TAO CAT
Whitepaper

TAO CAT is a collection of 4,699 generative pixel cats deployed on Bittensor EVM (Chain ID: 964), the Ethereum-compatible execution layer of the Bittensor decentralized AI network. Each token is unique, algorithmically generated from a layered trait system, and carries an on-chain rarity score stored in a dedicated registry contract.

The project is built around a single principle: every value unit flows to the community. The mint contract holds zero funds. There is no team allocation, no pre-mine, and no whitelist. Mint revenue is forwarded on-chain at the moment of each mint and does not remain in the contract.

Beyond the collection, TAO CAT ships a complete on-chain ecosystem: a native marketplace with batch listing and floor-sweep capabilities, and a permanent on-chain rarity registry queryable by any contract.

All contracts are immutable, non-upgradeable, and deployed on Bittensor EVM mainnet.

Bittensor ($TAO) is a decentralized machine intelligence network. Miners compete to provide the best outputs for computational tasks. Validators assess quality and distribute $TAO emissions accordingly. The system creates a self-organizing, incentive-compatible marketplace for intelligence without a central authority.

Bittensor EVM (Chain ID: 964) is the Ethereum-compatible smart contract layer. Key properties:

The Bittensor EVM ecosystem is young. TAO CAT is an early generative NFT project on this chain, focused on bringing high-quality, community-owned NFT infrastructure: a fully on-chain marketplace and a permanent rarity system.

4,699 creates genuine scarcity while supporting a meaningful community size. Small enough for multiple-token accessibility to early participants; large enough to sustain active secondary trading.

At 0.01 TAO per token, the mint is priced for maximum participation. No mint revenue remains in the contract after any mint transaction.

TAO CAT uses pixel art as its visual language. Each image is rendered at 1000×1000 pixels. Six independent visual layers:

1. 01.Assigns trait values per layer from a weighted probability distribution
2. 02.Ensures no two tokens share an identical six-layer combination
3. 03.Produces a deterministic output per token ID — fully reproducible and auditable

Each token follows the ERC-721 metadata standard, served at:

https://taocats.fun/api/metadata/{tokenId}

{
  "name": "TAO CAT #{tokenId}",
  "image": "https://taocats.fun/nft-images/{tokenId}.jpg",
  "attributes": [
    { "trait_type": "Background",    "value": "..." },
    { "trait_type": "Body",          "value": "..." },
    { "trait_type": "Head",          "value": "..." },
    { "trait_type": "Expression",    "value": "..." },
    { "trait_type": "Outfit",        "value": "..." },
    { "trait_type": "Eyewear",       "value": "..." },
    { "trait_type": "Rarity Tier",   "value": "..." },
    { "trait_type": "Rarity Score",  "value": 0, "display_type": "number" },
    { "trait_type": "Rank",          "value": 0, "display_type": "number" }
  ]
}

Images are served with one-year immutable cache headers via a global CDN.

Statistical rarity method. For each trait layer, frequency is computed across all 4,699 tokens:

RarityScore(token) = Σ ( 1 / frequency(trait_value_in_layer) )

A token with many low-frequency traits scores higher. Method consistent with rarity.tools standard.

Rarity data written permanently to BittensorCatRarity at 0xF71287025f79f9cEec21f5F451A5C1FcE46D34a9. Stores score, global rank (1 = rarest), and tier. Written once — cannot be modified. Queryable by any contract or wallet on Bittensor EVM.

All contracts: Solidity 0.8.24  ·  Cancun EVM  ·  200-run optimizer  ·  OpenZeppelin 5.x  ·  No proxy patterns.

Core ERC-721 contract. Extends ERC721Enumerable and ReentrancyGuard.

Zero fund retention. The contract has no withdraw() function. The contract balance is always zero after any mint transaction — funds are forwarded on-chain within the same transaction they are received.

uint256 paid   = mintPrice * quantity;
uint256 excess = msg.value - paid;
if (excess > 0) {
    (bool refunded,) = payable(msg.sender).call{value: excess}("");
    require(refunded, "Refund failed");
}

function reveal(string calldata baseURI) external onlyOwner {
    require(!revealed, "Already revealed");
    _baseTokenURI = baseURI;
    revealed = true;
    emit Revealed(baseURI);
}

On-chain rarity registry. Stores score, rank, and tier for all 4,699 tokens. Read functions public and callable by any address or contract.

Fully on-chain marketplace. No off-chain order books, no signed messages, no trusted relay.

uint256 public constant MARKET_FEE_BPS  = 100;   // 1.0%
uint256 public constant ROYALTY_BPS     = 550;   // 5.5%
uint256 public constant TOTAL_FEE_BPS   = 650;   // 6.5%
uint256 public constant BPS_DENOMINATOR = 10_000;

1. Seller → approve(marketplaceAddress, tokenId)
2. Seller → list(tokenId, priceInTAO)
3. Contract stores: Listing{ seller, price }
4. Buyer  → buy(tokenId) with msg.value >= listing.price
5. Contract: sellerAmount = price × 0.935  |  fee = price × 0.065
6. Transfers: TAO → seller  |  TAO → treasury  |  NFT → buyer
7. Listing deleted

Steps 5–7 occur atomically. Any failure reverts the entire transaction.

function sweepFloor(uint256[] calldata tokenIds) external payable nonReentrant

Purchases multiple floor listings in one transaction. Each seller paid individually. Excess TAO refunded automatically.

function listBatch(uint256[] calldata tokenIds, uint256[] calldata prices) external

Lists multiple tokens simultaneously with a single transaction. Requires prior approval of marketplace address.

1. NFT appreciation. As Bittensor EVM activity grows, demand for early, well-designed collections with proven on-chain infrastructure increases. Floor price appreciation reflects the growth of the underlying ecosystem.

2. Marketplace royalty flow. Every secondary sale generates 6.5% in fees directed to the treasury. This fee supports ongoing development of the marketplace, rarity tooling, and ecosystem integrations.

Token metadata is served by a Next.js API route that reads pre-generated JSON files per token ID and constructs a fully resolved response with an absolute image URL. Images are cached at CDN edge with Cache-Control: public, max-age=31536000, immutable.

Custom JSON-RPC proxy at taocats.fun/api/rpc handles Bittensor EVM gas estimation edge cases, ensuring mint and marketplace transactions simulate correctly across all supported wallets.

Each guarantee is enforceable on-chain and verifiable by reading the deployed contract bytecode.

All contracts deployed on Bittensor EVM (Chain ID: 964).