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Cowboy is a Layer 1 blockchain built for autonomous agents. Actors are written in Python, executed in a deterministic Rust-based VM, and can schedule native timers, call off-chain services (LLMs, HTTP, MCP), and read/write encrypted distributed storage — all with protocol-level guarantees and a dual-metered gas model that prices compute and storage independently.

Quickstart

Configure the CLI and deploy your first actor in a few commands

What Makes Cowboy Different

What makes Cowboy different from other L1s

Architecture Deep Dive

The technical design of the protocol end-to-end

Source Layout

Contributor tour of node, pvm, runner, cbfs, and more

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Core Features

Actors are Python programs executed in a deterministic VM with fuel metering. The cowboy_sdk (CIP-6) provides an @actor decorator, persistent self.storage, asynchronous messaging, and a continuation FSM for off-chain jobs.Learn more: Actor VM · Minimal Actor
Protocol-level timer support enables truly autonomous agents. Actors schedule their own execution via a hierarchical calendar queue with dynamic gas bidding (CIP-1).Learn more: Timers & Scheduler
Compute (Cycles) and data (Cells) are priced independently with separate EIP-1559 fee markets. You pay fairly for what you actually use (CIP-3).Learn more: Fee Model
Request LLM inference, HTTP calls, or MCP tool use from a runner network. Results are submitted on-chain with N-of-M, TEE, or ZK verification. VRF-based runner selection keeps it decentralized (CIP-2).Learn more: Off-Chain Compute
Large data lives in CBFS — a client-side-encrypted filesystem with Reed-Solomon erasure coding, QUIC transport, and a FUSE mount. Actors and runners attach volumes through delegated capability tokens (CIP-4 / CIP-9).Learn more: State Storage · Runner Storage
Cowboy uses the same secp256k1 keypairs and 20-byte address scheme as Ethereum. Your existing keys, wallets, and signing tooling work without modification.Learn more: Key Format

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Getting Started

1

Understand the Basics

Read What is Cowboy? to grasp the core concepts.
2

Deploy on Devnet

Follow the Quickstart to initialize the CLI and deploy a starter actor.
3

Deploy an Actor

Deploy a minimal actor and call its handlers.
4

Build Something Real

Study the Examples Curriculum for state, permissions, actor messaging, timers, runner continuations, and LLM-backed actors.

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For Different Audiences

Application Developers

Protocol Researchers

Node Operators

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A 30-Minute Path

New to Cowboy? We recommend this learning path:
  1. What is Cowboy? — 5 min
  2. Quickstart — deploy to the hosted devnet, ~10 min hands-on
  3. Minimal Actor — understand actor anatomy
  4. Examples Curriculum — study runnable builder patterns
From there, dive into How Cowboy Works for any pillar that interests you.

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Protocol Status

Current Version: v0.1 (Devnet) Network Status: Active development — devnet at rpc-01.mesa.cowboylabs.net:4000

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Source

GitHub

Source code, issues, and pull requests

Architecture

Protocol design and system components
Ready to build? Jump to the Quickstart. Source contributors can explore the Source Layout.