERC-721, ERC-1155, or ERC-6909 collection. A collection that never adds it has no shelf.

How the notes work

Think of index cards taped to a locker. The locker number is the token. Each card has a label. Anyone can read a card. Who may replace a card is written on that locker’s own rules.

1. One read. metadata(tokenId, key) returns the bytes stored under that label. Apps do not have to download one giant file to read a single field.
2. A public change log. When a note changes, the contract emits MetadataSet. Watchers can see which token, which key, and the new value.
3. Writing is not standard. A contract may offer setMetadata. The spec does not say the owner is always the editor. Some contracts lock notes. Some give edit rights to a different manager.
4. 721T is a label list, not this shelf. 721T says which key names an agent should use, such as context and endpoint[mcp]. ERC-8048 is the shelf those labels sit on. You can store other keys too.
5. A sale moves the token, not the server. If edit rights follow the owner, the buyer can change future notes. Older events stay in the log. A note that mentions a website does not transfer that website, a password, or a chat log.

What ERC-8048 does not do

• It does not run software or call a tool.
• It does not decide permissions. The contract author does.
• It does not prove a link in a note is honest.
• It does not replace ERC-721 ownership. The token and the owner are still the token standard underneath.

Professional use

• A certificate token can store a license number or a service link as its own note.
• A client’s app can read that one field without trusting a private database.
• You can show when a note last changed, because the log is public.

Business use

• A product token can store a serial number or a warranty page key.
• An agent collection can store each public endpoint as a separate note.
• A company can lock the notes, or allow only a manager key to edit them, if the contract is written that way.

Read the contract before you assume a buyer can, or cannot, rewrite the shelf.

Personal use

• A character token can keep a short “soul” sentence in one note.
• A personal assistant can keep the one link your other apps should open.
• You still pay a network fee to write. Reading is a chain call.

Related labels for agents: 721T, the ERC-8048 profile.

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