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Mode

Mode (MODE) — a reference card for a crypto project: what the product does and how verifiable the project’s key claims are; also — alignment with the Decentralized AI thesis (DecAI Fit).

Mode — an L2 / DeFi / AI/Agents project: an EVM L2 network based on the OP Stack that positions itself as an AiFi/agentic DeFi hub (AI agents performing onchain tasks such as arbitrage/contract auditing). Ecosystem token: MODE (on Mode Mainnet).

Disclaimer

Important: this page is a reference overview of the project. Within DecAIHub, we separately record a verification based on open sources within the AI thesis (what is real AI/onchain/why a token, and which sources this is based on).
This is not financial advice and not a recommendation to buy/sell/hold any asset. We do not assess price, returns, or entry/exit timing.
Conclusions are based on publicly available materials found as of the verification date. The absence of confirmation does not imply the absence of the technology.

TL;DR (for readers who are not into AI)

  • What it is: an EVM L2 network (OP Stack) with a focus on DeFi and “onchain agents”.
  • Who it’s for: DeFi users, dApp developers and developers of agent applications.
  • Why onchain/token: onchain is needed for executing transactions/contracts and DeFi; the MODE token — for governance and ecosystem growth programs (airdrops/grants/campaigns) per the official tokenomics.
  • What you can actually touch (Tier‑1): Mode AI Terminal and Mode Trade AI Trading Agent (step‑by‑step guides in the official docs).

How it works (very briefly)

  1. The user does: adds the Mode network to the wallet, bridges assets and uses dApps/agents.
  2. The system does: executes transactions and smart contracts on the L2 (OP Stack), publishing/finalizing data via the OP ecosystem.
  3. The user gets: cheaper and faster DeFi operations compared to Ethereum L1 (claimed in the docs), access to applications and agent tools.
  4. Where the blockchain is: all transactions/contracts and the L2 state are onchain (Mode); the bridge contracts are on Ethereum.
  5. Token role (if any): MODE — governance/incentives/grants/ecosystem growth campaigns (per the tokenomics docs).

Quick links: AI thesis fit

Project passport

Field Value
Project name Mode
Also known as (aliases) Mode Network, Mode L2
Logo (logo) ../assets/259_mode_logo.svg
Token symbol (ticker) MODE
Category AI/Agents | L2 | DeFi
Primary chain (chain) Mode
Type EVM
Network status mainnet
Consensus (consensus) sequencer L2 (OP Stack); settlement/security via Ethereum
Launch date (launch_date) — (not established per Tier‑1)
Project status (status) active
Token (standard) L2 token (Mode contract)
Token contract 0xDfc7C877a950e49D2610114102175A06C2e3167a
Token model (token_type) utility (governance + incentives + ecosystem growth)
Max supply total supply 10,000,000,000 MODE (per the docs)
Issuance fixed supply (per the docs)
Tokenomics (tokenomics, brief) distribution: airdrops 35%, investors 19%, core contributors 19%, foundation+onchain treasury 27% (per the docs).
Governance governance (mentioned as Mode Governance; details of the mechanisms not disclosed in the extracted fragments)
Admins/keys — (not found in the extracted Tier‑1)
Audit there is a public list of audits in the repository (public-audits)
Bug bounty Immunefi bounty (listed in the links of this card)
Team (team) — (not found in the extracted Tier‑1)
Funding (investors/funding) an OP grant is mentioned on the website (link to The Block)
AI component (ai_component) AI agents for on-chain DeFi
Use‑case (use_case) L2 for agentic DeFi (AiFi)
DecAI Fit — AI thesis fit 4/6 — medium alignment with the Decentralized AI thesis
DecAI Fit component summary 2 / 2 / 1 / 3
Last verified 2026-02-11

General project overview

Mode is an EVM L2 network built on the OP Stack and oriented toward a DeFi ecosystem where “AI agents” act as automated users/executors of onchain actions (MEV search, arbitrage, contract auditing, etc. — as positioned in the official docs). The docs also emphasize low fees thanks to Bedrock (as a claim) and integration into the Optimism Superchain ecosystem.

Features/modules

  • Mode L2 (OP Stack): the network and tooling (RPC, explorer, bridge) for launching dApps.
  • AiFi / agentic DeFi positioning: sections in the docs about AI agents and a dev roadmap for agent applications.
  • Token incentives/governance: MODE tokenomics and governance/campaign seasons (in the docs).

