> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.decdn.org/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Reputation

> Nodes are scored 0.0–1.0 from local delivery outcomes plus weighted gossip from staked peers, with per-report clamps, decay, and a cold-start bonus.

## Decision

Nodes are ranked by a **reputation score** in `[0.0, 1.0]` derived from a combination of direct local observation and signed gossip reports from staked nodes. Local experience dominates; gossip sharpens the picture for nodes you have not yet interacted with.

Only staked nodes may submit gossip reports. Clients contribute to local scores only.

## Reporter weighting

A report's weight is a function of the reporter's track record and counterparty diversity, computed against on-chain settlement history. A node that has only ever settled with itself and a few colluders is heavily down-weighted; a node that has settled fairly with many counterparties is trusted more. Reporter weight is bounded so no single party dominates.

## Clamping and cold-start

* **Per-report clamp.** A single report can move a target's score by at most a bounded amount, preventing flash-crashes from coordinated negatives.
* **Decay toward neutral.** In the absence of fresh reports, scores drift toward a neutral value over time.
* **Cold-start bootstrap.** New nodes get a small initial reputation bonus so they can earn their first traffic. The bootstrap is one-time per operator address — re-staking under a new identity does not replay it.

## What triggers reports

Interaction outcomes generate reports. Examples:

| Event                                        | Local score change | Gossip report?                                    |
| -------------------------------------------- | ------------------ | ------------------------------------------------- |
| Clean delivery, valid voucher accepted       | Small positive     | Optional                                          |
| Hash mismatch mid-stream                     | Large negative     | Yes                                               |
| Probe claimed availability but stream failed | Negative           | Yes (candidate for phantom-announcement slashing) |
| Charged rate ≠ advertised rate               | Negative           | Yes (candidate for rate-manipulation slashing)    |

## Why not purely on-chain?

On-chain reputation scales poorly — thousands of report transactions per hour would be cost-prohibitive. Reports stay in gossip and only escalate to on-chain slashing when the evidentiary bar is crossed. Reporter weighting still anchors to on-chain settlement history, so it remains auditable.