ZK-Subs.-.Private.Subscriptions.-.11.August.2026.mp4

ZK-Subs 🛡️

Privacy-first subscription protocol for Web3 journalism, SaaS, and gated communities.

The Problem (Real-World Daily Issue)

Every day, millions of users pay for digital subscriptions—premium journalism, SaaS tools, specialized communities, and healthcare services. However, paying via transparent EVM chains completely destroys user privacy. On-chain analytics permanently link a user's public wallet to the services they consume (Wallet Doxxing). This prevents users from paying for sensitive, controversial, or highly personal services without exposing their financial footprint to employers, family, or malicious actors.

The Solution

ZK-Subs is a decentralized subscription protocol that completely decouples payment from access.

1. Users pay via Kohaku's privacy pools, ensuring the creator receives funds without ever seeing the sender's public address.
2. Upon successful private payment, the user's identity commitment is added to a Semaphore group of "Active Subscribers".
3. To access the gated content daily, the user generates a Zero-Knowledge Proof locally. The backend verifies the proof and grants access without ever knowing the user's identity or IP address.

🛠 Tech Stack

• Frontend: Next.js (App Router), TypeScript, TailwindCSS
• Privacy SDK: Kohaku SDK (Privacy Pools architecture)
• ZK Identity: Semaphore V4 (@semaphore-protocol/core)
• Backend: Next.js API Routes for ZK Proof verification

Setup Instructions

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/gm305/zk-subs.git

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install
   # or yarn install / pnpm install

3. Run the development server:

   npm run dev
   # or yarn dev / pnpm dev

4. Open http://localhost:3000 with your browser to see the application.

Kohaku payment flow is mocked for demo. Semaphore proof generation is real.