Typical scenarios

  • Scenario 1: a user adds Mode Mainnet → bridges ETH → uses DeFi applications on Mode.
  • Scenario 2: a developer deploys a contract on Mode → publishes a dApp and connects tooling (RPC/explorer/indexers).
  • Scenario 3: a developer/user uses the agent toolkit (Mode Trade / AI terminal) to automate transactions (per the docs/website as product directions).

Getting started (wallet/network)

  • What you need: an EVM wallet (for example, MetaMask) and ETH for gas.
  • Network/chain: Mode Mainnet (Chain ID 34443) or Mode Testnet (Chain ID 919).
  • Fees: gas in ETH on the Mode network; fees for bridge operations also include interactions with L1 contracts (per the L2 bridge model).

Architecture/tech (non‑AI)

  • Components: the L2 network on the OP Stack, RPC, block explorer, bridge, dApps; the MODE token (contract on Mode).
  • Participant roles: users, dApp/agent developers, infrastructure operators (sequencer/nodes in the OP Stack model).
  • Where logic runs: smart contracts and transactions — on the Mode L2; the bridge and settlement contracts — on Ethereum L1.
  • Dependencies: the OP Stack/Optimism ecosystem; bridge infrastructure; third‑party oracles/indexers — per the tooling list in the docs.

Token/economics (expanded, no forecasts)

  • Token utility: MODE is used “to govern and grow the Mode protocol and ecosystem” via governance, campaigns for users/developers and grants (official tokenomics).
  • Protocol necessity drivers: the token acts as a tool for distributing incentives/grants and for governance processes; network gas on Mode is ETH (per the network details).
  • Who pays fees: users and applications pay gas in ETH on Mode; bridge operations may require L1 gas in ETH.
  • Where fees go: Mode network fees — to the L2 operators/infrastructure (distribution details not disclosed in the extracted Tier‑1); L1 fees — to the Ethereum validators.
  • Issuance/burn: fixed supply of 10B MODE (per the tokenomics). A burn mechanism is not described in the extracted Tier‑1.
  • Security/incentive mechanisms: incentives are implemented via user/dev airdrops and onchain treasury streaming incentives to applications (per the tokenomics); slashing/staking mechanics for MODE are not described in the extracted Tier‑1.
  • Distribution and token issuance schedule: airdrops 35% (including 5.5% airdrop1 and 5% airdrop2), investors 19% (12‑month cliff + 24‑month linear vest), core contributors 19% (12‑month cliff + 24‑month linear vest), foundation+onchain treasury 27% (per the tokenomics).
  • Treasury: “Foundation and Onchain Treasury” 27%; the onchain smart treasury receives MODE by governance decision and streams tokens to applications for incentives (per the tokenomics).

Governance

  • Who makes decisions: Mode governance (mentioned as “Mode Governance” and governance seasons in the docs).
  • How protocol parameters change: via governance and network/docs updates (the specific onchain voting mechanics were not extracted).
  • Where decisions are discussed/made: official channels and docs (X/Discord; links in the official links).
  • Keys/multisig: — (not found in the extracted Tier‑1).

Security and incidents

  • Audits: a public list of audit reports is claimed in the mode-network/public-audits repository (link in this card).
  • Bug bounty: an Immunefi bounty is listed in this card (the general Optimism bounty section on Immunefi is listed).
  • Incidents: — (not found in the extracted Tier‑1).
  • Threat model: L2 risks (sequencer/bridge/smart contracts), risks of third‑party dApps/agent applications (the website has a warning about 3rd‑party apps).

Project status and timeline

  • Current status: Mode Mainnet is available; Mode Testnet is also described.
  • Key releases/milestones: the “AiFi / AI agents” positioning and the Mode Trade/AI tooling materials in the docs.
  • Roadmap: dev onboarding checklist (as the AI Agent Dev Roadmap) — https://docs.mode.network/introduction/dev-onboarding-checklist

Ecosystem/integrations

  • Integrations: bridge, RPC, explorers and tooling are listed in the docs; the dApp ecosystem is listed on the website (examples: Velodrome, Balancer, etc.).
  • Partners: Optimism/OP Stack are mentioned in the docs; the website lists “supported by” (Optimism, EigenLayer, etc. — as visual logos).
  • Where it’s actually used: the website claims 50+ DeFi apps on the L2 (in the extracted fragment without a list/metrics).

