How It Works
BERT turns USDC commitments into transparent builder funding on Arc.
The protocol is a programmable capital allocation system: builders post a USDC-backed proposal deposit, contributors commit USDC votes, verified humans activate voting access onchain, treasury balances accumulate onchain, and winning proposals unlock milestone-based releases through validator review.
Proposal Deposit
50 USDC
Minimum author commitment to submit a live idea into the registry.
Vote Commitment
10 USDC
Minimum onchain vote amount required to support an idea in an active round.
Release Rail
30 / 40 / 30
Initial release, milestone release, and final release after reviewer validation.
Verified Voting
PoP + 10k cap
Only human-verified wallets can vote, and each wallet is capped at 10,000 USDC per idea.
Funding flow
BERT coordinates one continuous funding path. Proposal deposits filter out spam, round voting directs capital toward the strongest ideas, treasury accounting preserves visibility over committed and released balances, human verification limits sybil pressure, and milestone releases keep grant execution measurable.
1. Builder submits an idea
A builder creates an idea in IdeaRegistry and deposits at least 50 USDC. The deposit is locked in FundingPool and the idea enters the pipeline with clear onchain metadata and status.
2. A voting round opens
VotingSystem groups eligible ideas into a live round. Participants review the round and commit USDC directly onchain instead of relying on a separate governance asset.
3. Voters prove personhood first
Before voting, a wallet completes the World ID flow, the backend validates the proof, signs a BERT verification payload, and the wallet finalizes that proof onchain through PoPVerifierUpgradeable.
4. USDC commitments accumulate in treasury
Every valid vote routes committed USDC into the treasury path. Human-only gating reduces sybil pressure, and a per-wallet 10,000 USDC cap reduces single-wallet dominance over one idea.
5. Winner enters grant execution
After the round closes and settlement succeeds, the winning idea moves into GrantManager. At that point the protocol stops being only a voting system and becomes a capital release system.
6. Milestones unlock funding
Grant release is milestone-based. Builders claim the initial tranche, submit implementation proof, then submit final delivery proof. Reviewers validate each stage before the next release can execute.
Human verification flow
BERT still uses USDC-weighted voting, but now the protocol requires a proof-of-personhood activation before that capital can be used in voting. This changes the attack surface from pure wallet count to verified-human participation.
The frontend opens the World ID flow, the backend checks the proof and signs a short-lived BERT payload, and the wallet submits that payload to PoPVerifierUpgradeable. Once that transaction lands, the wallet can vote until the verification window expires.
The current verification window is 14 days. After that, the wallet simply refreshes its verification and continues using the same address.
Why the 10,000 USDC cap exists
Human verification alone helps against sybil voting, but it does not limit how much influence a single verified wallet can concentrate on one idea. The per-wallet cap closes that second gap.
BERT now limits each wallet to 10,000 USDC per idea. Large participants can still support the protocol, but one wallet cannot unilaterally overpower an idea round by sending an outsized vote into a single target.
This keeps the system practical: capital still matters, but the protocol now asks for both human-verification and bounded per-wallet influence before treasury allocation can happen.
Milestone release logic
Winning a round does not trigger a single lump-sum payout. GrantManager releases funding in a staged sequence so capital follows proof of execution rather than hype.
The default rail is 30% / 40% / 30%. The builder claims the first release, then submits proof for the implementation milestone, then submits proof for the final launch milestone. Reviewers confirm each stage before the next tranche can move.
That makes BERT useful as treasury infrastructure, not just proposal coordination. Capital remains programmable until work is actually delivered.
Operator checklist
- USDC commitments use explicit allowance checks before protocol actions execute.
- Round voting enforces one vote per address per idea and blocks self-voting.
- Human-only voting requires an active proof-of-personhood verification before a wallet can vote.
- Per-idea vote size is capped at 10,000 USDC per wallet to reduce single-wallet control.
- Treasury release follows milestone state transitions instead of one-shot payouts.
- Pause controls remain available for incident handling and controlled rollout.
- Role-gated review and grant functions keep validator actions explicit and auditable.