Alpha software — public testnet for experimentation. APIs may change. Read the docs

Decentralized ride-sharing on a custom blockchain

Clutch Protocol is an open-source stack for on-chain ride operations: apps use a GraphQL Hub API and JavaScript SDK, sign transactions client-side, and settle rides on a Rust blockchain with Aura consensus.

Alpha Testnet live
8 Open source repos
On-chain Request to pay flow
Try stage demo Documentation GitHub

Try the network

Use the public stage testnet — no install required

Quick start

  1. Open app-stage.clutchprotocol.io
  2. Choose passenger or driver and generate a wallet
  3. Request test CLT from the built-in faucet
  4. As passenger: request a ride on the map. As driver: view requests and submit an offer
Open stage demo

Testnet only — not production. Wallets and keys are for experimentation.

Stage endpoints

What exists today

Built for riders, drivers, and developers — alpha quality

CLT economics

Drivers keep most of each fare. Referrers earn up to 4% (default 2%+2%) on RidePay. Validators earn a fixed block reward (50 CLT/block), separate from rides.

On-chain payments

Passengers pay drivers in CLT via RidePay transactions. Partial payments are supported until the fare is covered.

Transparent and secure

Private keys stay on the client. Every ride step is a signed transaction recorded on-chain and auditable.

Developer tools

clutch-hub-sdk-js on npm, GraphQL Hub API, WebSocket subscriptions, and docs at docs.clutchprotocol.io. Build apps on the network and earn CLT via on-chain referrer fees when users complete rides on your Hub deployment.

Multi-node testnet

Aura consensus with multiple validator nodes on stage. Run the full stack locally with clutch-deploy.

Governance (planned)

Community DAO voting is on the roadmap. It is not implemented in the current codebase.

Stack

Open-source components you can run, read, and contribute to

Clutch Node

Blockchain core — Aura consensus, custom RLP transactions, WebSocket JSON-RPC. Rust.

GitHub Docs

Clutch Hub API

GraphQL bridge, wallet JWT auth, testnet faucet, and poll-based subscriptions. Rust.

GitHub Docs

Clutch Hub SDK

JavaScript/TypeScript SDK for signing, queries, and subscriptions. Published on npm.

GitHub npm

Demo App

Reference React app with passenger and driver flows, map UI, and live updates.

GitHub Live

Clutch Explorer

Block indexer, REST API, and web UI for blocks, transactions, and accounts.

GitHub Docs

Clutch Deploy

Docker Compose for nodes, API, demo, explorer, and monitoring — local or stage.

GitHub Docs

CLT economics

Implemented on-chain in clutch-node (alpha)

Example: 10 CLT ride (one RidePay, both referrers)

Driver 8 CLT
Request referrer 1 CLT (2%)
Offer referrer 1 CLT (2%)

Referrer fees apply per RidePay installment (configurable on the node). Validators earn a fixed block reward (default 50 CLT/block), not a share of ride fares. Details at docs.clutchprotocol.io.

For app developers

Deploy your own app with the SDK and Hub API, set your wallet as the ride referrer in Hub config, and earn up to 4% CLT per RidePay (default 2% request + 2% offer) when passengers pay drivers on your deployment. No separate grants — rewards come from real ride activity on-chain.

App developer incentives

Roadmap

Where the protocol is today and what is planned

Live

Public stage testnet

Multi-node Aura testnet, GraphQL Hub API, SDK, demo app, and block explorer running on stage.

Planned

DAO governance

Community voting on protocol parameters and upgrades. Not yet implemented in the codebase.

Planned

Mainnet

Hardened validator set, audited crypto, and production economics. No fixed date — see the docs FAQ for status.

Status is alpha and subject to change. See the FAQ in the docs for what is and is not shipped.

FAQ

Quick answers — more in the documentation

Is Clutch a real, running blockchain?

Yes — an alpha public testnet with multiple Aura validator nodes. It is for experimentation; APIs may change. There is no mainnet yet.

Why a custom chain instead of Ethereum or an L2?

Ride operations are first-class transaction types (request, offer, accept, pay, cancel) rather than generic smart-contract calls. This keeps the app surface simple but trades off EVM ecosystem composability.

How do drivers get paid?

Drivers receive CLT via RidePay transactions. Referrers earn up to 4% (default 2% request + 2% offer) per payment installment and the driver gets the remainder. Validators earn a fixed block reward, separate from ride fares.

Are private keys safe?

Keys never leave the client. The SDK signs transactions locally (secp256k1, Keccak-256) and only submits signed RLP hex to the Hub API. The faucet is the only server-side signer, on testnet only.

Can I build an app and earn CLT?

Yes. Run your own Hub API with your wallet as the ride referrer, and you earn referrer fees on each RidePay when users complete rides on your deployment. No separate grants program.

Is governance live?

No. Community DAO voting is on the roadmap and is not implemented in the current codebase.

More questions? Read the full FAQ or the introduction.

Team

Maintainer and contributors welcome

Mehran Mazhar

Founder and lead developer

Builds the Clutch node, Hub API, SDK, and demo app. Contributions via GitHub are welcome.

Community

Open source — issues, discussions, and pull requests

Source code

Eight public project repos — node, Hub API, SDK, demo app, explorer, deploy, docs, and this website.

View on GitHub

Discussions

Ask questions, share ideas, and connect with other developers on GitHub.

Join discussion

Documentation

Quick start, ride lifecycle guide, GraphQL reference, and deployment docs.

Read docs