AI component of the project

  • What is real AI here? Mode has AI products described in the docs: Mode Trade AI Trading Agent (an automated trading assistant, “powered by advanced LLMs”) and Mode AI Terminal (an assistant that interprets the prompt, selects “context protocols” via the GOAT SDK and prepares transactions for confirmation in the wallet).
  • What is truly onchain? Mode as an L2 executes transactions/smart contracts; the AI tools can prepare onchain actions (swap/approve/transfer/DEX operations), but confirmation and execution happen onchain.
  • Why is a token needed? MODE is described as governance + incentives/ecosystem growth (airdrops/campaigns/grants/treasury), not as a mandatory gas token of the network (the gas currency on the network is ETH).
  • Red flags (based on the information found): the docs describe functions and UX, but there are almost no reproducible quality/profitability metrics; the technologies are called “experimental”, and careful checking of transactions before signing is required.

DecAI Fit component summary

  • DecAI Fit: 4/6 — medium alignment with the Decentralized AI thesis
Component Level Score
AI reality medium 2
Onchain necessity medium 2
Token necessity low 1
Evidence Tier‑1 present 3
Details

AI reality

AI_0 — AI intent (Tier‑1 roadmap) (1/0)

  • AI_0 (decision): 0
  • Claim (one line): the AI component is confirmed by stronger Tier‑1 artifacts (the functionality is described and there are step‑by‑step guides), so a separate “intent only without proof” flag does not apply.
  • Evidence: Tier‑1 — https://docs.mode.network/mode-trade/quickstart-trading-agent ; https://docs.mode.network/ai-agents/mode-ai-terminal
  • Why sufficient / why not (one line): AI_0 is intended for cases where there is only an AI intent in Tier‑1, but AI_1..AI_4 = 0; this is not the case here.
  • Conflict note (if any): —

AI_1 — what the AI does (1/0)

  • AI_1 (decision): 1
  • Claim (one line): AI agents are claimed as executors of non‑custodial tasks in DeFi (for example, arbitrage/MEV search/auditing), as well as AI2AI interactions.
  • Evidence: Tier‑1 — https://docs.mode.network/
  • Why sufficient / why not (one line): Tier‑1 describes the agents’ tasks, but without technical details and without verifiable results.
  • Conflict note (if any): —

AI_2 — demos/examples (1/0)

  • AI_2 (decision): 1
  • Claim (one line): the Tier‑1 docs provide step‑by‑step usage scenarios: launching the Mode Trade AI Trading Agent and using the Mode AI Terminal to prepare onchain actions.
  • Evidence: Tier‑1 — https://docs.mode.network/mode-trade/quickstart-trading-agent ; https://docs.mode.network/ai-agents/mode-ai-terminal
  • Why sufficient / why not (one line): these are replicable instructions/UX flows, but without quality/profitability metrics and without a provable link to specific models.
  • Conflict note (if any): —

AI_3 — metrics/quality (1/0)

  • AI_3 (decision): 0
  • Metrics: — (not found)
  • Context (version/date/how measured): — (not found)
  • Evidence: Tier‑1 — https://docs.mode.network/
  • Why sufficient / why not (one line): the extracted Tier‑1 contain no accuracy/profitability/robustness metrics for the AI agents.
  • Conflict note (if any): —

AI_4 — tech description/architecture/versions (1/0)

  • AI_4 (decision): 0
  • Claim (one line): the extracted Tier‑1 contain no technical specification of the AI models (versions/architecture/data/limitations) sufficient for a “tech description/model versions”.
  • Evidence: Tier‑1 — https://docs.mode.network/mode-trade/quickstart-trading-agent ; https://docs.mode.network/ai-agents/mode-ai-terminal
  • Why sufficient / why not (one line): the UX and the general principle (LLM/prompt interpretation) are described, but there is no specification of models/versions/data, hence conservatively 0.
  • Conflict note (if any): —

Onchain necessity

OC_1 — contracts/addresses/chain (1/0)

  • OC_1 (decision): 1
  • Chain: Mode Mainnet (Chain ID 34443)
  • Addresses/identifiers: bridge contract on Ethereum: 0x735aDBbE72226BD52e818E7181953f42E3b0FF21; MODE token on Mode: 0xDfc7C877a950e49D2610114102175A06C2e3167a
  • Evidence: Tier‑1 — https://docs.mode.network/user-guides/network-details ; https://docs.mode.network/usdmode/quick-start-2 ; https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mode-network/documentation/main/user-guides/mainnet-contract-addresses/token-addresses.md
  • Why sufficient / why not (one line): the docs provide the network parameters and addresses.
  • Conflict note (if any): explorer.mode.network is periodically unavailable.

