Rules and responsibilities
Rules act, not discretion
The protocol does not make discretionary decisions. Outcomes are intended to follow published rules consistently: the same input produces the same result, and individual discretion does not change eligibility, terms or outcomes.
This is how code can support trust between people: fewer hidden decisions and a record they can check. It does not eliminate default risk or transfer the operator's lawful responsibilities to software.
Automated rules must still support lawful corrections, complaints and redress. That requirement sits in the design: corrections create recorded adjustments rather than silent edits, and complaint paths are part of the operating responsibilities described below.
Who is responsible for what
| Role | Responsible for | Not responsible for |
|---|---|---|
| Cooperative or organization (program operator) | Establishing and administering the program under its lawful structure; holding and moving funds where the structure provides it; participant relationships | Setting terms outside the published rules |
| The platform | Applying the rules; keeping records; making outcomes checkable | Approving individual cases outside the published rules |
| Contributor | Supplying capital under the chosen structure and accepting its published risks | Receiving guaranteed returns |
| Borrower | Repaying under the applicable terms | Negotiating individual exceptions outside the rules |
A person can hold more than one role; a contributor may also be a borrower. The legal lender of record depends on the pool's structure and its agreements.
The rules are versioned documents
Terms are defined in versioned, published documents rather than in interface wording. A behavior change requires a document change with an explicit version bump. Summaries on this site, including this one, explain. They do not amend.
Website wording does not override adopted program documents or applicable law. Earlier operating drafts are being reconciled with the first program and are not published as current terms. See Rules and implementation status.
Current state
No operating service exists yet. The responsibilities above describe the intended model, and behaviour is currently exercised in testing. Status labels on each article record the difference.