Scaling V4 and Supporting Unichain

GFX Labs proposes that the Uniswap DAO allocate funding to support the integration of Uniswap V4 on Ethereum in Oku, grant GFX Labs a blanket license exemption for future V4 deployments, and to add support for Unichain on Oku. This initiative aims to enhance Uniswap's reach, encourage liquidity migration to V4, and solidify the protocol’s position as the leading decentralized exchange.

Background

In 2022, GFX Labs was granted $1.6M from the Uniswap DAO to scale the Uniswap ecosystem and expand the protocol's presence across EVM chains. Today, Oku is live across 30+ chains, and we have expanded our services to offer best-in-class bridge and trade aggregation. With a dedicated interface for V3 pool analytics and a simplified LP management interface, Oku has served as a consistent and scalable growth channel for the wider Uniswap ecosystem.

We’ve deployed to a wide range of chains at our own expense – far exceeding the original scope of the grant – and have generated a high ROI by accelerating Uniswap adoption across new environments. Now, with the advent of Uniswap V4, it’s time to build the next generation of tooling for the next wave of liquidity.

Scale V4 and Add Unichain Support

Since the launch of Uniswap V4 in January 2025, we’ve seen a surge in interest from users, partners, and hook developers eager to experiment with the new protocol’s capabilities. As one of the most active contributors to the Uniswap ecosystem infrastructure, GFX Labs views this momentum as a timely opportunity to scale V4 usage, reduce friction for LP’ing, and host an environment for hook developers to showcase their innovative pool adaptations. As we have provided for V3, GFX Labs will develop a dedicated V4 analytics interface to support hooked pool discovery and performance tracking.

Who benefits?

The Uniswap DAO’s ability to expand V4’s reach heavily depends on ecosystem builders and infrastructure. That is why supporting the flywheel between hook builders, liquidity migrators/providers, and traders is crucial. With V4’s flexibility also comes complexity. It is key that each stakeholder's user experience and needs are addressed and iterated upon so V4 can become the dominant DEX protocol. Oku will fill the gaps and support ecosystem players as a base layer user interface for developers, LPs, traders, and chains. EVM chains with V4 enabled will have separate interfaces to distinguish between hooked and vanilla pools.

Hook Devs: Hook developers thrive when LP’ing is made easy, unlocking exposure to their unique market architecture

LPs: Intuitive position management tools and highlighted yield farming opportunities for V4 pools

Traders: Option to include V4 “hooked” pools for unique trading strategies & best execution

DAO: Expand V4 footprint across all chains and highlight market opportunities for unique market structures

Proposed Plan

V4 Development Scope

• V4 Liquidity management
• Pool analytics with historical performance data
• Oku V4 data API for anyone building in the Uniswap ecosystem
• Hook pool discovery via V4 analytics dashboard
• Routing support for V4 traders

For the one-time integration and build-out of V4 on Ethereum Mainnet into Oku, we are requesting a total of $250K. The Uniswap DAO could expect delivery within two months of the proposal passing. Post launch, Oku will continue to improve the V4 interface and iterate based on feedback.

• Backend infrastructure: $150,000. This would primarily focus on indexing the V4 protocol, adding a routing setup for V4 markets, and updating our peripheral systems to support V4.
• Frontend development: $100,000. There are two phases here. The first would be designing new UI elements for pool creation, V4 LPing, V4 analytics, V4 trading, and any other UI updates necessary to support V3 and V4 in the same interface. The second phase is implementing the design improvements.

Unichain Deployment on Oku

• Within two weeks of this proposal passing, Unichain and the V3 deployment will be available in Oku. Unichain users will have access to a full suite of Oku features, including a smart routing system integrated into 10 trade routers and 11 bridges.
• As soon as we have the minimum viable backend and frontend support for V4, we will integrate the Unichain V4 deployment.

Given our long-standing relationship with the DAO and our concurrent request for the initial V4 integration, GFX Labs will waive the standard integration fee for integrating Unichain with Oku. Recognizing the benefit of a synergistic V3/V4 offering, instead we are requesting $90k - $7.5k per month - to cover operational and maintenance related costs. This cost structure is representative of preferential pricing for the Uniswap DAO.

Permissionless Licensing Agreement

GFX Labs is requesting a blanket Additional Use Grant, which provides licensing permissions for V4 deployments to streamline the process of bringing V4 to new chains. As an established partner of the Uniswap ecosystem, this process maximizes the DAO’s ability to scale efficiently, support hook innovation, and increase V4 pool dominance across EVM. A license for V4 deployments acts as an accelerant for adoption amongst new and existing networks and is critical for the Uniswap ecosystem to defend market dominance. GFX Labs strongly aligns with the UAC’s suggestion to provide licensing rights to maintain a competitive edge before v4 becomes open source. Further, any deployment completed by GFX must be reviewed by the UAC to be considered official.

With a new emphasis on V4 infrastructure, Oku further aligns itself as a standard bearer for the Uniswap ecosystem, with a focus on expanding utility and interoperability across EVM environments. By funding this proposal, the DAO positions itself to scale V4 usage, promote novel onchain markets, and support unique market innovation from the ground up.