Multi-Sig & Account Permissions

Multi-Sig & Account Permissions

Manage TRON's native three-tier permission model (Owner, Active, Witness) with built-in multi-sig support at the protocol level — no external contracts needed. Configure keys, thresholds, and operation scopes, then coordinate multi-signature transactions through a propose → approve → execute flow.

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Quick Start

Wallet required: Run agent-wallet list first.
If no wallets exist, invoke bankofai-guide (Section C — Wallet Guard) before proceeding.

cd multisig-permissions && npm install
export TRON_PRIVATE_KEY="<your-private-key>"
export TRON_NETWORK="mainnet"

Before using any signer-specific command, derive the address from the configured key and confirm it matches the intended owner / active role on-chain. Variable names like TRON_PRIVATE_KEY and TRON_HUMAN_PRIVATE_KEY are only labels; the actual signer role is determined by the derived address in the current account permission set.

Caution

Misconfiguring owner permissions can permanently lock an account with no recovery. Always use --dry-run first and verify you control enough keys to meet the new threshold.

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Available Scripts

Script	Purpose	Reads/Writes
status.js	View current permission configuration	Read-only
update.js	Modify account permissions (add/remove keys, thresholds, scope)	Write
propose.js	Create a multi-sig transaction proposal	Write
approve.js	Add your signature to a pending proposal	Write
execute.js	Broadcast a fully-signed transaction	Write
pending.js	List pending multi-sig proposals	Read-only
review.js	Human CLI: list, inspect, co-sign, and execute proposals in one tool	Write

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TRON Permission Model

Every TRON account has three permission tiers:

Permission	Type	Purpose	Default
Owner	0	Full control. Only permission that can modify other permissions.	Account key, threshold 1
Active	2	Day-to-day operations. Can be scoped to specific transaction types.	Account key, threshold 1, all ops
Witness	1	Block production (Super Representatives only).	Not set

Each permission has keys (address + weight pairs) and a threshold (minimum total weight to authorize). Example: 3 keys with weight 1 each and threshold 2 = 2-of-3 multi-sig.

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Usage Patterns

Pattern 1: Inspect Account Security

# Check your own account
node scripts/status.js

# Check any account
node scripts/status.js TXk8rQSAvPvBBNtqSoY3UkFdpMTMbqRMKU

Pattern 2: Set Up Multi-Sig (2-of-3)

# Step 1: Preview changes (always dry-run first!)
node scripts/update.js add-key TKey2Address... --permission owner --weight 1 --dry-run
node scripts/update.js add-key TKey3Address... --permission owner --weight 1 --dry-run
node scripts/update.js set-threshold 2 --permission owner --dry-run

# Step 2: Or use a template for all at once
node scripts/update.js from-template basic-2of3 \
  --key1 TKey1... --key2 TKey2... --key3 TKey3... --dry-run

# Step 3: Execute when satisfied
node scripts/update.js from-template basic-2of3 \
  --key1 TKey1... --key2 TKey2... --key3 TKey3...

Pattern 3: Restrict Agent to DeFi Only

# Preview the restricted owner + active configuration
node scripts/update.js from-template agent-restricted \
  --key1 THumanKey... --key2 TBackupKey... --key3 TAgentKey... --dry-run

# Apply it from a single-owner account
node scripts/update.js from-template agent-restricted \
  --key1 THumanKey... --key2 TBackupKey... --key3 TAgentKey...

# If the current owner is already multi-sig, update.js creates a pending owner
# proposal instead of broadcasting directly. Finish it through the normal flow.
node scripts/approve.js prop_xxxxx_xxxx
node scripts/execute.js prop_xxxxx_xxxx

Pattern 4: Multi-Sig Transaction Flow

# Signer 1: Propose a transfer
node scripts/propose.js transfer TRecipient... 10000 --memo "Q1 budget"

# Signer 2: Review and approve
node scripts/approve.js prop_1709312400_a3f2

# Any signer: Execute when threshold is met
node scripts/execute.js prop_1709312400_a3f2

# Check all pending proposals
node scripts/pending.js

Pattern 5: Hybrid Signature (Human + Agent)

The review.js script is a single CLI tool for humans to list, inspect, co-sign, and execute agent-created proposals. It uses TRON_HUMAN_PRIVATE_KEY (not TRON_PRIVATE_KEY) to avoid mixing up human and agent keys.

# Agent (Key B) proposes a transfer from its own account (uses TRON_PRIVATE_KEY):
node scripts/propose.js transfer TRecipient... 500 --memo "Q1 vendor payment"
# → Outputs proposal ID: prop_1710345600_b7e4

# Agent (Key B) proposes an active-scoped contract call for a controlled
# multi-sig account. --account identifies the controlled account.
node scripts/propose.js contract-call TXLAQ63Xg1NAzckPwKHvzw7CSEmLMEqcdj \
  "approve(address,uint256)" '["TSpender...","1000000"]' \
  --permission active \
  --account TControlledMultisig...

