Cardano Governance: Applied
Register as a DRep, draft a proposal, and cast a vote using GovTool on the Preview testnet
Cardano's governance system asks a lot of its participants: that a global, pseudonymous community can make coherent decisions about a complex technological and economic system. This course is the sequel to Introduction to Cardano Governance, built for learners who already understand the theory and are ready to do the work themselves. Using the Preview testnet and its companion GovTool instance, learners configure a wallet, register as a DRep, draft and submit a governance action, and vote, tracking a single proposal through community discussion, ratification, and enactment. Across 23 compact units, the course is anchored by a demonstration case study, an Info Action asking whether Cardano should establish a Sovereign Wealth Fund, produced against the ratified Cardano Constitution v2.4.
Course overview
Key takeaways
Configure a Cardano wallet for the Preview testnet, obtain test ada from the faucet, and connect a CIP-95 compatible wallet to GovTool.
Register as a DRep, including the 500 tADA refundable deposit, immutable metadata hosting under CIP-100 and CIP-108, and the drepActivity parameter that governs active status.
Choose between delegating to a named DRep, Auto Abstain, and No Confidence based on an informed read of the DRep directory.
Identify the appropriate governance action type for a given policy question, distinguishing non-binding Info Actions from binding action types.
Draft, immutably host, and submit an Info Action proposal that meets CIP-108 and the Article II(6) requirements of the Cardano Constitution.
Cast a vote with rationale and correctly interpret a live tally, distinguishing a "No" vote, an explicit "Abstain," and silence.
Trace a governance action through ratification and enactment, including the two-epoch boundary lag and the guardrails script for Parameter Change submissions.
Learning outcomes
Set up the tooling required for on-chain governance participation, including a Preview wallet, testnet ada, and a CIP-95 compatible GovTool connection.
Execute DRep registration correctly, accounting for the refundable deposit, CIP-100/CIP-108 metadata compliance, and the parameter that governs ongoing active status.
Evaluate delegation options and determine when delegating to a named DRep, “Auto Abstain,” or “No Confidence” best reflects a given holder's intent.
Classify governance action types accurately and select the correct type for a stated policy question.
Produce constitutionally compliant proposal metadata, host it immutably, and submit it on-chain alongside the required deposit.
Interpret voting outcomes precisely, applying the distinction between "No," "Abstain," and non-participation to a live tally.
Apply ratification and enactment mechanics, including epoch-boundary timing and the guardrails script, to real governance action sequencing.
Who should attend
Ada holders who want a direct say in protocol updates and treasury decisions, whether by voting or delegating.
Prospective DReps ready to register, publish compliant metadata, and represent delegators on-chain.
Prospective proposers who want to draft, host, and submit a governance action that meets constitutional requirements.
Graduates of Introduction to Cardano Governance looking to turn that foundation into hands-on practice. Part 1 completion is strongly recommended before starting this course.