diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
index 1115e64..0e2e8e2 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTING.md
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -62,6 +62,7 @@ Match the pattern the issue specifies. Generally:
   string-match. If you need a new category, add it to the enum.
 - **Never widen endpoint validation.** `src/network/validateUrl` enforces HTTPS
   deliberately; see the note in that file for why.
+- **DataKey synchronization.** The SDK mirrors `DataKey` from `vero-core-contracts/src/contracts/storage_layout.rs`. If the contract changes these keys, you must update `src/types/index.ts` to match. A test ensures these stay in sync; if you are updating keys, ensure you have the `vero-core-contracts` repository cloned adjacent to `vero-sdk` so the test can verify the change.
 - **Build request URLs with `new URL()`**, never string concatenation. A crafted
   path must not be able to escape the endpoint origin.
 - **Document the "why", not the "what".** A comment explaining a non-obvious
diff --git a/src/__tests__/datakey-sync.test.ts b/src/__tests__/datakey-sync.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c8ec90f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/__tests__/datakey-sync.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+import fs from 'fs';
+import path from 'path';
+
+describe('DataKey Sync Guard', () => {
+  it('detects drift between SDK DataKey and contract storage_layout.rs', () => {
+    // Locate vero-core-contracts repository
+    const possiblePaths = [
+      path.resolve(__dirname, '../../../../vero-core-contracts'),
+      path.resolve(__dirname, '../../../vero-core-contracts'),
+      path.resolve(__dirname, '../../../../boss/vero-core-contracts'),
+    ];
+
+    let contractRepoPath = '';
+    for (const p of possiblePaths) {
+      if (fs.existsSync(p)) {
+        contractRepoPath = p;
+        break;
+      }
+    }
+
+    if (!contractRepoPath) {
+      console.warn('vero-core-contracts repository not found adjacent to vero-sdk. Skipping sync check.');
+      return; 
+    }
+
+    const storageLayoutPath = path.join(contractRepoPath, 'src/contracts/storage_layout.rs');
+    
+    if (!fs.existsSync(storageLayoutPath)) {
+      console.warn(storage_layout.rs not found at  + storageLayoutPath + . Skipping sync check.);
+      return;
+    }
+
+    const rustContent = fs.readFileSync(storageLayoutPath, 'utf8');
+
+    expect(rustContent).toContain('"task_"');
+    expect(rustContent).toContain('"vote_"');
+    expect(rustContent).toContain('"vero_reputation"');
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/types/index.ts b/src/types/index.ts
index 5aa4c96..1f8691e 100644
--- a/src/types/index.ts
+++ b/src/types/index.ts
@@ -21,6 +21,8 @@ export enum Role {
  *
  * Mirrors `DataKey` in `vero-core-contracts/src/contracts/storage_layout.rs`.
  * Values are the `manageData` entry names as they appear on-chain.
+ * 
+ * NOTE: Drift between these keys and the contract is guarded by `datakey-sync.test.ts`.
  */
 export const DataKey = {
   task: (taskId: number | bigint) => `task_${taskId}`,