# Human (Key A) reviews all pending proposals (no key needed):
node scripts/review.js

# Human inspects a specific proposal (read-only, no key needed):
node scripts/review.js prop_1710345600_b7e4

# Human co-signs after verifying details (uses TRON_HUMAN_PRIVATE_KEY):
export TRON_HUMAN_PRIVATE_KEY="<human-key>"
node scripts/review.js prop_1710345600_b7e4 --sign

# Human co-signs AND broadcasts in one step:
node scripts/review.js prop_1710345600_b7e4 --sign --execute

Pattern 6: Scope Active Permission Operations

# Restrict active permission to only TRX transfers and smart contract calls
node scripts/update.js scope-active --id 2 \
  --operations TransferContract,TriggerSmartContract --dry-run

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Permission Templates

Templates use --keyN flags to assign addresses to named roles. Keys are numbered positionally across owner and active roles (deduplicated, owner first). You can also use --role_name directly (e.g. --agent_key TAddr...).

Template	Config	Key mapping	Description
basic-2of3	2-of-3 owner, 1-of-1 active (all ops)	--key1=KEY_1, --key2=KEY_2, --key3=KEY_3	Standard multi-sig
agent-restricted	2-of-2 owner, 1-of-1 active (TriggerSmartContract only)	--key1=HUMAN_KEY, --key2=BACKUP_KEY, --key3=AGENT_KEY	Agent can only call contracts
team-tiered	3-of-5 owner, 2-of-3 active (transfers + contracts)	--key1..--key5=KEY_1..KEY_5	Team with tiered access
weighted-authority	Threshold 3: primary (wt 2) + secondaries (wt 1)	--key1=PRIMARY_KEY, --key2=SECONDARY_1, --key3=SECONDARY_2	Weighted key authority

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Transaction Types (Operations)

Used with scope-active --operations:

Operation	Description
TransferContract	Transfer TRX
TransferAssetContract	Transfer TRC10 tokens
TriggerSmartContract	Call any smart contract (DeFi, tokens, etc.)
FreezeBalanceV2Contract	Stake TRX for energy/bandwidth
UnfreezeBalanceV2Contract	Unstake TRX
DelegateResourceContract	Delegate energy/bandwidth
VoteWitnessContract	Vote for Super Representatives
AccountPermissionUpdateContract	Modify permissions (very dangerous in Active)

See resources/permission_config.json for the full list.

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Security Rules

Warning

Lockout prevention: The update.js script refuses to execute if the new threshold exceeds the total key weight. However, you MUST verify you actually control the keys — the script cannot check this.

1. Always dry-run first: Every write operation supports --dry-run.
2. Owner changes are irreversible: Only the owner key set can modify permissions. If you lock yourself out, the account is permanently lost.
3. Verify key control: Before changing owner permissions, confirm you have access to enough keys to meet the new threshold.
4. Scope active permissions: Don't give agents all-operations access. Use scope-active to limit to TriggerSmartContract.
5. Proposals expire: Default expiry is 24 hours. Expired proposals cannot be executed.
6. Check signer roles explicitly: Before approve.js, review.js --sign, or any active-scoped propose.js --account call, confirm the configured private key derives to an address that actually appears in that permission block.

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Multi-Sig Proposal Storage

Proposals are stored locally at ~/.clawdbot/multisig/pending/ as JSON files. After execution, they are archived to ~/.clawdbot/multisig/executed/.

For multi-party setups, share the proposal ID with co-signers who have access to the same file system, or copy the proposal JSON file to them.

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Common Issues

"LOCKOUT DANGER: threshold exceeds total key weight"

The script prevented a dangerous permission change. Reduce the threshold or add more keys.

"Account not found or not activated"

The address has no on-chain account. Send at least 0.1 TRX to activate it.

"Proposal has expired"

The proposal's 24-hour window has passed. Create a new proposal with propose.js.

"Threshold not met"

The proposal needs more signatures. Check pending.js to see remaining weight needed.

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Environment Variables

Variable	Required	Description
TRON_PRIVATE_KEY	Yes (write scripts)	Private key used by propose.js, approve.js, execute.js, and update.js. The derived address must match the intended owner or active signer role.
TRON_HUMAN_PRIVATE_KEY	Yes (review.js --sign)	Private key used by review.js --sign. This should be set to the human reviewer's key and validated by derived address, not by variable name alone.
TRON_NETWORK	No (default: mainnet)	mainnet, nile, or shasta
TRONGRID_API_KEY	No	TronGrid API key for higher rate limits

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Version 1.0.0 — Created by M2M Agent Registry for Bank of AI