Shipping to mainnet demands more than “it compiles.” This checklist helps you harden Solidity contracts—and shows how Chaingent AI automates the boring (compile, audit, deploy) so you can focus on logic.
1) Access control first
- Pick a clear model: Ownable or granular roles.
- Restrict sensitive paths (mint/burn, parameter changes, withdrawals).
- Prefer explicit allowlists over implicit assumptions.
2) Defend against reentrancy
- Apply checks‑effects‑interactions.
- Use non‑reentrant guards on state‑changing functions that transfer ETH/tokens.
- Avoid callbacks unless intentional; minimize external calls.
3) Validate inputs and state
- Bounds check amounts, indexes, and lengths.
- Sanity‑check addresses (non‑zero when required).
- Reject unexpected states early; use custom errors for clarity and gas savings.
4) Handle arithmetic and accounting
- Favor Solidity ^0.8.x checked math; avoid silent overflows.
- Keep a single source of truth for balances/supplies; avoid duplicated state.
- Emit events for critical state changes.
5) Think upgradeability deliberately
- If proxying, separate upgrade admin from business roles.
- Lock initializers and document storage layout.
- Version contracts and keep a migration plan.
6) External integrations
- Assume third‑party tokens and protocols can misbehave.
- Validate return values; handle non‑standard ERC‑20s carefully.
- Rate‑limit or gate privileged cross‑contract calls.
7) Testing and reviews
- Unit and invariant tests for core properties (supply conservation, role invariants).
- Differential tests around token flows and fee math.
- Peer review every external‑facing change.
Automate with Chaingent AI
Chaingent AI pairs an AI smart contract builder with an automated delivery pipeline:
- Save → Compile with pinned solc version, optimizer, runs, EVM target
- On success → Audit automatically with severity grouping and a security score
- Deploy in one click with constructor args and explorer links
- Keep full history of code, artifacts, findings, and deployments
This turns the checklist into a repeatable process: author with guardrails, verify continuously, and ship confidently.
Quick pre‑deployment rundown
- Roles and ownership paths reviewed
- Reentrancy protections applied where relevant
- Input bounds checked and custom errors added
- Events emitted for critical changes
- Upgrade plan (or explicit decision not to upgrade)
- Tests pass; compile warnings triaged
Ready to harden your contracts and automate delivery? Try Chaingent AI today.