ProgramWatch: Solana program explorer for upgrade authority, IDL, and verification
Before you CPI: upgrade authority, freeze, verified build, IDL. /top leaderboard + /api/*. Built by @metasal (Milysec).
devrels.xyz/a/21ProgramWatch: Solana program explorer for upgrade authority, IDL, and verification. programwatch.dev is built by Sal Samani (Metasal) under Milysec — around the integrator question is this program safe to compose with?, not “did my swap land?”
What it surfaces
| Signal | Why integrators care |
|---|---|
| Upgradeable / frozen | Who can change bytecode after you ship a CPI? |
| Verified / not verified | Does on-chain binary match public source (verified builds)? |
| IDL available | Can you decode ixs / generate clients without reverse engineering? |
| Executable / closed | Is the account a live program? |
| Deployed / active metadata | Age, size, slot context for lifecycle review |
Product X: @programwatch · Telegram.
Top programs
/top ranks programs by instruction activity. See also top programs (ProgramWatch data).
Public API
curl -s https://www.programwatch.dev/api/stats | head -c 400
curl -s "https://www.programwatch.dev/api/database" | head -c 400
curl -s "https://www.programwatch.dev/api/program/TokenkegQfeZyiNwAJbNbGKPFXCWuBvf9Ss623VQ5DA" | head -c 500export async function programwatchProgram(address: string) {
const res = await fetch(
`https://www.programwatch.dev/api/program/${encodeURIComponent(address)}`,
)
if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`program ${res.status}`)
return res.json() as Promise<{
success: boolean
data?: {
program_name?: string
mutable?: number
verified?: number
idl?: number
update_authority?: string | null
}
}>
}Integrator checklist
- Open program ID on programwatch.dev (or
/api/program/…). - Note upgrade authority: EOA vs multisig vs frozen.
- Check verified build + source if present.
- Confirm IDL if you need typed clients.
- Cross-check verified builds before mainnet CPI.
What it does not replace
- Tx explorers (official explorer, Solscan) for landing proofs.
- TVL / volume analytics.
- Audits — metadata only.
People and links
| Role | Who |
|---|---|
| Builder | Sal Samani (Metasal) · @metasal |
| Studio | Milysec · milysec.com |
| Surface | Link |
|---|---|
| Explorer | programwatch.dev |
| Top | /top |
| Product X | @programwatch |
| Directory | programwatch · project · Milysec · @metasal |
Resources
Keep reading
Agents already call APIs — and already fail with 400s, leaked keys in mcp.json, and poisoned skill files. Gecko is the comprehension layer: docs → first-call-correct tools, keys injected only at call time, recorded mode before you spend. Here is the product map for Solana builders.
Smart contracts are just programs that a network of computers agrees to run the same way. On Solana they're called programs. Here's the mental model, why IDLs matter, and a feature comparison of three tools that make programs inspectable: ProgramWatch, the official IDL History Explorer, and Orquestra.
The IDL describes everything about a Solana program, so why are you still writing a backend to expose it? Orquestra takes an Anchor or Codama IDL and hosts the rest: REST endpoints for instructions and accounts, PDA derivation, an unsigned transaction builder, llms.txt for AI agents, and a public MCP server. A look at what it does and where it fits.
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