Effortless GitHub Contributor Rewards: Integrate Owl Protocol with Zapier

Introduction

Owl Protocol, a web3 integration platform that simplifies blockchain development by providing APIs and Zapier integration for any EVM or Rollup.

This allows developers to build blockchain applications without dealing with private keys, gas fees, or cryptocurrencies, enabling them to focus on the core aspects of their applications.

In this tutorial we will integrate Github automation through Zapier with Owl Protocol.

Our project is called GitOwlZap an app which leverages Owl Protocol’s innovative capabilities to reward contributors seamlessly and automatically. By combining Owl Protocol with Zapier, we will develop a seamless workflow that boosts engagement and rewards within our development community.

Note: This article is a community contribution by one of the winners of the Celestia Infinite Space Bazaar hackathon, sponsored by Owl Protocol.

TL;DR

1. Create a Project in Owl Protocol Dashboard:
   Log in, set up your team, and create a new project.
2. Set up Your Collection:
   Add a custom network or choose one of the many available testnet chains (which are free), configure network settings, and create your collection (ERC721).
3. Integrate GitHub with Zapier:
   Create a new Zap, select GitHub as the trigger app, configure actions, and set up filters.
4. Test the Integration:
   Ensure everything works correctly and activate your Zap.

Owl Protocol Dashboard

1. Make sure to log in at the Owl Protocol Dashboard
2. Create Team and Project:
   Navigate to the team section to set up your team, then create a new project. You can collaborate with others working over the same project.
3. Add Custom Network:
   If you want to use a custom network, within your project, click on “Add Custom Network”, enter the network name, paste your RPC URL, and input the Chain ID. Also make sure to fund the gas tank address using ETH or Sepolia ETH (for Caldera).
   You can also add from one of the provided chains such as:
   Ethereum (1), OP Mainnet (10), Sepolia (11155111), OP Sepolia (11155420), OP Celestia Raspberry Testnet (123420111), and more.
   If you’re just testing use the public testnet chains provided.
4. By default, your utility address will be funded with 1.45 ETH as shown below. If you need more, make sure to send additional funds to your gas tank address.

Now we’ll use Owl Protocol’s Zapier integration to reward contributors automatically.

Here’s how it works:

In this example I am using the Op-Raspberry Celestia network.

1. Automatic NFT Minting:
   When a contribution is merged into our GitHub repository, the contributor’s email address triggers the minting of a unique cat collection NFT.
2. Contract Details:
   The NFTs are minted from the contract address 0x4DFe31D8B4207D7F119474f57727D2079F487010, deployed on the Op-Raspberry Celestia network (RPC URL: https://rpc.opcelestia-raspberry.gelato.digital).
3. ERC721AutoId:
   The collection uses the ERC721AutoId standard, allowing for the automatic generation of unique token IDs.
4. Engaging Experience: This integration provides a fun and engaging way to reward contributors.

Note: Everyone must enable their email in Github, this ensures one can receive digital items or NFTs to that specific address, also one can enable a specific email address for a repository, kindly check out the guide here.

Setting Up Your Collection:

1. Enter the project you created or navigate to the previous project that you have created.
2. Create and Configure Collection:
   Click on “Create Collection” and fill in the Collection Name and with a Symbol, upload your image with metadata. As you can see we have created a cat collection using dashboard.

Now that your collection is set up, proceed with integrating Zapier to automate the reward process for contributors.

Setting Up Zapier Integration

To set up the Zapier integration and start rewarding contributors, follow these steps:

1. Sign Up for Zapier:
   If you haven’t already, sign up at Zapier.
2. In your Zapier dashboard, click on “Make a Zap” to create a new automation.
3. Select GitHub as the Trigger App: Search for GitHub and select it as the trigger that starts our app.
4. Choose Trigger Event: Choose the trigger event which is our ‘New Commit’.
5. Connect Your GitHub Account: Authenticate your GitHub account with Zapier.
6. Set Up the Trigger: Select the preferred Repository that your organization wants to reward your contributions, also select your branch which is default to the main/master branch.Can also check by testing trigger with new commit.
7. Click on “+” to add an action, then search for “Filter by Zapier” , choose the field commit message as text using filter action and set it to continue only if the text contains keywords such as “merge” or “request”. This filter ensures that only relevant contributions trigger the next steps, as shown in the figure.

Adding an Action

1. Add an Action:
   Click on “Add an Action” (it is where the zap performs action from where it started ) and search for “Owl Protocol” (which is in beta version right now at the time of writing this article)
2. Select Owl Protocol:
   select event as “Mint ERC721” make sure you login with your account.

Select your collection address, for the “To” field, use the email address by selecting “Author Email” from the mergeCommit event, ensuring the NFT is sent to the contributor.

You can write a description for the NFT, either by taking the commit message from the repository or setting a static description for every contributor. Besides, you can select an image-either a static one or the contributor’s GitHub profile image url and add any desired attributes if needed.

This is how our flow looks like with Zapier automation combining Github + Filter Action + Owl Protocol

Now everything is ready, check the Zap to ensure everything works correctly, and test it, within a short moment you will see as shown below and if everything works perfectly then publish it. In this way whenever someone contributes to our repository they get a NFT digital item from the organization with additional metadata.

Conclusion

The seamless integration with Zapier with Owl protocol automates the minting and distribution of NFTs, allowing developers to focus on building their applications. Owl protocol also supports over 6000 additional web2 apps to integrate, bringing connectivity and versatility. So get started with our API documentation and explore more ways to improve onboarding of users to the web3 ecosystem.