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Skip Protocol

Type: MEV Infrastructure

Skip Protocol (now part of the Interchain Foundation) is a validator-owned MEV infrastructure provider for the Cosmos ecosystem that builds PBS-style block auction infrastructure, a sovereign SDK for appchain MEV management, and Protocol-Owned Builder (POB) designs for internalizing MEV.

Market Microstructure Analysis​

Skip's core contribution is adapting PBS principles to the Cosmos SDK architecture, where each appchain has sovereignty over its own block production and MEV policy. Unlike Ethereum where MEV infrastructure must work with a single global protocol, Skip enables each Cosmos chain to configure its own MEV marketplace — choosing auction types, builder permissions, and MEV revenue distribution. This creates a laboratory for MEV mechanism design: chains can experiment with different approaches and the market selects the most effective designs. Skip's Protocol-Owned Builder (POB) model flips the builder market by making the protocol itself (or a DAO-controlled entity) the primary builder, internalizing MEV profits for the protocol treasury rather than leaking them to external builders. The validator-owned architecture means validators collectively control the MEV infrastructure, reducing the single-entity centralization risk present in Ethereum's builder market. Skip was acquired by the Interchain Foundation, integrating its infrastructure into the core Cosmos stack.

Key Innovations​

  • Sovereign MEV policy: each appchain configures its own MEV marketplace
  • Protocol-Owned Builder (POB): internalize MEV profits to protocol treasury
  • Validator-owned infrastructure: collective MEV infrastructure governance
  • Multi-chain PBS: block auction infrastructure adapted to Cosmos SDK chains