Founding Contributor Program — how early contributors will be recognized

[Xiaoher-C]

Founding Contributor Program

AgentBnB is early. The protocol, the architecture, and the ecosystem are still being shaped. That means the people who contribute now will have outsized impact on the direction of the project.

We want to make sure that impact is recognized — permanently.

What is this?

A formal program to identify, recognize, and honor the first wave of meaningful contributors to AgentBnB.

This is not about commit count. This is about impact.

Recognition tiers

1. Founding Contributors (README)

Permanent listing in the project README with name, role, and contribution area.

2. Contributors Page (Website)

A dedicated page on agentbnb.dev listing all contributors across categories — code, docs, protocol design, bug hunting, community building.

3. Identity Badges

Special contributor labels:

• Founding Builder — significant code / infrastructure
• Protocol Shaper — architecture & protocol design
• Reliability Contributor — critical bugs, stress testing, real-world feedback
• Early Evangelist — community growth, demos, bringing real users

What counts as "meaningful"?

We evaluate based on impact, not volume. Examples:

Type	Example
Builder	Major feature implementation, infrastructure work, significant PR
Thinker	Architecture proposal, protocol design, ADR contribution
Tester	Critical bug discovery, stress testing, real-world usage feedback that changes direction
Evangelist	Writing about AgentBnB, creating demos, bringing real users or providers into the network

A single well-thought-out protocol proposal can be worth more than 50 small PRs.

What Founding Contributors get

• ✅ Permanent name in README under "Founding Contributors"
• ✅ Listed on agentbnb.dev Contributors page
• ✅ Founding Contributor identity badge
• ✅ Acknowledged in major version release notes
• ✅ Priority access to internal discussions and roadmap input

How to participate

1. Pick an area — check open issues, especially those tagged good first issue or help wanted
2. Ship something meaningful — a PR, a protocol proposal, a detailed bug report, a demo, documentation
3. That's it — we'll reach out when your contribution qualifies

Current high-impact areas

Good first contributions:

• Improve documentation and onboarding flow
• Fix rough edges in Hub UX
• Reduce ambiguity in agent/provider flows
• Add examples and tutorials

Hard-mode contributions:

• Protocol design (trust signals, routing quality, settlement logic)
• Coordination primitives
• Provider verification mechanisms
• Result transport protocol

FAQ

Q: Is there a deadline?
A: No hard deadline, but the earlier you contribute, the more your work shapes the foundation. "Founding" status is inherently limited to the early phase.

Q: Do I need to write code?
A: No. Protocol ideas, documentation, bug reports, and community building all count.

Q: How many Founding Contributor slots are there?
A: We're not setting a fixed number. We're looking for the most impactful contributors, not the first N people to submit a PR.

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We're not recruiting volunteers. We're recruiting people who will be written into AgentBnB's history.