[RFC] Proposal to Adopt Updated Basics Site

DAO-Wide General Discussion
1

Currently, users interested in participating in DAO governance who visit the main ENS Domains site are redirected to ensdao.org, which provides documentation on ENS DAO, including how governance, Working Groups, and treasury management operate.

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I’m seeking feedback on potentially updating basics.ensdao.org to a refreshed, AI-enhanced version.

The updated version would maintain all existing content while introducing a cleaner design, interactive elements, and live governance integrations.

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The current basics.ensdao.org site has served as an educational entry point for newcomers to ENS DAO. However, its design and user experience have not been substantially updated since launch.

The update introduces a cleaner interface, more intuitive navigation, and embedded features that align with ENS DAO’s broader goals of transparency and accessibility.

Seeking feedback:

  • Does this format improve accessibility and clarity for new users?
  • Are there additional sections or integrations (e.g., delegate registry, grant applications) that should be included?
  • Would you support adopting this as the standard docs framework for ENS DAO’s educational resources?

—

Check out the demo here → Welcome - ENS Documentation

3 Likes
2

Update: After gathering feedback from the Working Groups, I decided that moving to a fully decentralized deployment model using ENS, IPFS, and Safe multisig governance best aligns with the decentralized ethos of ENS DAO.

I built a governance documentation portal that mirrors the existing Basics content, providing a decentralized alternative deployed via ENS using Autark CLI and hosted on IPFS.

Deployment and updates are managed through Safe multisig wallets, requiring multi-signature approval for any changes—ensuring secure, decentralized governance of the portal itself.

basics
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ENS DAO Governance Documentation Portal
│
├── 📖 Getting Started
│   ├── About ENS (index.mdx)
│   ├── ENS Token (ENS Token.mdx)
│   ├── Constitution (constitution.mdx)
│   └── Wallets Overview (wallets.mdx)
│
├── 🗳️ Voting
│   ├── Delegating (delegating.mdx)
│   ├── Voting (voting.mdx)
│   └── Proposals (proposals.mdx)
│
├── 👥 Working Groups
│   ├── Working Groups Overview (working groups.mdx)
│   ├── Meta-Governance WG (meta-governance.mdx)
│   ├── Ecosystem WG (ecosystem.mdx)
│   └── Public Goods WG (public goods.mdx)
│
└── 🏛️ Organization
    ├── Foundation (foundation.mdx)
    ├── Endowment (endowment.mdx)
    └── Security Council (security council.mdx)

View it live here: v11.fundamentalia.eth.link

—

How it works

The site is built with Next.js, generating static HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Autark CLI handles deployment—pinning content to IPFS via Storacha, creating a new versioned ENS subname (e.g., v11.fundamentalia.eth), and generating a Safe multisig transaction to set the contenthash, which requires multi-signature approval before execution.

Why does this matter?

Currently, basics.ensdao.org is hosted on a centralized server. Following the example set in EP 4.10 (Transfer ENS Root Key Ownership to the ENS DAO), ENS DAO should lead by migrating its Basics site to decentralized web hosting, aligning its infrastructure with the principles of decentralization it promotes.

Administration

Administrating the site is pretty low lift. Barring major objections to the design and content, @Meta-Gov_Stewards could fork the repo, register an ENS name, and deploy from the Meta-Governance Multi-sig.

Setup requires:

  • Installing Node.js dependencies
  • Configuring a .env file with:
    • Safe signer’s private key (one of the Meta-Gov multisig signers)
    • Safe API key
    • RPC URL
    • Multisig address
  • Running the deployment script (handles everything automatically)

Note: After running the deployment script, the Safe transaction must be approved through the Safe multisig interface. The site becomes immediately available on IPFS gateways once pinned, and ENS gateways (.eth.link, .eth.limo) become accessible after Safe transaction execution and propagation (typically 5-15 minutes).

Future updates follow the same process—new IPFS hash + Safe multisig approval.

Seeking feedback:

  • Is this a better long-term approach for administering governance documentation?
  • Are there any considerations to make when migrating Basics from centralized to decentralized hosting?
  • Would you support the Meta-Governance Working Group administering this portal?

—

View the repository here → Github - dao portal

3

Update: from Meta-gov minutes (11.11.25):

@5pence.eth requested fetching the original Docusaurus repo, leaning toward rebuilding the existing Basics site as a decentralized website.

I agreed that this would be a straightforward approach; however, I wasn’t able to locate the repository on the ENS Domains GitHub. If you’re reading this, feel free to share the repo here. Otherwise, it’s fairly trivial to rebuild the documentation — I’ve already done so using the example above, verbatim.

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@184.eth had questions regarding costs and administration. Autrak’s CLI uses Storacha, which includes 5GB of free storage under the starter plan. The cost of deploying subnames is trivial, and since documentation typically involves minimal data, the entire implementation is virtually free.

The workflow is essentially this:

Update flow
→ git pull origin master
→ npm ci
→ edit MDX/TSX
→ npm run lint
→ npm run build
→ git status, commit, push
→ open PR, peer review, merge

Deploy flow

→ ensure .env + launch/secure-deploy.config.json current
→ npm run build
→ ./deploy.sh
→ follow Safe link
→ collect approvals
→ wait ENS propagation
→ verify dwebsite link + IPFS CID

1 Like
4

ipfs site from repo returns

400 invalid CID: bafybeig7fnclwf4giw676gpjxw2rludrbwbkhdyzgedv2w2l2e: Incorrect length

btw docs site should be more SEO/AI friendly, I see it’s fetching main text contents only after clicking few tabs.

5

Thanks for catching that! I’ve updated the repo. We might end up using another one anyway, since it’s just an example for people to run through the deployment themselves.

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Agree! Would love help on this, I’m not an SEO/AIO expert (much less an expert on websites).