OC_2 — onchain beyond just a token (1/0)

  • OC_2 (decision): 1
  • What useful logic is onchain: Mode is an L2 network for transactions and smart contracts; DeFi applications run onchain on the L2.
  • Evidence: Tier‑1 — https://docs.mode.network/
  • Why sufficient / why not (one line): the very fact of an L2 network means the presence of onchain logic, not just a token.
  • Conflict note (if any): —

OC_3 — onchain is critical (1/0)

  • OC_3 (decision): 0
  • “Replace the blockchain” test: AI agents as software can exist offchain; without a blockchain the DeFi context/atomic execution/self‑custody break down, but the AI part as such does not require onchain.
  • Evidence: Tier‑1 — https://docs.mode.network/
  • Why sufficient / why not (one line): the docs describe agentic DeFi, but do not prove that the AI functions cannot be implemented without onchain.
  • Conflict note (if any): —

Token necessity

TK_0 — no token (1/0)

  • TK_0 (decision): 0
  • Claim (one line): the project has a token, MODE (total supply 10B), and the contract is specified in the docs.
  • Evidence: Tier‑1 — https://docs.mode.network/usdmode/quick-start-2 ; https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mode-network/documentation/main/user-guides/mainnet-contract-addresses/token-addresses.md
  • Why sufficient / why not (one line): the Tier‑1 docs record the ticker and the contract address.
  • Conflict note (if any): —

TK_1..TK_4 (1/0)

TK_1 — payment for the service (1/0)

  • TK_1 (decision): 0
  • Claim (one line): network gas on Mode is ETH; mandatory payment of network fees with the MODE token is not claimed in Tier‑1.
  • Evidence: Tier‑1 — https://docs.mode.network/user-guides/network-details ; https://docs.mode.network/usdmode/quick-start-2
  • Why sufficient / why not (one line): the docs explicitly specify the currency symbol ETH; MODE is described as governance/incentives.
  • Conflict note (if any): —

TK_2 — incentives/collateral/penalties (1/0)

  • TK_2 (decision): 1
  • Claim (one line): MODE is used in user/developer reward programs and in the “Onchain Smart Treasury”, which streams tokens to applications for incentives.
  • Evidence: Tier‑1 — https://docs.mode.network/usdmode/quick-start-2
  • Why sufficient / why not (one line): the official tokenomics directly describes incentives and the onchain treasury mechanism; security/slashing parameters are not claimed.
  • Conflict note (if any): —

TK_3 — governance (1/0)

  • TK_3 (decision): 1
  • Claim (one line): MODE is used for “Mode Governance” (claimed as a token utility).
  • Evidence: Tier‑1 — https://docs.mode.network/usdmode/quick-start-2
  • Why sufficient / why not (one line): Tier‑1 records the governance utility, but does not disclose the specific mechanism (Snapshot/onchain).
  • Conflict note (if any): —

TK_4 — token is replaceable (1/0)

  • TK_4 (decision): 1
  • Claim (one line): for the core L2 functions (gas/contract execution) the MODE token is not mandatory, since gas is paid in ETH; the token is mainly about governance and incentives.
  • Evidence: Tier‑1 — https://docs.mode.network/user-guides/network-details ; https://docs.mode.network/usdmode/quick-start-2
  • Why sufficient / why not (one line): this makes the token partially replaceable from the point of view of executing transactions.
  • Conflict note (if any): —

Evidence (table)

Tier Source What it proves
Tier‑1 https://docs.mode.network/ AiFi/agentic DeFi positioning, OP Stack/Superchain context.
Tier‑1 https://docs.mode.network/mode-trade/quickstart-trading-agent description of the Mode Trade AI Trading Agent: the agent creation flow, the use of an LLM, decision logging (LLM logs), indicators/risk logic.
Tier‑1 https://docs.mode.network/ai-agents/mode-ai-terminal description of the Mode AI Terminal: prompt interpretation, GOAT SDK/context protocols, preparation of transactions for signing, a warning about the experimental status.
Tier‑1 https://docs.mode.network/user-guides/network-details Mode Mainnet/Testnet parameters (Chain ID, RPC, explorer, bridge and the L1 bridge contract).
Tier‑1 https://docs.mode.network/usdmode/quick-start-2 the MODE ticker, the contract address, total supply 10B, distribution and vesting, utility (governance/grants/campaigns).
Tier‑1 https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mode-network/documentation/main/user-guides/mainnet-contract-addresses/token-addresses.md the list of official token addresses on Mode (including MODE).
Tier‑1 https://www.mode.network/ product claims about AI agents/Mode Trade + a warning about the risks of 3rd‑party apps.

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