Kudos is a reference implementation of an attribution-based allocation system.

It enables people to record who helped them — across the web, in software, in collaboration — and later allocate a fixed budget proportionally to those attributions.

Kudos is not a token.

Kudos is not a cryptocurrency.

Kudos is not a payment network.

Kudos is an allocation engine that makes generosity automatic.

It separates:

• Signal (who helped you)
• Allocation (how much weight they receive)
• Settlement (how money is distributed)

Attribution is free.

Allocation is computed later.

Money follows patterns, not clicks.

said another way:

Creative work should not require a price tag at every interaction.

Value is measured over time.

Settlement is a proportional reflection of recorded contribution.

At its core, Kudos is:

1. Fix a budget for a class of value For example: You may budget $100/month for open source.

2. Record attribution events
   Users or their software generate kudos for identifiers (email, username, DID, etc.).

3. Allocate a budget proportionally
   At the end of a cycle (e.g., monthly / lunation), a fixed budget is split across all recorded attributions based on weight.

Formula:

recipient_share = budget × (recipient_weight ÷ total_weight)

Attribution precedes money. Settlement is a function of recorded attribution.

• Clients emit attribution signals
• Server records and indexes kudos
• Cycles compute proportional allocations
• Settlement layer applies compliance rules
• Funds are optionally distributed via supported rails

Clients emit append-only kudos events.

Cycles aggregate events and compute proportional distributions deterministically.

Identifiers resolve to verified subjects. Compliance and eligibility rules are enforced before payout.

packages/
  pool-core/        Pure logic: schemas, validation, normalization, errors
  ports/            Interface contracts: StoragePort, AuthPort, SinkPort, etc.
  server/           Fastify HTTP server + plugin for /core/v1/* routes
  storage-sqlite/   SQLite storage adapter (reference)
  storage-postgres/ PostgreSQL storage adapter (production)
  worker-outbox/    Outbox polling worker + ConsoleSink
  logging/          Structured logger
  subject-hash/     Deterministic subject hashing
apps/
  basic-pool-server/  Reference app: SQLite + outbox + static-token auth
test/               Integration / end-to-end tests
docs/               Architecture notes & legacy READMEs

Kudos uses a light-weight canonical identity abstraction called a Subject.

A Subject is:

type + opaque identifier

Example:

email:[email protected]

Other examples:

github:octocat domain:example.com
subject:3f9a8c2e... pool:https://pool.server...

At the signal layer, any valid subject can receive kudos.

At settlement time:

• Subjects resolve to verified canonical entities.
• Routing changes apply only to future cycles.
• Compliance and eligibility checks occur before payout.

This separation allows attribution to remain flexible while settlement remains deterministic and compliant.

In a Moon is built using kudos.

MIT License. See LICENSE.